Heroine Complex

Oh, boy. I loved and hated so much about this that I'm not sure where to begin or even what to think about this book. For example, I love that it's an #OwnVoices book starring two Asian American heroines, but then I turn a page and wow the amount of ableism made me want to cry. This kind of whiplash was pretty consistent throughout my entire reading experience.

Book content warnings:
rape & sexual assault/manipulation mention

Evie Tanaka is superhero Aveda Jupiter's personal assistant, best friend, and (pretty much) babysitter. As she says, she has the world's worst job, but she's also the best at it. Aveda Jupiter is San Francisco's most beloved superhero, but also a real diva, and if Evie had to choose between the city's demon attackers show more and Aveda's tantrums, she'd choose the demons every time. But when Aveda sprains her ankle and Evie is forced to pose as her boss, her own secret comes out: she has superpowers too. Now she finds herself in the middle of the demon takeover and facing the media she'd always wanted to avoid--and even a romance she almost thought herself incapable of.

This is possibly the most drama-filled book I've ever read. I even had to lay the book aside sometimes just because there was ... so much. Sure, Aveda Jupiter is a diva and extra as hell, but simple conversations could have simplified so many side plots or gotten rid of half the drama here. I don't actually watch many Freeform originals, but going by the commercials it seems like this book would fit with the level of drama those shows dish out.

Along the same line, what I loved about this book, I really, really loved. And what I didn't like about this book, I just really hated.

The character development of both Evie and Aveda were really great. Predictable, but really great nonetheless! The side characters didn't get any development themselves, except for Bea (Evie's sister) and maaaaybe Nate (the Love Interest) if you squint, but the real stars of the book were Evie and Aveda anyway.

But I'm getting really sick of "the gay friend" trope. Especially "the gay friend who's obsessed with sex" trope. Gay people being comfortable with who they are enough to talk about their sex lives is one thing (and this is a whole other essay tbh), but straight people making a trope out of it because "oh my god gay people are everywhere now and all they talk/think about is sex" is another. I'm not saying this is what Sarah Kuhn thinks!! But there's an action-->reaction going on, the trope formed out of it, and a lot of straight people go a long with it, some not knowing its harm (or how goddamn annoying it is). I mean, this friend was so obsessed with sex she stuffed Evie's dresser drawers full of condoms, and probably 8/10 of their conversations were about sex/hooking up.

Plotwise, the book was really lukewarm. Supposedly it was about some demon invasion, but I couldn't really take it seriously. Sometimes the main characters couldn't either, or even the villain's minions. So how was I to? Instead, everything seemed pretty character/drama-driven, including the actual climax. If that's what the book was about (the logline/back of the book/etc.), it would make a lot more sense, but I felt like somewhere along the way things got confusing whether the plot or the characters were really driving things along.

But when the climax actually did happen, and the characters all came together, it was really satisfying! So again, I'm really just conflicted about how I feel. Maybe the book just needed another round of editing--or maybe I'm just not the right reader, haha. show less

This has been on my TBR for way too long. I bought it as soon as it was released and then it languished on mount TBR. But once I started it (finally), I loved it. Superheroes are my jam. Asian superheroes? Sign me up!

This was a tongue-in-cheek superhero story. I mean, you start off seeing a battle against possessed cupcakes, and that pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the book. It always manages to just stay on the fun side of utter ridiculousness without going over the top. I loved Evie and her evolution through the story.

Also, this book was so important to me. Because REPRESENTATION FUCKING MATTERS. And I was so damn happy that someone who looks like me is portrayed in SFF books, in a superhero story as a main character, and show more this is explicitly explored the narrative. HELL YES. show less

Evie is content with her job as an assistant to a superhero, the demon-busting Aveda Jupiter (nee Annie Chung, and Evie's childhood friend), but everything suddenly changes when Aveda is injured during training. They enlist the help of another super-powered friend to give Evie a "glamour" that will disguise her as Aveda whenever a public appearance is needed. Unfortunately, the demons keep invading San Francisco and Evie as Aveda needs to fight them ... which results in Evie unleashing her own hidden superpower.

I have a friend who once said everyone has their "candy" books to go from time to time; you know they aren't serious literary works but they give the reader a sweet boost. This book was that for me. It wasn't too dark or heavy, show more nor was it layered with symbolism to unpack and the deepest themes. That being said, it did touch on feelings of inadequacy, abandonment, and fear/worry. In addition, with the protagonist and some of her inner circle being Asian-American, racism and stereotyping are discussed as well at some points. (In terms of diversity, there is also a queer character, but her gayness is simply there, not really a plot point or something delved into deeply.)

All of the characters introduced were interesting to read about, although some were a little one-note. There is character development for several of them and definitely some twists within that. While a lot of ground was covered in this book, it is also clear how it is an introduction to a series. I will probably continue on with the series to see what happens next. show less

This is a fun story about friendship and valuing oneself (and I guess not suppressing one's needs to misguidedly focus on everyone else) wrapped up in a superhero story. I really enjoyed the superhero aspect - the work involved in keeping Aveda Jupiter admirable and heroic in the face of celebrity worship and judgment, and how all of that can affect relationships and self-image. I suppose it's as much a celebrity story as superheroes, but the superhero adventures fighting off Otherworld demons was a lot of fun.

Our narrator Evie has the ability to create fire when her emotions are strong, and she has also suffered two traumatic events in the last four years. She has responded to these things by trying to disappear and basically subsume show more herself into her job (assistant to best friend and local superhero Aveda Jupiter) and into keeping her little sister safe. The story focuses on how she repairs her relationships and begins to allow herself to experience these strong emotions - all because Aveda Jupiter gets injured and the group decides that Evie must impersonate her for the time being. All those bottled up feelings get to be too much and Evie can't avoid them anymore. Plus, she can't exactly help save San Francisco from demons if she's unable to function because she's shoving down her anger and frustration.

Part of the accepting strong emotions thing means Evie realizes she's attracted to one of her coworkers and her libido does still exist. Honestly, when this element of plot arose, I was put off. I was a lot more invested in her other relationships, especially working through the codependent unhealthiness with Aveda. As the book progressed, though, the romantic relationship grew on me and I found myself supporting the couple at the end - though I still didn't need the sex scenes. (They were fine, nothing weird or offputting about them, I was just still more interested in spending page-time elsewhere.)

Another thing which took me a while to get used to is the prose style. Kuhn used a very of-the-minute informal/slangy voice, which fits with the first-person point of view from Evie, but is also steeped in references and pop culture from 2010-2014 or so. I never found it bad or difficult to read, exactly, rather it seemed to draw attention to itself instead of fading away. I think it took me about 100 pages for the narrative voice to become unremarkable.

So, on the whole, an enjoyable and fun book about friendship and self-worth that took a little while to really grow on me (though it showed promise right from the start) and was very satisfying by the end. There is a sequel now, but I don't know if I'm interested in continuing, when this book ended so well, without any To Be Continued flags. I'll wait to see what it does with Aveda's character, maybe. show less

This book is — among other things — about women and the positive power of anger. For all that women are associated with being "emotional" and "in touch with their feelings," this book compellingly explores many of the different ways girls aren't allowed to feel, and how that fucks shit up.

I can't remember the last heroine I identified with so strongly as I do with Evie. Emotionally constipated repressed girls unite!

I really, really loved this. It's hilarious and heart-warming and fun. My only disappointment is Lucy, the lesbian character, felt rather tokenized. The other characters in the core group got histories and complex relationships, but Lucy's relationships were largely superficial and she didn't get the same emotional show more development as the others. I really hope she gets her own emotional arc in the next book.

For those who blush easily, there are some fairly explicit sex scenes. Delightfully written, important to the plot, but they did take me by surprise. show less

Full disclosure: I received a free review copy of this book from Net Galley.

I love stories about people with mundane jobs who exist in the orbit of someone extraordinary – like a personal assistant to a superhero, for example. It’s a fun mental exercise to think about what that might actually be like, what you’d have to deal with when your job function includes placating a petulant heroine when she isn’t out saving lives and stopping evil.

Evie Tanaka is in that exact position when Heroine Complex by Sarah Kuhn begins. She’s the mousy, reserved personal assistant to Aveda Jupiter, San Francisco’s Favorite Superhero – previously known as Evie’s childhood friend, Annie.

Evie has no social life outside of work and tries to show more keep her feelings on clampdown because of a tragedy in her past. It doesn’t help that her mom died a few years back and her father subsequently disappeared on walkabout, so Evie is also responsible for taking care of her bratty teenage sister, Bea.

Evie is just barely holding her life together until Aveda is injured and needs someone to take her place in public appearances. See, Aveda’s superhero powers come from a failed demon invasion that turned into an ongoing demon problem, and she isn’t the only person who was granted powers. Their friend Scott can perform little magic spells, including a glamour that will let Evie impersonate Aveda.

As soon as Evie goes out in public as Aveda, things go off the rails. Demons attack, and Evie is forced to use her own powers – flames that come out of her hands when she is upset or angry. She’d tried to keep them inside like her emotions because she was afraid of what she might do, but as soon as she lets them out, she finds it much harder to keep anything inside.

Heroine Complex is ultimately a story about a closed-off, repressed young woman learning to trust her own emotions and believe in herself. It’s also funny, full of well-drawn characters, and genuinely entertaining.

When I first picked it up and started reading, I assumed that it was a young adult novel, partially because of the cover, but also because of the writing style, which made the characters seem young. However, as I kept reading, it became obvious that the characters were all in their late twenties. Then there was the first of several fairly hot sex scenes, which made me realize that I’d been reading an urban fantasy all along.

This genre confusion didn’t negatively impact my enjoyment of the book, but it did make me wonder why I immediately assumed it was a young adult novel. I really like the cover design, but maybe the cartoony style made me jump to conclusions.

In any case, I’d definitely recommend Heroine Complex. It’s the first book in a trilogy, each of which focuses on a different girl in the group – Evie, then Aveda, and then finally Bea. I’ll probably pick up the next two sometime soon.

Originally published at Full of Words show less

If you’re looking for something fun to read this summer, that doesn’t make you think too hard, that’s a bit goofy and a bit steamy, this book’s a good choice. I’m not in love with it or awed by it, and I did spend the first third or so annoyed by some of the narrative choices, but in the end, I don’t regret reading it. I was entertained and the narrative choices paid off and I do now want to read the sequel.

The plot itself is pretty predictable—you can probably guess most of it from my summary— but Kuhn uses it as scaffolding to deconstruct some stereotypes, most importantly some of the big ones around East Asian women. It was refreshing to see Asian women in this sort of story to begin with, and the references to show more Chinese action films were a nice addition, but then Kuhn went after the stereotypes and I was sold. (She’s also given thought to how a public superhero might actually work in the age of social media and government oversight.)

The biggest thing that bugged me was some of the setting choices, but then, I haven’t been to San Francisco so maybe “cupcakery full of unicorn ornaments” or “restaurant plastered in cat pictures” fit? For me, though, that all felt a bit too cozy-mystery and dropped me out of the story somewhat. Still: the mystery was pretty good, the action was great, the themes were wonderful, and I turned the last page satisfied. If you’re into the frothier end of urban fantasy, it’s definitely worth the read.

Warnings: body-shaming; mention of past abuse; absentee parent.

6.8/10 show less