A review by aksmith92
Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots

adventurous dark funny tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The Setup: Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots is a thought-provoking twist on the superhero genre, offering a unique perspective from the often overlooked side: those who work for the villains - not "sidekicks" or "partners," but henchpeople. The novel follows Anna Tromedlov, a temp worker who takes on many clerical roles, particularly data-related, for villains. Her life changes drastically after the superhero SuperCollider severely injures her. The injury sets her on her villainous path of discovery and vengeance. During her vengeance, she begins to question the true impact of superheroes on society.

After Anna starts a blog revealing data about how superheroes often cause more harm than good (e.g., blasting into buildings, making them crumble, pummeling cars into people, etc.), she attracts the attention of a villain named Leviathan, who recruits Anna to lead a team using data science to expose and undermine superheroes. We watch Anna's vengeance and desire for revenge lead her down a seemingly ruthless path. Throughout the story, we also see what her villainous world surfaces - loss of friends, lack of a love life, and complicated decisions.

This novel explores themes of morality, power, and the consequences of heroism, offering a refreshing tale in which you cannot help but root for the bad guy.

What I Liked: Listen, Anna was a badass. She was not your typical hero villain - she was complicated, yet somehow incredibly relatable. She was not necessarily physically strong, but her ability to read signs and projected decisions through data was her winning trait. Per usual, I am a sucker for excellent character development and this hit that mark. The other characters in the novel were also pretty fleshed out, and all in all, I think that character piece was incredibly well done. On top of that, I also enjoyed the plot and the apparent theme that there is more than meets the eye in this superhero genre. Walschots successfully challenged the black-and-white perception of good versus evil through this novel. There was also dark humor and wit in this novel that made it readable and engaging.

Finally, I also liked the very light touch of a potential romance. This "romance" was a subplot, almost so obscure it was not even there, but I ate it all up when it had an inkling of it.

Why Not Five Stars? Once again, the four-star rating is the hardest for me to describe. Overall, I loved this book. However, it didn't go above and beyond for me. Why? Ugh, I don't really know. It may have had something to do with the pacing—the beginning was slow. Additionally, at times, when Anna ended up in some battle and somehow persevered through, it was slightly unbelievable. 

Regardless, this was a fantastic read, and I'm looking forward to continuing the series once the next one is released!
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