superpowers – Kristen Brand

New Superhero Fiction (July 2018)

The last of this summer’s superhero blockbusters may have already hit theaters, but there are plenty more superhero novels ready to hit your tablet, phone, or e-reader. Here are some of coolest titles I came across in July. As usual, I haven’t read all of these books personally, so check out the samples and reviews before downloading. And happy reading!

Sorceress Super Hero

by Darius Brasher

The mess all started when I punched a 400-year-old fairy reality TV star in the throat.

Things got really weird from there.

Before I could blink, I was fighting wererats, getting kidnapped by superheroes, stealing a cape inhabited by the ghost of a magical genius, and trying to save the world alongside a 2,000-year-old immortal who wields a piece of Noah’s Ark. All while struggling to not get evicted or fired from my job.

That was just Monday. Tuesday is shaping up to be busier. Continue reading New Superhero Fiction (July 2018)

New Superhero Fiction Releases (May 2018)

Hi again, super readers. This post took forever to put together, because there are so many awesome-sounding superhero novels that came out this month. And we’ve got a little bit of everything, whether you’re looking for dark or comedic tones, teenage or adult protagonists, romance or pure action.

You know the drill by now: please read the samples and reviews before purchasing, because I haven’t personally read everything on this list. And if you’d like to share your own recommendations, I’d love to hear from you in the comments.

Happy reading!

Power: Arca Book 3

by Karen Diem

After successfully rescuing her brother from a serial killer and stopping a plot to use a magic butter knife to massacre thousands, Zita Garcia is ready for a return to her regular life: illegally climbing skyscrapers, hiding her superpowers, and grudgingly earning a paycheck to cover all those bills piling up.

Unfortunately, her least favorite supervillains are rampaging around in a bloody crime spree, outmaneuvering and outgunning the authorities. Enlisting her friends to help, even the one sulking in his dad’s basement, she’s got to stop the bad guys and their latest evil plan before anyone else dies. Even if Zita isn’t sure what they’re doing, other than it involves Brazil.

And maybe dinosaurs. Continue reading New Superhero Fiction Releases (May 2018)

“Everybody Fights” – Part 10

First time reading? Start at the beginning here.

Less than a week earlier, Val had left Blueblood in the lake house with the excuse that she had errands to run. She’d driven about a mile through rural Illinois, past farm fields that had recently been harvested and woods with picturesque autumn foliage. Her hands had gripped the steering wheel at the ten and two o’clock positions, one of them gloved and one bare. She didn’t like looking at her right hand. Even with the glove covering it, she could picture the bulging blue veins visible on frostbite-black skin. It nauseated her.

She’d pulled up to a wooden house in the middle of nowhere. It had a long, winding dirt driveway and was surrounded by trees that blocked it from view of the road. The closest neighbor was about six miles away, which was closer than Val would have liked, but far enough that any screams wouldn’t carry. She walked up the creaky steps to the front porch, which was full of dead leaves and spider webs, and knocked on the door.

Irma opened it, her gaunt face breaking into a smile. “Val.” The older woman ushered her inside. “Can I get you anything? Would you like some tea?”

“I’d rather see our guest first.” Val shrugged out of her coat. Continue reading “Everybody Fights” – Part 10

“Everybody Fights” – Part 9

First time reading? Start at the beginning here.

A gargantuan green dragon appeared out of thin air in front of the helicopter. Val dropped her gun, staring with an open mouth. What the hell? Just how hard had Blueblood hit her over the head? That was a dragon. An actual dragon. Its scales glittered in the sunlight, and sinuous muscles moved beneath them as it flapped its massive leathery wings. It opened its gaping, fang-filled mouth, and the pilot did the only sensible thing and panicked. The helicopter swerved.

Its tail passed right through the dragon’s head as if it were made of smoke. An illusion.

The Illusionist had been scheduled to appear in the parade, hadn’t she? She must have conjured the dragon from somewhere nearby. Val put a hand to her forehead, glad she hadn’t lost her mind. Her relief lasted until the helicopter jerked and careened. It wasn’t supposed to move at that angle. The pilot must have lost control. The helicopter was falling—right on top of her. Continue reading “Everybody Fights” – Part 9

“Everybody Fights” – Part 8

First time reading? Start at the beginning here.

Val’s leg muscles burned as if the tear gas had soaked through her skin. She pushed herself to climb the stairs faster, coughing as she sucked in air. She’d lost sight of Blueblood. He had the disc containing the List in his jacket pocket, so he didn’t need her anymore. Now would be the perfect time to cut her loose.

She would know, since she’d been planning to do the same thing to him.

She reached the top floor. To her left was the door to the hallway, but across from it was a smaller door labelled “Roof Access.” Val shoved it open and kept running. The stairs here were narrower and dirtier, but Val didn’t have far to go now. She’d catch up to him. Then she’d slide into the back of the helicopter right behind him with a serene smile on her face, and his face would twitch as he tried to hide how frustrated he was that she’d made it.

Val flung open the door to the roof and squinted in the sunlight. The helicopter was already there, the steady thwup-thwup-thwup of its spinning blades too loud to miss. But where was Blueblood? Continue reading “Everybody Fights” – Part 8

“Everybody Fights” – Part 7

First time reading? Start at the beginning here.

Yuna Kwon stood in the parking lot with her arms crossed, shivering. Her damp leotard clung even tighter than usual, and she could feel the water that had worked its way inside her tall leather boots. She’d wrung out her cape twice already, and it was still soaked, heavier than usual as it hung from her shoulders. She’d be able to ignore it all if she had something to do, but she was just standing there, waiting.

At least she’d managed to get the crowd to retreat to a safe distance. Trying to get their attention had been like trying to corral a class of kindergartners, but Yuna had finally conjured the image of a fifty-foot billboard that read “BACK UP!” in flashing red letters, and that had done the trick. And it was just in time, because the emergency vehicles had arrived less than a minute later. Paramedics had reached the injured people in the lobby, and the whole building was surrounded by police cars and fire trucks, their sirens flashing. Unless the supervillains could turn invisible, they had no chance of making it past all of this.

She heard the unmistakable sound of a helicopter and looked up. Had the news already found out about the attack and sent a chopper? She squinted but didn’t see a channel logo. When the helicopter was directly over the building, it started to descend. It was landing on the roof! Had someone ordered a medevac? No, that didn’t make sense either. It was too soon. Besides, it didn’t look like a medevac copter. It didn’t have a red cross or any kind of designation on the side. It was plain gray and looked vaguely military.

Yuna got a very bad feeling. Continue reading “Everybody Fights” – Part 7

Last Week in Superhero Fiction (11/16/17)

Benjamin Medrano has posted recipes for the meals cooked by the main character of his superhero novel Born a Queen, which I think is a super cool idea (pun intended).

Hello Giggles has an excellent interview entitled “Sarah Kuhn’s superhero books are a beacon for women of color seeking community” that’s worth a read.

SuperheroNovels reviewed At the Table of Wolves by Kay Kenyon, a cool-sounding book about a woman with unique powers in the days leading up to WWII.

Renegades by Marissa Meyer came out last week, which I’m excited about because I adored her series The Lunar Chronicles. Her blog features her book tour schedule, cool character pages, and a neat little quiz to find out your superpower. I got water powers, which I’m perfectly happy with.

I was offline most of last week, so any news I missed? Got any recommended superhero novels? Let me know in the comments!