The Supervillain And Me Review: Super Predictable From Beginning To End

As witty as it is heartpounding, this fresh take on the beloved superhero genre is all about finding your own way to shine even when it seems everyone else around you is, well... super.

Never trust a guy in spandex.

In Abby Hamilton’s world, superheroes do more than just stop crime and save cats stuck in trees—they also drink milk straight from the carton and hog the television remote. Abby’s older brother moonlights as the famous Red Comet, but without powers of her own, following in his footsteps has never crossed her mind.

That is, until the city’s newest vigilante comes bursting into her life.

After saving Abby from an attempted mugging, Morriston’s fledgling supervillain Iron Phantom convinces her that he’s not as evil as everyone says, and that their city is under a vicious new threat. As Abby follows him deeper into their city’s darkest secrets, she comes to learn that heroes can’t always be trusted, and sometimes it’s the good guys who wear black.

Chosen by readers like you for Macmillan's young adult imprint Swoon Reads, The Supervillain and Me is a hilarious, sweet, and action-packed novel by debut author Danielle Banas that proves no one is perfect, not even superheroes.

Summed up in three words: Generic Superhero Book.

Don’t get me wrong, The Supervillain and Me was fun, it really was. But it was also flighty and frivolous and flat and… you get the point. You know that one movie, Sky High? It had a bunch of no-name actors, from what I remember, and it was about a white boy attending a school full of superheroes. I really liked it when I was little. This book reminds me of that movie. It’s very light-hearted and cute, leaving nothing but a sweet aftertaste in the end. The reason why it won’t get higher than a 2 star from me is because it’s so generic.

The world-building is incredibly shallow, the characters don’t exactly stand out, and I predicted the plot from the second chapter. It doesn’t help that the book is also way too long. I swear, 100 out of these almost 400 pages was unnecessary high school angst and the main character being oblivious to the things around her. I really do think this works for a younger audience. I would have enjoyed it more about 5 years ago. But now? Eh, I think superheroes can do better. Especially with more unique ones like Renegades by Marissa Meyer and Vicious by V.E. Schwab out in the world.

This book was basically Sky High x High School Musical. The generic main character Abby has a brother for a superhero, while she’s balancing a potential love interest who’s also a superhero but getting framed as a supervillain. Oh, also, the title kind of led me to think of the characters having a moral dilemma about what constitutes right/wrong but the plot ultimately follows the same generic pathway of clear-cut distinctions between the heroes and villains. Nothing too exciting to see here.

I didn’t need the reporter to spell it out for me. The man who saved me last night was no hero.
He was a villain.

Sure Jan, keep telling yourself that.

Anyway, the plot is simple and easy to follow, the characters didn’t really stand out (except for that one bisexual character that got weirdly, ~15 pages of page time!). I felt like I was watching a kid’s TV show. And me, being the curious person I am, ended up reading the ending of the third book that this author has on WattPad (LOL) and suffice it to say, I’m for sure not sticking with this series.

Also, background note: superpowers appeared out of nowhere and NO ONE knows why. There are no scientists trying to figure it out. There is no explanation. Maybe radiation? I’m laughing because radiation => superpowers is a plotline that was done YEARS AGO. (Also debunked years ago, but who am I to say anything in the world of fiction.) Sorry, but… OUT OF ALL THE POSSIBILITIES.

There’s not much more to talk about this book, despite it being almost 400 pages. I was pretty bored while reading this, even though it was supposed to be a quick read, and I really found myself struggling to pick it up. Final verdict? Save your time. This is fun if you’re looking for something very generic, buttt I’d say start with other YA superhero books first, because then you’d actually be rooting for characters you actually cared about.

Rating: 1.5 out of 5

Thank you Fierce Reads for the review copy!

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Aila J.

Co-Blogger at Happy Indulgence Books

Aila is a young adult reader who loves to transport herself to new dimensions through reading. She's currently an undergraduate student at university in the US. Let's talk about our obsessions on Twitter @aila_1woaa!

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