SPSFC Review: Ever The Hero or Super-heroes went wrong!

Hello everyone! I hope you all are feeling good, and that some good book is keeping you company. I think I am on the verge of catching a cold, and I am keeping my finger crossed because I really really wish to be wrong about it! Anyway, today I am here with the second review for Team Red Star quarterfinalists, so let’s go!

Title: Ever The Hero
Series: Eververse #1
Author: Darby Harn
Publication Date: January 28th, 2020
Pages: 340

Superheroes are big business. Imagine not being able to afford them.
Kit Baldwin just wants to make rent. The only work she can find in the ruins of her devastated city is scavenging for alien technology. When she finds a powerful alien weapon, her discovery pays off more than she could have hoped: it draws the attention of the most powerful of the superhuman Empowered, Valene.
Valene hears everything, everywhere. She suffers for it, and as they begin a precipitous romance, Kit believes she can use the weapon she’s scavenged to mitigate Valene’s pain. If she can’t, Valene will retreat to the soundlessness of space. Without Valene’s compassion, the stricken city is left to the mercy of Valene’s ruthless father, who denies the assistance the city needs unless it can pay for it. As Valene’s condition worsens, Kit becomes more desperate and unleashes the full power of the alien weapon. In an instant, she is transformed into a being of cosmic power. She can acquire the knowledge and energy of anything – or anyone – she touches.

It is hard to write a review for this book, because on an objective level it is not bad, and there are some really good things in there, but on a personal enjoyment level, things weren’t so smooth. A lot of the things that “went bad” with me are more a case of “it’s not you, it’s me” so I’ll try to be the most objective possible and I decided to do it writing a pros/cons review!

Pros:

1. We have strong The Reckoners vibes here, so if this is your thing, you would love this book. As I am saying quite often lately, I am not a big fan of YA (and a lot of my problems with this book were tied to this, but more on that later!) and I am not a big fan of superheroes. And this book is a YA on superheroes so you see that the problem is lurking from the beginning. But the idea of this book is solid, and if you are into superheroes you should definitely try this one out!
2. A solid beginning. Even keeping in mind what I just wrote in the first point of the list, I was really drawn into the story from the beginning. When I read the first 10% of it, I was curious and I wanted to keep reading. Sure, things didn’t keep up as I was hoping, but again this is more on me than on it.
3. The originality of it. We have an interesting take on superheroes, and even if its ways of approaching them that are not 100% novelty, it is a good and original take on them all the same.
4. The pace and the writing (in part). You will find the “writing” also in the cons section of the review, but all in all, the pace was pretty good and the writing is smooth. I have some objection to that, true, but the prose is fluid and the pace is well-balanced.
5. The Romance. And, again, this point will figure also in the cons section. But the romance in this book, especially if we keep in mind that it is a YA book, was original. And on a mere rational level, I enjoyed what the author did here. It may be considered a love triangle, but not of the usual kind, and it felt real. This was a thing that I really appreciated.
6. Kit. And yep, I am boring here, but you would see her in the next part of the review too. Sorry about that! I liked that she is curious, she is intelligent, she hasn’t had it easy but she would fight for what she thinks it’s right. She cares, she really cares for people, and seeing her determination to see things through for everyone, not just for her or her loved ones, is good. And to see a character that says things like “I am me” is refreshing, and it feels all kind of good, really! I loved this thing a lot.

Cons:

1. Kit. On one hand, she is a great MC, but to me, she was so whiny! Around 80% of the book, I was quite tempted to just drop it and let it go because I was just so disinvested in her. And she is quite obsessive. She is like a dog with a bone, and she won’t let go. And if on one hand, it can be endearing, and it can be a good thing, on the other it became so annoying to me while I was reading. It made me frustrated. And I really had no patience left with her.
2. The Romance. All I said before it’s true and valid, but I didn’t enjoy it. At all.
3. The writing. I think a good editing job would be in order because there are just some things that are repeated too frequently (and I mean too too frequently!). It was just annoying. You could make a drinking game out of it, and this is always a bad thing. Or it is quite good if you are planning to get wasted. Your choice here!
4. Back to the editing job, there is a plot line that is not really forgotten because it is addressed in the end, but that is just dropped out for a bit, and it does not really sit right with me, even if in the end it is addressed, I had the feeling that it was just forgotten for a bit, and it gives an unbalanced feeling to the plot.

All things considered, the pros are more than the cons, and it is not a bad book, but to me, the cons are heavier, and my enjoyment of the book wasn’t really so high. But again, if you are more tolerant of YA, or if you enjoy them in general, and if you like superhero stories then you should give this one a try! I didn’t fall in love with this one, but I am looking forward to reading the other quarterfinalists and seeing what we’ll get out of them!

And what about you? What do you think about it?? Let me know!

Happy reading!
S.

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