Powerless (The Hero Agenda, 1)

When I saw Powerless was written by Tracy Deebs along with Tera Lynn Childs, I knew I had to have it because I have LOVED Tracy Deebs' books! Her Tempest Maguire trilogy was a favorite mermaid read of mine so I was curious about this new superhero book! I haven't read too many of those all things considered, especially since I love watching the comic book/superhero movies. But I was not prepared to be totally blown away with Powerless! It was extraordinarily awesome and I am left weeping for more!Kenna is a normal human girl. Her parents were superheroes, her father died when she was young and her mother is more of the super genius type of hero. Kenna though has her own unique talent thanks to her mom, she is immune to hero and villain's superpowers. She takes an injection every so often that gives her this immunity and it's come in handy a few times, but it's a secret she must keep or else there would be trouble for her and her mom. And in part, it's what gets her into trouble one night while she works in her mom's lab. She's her mom's "ranscriptionist", basically copying her mom's sloppy notes into legible format. One night, villains break into the lab and all hell breaks loose.It's not long before Kenna learns that there is more going on to the villains breaking in. They were looking for someone they believe the heroes are keeping prisoner, but Kenna isn't quick to believe it all. Until her best friend, Rebel fills in her on a thing or two. It's not really until Kenna's mom gets kidnapped or otherwise goes missing that she's willing to get on board with a rescue mission.Now Kenna puts aside long held prejudices against the villains and works with them. The heroes have been keeping secrets for too long. Plus, she needs to find her mom so she can get another dose of her shot to keep up her immunity, for the medicine is already beginning to wear off.This was just such an action packed read! I loved every minute of it! If I hadn't had prior obligations to take care of yesterday, I could easily see myself finishing this then! It was incredible!! I loved this cast of characters, we have our heroine Kenna, who has a few things to learn about herself. Internally, emotionally, and all that jazz! But the villains, oh my! I love those guys! They are incredible! Draven is Kenna's potential love interest. I love how these two interacted. She stands up to him, especially when she's against him. And he even tries to be heroic, almost, in the little things that he does around her. Otherwise, these two are pretty much in each other's faces shouting a lot and arguing, but you can definitely tell that these two have a chemistry together long before they realize it!And then there's Dante, Draven's cousin. It's his brother who is missing and he just so happens to be Rebel's secret boyfriend. We learn a lot about hero and villain differences in this one. It's definitely something you could see with some prejudices that still exist in our society today, and here these teenagers are able to shove those aside and work together, even get as close to friendship then you wouldn't think possible!There's also Nitro, another villain who cracks me up! He's a bit hotheaded, but man does that boy have power! Then bring in Kenna's ex-boyrfriend, hero Jeremy, who's basically a techno-whiz and wow! The dynamics between these guys is hilarious! Not to mention a little bit of jealousy on Draven's side!Not only was this an action packed read, it was quite suspenseful! It sort of had a conspiracy theory going, but we have yet to learn the whys of it all. There's still a lot left unsaid and even more added mysteries and questions get brought up by the end! And let me tell you, I about had a heart attack at about the 96% point! And just as I can almost, almost breathe a sigh of relief, the tension mounts up again and so does my heartrate! The wait for the next book will be excruciating!! It will be painful and unbearable!! And OMG I SOOOO need there to be second book asap!!! The journey has only just begun for Kenna as she learns the true difference between hero and villain!If you're looking for a different kind of read, you can't get more different than a superhero and super-villain kind of read! Action packed, tension driven, filled with suspense, comedic relief, stunning revelations and of course, a budding romance, this book has it all! Powerless was quite the powerful read!! ;) And I so cannot wait for more!Overall Rating 5/5 stars

I really enjoyed Kenna's story. She is a powerless girl in a world of superheros and villains. Kenna's attitude is great about it though. Her best friend, Rebel is a super and they share everything. At least that is what Kenna believes. To her, the world is good vs. evil so Heros vs. Villains. She had never thought it could be any other way, until she meets a certain Villain.Her mother is an amazing scientist who tries her best to keep Kenna safe. I liked all the characters in this story. Kenna's transformation is amazing as the story goes along. The author did a great job with making the book so engrossing that you don't ever want to put it down. There is action from the beginning to the ending (cliff-hanger).It was a 4/5 for me. I really liked the characters (so much so that I bought the second book already).

Powerless by Tera Lynn Childs & Tracy Deebs was "super". If you grew up reading comics with superheroes and craved something beyond you need to read this book. It will keep you turning the pages to the end and asking what's next. Powerless was a truly enjoyable read no matter your age. Definitely 5 star read. Can't wait for next book in this new series.

Really good. Action packed, funny, cool characters, interesting world with a little romance to top it of. Cant wait for the next book.

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales [...]Quick & Dirty: All heroes aren’t good and not all villains are evil.Opening Sentence: If I could have any superpower, right now, I’d choose the ability to reach through the glass.The Review:This was a fun, action-packed read set in a world of heroes and villains where almost everyone has a power, except Kenna. Her being ‘powerless’ is what makes her special but not in a good way. Although she is vulnerable, her genius mother has created a secret serum of immunity shots. As long as Kenna takes these once a week she is immune to all powers.The story is based around Kenna’s encounter with the villains and realisation that not all villains are bad. Similarly, heroes aren’t all that great either, sometimes committing heinous crimes under the radar. The book explores stereotypes, illustrating that not everything is black and white, good or bad, without getting too deep that you feel you need to re-evaluate your life!Three days ago, I was an ordinary girl in a superhero world. It wasn’t ideal, but it was tolerable. It was normal. It made sense. Black was black, and white was white. Good was good, and bad was…bad. Villains were bad.Now everything is topsy-turvy. Nothing makes sense. And as for life being black and white? I feel like I’m drowning in a million shades of gray. Like the suits of the Ray-Ban brigade.The writing was good, it kept me interested but it was also quite simple, verging on the younger spectrum of young adults. The idea about villains not all being bad was repeated so many times that I felt like shouting, ‘yes we got the message the first 10 times!’I loved Kenna’s courage, particularly when she comes face to face with villains for the first time and is under the impression that all villains are murderers. She has no powers per se, but uses her brains and quick-thinking to help her out. Most people would freeze or freak out if faced by an out of control villain aiming fireballs at them but Kenna grabs a fire extinguisher! However, there were times when she was too logical, almost robotic in her actions, which started to annoy me.The love story between Kenna and Draven was very predictable but I still thought it was cute and I think it fits well, given the target audience. The couple argues like crazy, started with completely opposing beliefs but beneath it was a good chemistry.Only a few days ago, I despised villains as much as he clearly despises heroes. I’ve changed, but he obviously hasn’t.It hurts more than I want it to.I enjoyed the comedy element to ‘Powerless,’ especially when it involved characters like Jeremy, Kenna’s extremely paranoid ex-boyfriend who happens to be an IT geek. Another character that repeatedly made me laugh was Nitro, the fireball villain. His lack of control and disinterest in burning people by accident was fun to read, especially when he accidentally burns one of his own friends in one of his tempers.“Well, that’s a little rude,” Nitro interjects, obviously offended. “I never talk s*** about your powers.”“Because Draven never loses control of his powers,” Fauxhawk tells him, as he gestures to the burned and broken lav. “Do I need to remind you of what happened two weeks ago?”“Wow. Set a few things on fire and suddenly everyone’s a critic.”“Me!” Fauxhawk shouts. “You set me on fire!”“I said I was sorry!”“Like that makes it better? You burned off half my hair.”“Stop being such a drama queen, Dante.” Nitro rolls his eyes. “It’s growing back, isn’t it?”Some YA reads are too romantic and without being sexist, I would say they are written with a female audience in mind but I think Powerless is a perfect read for boys and girls alike. It has adventure, humour, a little romance and lots of action, so I’d recommend it to everyone looking for a light, fun read.Notable Scene:“What went wrong,” Dante growls, “is you locked us in a refrigerator. You sided with the heroes and now everything has gone to s***. What kind of villain are you?”FTC Advisory: Sourcebooks Fire provided me with a copy of Powerless. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

Hard to put down especially if you love superheroes. I can't wait for the next one. If you love Tera's other books you will love this one as well

A good read. Went quickly. I wish it didn't end on a cliffhanger though.

Amazing. I would recommend reading this. It's a quick read but very good Leaves you wanting more. Definitely loved the book.