[Book Review] Heroine Complex

Heroine Complex / Sarah Kuhn (Powell's Books)

Aveda Jupiter is San Francisco's most adored superheroine; protecting the city from demon incursions and looking damn file while doing so.  Evie Tanaka on the other hand is perfectly happy where she is, supporting her childhood best friend and generally remaining out of the spotlight.  It's a bit of a crap job at times, with demon blood staining pricey costumes, Aveda's diva tantrums, and the joys of attempting to raise her rebellious little sister, but it's stable and Evie is good at what she does.  Then after an injury takes Aveda off her feet for several weeks, Evie is thrust into the public eye while masquerading as her boss.  From there, things start getting complicated.

This book opens with a fight scene against blood-thirsty demon cupcakes.  Score one for the book.

The story itself is light and fun, with more romance than I expected.  Pretty early on I was rooting for Evie to hit "fuck it" with the demands, expectations, and bullshit her best friend and little sister were pulling.  The support characters border on the two-dimensional, but for this story that works.  Evie herself is a brilliant, if bottled up, young woman.  The book also handles racism, both growing up among children who bully over perceived differences, and living in an environment that appropriates when it realizes it can make a profit.

Advance Reader Copy courtesy of DAW (Penguin RandomHouse) in exchange for an honest review; changes may exist between galley and the final edition.

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