I was surprised to discover that I really enjoyed this book. Superhero stories can be a bit... boring, predictable and juvenile in my opinion, but this was none of those. The plot, while somewhat predictable, was engaging and the story is really about how the characters deal with their situation than a tricky plot. In that sense, it had a good realistic feel which I liked.

I also really liked the fact that although almost every minority box was ticked (the protagonist is a lesbian person of colour with a deaf partner), I didn't get any sense of tokenism here. A very enjoyable read.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book as a voter in the Sir Julius Vogel Awards. Review provided simply because I liked it. ( )

First off let me say I really enjoyed this book! It was fasted paced, and action packed with a lot of interesting detail!
But I also need to say that, since it was a book about superheroes, I thought it might also be good for kids…and I’m glad I read it before recommending it to a young person as I feel it has some strong language and some very awkward and unnecessary sex scenes that make it unsuitable for kids!!
Back to my liking the story…I really enjoyed the relationship between Spook and The Carpenter a lot! It was very real. Both having loved ones that were scared and angry to have them go off and fight, or maybe just not feeling involved enough, these are things that, it seems, may happen. Or the fact that they, especially Spook, didn’t always feel like doing the “right” thing for people that hated meta humans and didn't want them around for the most part. Made them easy to relate to.
All the characters were very well flushed out with interesting back-stories. ( )

(Disclaimer: Received this book through the ER/Member Giveaway program)

LOVED IT! I took a chance on entering the giveaway, and I'm glad I did.

Fights, got them. Flawed protagonists, got them. Tortured evil villain, yep. Smooth flow and phenomenal character interaction. I read the ebook in 3 sittings, would've been in 2 if my son hadn't refused to take a nap and wanted to play. : )

The main character Spook/Niobe (secret identity) is a character struggling in her personal life and trying her best. She overcomes the loss of her best friend, who is her superhero partner, and grievous physical damage toward the end and still stays strong, a great heroine.

The book brings to me some of the feel of The Watchmen, but is not that dark and not quite as violent by any measure. But that somewhat dystopian and downtrodden populace feel was my interpretation. The metahumans (superheroes and supercriminals) are a persecuted minority in the book. They live under a shadow that includes mandatory "kill-switching" where a lethal device is implanted and can be used by the authorites if the metahuman does anything that seems dangerous, in the eyes of the authorites of course. Also, the infants of metahumans are taken immediately by the authorities for testing for metahuman ability and if found, you guessed it, the child is implanted with the "kill-switch".

To be accurate, I did find 3 errors or typos, my pet peeve, but that's a pretty small number for a 320+ page ebook.

I'd recommend this to readers of urban fantasy and superhero novels especially. I look forward to seeing if the author will return to this same world he created here in the future. ( )

http://beauty-in-ruins.blogspot.ca/2013/01/dont-be-hero-by-chris-strange-review.... ( )

What if the world isn't always black and white but full of shades of gray. That is the premise for Don'te Be a Hero. In a time of war superheroes emerge to take away the blackness that war brings. Metahumans can be both good and evil. Superheroes were much loved and hated by other metahumans and normals. Supercriminals always want to rule the world yet come up short in the end. Gloomgirl now named Spook along with her partner The Carpenter take on a case of a missing child. Yet they are not told everything they need which is a great hindrance. There is a new criminal on the loose named Quanta trying to get the heroes to return. Quanta doesn't want to be seen in a bad light yet that is what he's planned for. To Quanta's mind the heroes are all but forgotten. Can the missing child be found? Will Spook and Carpenter rescue the child? What is Quanta's ultimate goal? Will the heroes return? Your answers await you in Don't Be a Hero.

I really enjoyed the whole shades of gray concept in regards to heroes and villians. You constantly wanted to cheer and yell at the heroes for screwing up like they do. I found that all the characters were relatable and rea. I really enjoy Mr. Strange's work and will definitely continue to read what the author writes next. ( )