Hey all, Dani here.
Today’s review comes with a slight disclaimer. David Joel Stevenson had the booth across the aisle from Colorworld Books at the Cincinnati Comic Expo, so we were a few feet away from him the whole weekend. So, you all probably know by now that I am a pretty easy sell when it comes to most books, and when I have to stare at those books for a whole weekend, I am about 98% certain to buy at least one. Well I picked up this book on Saturday, read one chapter that night before falling asleep, and then read the rest of the book a little at a time over the next few days. So I can’t call myself as biased as with the Colorworld series, but there is obviously a very slight bias because of the proximity to David over the weekend.
Okay, with that out of the way, let’s jump into the review.
Summary
Victor Boone is an arrogant, six-foot tall hunk of man candy who uses incredible powers to fly around in spandex and save his city’s citizens from evil doers. Especially the busty ones.
But he’s not a superhero.
The truth is, an invisible, insecure and overweight Robby Willis is the one with the powers. But he’s so terrified of anyone knowing that he even exists as a person that he’s not comfortable with a cliche disguise.
The two men form a partnership: Robby does the saving and Victor takes the credit.
The problem is, Victor’s been murdered.
Can Robby overcome his social anxiety with the help of the prettiest smelling girl he’s ever known? Or will he let the evil villain The Vacant destroy the city, leaving him to finally be alone?
My Thoughts
Rating: 4 stars
This was a really fun and pretty easy read, overall. Robby was an easy character to connect with and relate to for me, honestly due to his anxieties and his body image. And the story starts off very quickly with some action. None of this is a spoiler, but Victor Boone is killed at the end of the very first chapter of the book. So there’s not a lot of time to really see the odd dynamic of Victor and Robby collaborating or interacting with each other. Sure there are hints of memories to detail that relationship a little more, but that’s about it.
Robby’s potential is vast, and I especially like seeing him trying to become the hero that the city needs. I like that this story has a focus on communication and therapy, and also having a support system. It’s all pretty great.
Honestly the downfall for me was that it felt like it was over too quickly. The Vacant doesn’t even feel like a character or a villain until the final third of the book…and a couple things happen, and then it’s over. So it felt a bit simple, which can work for a superhero story, but I also feel like there could have been more.
I can definitely say that I had a very enjoyable time reading this book, and I hope that David can get his butt in the chair and finish writing book two, so I can see Robby’s journey continue, and see what sort of growth (and maybe romance) our main guy has in the rest of the series.
Where to Get a Copy
You can get your own copy of this book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-million, Book Depository, or your local independent bookstore.
You can also check with your local library.
Oh, and here’s David Joel Stevenson’s web site. Or find him on Twitter @GeekOffGrid
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