Trance

First let me clear up a few misleading things about the above 'official' summary: 1) Trance is 10 when she loses her powers. And 2) she is not that skilled, she is not a member of the Ranger Corps--she's a kid who is in training. Now then let's move on.

There's been a rise in superhero fiction over the last couple of years and I've enjoyed a lot of it. From Carrie Vaugn's thoughtful look at what happens when the world leaves you behind in AFTER THE GOLDEN AGE to Jennifer Estep's romantic comedies the 'Big Time' books or AJ Menden's 'Elite Hands of Justice' action romances and even more recently the 'Midnight Justice' books from Samhain Publishing--apparently superheroes are cool again. Which anyone who reads paranormal romances or urban show more fantasies knows that superheroes never really went out. Just instead of wearing skin tight costumes and running around with ridiculous sounding names they wore leather, boots and had snarky attitudes.

TRANCE is a book I've long had my eye on, but was wary to pick up. Meding's other urban fantasy series, Dreg City, doesn't really do much for me as a reader and that's been my whole experience with her writing. Look at that cover though! It stands out (even on my bookshelf) and begs to be read. I'm glad I gave in because from the very first chapter--when Teresa (aka Trance) is on the run with her classmates from a group of villains with overwhelming superiority--I was hooked.

I grew up on comic books that had heroes, and villains, becoming progressively darker until sometimes you couldn't tell the good guys from the bad guys (DC's Identity Crisis anyone?) and that's what the comic publishers thought the readers wanted. And I like that. As much as I like my Barry Allen squeaky-clean Silver Age comics, I'm a cynical, sarcastic, pessimistic person who doesn't believe that the good guys always win. TRANCE delivers me the perfect blend of both.

Teresa wants more to her life. She wants meaning, she wants acceptance, she wants answers as to why things happened. Even when she gets all (or most) of those answers, and she doesn't like them, she accepts them. She moves on. She doesn't let herself dwell on the dreams she had crashing down around her. She was pretty pathetic starting out, but she matured so much in this book. She became the leader she never thought she could be.

Its disturbing to read the first chapter. And some of the preceding chapters. Meding doesn't pull punches--her bad guys are bad guys. Drape their intentions however you like, the fact is they are brutal. The book doesn't really offer any platitudes in that regard--the entire thing is kind of a 'suck it up cupcake' mantra. Suck it up and move past the fear and death. Suck it up and fight so it doesn't happen again. Suck it up because you are a hero.

There was a lot of wtf moments, though when Spectre is finally revealed that's the biggest. The person's motivations, justifications, entire thought process is just so...wrong feeling. Coupled with the other on-screen moments, it was enough to make my stomach turn. How does a person get to that point in their lives? When does the mass murder of hundreds of people to prevent the potential mass murder of hundreds of people equal out? Not just bad guys either--this person sought total genocide no matter what.

Who thinks like that?

But hey that's what makes a book great--that guttural reaction to a character's actions, no matter how unlikely to happen in real life as they are. So Kelly bring on book 2, CHANGELING, I'm ready for the challenge. show less

Debut of another great series from Meding. There are some similarities but not so much that I felt like I was reading the same books with different names. I liked the main character. She was fallible but her self doubt and fears struggled against her increasing belief in herself as she grew stronger throughout the story. She cracked a lot of jokes but was aware that this was a defense mechanism. She also insult people all the time like broken heroines so often do in UF.

I loved her relationship with the love interest. They respected each other, treated each other well, and recognized one another's strengths. They were complete equals as people and he respected her lead when she was in charge. He was sensitive without being wimpy. (A show more couple of men cry in this book and it's appropriate and not unmanly at all.) They're relationship isn't as intense and possessive as in the Dreg City series and it's good. It's intimate enough and beautiful.

In general the book wasn't sexist or racist. Although there were not enough people of color, the ones that were there were powerful, brave and emotionally strong. The only annoyingly typical thing was that the people who had been in power previously, both good and bad, were both white men.

Themes of love, trust and redemption were prevalent and nothing was black and white. No one was 100% good and at one point the protagonist had appropriate sympathy for the only person who was 100% bad. I really like that way of thinking and it's a little unusual for traditional superhero stories. (I know that that is changing.)

That was fun, too, reading about ordinary people with extraordinary abilities. I am not big on superhero stories so I'm not the best judge but this felt fresh and original. I really felt these were regular people which I never quite felt with, say, X-men. I just don't get the costumes though. Why do most of them have to be so garish? I did like Trance's though. That I could get behind.

The only real problem I had was with where/how they originally imprisoned the bad guys. It just doesn't make sense to me. I also didn't like the explanation of why big cities were deserted.

I also hate that there weren't any good foster parents, only bad. A child has a hellish time in foster care even with the best foster parents; you can provide angst for a character from their foster care experiences without vilifying us. There are a lot of bad ones but there are a lot more good foster parents out there, people who open their homes to traumatized kids who act out in inappropriate ways. It's hard being a foster parent and most of us do it out of a desire to help, out of compassion.

Okay off my soap box.

Over all the world building worked for me. Again I liked how nothing was black and white throughout the course of the story. This was a good story and an excellent start to the series. show less

It sounds weird to say this is a realistic superhero book, but that's the best way to put it. This is not a shiny four-color world, not even when those colors are as dark as Watchmen's or the setting as gritty as a mid-90s Punisher comic. Fights are dangerous, people get seriously hurt, and major characters die permanent deaths.

In other words, these heroes are PEOPLE, flawed and uncertain...and that's exactly what makes this book excellent. I've enjoyed Meding's Dreg City series thoroughly, and this has me equally hooked. I look forward to her having a long and prolific career.

Trance by Kelly Meding has an awesome opener:

The bronze man’s head was melting. It oozed fat splats of liquid metal and swirled down the front of his old-fashioned suit jacket to puddle at his feet. Some of it hit the bronze duck below him, adding layers of new metal that mutated it into a nightmarish goose.

A man’s head is melting? A nightmarish goose? Consider me intrigued. The beginning of Trance definitely reeled me in very quickly – it was easy to start caring about Teresa West, code name Trace. Yes – I said code name y’all. In the coolest, X-Men, superhero way possible. Teresa and the friends she grew up with (but was eventually separated from) reunite when their powers return to them after having disappeared for over a show more decade. Enter danger and chaos.

So, obviously I think several things about Trance are pretty awesome. Unfortunately…I had a lot of problems with it too. While I enjoyed all the characters’ personalities, once they start communicating with each other things go downhill fast. I thought the dialogue was awkward and I never felt any actual connections or emotions (platonic or romantic). Teresa quickly develops a relationship with Gage, and I did want them to be together – but I never got the vibes. I just could not find a way to get into the writing style.

This is Kelly Meding’s second series, so I was definitely expecting a lot more skill from her on those counts. Seriously disappointing, definitely held the book back. Of course, it is possible that my failure to connect with her writing is some personal preference versus an actual lack of writing ability on her part.

Plus…they are all supposed to be mid-20s to early-30s. I’m not buying it. I know several years of limbo between childhood and the time of the story was necessary for the plot line, but I still think they should have come back together as teenagers. Mainly because that is exactly what they acted like. Besides the sexytimes, I never felt like any of the characters acted like adults. Plenty of YA books bring the sexytimes though, so I really think this book would have been executed more successfully as a young adult novel.

The easiest way to explain my feelings for Trance is to just say that the plot and synopsis are majorly cool but the writing execution and lack of characterization work like an anchor, keeping it from being a really notable read. Definitely makes me wary of picking up anything Kelly Meding writes in the future.

I am curious to know if my thoughts about the writing are shared by anyone else – so if you’ve read this, let me know what you think! show less

Debut of another great series from Meding. There are some similarities but not so much that I felt like I was reading the same books with different names. I liked the main character. She was fallible but her self doubt and fears struggled against her increasing belief in herself as she grew stronger throughout the story. She cracked a lot of jokes but was aware that this was a defense mechanism. She also insult people all the time like broken heroines so often do in UF.

I loved her relationship with the love interest. They respected each other, treated each other well, and recognized one another's strengths. They were complete equals as people and he respected her lead when she was in charge. He was sensitive without being wimpy. (A show more couple of men cry in this book and it's appropriate and not unmanly at all.) They're relationship isn't as intense and possessive as in the Dreg City series and it's good. It's intimate enough and beautiful.

In general the book wasn't sexist or racist. Although there were not enough people of color, the ones that were there were powerful, brave and emotionally strong. The only annoyingly typical thing was that the people who had been in power previously, both good and bad, were both white men.

Themes of love, trust and redemption were prevalent and nothing was black and white. No one was 100% good and at one point the protagonist had appropriate sympathy for the only person who was 100% bad. I really like that way of thinking and it's a little unusual for traditional superhero stories. (I know that that is changing.)

That was fun, too, reading about ordinary people with extraordinary abilities. I am not big on superhero stories so I'm not the best judge but this felt fresh and original. I really felt these were regular people which I never quite felt with, say, X-men. I just don't get the costumes though. Why do most of them have to be so garish? I did like Trance's though. That I could get behind.

The only real problem I had was with where/how they originally imprisoned the bad guys. It just doesn't make sense to me. I also didn't like the explanation of why big cities were deserted.

I also hate that there weren't any good foster parents, only bad. A child has a hellish time in foster care even with the best foster parents; you can provide angst for a character from their foster care experiences without vilifying us. There are a lot of bad ones but there are a lot more good foster parents out there, people who open their homes to traumatized kids who act out in inappropriate ways. It's hard being a foster parent and most of us do it out of a desire to help, out of compassion.

Okay off my soap box.

Over all the world building worked for me. Again I liked how nothing was black and white throughout the course of the story. This was a good story and an excellent start to the series. show less

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy

Supernatural superheroes dominate Kelly Medding’s new MetaWars urban fantasy series. In TRANCE, we meet the next (and possibly last) generation of telekinetics, telepaths, elemental wielders, shape shifters and all other manor of superheroes. The world has turned its back on Metas after a war between the heroes (Rangers) and the villains (Banes) destroyed major cities all over the world in their fight for power.

I loved the complete break from traditional urban fantasy mythology that TRANCE introduced. There is a real X-Men/The Incredibles vibe to this story that really worked. Trance was only a child when the war left her orphaned and alone and no longer in possession of her trivial ability. show more She grew up in foster care and has made a series of poor choices as an adult. I admired her practicality and doggedness when it came to her life and doing what she needed to survive. She never got caught up in pity parties or wasted time wishing her life had been different. These are the traits that attracted another one of Meding’s trademark beta males to Trance. Gage is the first Meta Trance comes across when the war starts up again and the Rangers are recalled, and is quick to let Trance lead when it is discovered that she has a newly inherited and extremely formidable power. I’m coming around to beta males in general, but I still found myself shaking my head at the way Gage meekly responded to Trance when they fought. I wanted him to have a bit more bite.

I also thought the middle dragged a bit with action scene after action scene separated by Trance talking to a friend about the responsibilities of being a leader and her guilt over the losses she felt responsible for. It just felt like the same scene repeated over and over. Fortunately, the end of the book picked up significantly both with the romance and plot. Trance and the other Metas got answers about their pasts and were able to face the villain they’d been hunting in a very fun comic book style showdown.

Overall, TRANCE delivers a nice break from the urban fantasy norm. Will superheroes end up being the next big thing to hit the genre? Could be. There is certainty a lot of fun to be had in a world like this, much more than in other similar attempts. A bit uneven in parts and I wasn’t ever completely sold on the hero, I still enjoyed TRANCE for its mythology, its resilient heroine, and its mostly successful bridge between comics and urban fantasy.

Sexual Content:
Attempted sexual assault. References to rape. A lengthy sex scene. show less

Review Courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: This superhero Urban Fantasy is complete with enough action and suspense to keep your attention.

Opening Sentence: The bronze man’s head was melting.

The Review:

Trance begins in the middle of a superhero battle between the Ranger Corps and the Banes. The Ranger Corps are basically the Avengers/Justice League, all the good Metas, while the Banes are all the evil Meta humans who have banded together to destroy the Rangers. Metas are humans with extraordinary powers. Teresa “Trance” West is only 10 years old and she is running for her life with a group of young Rangers in training. Teresa feels useless in this battle, in order for her powers of telepathy to work she has to get close to show more her target and look them in the eyes, but they are battling adults, ones with very strong powers and others who are not above using guns on the young group. Just when it seems like it is going to be a massacre, all Meta humans are stripped of their powers.

Fifteen years later, Teresa is living in Portland. She is hiding from her past and she is working three jobs that barely pay for her rent. Teresa has a quick temper and when she is fired from one of her jobs she is not sure what she will do next. Lucky for her the decision has been made for her, that night her Meta powers are returned to her, but not the same powers that were originally hers. Her hair, eyes and skin change color so she cannot hide who she is anymore. She decides to travel to Los Angeles, the original base for the Rangers to see if others have had their powers returned to them.

On her trip down the coast, Teresa unexpectedly runs into Gage “Cipher” McAllister, a hypersensitive Meta, whom she used to have a crush on as a kid. Teresa and Gage decide to team up and travel to L.A. together after being attacked by Spector, the leader of the Banes during the Meta War. Spector is one truly messed up guy, he wants to kill all Metas. He has a habit of body hopping. He can control other peoples’ minds and bodies. The only way to stop him is by killing the person he inhabits.

Once in L.A., Trance and Cipher meet up with other members of the Rangers that survived the war, which unfortunately is not very many. The survivors team up to track down more Metas and throw in a little superhero work on the side. Trance, once useless in battle now has more effective powers, is in charge of the only team of Rangers in the world. Spector is killing Trance’s teammates off one by one. Trance and her team try to learn the reason why their gifts returned while trying to survive Spector’s wrath.

Kelly Meding has created a sad and dangerous world in which the Metas live. The Meta War has devastated the United States. Major cities like St. Louis, Chicago, New York City and even L.A. have all been destroyed; rebuilding the cities has been a slow process in the fifteen years the Metas have lost their powers. Humans are wary of the Metas and have a love/hate relationship with them. Manhattan Island is a prison for the Banes that survived the war.

Trance is stronger than she thinks, in a tough world where her “friends” are dying all around her, she is their rock. She is a good character and I felt sorry for the situation she has been put through, but I had a hard time caring for her. I wasn’t really feeling her emotions, she had a few “woe is me” moments, but it was when she would get mad, it just kind of seemed to come out of nowhere. Her relationship with Gage was another reason I had a hard time with her character. I understood her problems with trust but there were a few moments she just came off as mean towards him. I loved the scene where Teresa and Gage step up their relationship, it was different and refreshing from what I’m used to, but with Teresa’s trust issues I’m surprised that scene even happened.

The battle at the beginning of the book is a little overwhelming at first. Kelly Meding introduces a bunch of characters in the heat of battle and it’s a little difficult to remember who is who. Then later as the survivors team back up, members are quickly killed off before you even get to know them. The deaths are essential to the storyline but the impact of the deaths doesn’t translate very well. As a bad guy, Spector, is about as bad as they get. He is able to kill people off without revealing himself or being nearby. I did enjoy the suspense around finding Spector.

As a whole, I enjoyed Trance. I love the X-Men and any chance I get to read about superheroes I try to take it. Trance has a few slow scenes that revolve around the world-building but as a first book in a new series the explanations help. I am eagerly anticipating the next book in the series, Changeling. I can’t wait to see how the characters move on from the events of Trance.

Notable Scene:

I nudged the dead woman’s hand with my bare toes. The third finger had two rings on it, one a very large (a probably fake) diamond. My first thought was to wonder how much a pawnbroker would give me for that ring. My second – and much more pressing – concern was about the man who had probably given the rings to her.

“Where’s the other guy?” I asked.

A looming shadow filled the door, still dressed in the same jeans and flannel. I looked up, right into a pair of yellow eyes and a sawed-off shotgun.
No time to duck, nowhere to go.

“Say hi to your father for me,” he sneered, his voice a queer blend of the man’s and someone else’s. Monstrous and terrifying.

Enraged, I clapped my hands together with no real idea what would happen, and he fired immediately after. The buckshot struck a haze of violet energy and ricocheted, like a thousand Ping-Pong balls. Blood and gore splattered the open doorway and walls.

The Metawars Series:

1. Trance

2. Changeling

FTC Advisory: Pocket Books provided me with a copy of Trance. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. show less