#Review - Unsung Heroine by Sarah Kuhn #Urban #Fantasy #Superheroines

Series: Heroine Complex #3.5
Format: E-Galley, 121 pages
Release Date: July 2, 2019
Publisher: DAW Books
Source: Publisher
Genre: Urban Fantasy

The e-novella, which will be released in July 2019 and serve as a bridge between the two trilogies, shines a spotlight on a character many readers have asked for more of: Lucy Valdez, Team Tanaka/Jupiter’s charismatic fight trainer and weapons expert (who also happens to be a vintage fashion plate and the most badass person in San Francisco without superpowers).

 

Unsung Heroine, by author Sarah Kuhn, is the bridge between the authors first trilogy called Heroine Complex, and a new trilogy coming soon! This new installment follows personal superhero trainer Lucy Valdez and friends Aveda Jupiter and Bea and Evie Tanaka as they combat a new supernatural threat. Lucy Valdez is many things: fight trainer, bodyguard, and weapons expert to super-heroines. She's also a fabulous vintage fashion plate, and undisputed karaoke queen at local joint, The Gutter.

She is also one of the toughest fighters in all of San Francisco without superpowers. That's right. She has no powers unlike her best friends and co-workers Aveda, Bea, and Evie. So why can't she seem to confess her feelings to her longtime crush Rose Rorick, head of the San Francisco Police Department's Demon Unit? Well.... actually, she knows why. She's afraid Rose won't like the real Lucy, the Lucy underneath all the fabulous bravado. (She is still fabulous underneath that bravado--just in a different way.)

When a mysterious new karaoke star rises up at The Gutter and eclipses her, Lucy finds her confidence further shaken--and when strange, seemingly supernatural happenings threaten both this new star and The Gutter's very existence, she must rise to the challenge and investigate alongside Rose. Will Lucy be able to vanquish the demonic threat to her beloved karaoke haven, confess her true feelings to Rose, and reclaim her karaoke throne?

This is actually a really fun story. I love Lucy. She's so insecure about her feelings towards Rose, that you can't help but want to help her out of her conundrum. This story weaves back and forth via current events, as well as text messages between Lucy and Rose. And, while this story is all about Lucy, it does have some cheeky moments with Aveda and Evie trying to make Lucy see that taking a chance with someone that you really love, is the best thing ever. 

I have zero knowledge of when the next trilogy is going to release. I have tried the authors web page without any success. I am wondering if the author will continue to revolve her stories around Evie, Lucy, and Aveda, or will Lucy take charge once again?  

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#Review - Heroine's Journey by Sarah Kuhn #Urban #Fantasy

Series: HEROINE COMPLEX (#3)
Format: Paperback, 384 pages
Release Date: July 3, 2018
Publisher: DAW
Source: Publisher
Genre: Urban Fantasy

The third book in the smart, snarky, and action-packed Heroine series completes the “Heroic Trio” as Bea Tanaka joins her sister, Evie, and diva Aveda Jupiter in their quest to free San Francisco from its demon portal problem

If there’s one thing Beatrice Tanaka never wanted to be, it’s normal. But somehow, her life has unfolded as a series of “should haves.” Her powers of emotional projection should have made her one of the most formidable superheroes of all time. And she should have been allowed to join her older sister Evie as a full-fledged protector of San Francisco, pulverizing the city’s plethora of demon threats. 

When a mysterious being starts communicating with Bea, hinting at an evil that’s about to overtake the city, she seizes the opportunity, hoping to turn her “should haves” into the fabulous heroic life she’s always wanted. But gaining that life may mean sacrificing everything—and everyone—she holds dear…

Heroine's Journey is the third installment in author Sarah Kuhn's smart, sexy, action packed Heroine Complex series. For those who read the first two books in the series, Heroine's Journey takes a leap (4 years) into the future from where Heroine Worship left off. In the Heroine Complex series, Asian-American superheroines Evie Tanaka and Aveda Jupiter must protect demon-infested San Francisco from perilous threats while dealing with their own tumultuous lives and relationships. 

13 years ago, a Demon Queen named Shasta attempted to invade and take over this realm. She sent a group of special demons with super powers into the world where they all died. When they died, they released their powers which ended up in those like Evie, Aveda, and Beatrice (Bea) Tanaka. As we open the story, Bea, who is now 22-years of age, is eager to join Evie and Aveda as being a trio of badass superheroines. If only her over protective sister would just say yes! After years of being told no by Evie, Bea walked away from working with the dynamic duo.

Today, Bea works at a bookstore called "It's Lit" as a worker bee reshelving books, slinging coffee, and being the resident bouncer putting the fear into anyone who steps out of line. Bea admits that she hasn't exactly had the most stellar record when it comes to her future. She dropped out of college, she's no longer Nate's apprentice which she was really good at & she's become a cartoon character in a state of goth rebellion. Bea has not one superpowers, but two. The ability to shift people's mental states, and Bea's scream which hasn't been tested or used since she helped defeat Shasta years before.

Bea is still considered to be the impulsive, tempestuous teenager who gets bored way too easily by her sister and Aveda, especially when she has so much potential to be or do anything she wants. Bea uses her powers to calm her workplace of the more difficult customers. Of course, she's really not supposed to be using her powers for this sort of thing, but hey, who is going to complain? Especially since her own sister believes she is a huge disappointment for not taking advantage of her intelligence and skills.

The positives in her life go by the name of Sam Fujikawa, her fierce academic rival who is one of the Hunky Hot Calendar Models, and an artist. Bea and Sam have had a competition about everything, and I do mean everything since they were in grade school. They even keep running tabulations as a way to keep things interesting. Her best friend is Leah Kim, who also works in the bookstore, and who is looking for a bit of romance, without Bea pushing someone in her path.

After helping Evie and Aveda end a particularly odd demon attack, Bea is finally allowed to be a superhero-in-training, with Aveda as her self-appointed mentor. But being a superhero isn’t everything she’s dreamed it would be. Then the strangeness begins. Bea believes she is hearing the voice of a woman who has been dead for 10 years. A woman who was her everything, and who stood as her best friend while Evie was busy doing other things. This is where the relationship issues between Bea and Evie are really exposed.

I don't think I am spoiling anything by saying that Evie picked up the mantle that was left behind by both of their parents. One who ran away to find himself, the other because of a devastating illness. She tried her best to raise Bea, do well in school, while also helping out her best friend Annie Chang aka Aveda Jupiter when they both found out they had powers. She also made sure that Bea had food on the table when she was hungry. One thing she never had a moment was is to let go of all the emotions that took a toll on her life.

Bea never fully accepted the loss, which leads to all sorts of bad mistakes when she starts using her recently upgraded powers as though she was Obi Wan talking to the evil empires storm troopers. I dare say that she has mommy issues that really needed to be resolved way before this point. But, I digress. As Bea goes on her own tangent, it once again leaves Evie and Aveda to help pick up their little gremlin and ensure she doesn't go all evil incarnate as she once did; briefly. I am ok with the relationship with Sam and Bea. I think that there might have been too much sexual situations, but I am usually in the minority when it comes to my likes and dislikes on that subject. 

One last comment; NO, this is not the final installment in the series. The author emphatically states that there will be more adventures from Evie, Aveda and Bea in the future. So, until then, I do recommend that you read these books as they were released and try not to just jump into any one book. There are wonderful secondary characters that you will fall in love with, especially Rose, Shruti, Scott Cameron, and Nate Jones.

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Thursday #Review - Heroine Worship by Sarah Kuhn #Fantasy, Urban

Series: Heroine Complex # 2
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
Release Date: July 4, 2017
Publisher: DAW
Source: Publisher
Genre: Urban Fantasy

Once upon a time, Aveda Jupiter (aka Annie Chang) was demon-infested San Francisco’s most beloved superheroine, a beacon of hope and strength and really awesome outfits. But all that changed the day she agreed to share the spotlight with her best friend and former assistant Evie Tanaka—who’s now a badass, fire-wielding superheroine in her own right. They were supposed to be a dynamic duo, but more and more, Aveda finds herself shoved into the sidekick role. Where, it must be said, she is not at all comfortable.

It doesn’t help that Aveda’s finally being forced to deal with fallout from her diva behavior—and the fact that she’s been a less than stellar friend to Evie. Or that Scott Cameron—the man Aveda’s loved for nearly a decade—is suddenly giving her the cold shoulder after what seemed to be some promising steps toward friendship. Or that the city has been demon-free for three months in the wake of Evie and Aveda’s apocalypse-preventing battle against the evil forces of the Otherworld, leaving Aveda without the one thing she craves most in life: a mission.

All of this is causing Aveda’s burning sense of heroic purpose—the thing that’s guided her all these years—to falter. 

In short, Aveda Jupiter is having an identity crisis.

When Evie gets engaged and drafts Aveda as her maid-of-honor, Aveda finally sees a chance to reclaim her sense of self and sets out on a single-minded mission to make sure Evie has the most epic wedding ever. But when a mysterious, unseen supernatural evil rises up and starts attacking brides-to-be, Aveda must summon both her superheroine and best friend mojo to take down the enemy and make sure Evie’s wedding goes off without a hitch—or see both her city and her most important friendship destroyed forever.

Heroine Worship is the second installment in author Sarah Kuhn's Heroine Complex series. Heroine Worship picks up a few months after Heroine Complex. This is a series that is set 80 years after Demon Princess Shasta sent her humanoid demons through a portal which shut immediately. When the portals shut, it killed the invasion team, and sent their powers into various San Franciscans Evie Tanaka and Annie Chang. Annie aka Aveda Jupiter is the protagonist for this book, and to say that she deals with a whole lot of issues, would be the understatement of the year.

Three months ago, Evie and Annie worked together to stop the Apocalypse. They destroyed a power hungry demon princess (Shasta), won a karaoke contest, & kicked demon cupcakes all over the place. Three months later, San Francisco is free from demons, and that is a huge issue for a character who is trying to reform her character's public persona. Aveda needs action. She needs to be out and about, not having second breakfast's or dreaming about kicking the ass of a gigantic demon made out of cereal. 

Aveda was San Francisco's only Asian American superhero once. She was bold, wore unique & eye catching outfits, while wearing her signature pony-tail. She looked utterly fabulous in the process. Hench the Devil Wears Prada selling point. 

That was until Evie Tanaka, her best friend since forever, came into her own powers and helped Aveda save the world. Evie, with her fire wielding abilities, has become a superhero with her own reputation that led to Aveda agreeing to share the spotlight. But, after three months of no sign of imminent demon attacks, or portals being opened anywhere around the city, Aveda is forced to deal with some soul searching. 

It's time to find out who she really is, and who she really wants to be. That includes exploring her relationship with Scott Cameron, the teams resident mage. The fun really begins when Evie gets engaged to marry Nate Jones, who is 1/2 demon, and the teams resident demonology expert. Oy, I nearly forgot. Evie & Aveda have their own team of misfits which also includes Evie's sister Beatrice Tanaka, and Lucy Valdez, the teams weapons expert & trainer. We could, in theory, also add Sergeant Rose Rorick of the SFPD since she is tied to Lucy. 

With the announcement of Evie's engagement via demon princess and blogger Maisy Kane, things really get interesting. Annie wants to be the best maid of honor ever. She wants to make sure Evie has the best dress, and the best of everything for her big day. She is a bull in a china stop and nobody can stop her. Except maybe one person. Annie's story is a curious one. While the story is a way to highlight the things that have pushed her into a unwanted conflict with her best friend, Annie also has to deal with her own parents. 

Annie would be called a bitch to her face in the real world because she is assertive, a bit manipulative, aggressive and headstrong. But, that's because they haven't met the real Annie. The real Annie stood up to bullies who tried to hurt her best friends. The real Annie makes mistakes because nobody is ever perfect. Annie's acceptance leads to some really interesting moments with Scott. I am curious as to who will be the protagonist in book 3. My bet is that Bea will be it since she too is coming into some fascinating times.

Previous Installment:

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#Monday 07/18 Review - Heroine Complex by Sarah Kuhn (Science Fiction, Fantasy)

Series: Heroine Complex, # 1
Format: Hardcover, 368 pages
Release Date: July 5, 2016
Publisher: DAW
Source: Publisher
Genre: Urban Fantasy

Being a superheroine is hard. Working for one is even harder.

Evie Tanaka is the put-upon personal assistant to Aveda Jupiter, her childhood best friend and San Francisco's most beloved superheroine. She's great at her job—blending into the background, handling her boss's epic diva tantrums, and getting demon blood out of leather pants.

Unfortunately, she's not nearly as together when it comes to running her own life, standing up for herself, or raising her tempestuous teenage sister, Bea.

But everything changes when Evie's forced to pose as her glamorous boss for one night, and her darkest comes out: she has powers, too. Now it's up to her to contend with murderous cupcakes, nosy gossip bloggers, and supernatural karaoke battles—all while juggling unexpected romance and Aveda's increasingly outrageous demands. And when a larger threat emerges, Evie must finally take charge and become a superheroine in her own right... or see her city fall to a full-on demonic invasion.

Heroine Complex is the first installment by author Sarah Kuhn Heroine Complex trilogy. Meet 26-year old Evie Tanka, assistant to San Francisco's favorite super-heroine and daughter Aveda Jupiter. Evie is Aveda's personal assistant, personal groomer, shopper, babysitter, and confidant to her childhood best friend who is more of a diva than any Kardashian. But, Evie is more than just an do all assistant. She's also responsible for her younger sister Bea who is 16 going on 36. 

Evie has a secret all of her own that only a few people know about. Kuhn's alternative reality San Francisco is a place where Eight years ago, a large portal opened from the Otherworld and gave random humans like Aveda Jupiter & Magnificent Mercedes superpowers. Aveda saw it as a sign that she needs to be a hero. But, Evie, also one of those random humans who was given a brilliant ability, has tried to hide her powers away. Evie's plans of hiding behind Aveda, and going through life unnoticed gets waylaid when Aveda is hurt is a demon invasion (demons turning into pastries). Aveda suggest that Evie take her place, temporarily, while her injury heals.

Becoming Aveda should be Easy Peasy, right? After all, who knows Aveda better than Evie? Plus, she has a group of friends like Lucy Valdez to help her train, Nate Jones who is a demon expert, and Scott, her one time ex, who has the ability to heal. Evie has no choice but to use her abilities hen Aveda statues come to life and start causing problems. From then on out, Aveda aka Evie's reputation soars sky high. People love the fact that their idol now has the ability to create balls of fire. Evie would do anything NOT to have this power. 

So, let's get to the rest of it. There is plenty of snark to go around. There is an obnoxious blogger who follows Aveda/Evie around like a shark seeing blood in the water. She has a tendency of NOT liking Evie, at all, and comes up with the most annoying name ever to describe her. There is humorous banter between Evie and Nate, and a bit of romance as well. There is a dangerous villain, and plenty of demons to go around. But, there is perhaps a bit too much cattiness between so called friends. But, in the end, I actually liked the way that Kuhn wraps things up. I like this cast. It's pretty diverse with a Chinese and Half-Japanese main characters. 

I do not believe that this book was intended for those in the Young Adult range. I understand that there might be some misconception due to the comic book look of the cover, but trust me folks, this is much more of a adult subject manner, than young adult.

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