Greetings! I’ll admit, I’m impressed with myself for following a schedule for two whole days! Will it stick?! That’s to be determined, I suppose!

Summary:

Cortex and V need a new nemesis.

Up-and-coming teen superhero Cortex is on top of the world–at least, until his villain dumps him. If he’s going to save his reputation, he needs a new antagonist, and fast.

Meanwhile, the villainous Vortex has once again gotten a little overeager and taken out a hero prematurely. Will any young hero be able to keep up with her? Maybe she should work on finding a steady relationship with an enemy she won’t kill in the first round.

So the two turn to Meta-Match, a nemesis pairing site for heroes and villains, where they match right away. But not everything in the superhero world is as it seems. Who are the real heroes and villains? And just how fine of a line is there between love and hate? When darkness from the past threatens them both, Cortex and V may need to work together to make it out alive.
Told entirely through texts, transcriptions, and direct messages, this darkly humorous chat fiction novel goes behind the scenes of the superworld.

Personal Review:

I’d never read chat fiction before I picked up Dear Hero, so this was a new and fun experience! That being said, the writing took a bit of getting used to. Once I got pulled into the story, however, I fell in love with this unique form of storytelling that requires so much creativity! There were a few actions scenes that I had to reread to fully understand, but the majority of that could be attributed to the fact that this is my first foray into the chat fiction genre.

As I looked through my notes, I was reminded why I love this book, and I’m looking forward to reading the sequel!

One of the main aspects that stuck out to me is just how much fun this book is! During a hectic week when I need a bit of levity to destress, this adventure proved a welcome reprieve. It’s cute and wholesome, and I enjoyed it so much!

The one thing that bothered me about Dear Hero is how death is occasionally taken a little flippantly. Villains/heroes are killed often in this world, and most characters seem a little desensitized to it.

However, the depth of emotion and themes in this novel definitely kept me engaged. This novel takes the theme of good vs. evil to new heights as the line between hero and villain is explored. I love how Cortex focuses on V’s humanity regardless of the label of hero or villain.

The main characters are interesting and funny, and I found myself engrossed in getting to know them as they got to know one another.

One final aspect that requires mentioning is all the Broadway musical references! I read this book during my tech week for my drama club’s spring musical, and Cortex saying that he’s “Surprised they all don’t turn into villains after going through tech week” was incredibly relatable.

Overall, this is an engaging, unique superhero romcom that is sure to entertain any Marvel or contemporary fan!

Content Review:

Language:

– Mild: a few OMG’s, uses of heck, darn, crap, etc.

Sexual –

– Kissing

– Some flirtatious remarks

– A brief joke about drag and whether a character is lesbian.

Spiritual – Cortex’s family is Catholic, but that’s about it!

Other –

– Trigger warning: This book mentions suicide, depression, and emotional manipulation

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I received an ebook of Dear Hero for free and am reviewing it voluntarily. All opinions expressed are my own.