Super Powereds: Year 1

There isn’t much to dislike about the Super Powered series. This is a future where a small percentage of humans have various super powers. Those who can control those powers are called “supers”, those who can’t are called “powered” and any “super” who can pass a grueling certification program can join the official ranks of “Heroes” who are overseen by the government much like special forces. Heroes can use their powers in combat. Supers can use their powers in things like rescue efforts or sports leagues… and powered can’t control their powers at all. This book is about the first five kids to undergo a procedure to control their powers, and it works, so they’re enrolled in a hero college called Lander.

This isn’t some cheesy kid’s or teen’s story about heroes. The characters are interesting and appeal more than the admittedly well rounded characters of Harry Potter. But while Rowling can write emotionally resonating characters, there are a LOT more logical flaws in the Harry Potter world than in this world of Super Powered.

Imagine if the Harry Potter books were more logical, with more realistic consequences, and with more defined and restricted various powers, with games and scoring that made sense, with progression that made more sense… so that when several people worked together, their strengths and weaknesses more logically complimented each other.

Remember how, in The Incredibles, heroes had to go into hiding to avoid being sued for damages? This is a world where the Hero Certification Program (at 5 colleges, one of which is Lander) exist to allow some government oversight and only giving the best of the best heroes the right to battle to save cities or stop evil supers with the least casualties and damage possible. This allows heroes to operate and do damage if needed, but only the best of the best are trusted.

Drew Hayes has done something special here. Do yourself a favor and buy all four of these books.

So I don’t write many reviews, but this is essentially the first free book in a series of four free books, with a couple of free spin offs. In the last two weeks, I’ve read all of them…at least as much as he’s written so far, and I’m looking forward to the rest. He’s made these books available free, but I recommend buying the e-books here, in part to support Drew, and in part because they are simply easier to read. These books were, and continue to be, posted on his website in a serial fashion. A consequence of that, is that the flow is a little weird. The book is broken into fairly short chapters, some of which are stand-alone scenes, some of which aren’t. It’s a little slow getting started, but It’s still a good book. In fact, Drew tells a GREAT story. Think of this as an American version of Harry Potter, a little more grown up and a lot more sophisticated in terms of plot complexity. He’s created college students with all the insecurities and arrogance some of us fondly remember, and thrown in a lot of the humor that we probably forgot. Read the book. If you ever liked comic books, urban fantasy, or even enjoyed an X-Men movie, you won’t be disappointed here. Drew is the best new (to me) author I’ve found in several years.

I’ve read this book two times now due to how much I have loved this series. This series blows me away with the detail Drew Hayes puts into it and the incredible character development. When reading through this book the second time, I knew all the twists and turns throughout the series, and it’s fun to see all the foreshadowing starting even from the very beginning.

For this book, the writing was a bit clunky at times. On the first read through, it took me a while to get used to Drew’s writing style. However, once I got into the book, I slowly stopped noticing the writing and got absorbed in the story.

The characters are amazing. There is so much depth to each one and there are quite a few characters. From the books I’ve read by Drew, he always does an excellent job with character development and making each character have a unique personality and voice.

Out of the main 5 characters (Vince, Nick, Hershal/Roy, Alice, and Mary), Roy and Alice can be very annoying in this book. Alice is spoiled and thinks too much of herself. Roy is selfish, arrogant, and just plain rude. However, with how flawed both of these characters are, it really make you appreciate how much they grow and change throughout the series. I eventually came to really love both characters even though I loathed them at first.

Vince and Nick are by far my favorite of the main characters. Vince is so good and noble. I’m always rooting for and love characters like him. Nick is cunning and a master manipulator. This book wouldn’t be the same without him. I always couldn’t wait for what Nick would do to shake things up or what his knowledge would reveal.

The world/setting this book takes place in is incredibly well thought-out. The HCP school program really felt like a college program that would exist if our world had powered people. I was blown away by how much detail there was to the program and everything in it made perfect sense.

The pacing of the book was great, especially with how much detail Drew packs into the book. So much happens in the book, which makes sense because the it takes place over the course of a year. The action and intensity really ramps up near the end of the book. Once it got to that point, I couldn’t put the book down. All the twists torture you in a good way and the mysteries in the series are perfect to keep you guessing for a long time.

This book, and especially the book series, is definitely worth reading. I’ve loved every single book.

I described Super Powereds to my wife as “Harry Potter with Super Heroes”. I think that the comparison is quite apt as this is quintessentially a coming of aged story about five young people who transition overnight from social pariahs into potentially elite, incredibly powerful individuals.

I thought that this book was made more relatable than some similar books, as the setting is very similar to our world, but with a twist. So the reactions of society (e.g. Super Heros treated like rock stars) was quite interesting and believable.

The story is very much about what the young people learn, and how they grow from an emotional and character perspective. I could see some other readers potentially wanting a bit more romance thrown in, but I was happy with the level provided.

This book (and indeed all of the books in the series) is incredibly long, but to me it felt like good value for money, and not like filler. I would strongly recommend Drew’s Super Powereds series to anyone who enjoys coming of age stories.

I have followed this series as it developed as an online serial chapter by chapter, and felt that I must purchase upon completion due to how entertaining the story arch and character development was. Writing this now I am on the final book to be released as a web series and have purchased all books (and spin offs!). Drew is now a favourite author of both myself and my long time girlfriend, we greatly look forward to each release and would both recommend his work to others. Pick this up!!

NOW!

also try Fred the vampire accountant!

Galaxyaudiobook Member Benefit

- Able to comment

- List watched audiobooks

- List favorite audiobooks

- Bookmark will only available for Galaxyaudiobook member