V is for Villain

3.5 stars
Brad's famous brother, Blake, is a superhero, but Brad doesn't have any awesome powers like strength or flight. Brad's only power is that he's really smart. Someday, he'd like those awesome powers to appear - then he can destroy villains like his father and brother. But Brad's newest friends have different ideas about who the real heroes are. And Brad might not be as under-powered as he thinks.

V is for Villain is a fast-paced superhero novel. It has many tropes of the genre, so that makes it fairly predictable, especially in the beginning when Brad is feeling terrible about himself and his lack of appropriate powers. I enjoyed how V is for Villain delved into how these superheroes came to be. Much like the X-Men, there's quite a lot of talk about genetics, DNA, and computer programs.

However, one thing sets this book apart from others like it: The protagonist is actually a bit of an anti-hero.

Peter Moore does a terrific job of transitioning the reader toward a stance that almost takes pity on the villains, and sees arrogance in the heroes. As Brad begins to ally himself with "the enemy," we're not so sure that's the wrong decision. Moore really embraces fuzzy morals, and that makes V is for Villain quite intriguing.

The thing that brings this book down for me, other than some of the cliche teen elements, is that the world of the book was pretty underdeveloped. Since it was told from inside the elite world of superheroes, a lot of explanation was missing. For instance, it wasn't really clear how the Heroes interact with "Regulars."

Ready to root for the bad guys? This book put supervillains in a whole new light. And the humor and characterization are superb. Loved every page.

The first thing you have to know about V is for Villain is that I loved it.

This book is not just packed with action and the typical superhero/super villain hijinks (even though there is tons of action). Instead the meat of V is for Villain, is about something even more fascinating, the blurred lines between good and evil, and how easy it is to end up on the wrong side, even when trying to do good.

Moore does a fantastic job creating likable characters for readers to root for, and is particularly gifted in showing each of the characters motivations for moving towards the side of "evil". That’s one of the most fascinating aspects of the book, how Moore does such a superb job creating situations that will have the readers second guessing the decisions made and the world's view, until the very last pages.

All in all, this was a great book that I would easily recommend. There was plenty of action, it’s filled with well written and engaging characters, and it moves at a quick and engrossing pace sure to keep readers glued to the pages until the very end. Perfect for fans of a Andrew Grossman’s Soon I Will Be Invincible, Michael Carroll’s Super Human series, and Joss Whedon’s Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.
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More people need to read this. The characters are amazing. It’s funny. It’s creative.

My son loved this for his birthday. Couldn't put it down. Finished it in about a week.

thanks

Great novel! Fast read; turned my husband on to this book, and he has recommended it to several students. Thus far, all have given great reviews!

Grade: B
This ARC was provided by Read Between the Lynes in exchange for an honest review.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Superhero books are big right now, and this is one of the better ones I've read. Overall, I felt the writing style was a bit simple and stilted and didn't draw me into the story. It didn't ruin the reading experience for me, though. Brad Baron was an interesting character, as were his friends. The worldbuilding was just enough for me. I learned enough about the heroes and the Phaetons and their powers to feel satisfied. There was a good twist towards the end that didn't leave me totally shocked, but I hadn't seen it coming either. I liked that some lines were blurred on who the true heroes and villains were (although I do like my good guy heroes, too - particularly Captain America). I can't say too much, but the development of Brad's abilities was great. However, one of my main complaints is the lack of development for the secondary characters. We met some great ones (Layla, Boots - who I think could've been really cool, Peanut, Javier, and Blake) but none of them really got a lot of development. And I wanted to see more of the female heroes and characters.
Romance was tame, although there were some crude conversations; language was fairly mild, but several words were almost used.

The Verdict: This was a decent read. I was kept interested through the whole thing, but I'm not sure it's something I'd reread. I'd recommend this for fans of Dangerous, Vicious, and possibly Shatter Me.

V is For Villain is a novel that I have been waiting for ever since I first saw it on Goodreads. I’m a huge fan of comics and everything that comes with them. The heroes and villains. The spandex costumes. The unrealistic body proportions and the storylines (both the good and the bad). V is For Villain takes all of the elements that make up modern comic books, their heroes and the like and throws them into a world where superheroes, supervillains and superpowers are all very real and relatively normal.

Brad Baron is the son to the deceased Artillery I and the younger brother to Blake Baron who has taken up the mantle as Artillery II. Brad’s brother is everything a superhero should be. Strong. Handsome. Charismatic and powerful. He’s almost perfect and he is the bane of Brad’s existence. Brad is normal or at least as normal as it gets in this world. Attending a high school filled with powered students and teachers, he sticks out like a sore thumb. Which is what gets him thrown into a program meant for students with meager powers or none at all.

This is where Brad meets Layla, a girl with a highly illegal power, and her friends. Through them, Brad begins to think about the world in an entirely new way. Heroes might not be as good as everybody thinks they might be. Especially with their slaughtering their enemies and all the casualties and collateral damage that comes with their heroics. Unearthing the powers inside of him, Brad decides that maybe the only way to do anything really good in this world is by becoming someone bad.

Reading V is For Villain was a really fun experience. Brad’s personality is realistic and will speak to a lot of teen readers who fell out of place in their lives. He’s normal. He doesn’t compare to his older brother. He can barely do much of anything until he decides that he’s totally able to and takes up the identity of a villain and utilizes his abilities. Being inside of Brad’s head is a fun experience and does make you question the lines between good and evil. V is For Villain shows that everything is grey and not just black and white. I never imagined that I would be reading a novel where I would actually be cheering on the “bad guy”.

The world that Peter Moore has built in V is For Villain is one that readers will quickly get caught up in. This is a version of all those worlds built up in comic books but with actual explanations behind crazy things like skin-tight armor that somehow manages to make you still look attractive, the genetics behind superpowers and so many other things (read the book there are a lot more). Despite this being about as fictional a world as it gets it still felt very realistic and I wasn’t left squinting and wondering how certain parts of it worked.

V is For Villain is written in a journal format and has a lot of juicy additions like newspaper articles and quotations from interviews—which is great. But I’m very curious about the way that the novel ends. So many things are left open-ended and I really need to know what happens next (if anything). I sincerely hope that we get some further looks into Brad’s life as a villain because just when things started to get really good the novel reached its conclusion.

I would recommend V is For Villain to readers who are big fans of comic verses and the Marvel films (because come on those have been great). Readers who want a coming-of-age novel that incorporates action and superpowers will love V is For Villain. And finally, any readers who want a novel about dark family secrets, darker powers and a sibling feud should definitely give this novel a read.