Brodie Gray

***Mild Spoilers ahead*** Let's at least start on a positive; love the art style. The rest, however... Everything about this books seems a bit backwards. It's inclusion of progressive and diverse characters could be applauded, if they were written remotely well. The main character feels like a "self-insert" of the author, and is one of the least likeable protagonists I have seen in a long time, not because she herself is diverse and alt, but because she is, at every stage of the story, a b!tch for almost no reason. Yes, I understand that she is a teen and at that rebellious stage, and yes, her mum is Starfire, and that's given her massive shoes to fill, which seems unobtainable to her given her lack of powers (and self-admitted lack of an "attractive" appearance). Even still, whenever anyone is nice to her, or critiques her on her constant apathy - something she labelled as bullying on one occasion (I wish that all a bully would say to a kid is, "Hey, you kind of ruined the fun out there by deliberately throwing and walking out of the game and only caring about yourself") - she is incredibly rude and dismissive. Something I found incredibly hilarious (quite literally laughed out loud at this) was that, in the author's attempts to make Starfire seem like a terrible parent, she actually portrayed her as a spectacular, model (single) mother, who is trying to do her best by her daughter. Despite constantly having to save different galaxies, and balance her other duties as a public figure, Starfire was at every single one of her daughter's birthdays. And not just standing there on her phone pretending to give love like some famous mother who is only putting on the appearance of having time for her child, but actively taking pictures of her daughter, playing with her, and generally creating what looks like a good time. Starfire even travelled several galaxies back to Earth just because the school reported her daughter walking out of an S.A.T. exam. She wanted to make sure her daughter was okay. Admittedly, Starfire does not seem to initially understand her daughter's lack of interest in academics, and even goes so far as to organise college applications for her, and tells her to go retake the exam. But, like any good parent, Starfire only wants to do what she thinks is best for her daughter, and only seems to want her to try her best. The worst part about this text, besides the poor characterisation and misunderstanding on how to get the author's message across, is the ending. Definite spoilers here... Why does the main character feel complete and happy only when she gains superpowers. She says herself that she has become the person she was meant to be now that she has them. What kind of message is that? Apparently being yourself is no longer good enough. You only become worthy of happiness when you become powerful and famous, or... in other words: like your mother. I just don't understand what the author was trying to go for here. Perhaps it was meant to be inspirational, but to me, the way I've interpreted it, this is a horrible message to be sending out to your (I would have thought) young audience. I don't know... To finish up, I will say that the book has some redeeming qualities, but poor writing and an apparent prioritising of what could have been good political messaging over characterisation and a clear message has severely crippled any value it may have had. I would recommend reading it (perhaps for free or via a review on something like YouTube) just to make your own opinions on it, but, in my humble opinion, it is not worth giving any monetary justification for this thing.