I loved this book. This is a great, well-paced story. I loved the characters and the banter between them. The writing is very sharp, and I found myself re-reading some passages because of the great writing. I also loved the curses; very inventive. The magic system was also very good as was the world-building. This book was captivating from beginning to end and I hope that Quinn Thomas writes more books about this universe. Thank you to Netgalley and Ebbing Neptune Publishing for the advance reader copy.

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review of this book.

I don’t know if I’ve ever read a book that just throws you into the story like this one does! It was almost like the author was trying to introduce you to an alien world that you don’t know anything about…oh wait…that’s exactly what she’s doing!

You’re along for the ride with the crew of the Jaratah. They are who gets called in to save a world from the Fallen after that world’s hero has failed. The crew is absolutely brimming with personality. There’s some witty dialog here, but the story itself seemed to take a little bit for me to fully catch on, but once you start to get adapted to the world, everything clicks. There’s even a fun little magic system in play here!

One thing that bugged me, is that I couldn’t tell if this was sci-fi or fantasy. I don’t know if the Jaratah sails the seas, or soars through the cosmos. Maybe it does both? That question isn’t very important at all at the end of the day. This was just a really fun read that never overstayed its welcome. Highly recommend this one!

I saw the cover of this book and originally thought it was middle-grade, however the description totally hooked me! The cover on the Ereader version with the paper dragon is so beautiful.

The tags for the book included "humor and satire" and there is nothing better than a fantasy that makes you laugh. And trust me- this one did!

I was a little worried that I was going to be totally lost because the prologue throws a lot at you at once but as soon as you start the first chapter, everything makes senese. The characters all have their own unique personalities and goals. My favorite character was for sure Surrah!

I hope this book turns into a series because I would love to learn more about each character! I read this in just a few sittings!

Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

(this book is not yet listed on GoodReads)

I had a LOT of fun with this, I really enjoyed it and found it hard to put down once I started.

Action packed and brimming with charm, it reminded me a lot of Joss Whedon’s Firefly and MCU’s Guardians of the galaxy. The pacing in some places makes it a 4 star rather than 5 but still a great experience overall.

It’s quirky, fun and a really entertaining read. Highly recommend!

I truly really enjoyed this book. It felt like a warm hug between found family while watching guardians of the galaxy and eating popcorn. I hope that made sense, because it was funny and hopefully and I loved all the characters

The Backup Heroes tells a funny and emotive tale of a disaster prevention crew called to save worlds after their own heroes fail. It presents an interesting take on the sci-fi genre, along with an inventive magic system.

I enjoyed the use of distinct POV chapters that allowed insights into the motives of the main characters. The book also started off well by throwing the reader straight into the action. However, I found it difficult to picture the characters throughout the book. I would have liked to see more explanations to help with visualisation and perhaps more succinct descriptions during fight scenes.

Overall, I liked this story. I would recommend it to anyone wanting to try out a comedic sci-fi with a fast paced plotline.

Overall, a fun but unremarkable read. I've got a few complaints though that the book would be a lot nicer without! Lots of overdescription especially in the first half, but underexplanation when it's needed most. What was the dagger? What is a named? The climax felt very quick and basically vanished into thin air after the big bad was defeated. There's supposed to be a found family, but Kallion never had a true moment of care between the other crew members. I didn't mind the writing style at all, I got through the book fairly quickly. The main characters weren't bad at all, could use a bit more work but still likeable. Personally I would like more visual descriptions for them; I don't think a single physical aspect of cravoc was described. But like I said, this book was a fun read in the end. The concept of many magic systems and gods and worlds and people is a really interesting one that can go really far. I also think the cover is a bit plain and doesn't explore all the exciting things the story has going for it. Where's the crew, or our main POVs Merit and Surrah? These are just a couple of my thoughts but I enjoyed the book so keep it up :)

This was a really unique concept for the scifi genre, I really enjoyed the way the characters were written and how everything worked in the universe. The concept was everything that I was looking for and glad I got to go on this journey with them. Quinn Thomas has a great way of telling the story and was excited for more from the author.

3.5

I moved this onto my TBR list when I saw the cover pop up on NetGalley. It was a colourful papery-style scene that isn’t grabbed my attention. Shortly after, the cover art totally changed! There’s nothing wrong with the new one (although perhaps it looks a little middle-grade) but the original was beautiful!

Anyway.

This was a beautiful example of “starting late” with an opening: we jump straight into the plot and spend a good few chapters trying to ascertain who’s who and what’s going on. I found this a refreshing approach to world-building once I realized it was intentional and this wasn’t, like book five or an established world.

Our story continues in this vein: pretty much non-stop action all the way through. Because of this, it’s a pretty fast read!

While I like succinct prose, this could have been more fleshed out. It almost felt rushed, as we jumped from action scene to action scene. I still got a reasonable handle on the characters but we could have gone further.

It looks like this is setting up for future adventures but this could also work as a video game!

Note: this book doesn’t yet have a Goodreads entry.

The Backup Heroes offers a fresh twist on the hero trope, following a crew that steps in when other champions fail. With high-stakes decisions and emotional conflicts, the story explores loyalty, sacrifice, and the cost of saving worlds. Though it leaves some details vague, the fast-paced action and dynamic characters make it an engaging read.

Really well-written book! The characters are vibrant and relatable and Thomas' world building is easy to follow and engaging. Fingers crossed this is the first book in a long series!

**Review of *The Backup Heroes* by Quinn Thomas**

In *The Backup Heroes*, Quinn Thomas crafts a unique take on the superhero genre, introducing Captain Iladrius and his crew, who serve as a "Disaster Aversion and Mitigation" team. Their mission is to step in when the conventional heroes fail, providing a refreshing perspective on heroism. The story revolves around the crew's challenges as they pursue monstrous threats known as the Endless, while also navigating personal relationships and internal conflicts.

The pacing is commendable, allowing for deep character exploration and world-building despite its concise length. Readers are treated to a richly imagined universe with distinct societies, each with its own magic and norms. This balance of action and character development creates an engaging narrative that invites readers to reflect on the complexities of heroism and sacrifice.

Many early reviewers have praised the book's captivating plot and the depth of its characters, expressing a desire for more stories in this world. Overall, *The Backup Heroes* promises to be a compelling start to a potential series, appealing to fans of science fiction and fantasy alike

This book was brilliant and I know so many people say it but I read it in one sitting.

I was attracted by the wow cover art and title but the synopsis really caught me. The concept of a clean up crew that come in to save the day and make things right after the hero has botched it really called to the part of me that gets annoyed with traditional hero's who save the day without really having to try to hard.

I will admit that I was a little worried that the length of the book was not going to give enough time for world building, plot development and a conclusion but not only did the author manage it they paced the book perfectly. The story ebbed and flowed consistently, slowing down enough for us to get a feel for the individual characters and their motivations whilst sprinkling through the details of not just one but three separate distinct societies with their own gods, magics and norms.

This book was fun to read as a standalone but after I finished as satisfied as I was with the ending I can't help but hope there is more to come in this world and that this was a captivating start to a series.

I received an arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.