Although Superhero Syndrome doesn’t shy away from the ugly realities surrounding a variety of issues, from the risks involved in walking down the street in a bad neighbourhood to human trafficking, the tone remains light throughout. One of the major contributing factors to this is the snort out loud humour that flows through the story. Tess is such a relatable character in both her strengths and her flaws, which is an important distinction. Female leads across the fantasy genre usually end up sacrificing key personality traits in order to ‘toughen up’ for their heroic role, resulting in cold caricatures with brittle confidence. In contrast, Caryn Larinaga keeps Tess’s characterisation consistent throughout Superhero Syndrome. Superhero Syndrome was entertaining from cover to cover, and virtually impossible to put down.
Reviewed for Reader's Favorite