I knew there was a reason to keep reading these Inkitt books! Only the second one I've read to completion and it is a vast improvement from last time. This book is the reason we have these debut sights online, so that stories like this can see the light of day. Let's dive right in.
Set in an alternate, steampunk version of London, a scientific accident lead to the birth of Espers, men and woman with supernatural gifts and amazing powers. The scientist responsible for their creation takes as many as he can under his wing in the Institute which serves as both a school and a headquarters for a group of Espers who police the Esper population and keep them from committing crimes against the people of London. But when a child prodigy is kidnapped by band of evil Espers, it's up to the Professor's top agents, Nathan and James, and the child's sister to find him before it's too late.
Now, this books strength is also its biggest weakness: you can pretty easily pinpoint the inspirations behind this story. A group of super-powered humans who face discrimination from the world but continue to help protect them and lead by a guy named the Professor? Yeah, you know where that comes from. Still, for what it is, it's done very well. This story has fun with itself. It's easy to read and fast paced, but manages to keep you intrigued. There's heart in this story. It's a fun story. You can feel the author's passion behind this project. Yeah, so it's X-men meets Heroes, but it's hard to care when the story is still so interesting and the characters so well written.
Speaking of the characters, let's have a little chat about Nathan, shall we? My goodness, I liked this guy. He's just the kind of person you want to go on a supernatural mystery adventure with. He possesses a great sense of humor yet knows when to take things seriously. He's intuitive and clever and there's almost something The Doctor-esque about him in the fact that you can tell he's had a lot of adventures before but never tires of it. And while he possesses the Peter Petrelli power of being able to copy the powers of others, you never get the sense that he's too powerful or invulnerable. He's capable of being hurt and when his life is in danger, you feel it. I liked him a lot. The other stand out character is that of Freya, the ice-powered teenager who's just being introduced to this world. At first I thought I wasn't going to like this character very much, as she showed every sign of being the stereotypical bratty teen who never listens, she exceeded my expectations. Yes, she takes matters into her own hands when she probably shouldn't, but she's capable of recognizing her mistakes and learning from them. She's able to say, "you were right". That's refreshing to see in this type of character.
Now, the writing flows well and is easy to read and get invested in, it's also got its flaws. Describing the same character more than once and skipping over events that might actually have helped the plot are a couple things that kind of take away from the experience. But, for me, the story's major drawback has to be the villain, the Baron. While I do honestly miss this type of character (villains who don't need tragic backstories or overly complicated motivations) this guy was just too hammy to take seriously. In the attempt to make him intimidating, that author has this guy copy trademark killing techniques that anyone would recognize. I'm not kidding! Within the space of three paragraphs this guy does the Vadar Force Choke, the Mola Ram Kali-mal, and the Syler slice all at once! I henceforth rename you Baron Overkill!
Final Verdict
While a bit familiar at times, this book was still a lot of fun to read. Great characters, a thrilling story, good action, this Inkitt winner is definitely worth your money at your local bookstore!
Have you read the book? What did you think? Comment below and share your thoughts. Find me on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/65448711-michelle-beer
Next Time: When Battle of the Sexes goes too far....
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