I’m back! I’ve said that so many times over the past few months, I’ve lost track, but I’m hoping to stick to some semblance of a schedule this month and into 2021 (more posts to come talking about 2021 plans!).

Summary:

For years, Lucia “Prism” Powell has been waiting to bring back her father’s pet program, The Supervillain Rehabilitation Project. But convincing DOSA, the government’s superhero department, to reboot it might prove difficult, especially when Prism wants her first recruit to be Fade, the villain who sunk the first program.

Personal Review:

I love a good superhero story. Marvel movies capture my heart with their epic good vs. evil battles and humor. However, it’s relatively rare that I read a superhero book. So when H.L. Burke offered to let me read her series in exchange for an honest review, I jumped at the chance.

The relationships are what really made this book shine! From sibling bonds to team dynamics, each relationship is intricate and lifelike. Each team member is unique and I couldn’t wait to find out more about each one. Now that I’ve read through book 3, I’ve grown even more fond of the characters and would definitely read a spinoff series.

At times, the action scenes read like an action movie, so if you’re a fan of fast-paced, intense scenes, this might be the book for you!

For the first half-ish of the book, I had a hard time feeling attached to any of the characters or gripped by the story. But then something happened and the stakes rose so much that I was hooked and the pacing picked up significantly.

The discussions of morality are refreshing for a superhero book, and the moral dilemmas increase and become more complicated as the series progresses.

Politics are a significant part of the story and character motivations, which created an interesting mix of action and hidden motives.

A brief caveat before you go on to the Content Review: Reformed is a New Adult (NA) book, meaning it’s YA with older characters, more mature themes, and some heavier content. However, Reformed has about the same content levels as a modern YA novel and less than a Marvel movie, for comparison. That being said, I would recommend Reformed for 15+ superhero fans.

Content Review:

Language:

– a–, d–n, b—–d, h—, etc.

Sexual:

– Prism refers to her light powers as “flashing” to annoy her brother (and some other humor along those lines).

– A character briefly considers sleeping with another character.

– A character thinks about how another one would look ahem…without clothes.

– A brief kiss

Violence:

– Some slightly graphic wounds

– *MAJOR SPOILER* A character dies when their neck is snapped *MAJOR SPOILER OVER*

Spiritual:

– A character has some Catholic symbols.

– Superhero powers are said to have originated through evolution.

– A Christian character dates another character who isn’t a Christian (more thoughts on that in book 2’s review)

Other – Older characters drink.

That’s all for now! I’ll be back soon with another review!