After the last book that I read based on superheroes and villians I found that I was prepared for the worst.
Superheroes Anonymous focuses on Hostage Girl, or Gail as she wants to be known as. She recieved her nickname from the media after having been rescued by the well known superhero Blaze, a hero who never speaks to her and yet Gail always has faith that he will save the day and her.
Gail recounts for us how she got her nickname and also why people call her Girl instead of Gail. This is also an interesting piece of backstory, building up her character and letting the reader know that although Gail isn’t as strong as a hero, she is smart. Although it would also be likely for her to have some kind of PTSD – though it’s never mentioned in the book.
Gail never wanted to be the focus of the villian’s, but after some time, the villians of Chicago always flock to her, trying their best to defeat Blaze and his team of superheroes.
However, Blaze leaves Chicago, so when Gail is kidnapped again, no one comes to save her, no one is aware that she is even missing. The villian drugs her and when she wakes up she slowly realises that she has changed, she has become a hero.
The book isn’t exactly the most exciting read, although the flash backs to Gail arriving in Chicago are interesting, a lot of it focuses on Gail’s relationships with a few of the heroes in the complex, because many of the heroes and even those who are unsuited to be on the field, can’t work a normal job any more, they live in a complex in New York.
If you are wanting more action based in your superhero books, you might want to give this one a pass. However if you would like to get a bit of an insight into the workings of certain parts of the superhero organisation, particularly how they train new recruits, this could be a book to read.
The book does end on a cliff hanger, but I won’t be picking up the next book myself. A good read but not one that I am desperate to continue to read.
The Pen and the Book 