Hello,
dear readers! Today we begin yet another Drew Hayes series. All y'all
should know by now how I feel about Fred the Vampire Accountant, and the
Villain's Code books, so you should not be surprised that I decided to
try another while awaiting new titles in my favorites.
In this
one we are enrolling in college with five new freshmen.. Not only are
they freshmen, these 5 are candidates for the Landers University Hero
Certification Program for Supers. This cohort is made even more special
because the members were born as mere Powereds.
A Powered person
has no control over their gift in this Universe, and so cannot go to
public schools or buildings. A Powered person is considered a public
danger, and is treated as a second class citizen. A Super cas control
and my join this HCP if they desire to become a hero.
All 5 of
our main cohort have undergone procedures to gain the control they were
born witout, but that is highly privileged information.
So, lets
meet our gang, yeah? Vince Reynolds has silver hair and absorbs all
kinds of energy. When he releases this energy he tends to explode, so he
fears it. Alice Adair used to fly only when she was happy, and the
happier she was the higher she flew. Now the fashionista can be over the
moon and still keep her feet on the ground. She only flies when she
wants to. Nick Campbell is from Las Vegas and his power is luck. More
accurately, he influences probability, but that's the most honest he
gets about anything. We see very little of Nick's genuine self in this
installment, so I'll leave him here and let you make up your own mind.
Mary Smith is a telepath and telekinetic who has spent most of her life
in the forest. Group "Mom," she makes sure her mates have their homework
done and are behaving themselves. Finally we have our transformer
Herschel Daniels used to turn into his alter ego Roy when bullied. Now
he needs whiskey to summon Roy. There is a whole lot going on with this
character, too, but I'm gonna leave that to y'all to sort through.
Rounding
out our core cast are the two minders who have been shepherding our
quintet through their transitions from Powereds to Supers. They remind
me very much of Azirophale and Crowley from Good Omens.
True to
Hayes' style our core is dropped into a varied and diverse atmosphere.
This story is so different from the other series I've read. This was a
meandering, wandering tale that doesn't end up where you think it will.
Similar to Marvel's mutant-filled universe, this world exhibits people born
with their gifts, and just the pure variety in characters is
astounding. It truly captures the feel of a somewhat modern somewhat
Futuristic, totally realistic university. And we don't just see our
core cast struggle with their powers, but also with classes and social
situations.
That is something I really like about Drew Hayes as an author. He is always surprising me.
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
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