Celia’s parents are superheroes, but she has never been anything more than normal. Eking out a standard existence on a single salary, renting her own apartment, taking the bus to work; this is Celia West’s life. Her parents Captain Olympus and Spark keep the city safe, while operating a huge and successful business, but never seemed to have enough time for their daughter. When it was discovered who they were, Celia’s life was guaranteed to be abnormal, but she does her best. Unfortunately, when danger erupts in the city, it’s Celia who has the power to understand what’s going on and, ultimately, prove that regular humans can accomplish just as much as those granted special powers.
This is another Read-a-thon choice and in that context it was a fun, easy choice of read. Superheroes are everywhere these days, and the concept of a normal person getting mixed up in the fray isn’t really strange either, so it’s pretty easy to determine whether or not this book is a choice that will appeal to you. It tries at times to deal with more complex issues, but given that Celia is behind her teenage-rebel days, I think it actually mostly fails at this – she comes off as whiny rather than strong, even when she’s actually the one going behind the scenes to make things happen. I didn’t actually dislike her in the present day, but I definitely would have if this were a YA novel and she was carrying out some of the behavior she did in her younger years.
The other bizarre part of the book for me was the romance, which I felt came out of left field. I had a certain character pegged as an older mentor, only to find out he’s actually a romantic interest, which just didn’t work. I can see how it would work sometimes, but here I just wasn’t feel any sort of spark between them. Overall, disappointing for someone who actually likes romance on the side.
Still, the superhero world was interesting, and I certainly found After the Golden Age captivating enough to read it over a couple of hours straight during the Read-a-thon. I’d recommend it for a bit of fun and for a fast read, but not for a memorable one.
All book links to external sites are affiliate links. I received this book for free for review from Amazon Vine.
Hummm. I like Carrie Vaughn but I don’t think I’ll go out of my way to read this one. I’m not a huge superhero fan, and the whiny bits and sudden romance don’t sound that appealing.
Beth F´s last post …Review: Green River Killer by Jeff Jensen and Jonathan Case
Superheroes also don’t hold a lot of appeal to me, so I don’t think I would read this one, and some of the things that bothered you would also probably bother me as well. I liked reading your review, but have to conclude that this book probably isn’t for me.
zibilee´s last post …Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion — 256 pgs
I just read Discord’s Apple by this author and enjoyed it. It ties in a lot of random things that surprisingly made for a good read. Otherwise I read the first Kitty Norville book, mostly liked it, but just haven’t had time to get back to the series. She has potential as a writer, but I am not sure I can say I *love* her books so far.
Kailana´s last post …R.I.P Challenge VI – The End
I love the premise of this! I’ll keep it in mind for when I’m craving a fun read.
Nymeth´s last post …Snuff by Terry Pratchett
This sounds like a TV show Carl used to watch. I’m not sure the book is for me.
bermudaonion (Kathy)´s last post …Author event and giveaway: Tea Obreht
Unlike some of the other posters, I really enjoy superheroes. I love the idea and the myth and the psychology behind them. It sounds like it might be a bit uneven, but I’m still interested. And I think that cover design is really fantastic.
jenn aka the picky girl´s last post …The 14th Dalai Lama by Tetsu Saiwai