Review: Trance by Kelly Meding

Title: Trance
Author: Kelly Meding
Series: MetaWars #1
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: 10/25/11
Reviewed by: Sara
But the Book:

Summary:

Kelly Meding’s war-ravaged Los Angeles is ground zero for the ultimate Meta human showdown in this sexy, action-packed new series.
Fifteen years ago, Teresa “Trance” West was a skilled telepath and a proud member of the Ranger Corps. But ever since the Rangers were inexplicably rendered powerless at the climax of the devastating Meta War, she’s bounced from one dead-end job to another. Now her powers have reappeared just as mysteriously as they vanished -- only they’re completely transformed and more potent than ever. And they’re threatening to destroy her.

Trance heads to Los Angeles to track down the surviving Rangers and discover who restored her powers -- and why -- but a phantom enemy is determined to kill them before they can reassemble. As they dodge his deadly attacks and come to terms with their new role as heroes, Trance and the rest of the team set out to annihilate the sinister madman... only to discover their own powers are his greatest weapons.

Plot: 5 Stars
I love a good urban fantasy that mixes in superheroes and superpowers instead of the paranormal. They only comes around every once and a while, and I've been waiting for a great one like this since I read Black and White by Jackie Kessler & Caitlin Kittredge. The powers that the characters had were very interesting, and I really enjoyed how they often had physical characteristics to match. I also really loved the codenames that the author came up with. Codenames are something that could easily become corny or cliche, but the author really made them fit each character and his or her powers. I also loved how the author wove the history of the MetaWars into the novel. It never felt like a history lesson. Instead, little pieces were brought out just when the reader needed them. And the twists and turns in this novel were epic. I was completely flaberghasted to find out who the bad guy was at the end. I totally didn't see it coming, and I totally can't believe the author went there.

Pace: 4.5 Stars
This novel started out really strong and reeled me right in. The first chapter acted kinda like a prologue, giving the reader a glimpse into the past when the MetaWars originally ended. It was great to see Trance as a child, using her powers to help the other kids as they fought for their lives. There were a few moments that seemed a bit repetitive throughout the novel. There were only so many times the remaining Meta humans could be attacked before you started to see the next attack coming. But even if I had a feeling something bad was going to happen, I was still completely shocked by what actually happened. Once the group started making a bit more progress in finding Spectre, the pace picked up and it was non-stop action until the very end.

Characters: 5 Stars
After the MetaWars, the kids were left without powers and shipped across the country to start over with new families. Many didn't have the greatest times, although some could blend in better than others. When their powers unexpected return, these kids that have now grown up are thrown for a loop but now have a sense of purpose. Trance kinda falls into a leadership position as the Meta humans make their way back to headquarters in LA. She wasn't always comfortable with the position, but she did what needed to be done. Gage was there to back her up every step of the way. I really liked how the two of them interacted throughout the novel. They had a past together as kids and just returned powers to bond over, but it was almost like they were meeting for the first time. The author did a great job of reintroducing the Meta humans to each other and allowing them to bond throughout the chaos.

Cover: 5 Stars
My favorite part of this cover is the orange title, and how it stands out against the purple. The two colors stood out against each other without clashing. The purple was a great choice for the cover considering Trance has natural purple streaks in her hair, and the color starts to take over more of her body after she regains her powers. Normally, I'd want the cover model to keep her natural colors, instead of blending in with such a monochromatic color scheme, but this time it fits the plot perfectly. I also really loved the glowing ball of energy in the cover model's hand. Not only does it give you a superhero/superpower vibe, it's also a power that Trance has. The skyscrapers in the background were a great touch, considering the majority of the novel takes place in Los Angeles.

Overall: 5 Stars

Disclosure: I received an ARC of this novel for review from Pocket Books.

Review: After the Golden Age by Carrie Vaughn

Title: After the Golden Age
Author: Carrie Vaughn
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: 04/12/11
But the Book:

Summary:

Can an accountant defeat a supervillain? Celia West, only daughter of the heroic leaders of the superpowered Olympiad, has spent the past few years estranged from her parents and their high-powered lifestyle. She’s had enough of masks and heroics, and wants only to live her own quiet life out from under the shadow of West Plaza and her rich and famous parents.

Then she is called into her boss’ office and told that as the city’s top forensic accountant, Celia is the best chance the prosecution has to catch notorious supervillain the Destructor for tax fraud. In the course of the trial, Celia’s troubled past comes to light and family secrets are revealed as the rift between Celia and her parents grows deeper. Cut off from friends and family, Celia must come to terms with the fact that she might just be Commerce City’s only hope.

This all-new and moving story of love, family, and sacrifice is an homage to Golden Age comics that no fan will want to miss.

Plot: 3 Stars
I was never into comic books, but a couple years ago I read Black and White by Jackie Kessler and Caitlin Kittredge. I wasn't sure how a novel about superheroes was going to work out, but I absolutely loved it and could not believe there weren't more authors moving in this direction. So when I saw that Carrie Vaughn was releasing a superhero novel, I had to have it because I loved Voices of Dragons and her Kitty Norville series. Maybe my expectations were a little high after reading Black and White, but this novel just fell a little flat for me. Commerce City wasn't explained in much detail, so the setting portion of the world-building was a bit lacking. The Destructor was the only evil supervillian mentioned, which didn't seem plausible. But my favorite part of this novel was the mystery that unfolded. As Celia delved further and further into the mystery, she learned more and more about how the super humans came about.

Pace: 2 Stars
Three quarters of this novel left me wondering if I'd ever get to the action. It seemed like all of the time was taken up by Celia's inner monolgue, whether she was trying to figure out the current situation or rehashing past events. Whether she was on the phone, working out a new lead, or sitting in court, it seemed like Celia was telling the reader a lot of information instead of showing the reader. Even her flashbacks (which happened quite often) were a bit lackluster, considering they were flashbacks of evil geniuses and kidnappings. It wasn't until I almost gave up and brought the book back to the library without finishing, that I reached the last quarter of the book and hit a little action. Granted, I saw the scene that grabbed my attention back coming, it was enough to get me to finish the book.

Characters: 3 Stars
Celia is the only character we learn a lot about throughout this novel. While it's totally understandable that after being raised by superheroes she would rebel as a teenager and become an accountant as an adult, I never really connected to Celia. A part of the problem is that she talked about how she didn't get along with her parents throughout the entire novel, but did not give that many examples. Also, we never learn a lot about her parents outside of their jobs and the few flashbacks in which we see them all not getting along. Dr. Mentis is the only member of the Olympiad we get to learn a bit about, and that came across very rushed and last minute after certain scenes unfold. There were a number of other super humans that are mentioned once or twice with barely any detail. It was also a bit confusing at time when Celia bounced back and forth between the super human's real names and code names.

Cover: 2 Stars
This cover confused me. My first thought upon seeing it was, "Where is the cover model's face?" It isn't until you open the cover to read the inside of the jacket that you see her face, which leads me to wonder if the paperback version is going to be edited slightly or just leave her face-less. Once I started reading, the cover confused me even more because I couldn't figure out who the cover model was supposed to depict. My first thought was Celia, considering she has short red hair and she's the main character. But the red spandex suit makes me think the cover model is depicting Spark, a member of the Olympiad, which doesn't make a lot of sense because without including the other three members of the Olympiad. Although I do enjoy the juxtoposition of the title and other text in regards to the cover model's distinctly superhero pose. I just wish the cityscape across the bottom could have been more pronounced. I couldn't even tell it was there when looking at a thumbnail. Basically, from afar this cover does a good job of relaying the superhero vibe to a shopper that is browsing, but on closer inspection it is a bit generic and does not depict the novel that well.

Overall: 2.5 Stars

Disclosure: I borrowed this novel from the local library.