Science Fiction
Shadoweyes, Volume 2 is on my Want to Read shelf mostly because it sounds slightly odd in a good way.
Superheroes and shapeshifting can be brilliant, but they need more than attitude and a moody cover. Scout Montana being an aspiring vigilante who gets knocked unconscious on her first attempt is at least a better starting point than most. Less “chosen one”, more “this might go badly”, which is usually where things get interesting.
I’m curious whether Sophie Campbell gives it enough character to hold the weirdness together.
Superheroes and shapeshifting can be brilliant, but they need more than attitude and a moody cover. Scout Montana being an aspiring vigilante who gets knocked unconscious on her first attempt is at least a better starting point than most. Less “chosen one”, more “this might go badly”, which is usually where things get interesting.
I’m curious whether Sophie Campbell gives it enough character to hold the weirdness together.
The shapeshifting part is doing some heavy lifting for me here. Superhero stories can get very samey very quickly if the central idea is just “powers, but louder”. If the book is willing to let Scout be messy and a bit out of her depth, that feels like the more interesting route.
I’m mostly wondering whether the series leans into the oddness, or trims it back to keep the plot moving.
I’m mostly wondering whether the series leans into the oddness, or trims it back to keep the plot moving.
Shapeshifting is one of those ideas that can either deepen a story or just add extra costumes. The unconscious-on-page-one energy at least suggests consequences, which is more promising than swagger. I’m more interested in whether it stays character-first than whether it gets bigger and noisier. Superhero stories often forget that a bad decision can be more useful than a cool one.