I received a copy of this book as part of the 2018 Hugo Awards voter's packet and therefore won't be reviewing it on NetGalley.

It was obviously years ago now that I read this, but I genuinely enjoyed the camaraderie between the MC and the other characters and the way she grew into her own identity.

I love this book! Fantastic! Sarah Kuhn is as delightful on the page as she is in person. She also gave some great book recommendations at New York Comic Con. Can’t wait to read the next one.

Sarah Kuhn provided a copy of her novel, Heroine Complex, and it is enormous fun. It straddles a few different subgenres – I feel like it’s primarily a new adult coming of age sort of story, but the setting is urban fantasy / super hero comic, and it also has strong romantic elements. Ultimately, though, the novel is about friendship, found family, and acceptance.

Our protagonist is Evie Tanaka. She works as an executive assistant for her best friend, local superhero Aveda Jupiter (formerly Annie Chang). Aveda has been saving San Francisco from demons since the portal first opened eight years ago. Incursions since that time have been frequent, but fairly low level – which is fortunate, because so are Aveda’s superpowers. Primarily, Aveda uses her martial arts skills, her charisma, and her determination to be perfect at everything she does.

The amount of work Aveda puts into being the superhero who can save San Francisco is admirable, but it doesn’t stop her from being an utter nightmare to work for. When she sprains her ankle at training after throwing a tantrum over a pimple, she insists that she can neither go to the awards night to which she has been invited nor cancel it – and instead coerces Evie into pretending to be her (with a little help from their friend Scott’s ability to create glamours). Of course, demons promptly appear at the ceremony, and Evie finds herself having to fight them and thus deal with her own, unwanted superpower. Also, the demons seem to be evolving, Evie’s little sister is wagging school and getting drunk with her babysitters and Aveda is finding that she doesn’t really like having her best friend outshine her. And did I mention that Evie’s powers seem to get more unpredictable when she is under stress?

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story. The characters were well-drawn, and I liked the theme of found family. And really, any book that starts off with a superheroine fighting off flying, fanged, demon-possessed cupcakes in a cake shop is already going to be ticking a lot of boxes for me. If I must look at the novel critically, I’d have to say that I saw several of the plot twists coming – but then, I do read widely in the YA, urban fantasy and romance genres, and in any case, the fun was less in the destination than the journey. I especially enjoyed the relationships between the various characters, particularly that between Evie and Aveda. It felt very real, from their background as the only two Asian kids in their primary school, bonding over the mockery they received over their lunchboxes, to the way their roles were set early on in ways they weren’t always consciously aware of, and the friction that ensued when Evie was no longer happy with her role. This felt like a very real friendship to me.

I enjoyed the other characters too – Aveda’s trainer, Lucy, who uses karaoke to pick up girls (and who takes far too much interest in Evie’s love life); Evie’s cranky, clever 16-year-old sister Bea; Nate, Team Aveda’s doctor/scientist, who is also clever and cranky and distractingly hot; Scott, who should be hot, but inexplicably isn’t; and the terrible tabloid blogger and her sidekick. All the interpersonal relationships gave the impression of having existed well before the book started – they had a level both of closeness and of grown-in-assumptions and roles that felt very true to life.

Basically, I loved this book and will be looking for the sequel. I suspect it’s a bit too fluffy to win its category, but it is clever and character-driven and funny and feminist and the perfect antidote to space-slavery-dystopias. I do wonder, sometimes, why I do these Hugo reads – so many of the books are so very much not for me – but every so often one discovers an author one wants to follow, and that’s what has happened here. Sarah Kuhn is going to the top of my ballot.

Heroine Complex is incredibly fun. I've tried to write this review a couple times now, and I still can't find a sentence that better sums up this book. It's probably the most consistently fun book I've read that isn't a clear comedy (certainly the most fun non-comedy book I've read since "In Other Lands." And even that book features some sad moments at times). While there are moments where our heroines suffer some angst, these moments are short and at no point does the tone really shift away from its light-tone, and as a result it's an incredible joy to read.

I suppose I should quickly mention what type of book this is before the jump: Heroine Complex features a pair of Asian-American superheroes fighting to protect San Francisco from demon incursions. In the process it's a story about friendship, family love, bottling up one's emotions, and to a lesser extent, romance. It may not be a big piece of message fiction (although as you can guess from that last sentence, it certainly has some themes for the reader), but it's a blast throughout, and I suspect I'll be reading the sequel shortly.
--------------------------------------------------Plot Summary----------------------------------------------------
8 years ago, a portal opened up in San Francisco, and human shaped Demons popped into our world....and immediately died. But with their deaths, people in San Francisco started to manifest superpowers. Most of these powers however, turned out to be pretty useless (weak telekinesis, the ability to track cars like a GPS, the ability to mildly control the temperature in a room). And since that big portal, smaller portals have also popped up at seemingly random times and places, bringing with them smaller demons who take the form of objects nearby and attack innocent humans. Thankfully, San Francisco has a superheroine named Aveda Jupiter (real name Annie Chang) who fights these minor demons.

Evie Tanaka works as Aveda's manager - managing her appearances, the fallout from the damage caused, and well......Aveda's overbearing popularity-obsessed personality. Aveda and Evie were best friends growing up, pre-portal, and Evie doesn't mind the job despite how insufferable Aveda can be. Evie also is trying to raise her 17 year old sister, after their mother died and their father skipped town - a perhaps more difficult feat in itself.

But when Aveda injures herself blowing off some steam on a punching bag, there's no question she's not going to ask another superheroine to take her place while she recovers - that could cause that other hero to usurp her popularity. No, it'll be up to Evie to impersonate Aveda and take her place. But Evie has a secret - she too has a superpower, the power to create fire when she seemingly feels strong emotions. She's responded to those powers by trying to repress her emotions, but when an incident causes her to use the power while impersonating Aveda, she faces no choice but to try and learn to deal with them, without incinerating anyone she cares about.

Which might be hard when dealing with a crazy celebrity-seeking boss/friend, a younger sister who doesn't want to simply be a good student and has ideas on her own, and a mad scientist co-worker that she's suddenly feeling a bit of attraction to......

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First things first, Evie Tanaka, our protagonist and narrator, is fantastic. The entire book is written from her perspective, and she's a wonderful character as she develops throughout the book. It would be so easy to write her poorly - to quote Evie herself midway through the book, she's an Emotional "mess" and that's something hard to write without it seeming artificial, but instead it feels totally natural, whether she's trying to suppress her emotions, trying to act despite insecurity, acting upon her lust, etc. I love Evie so much and can't wait to see her in the sequel (although the sequel features her not as the main character).

The rest of the characters are also excellent. Other books would essentially make Aveda a side-antagonist, the abusive boss/friend that the protagonist has to learn to leave, but Heroine Complex takes a totally different tact which made me very happy - and made her a far more enjoyable character as a result. Sister Bea is again a character that in another story could've been incredibly annoying, but instead she develops and grows into a real believable seventeen year old put into a rough situation by her family who wants to grow into something. Bodyguard Lucy is a very amusing compliment to the team, and Mad Scientist Nate turns into a very enjoyable love interest.

Speaking of Nate as the love interest, I'm not gonna lie, the romance and sex scenes here are very well done. Not really something I talk about often in my reviews, but it's notable here - this isn't a book that is all about the sex scenes either, but they're well done when they happen.

There's very little about this book that I didn't like - again, every time I thought it was going to use a common trope (like a misunderstanding causing a separation of allies for a while, etc etc), the book doesn't go there, which I appreciated quite a bit. The antagonists are kind of predictable from fairly early on (although their background maybe not) and are maybe a bit silly in the end, but again, it works really well.

You can tell from the way I struggled to find faults here, but I really enjoyed this book. It's a totally fun superhero(ine) adventure featuring Asian American women as protagonists with some great characters. If any of that appeals to you, you should check out Heroine Complex.

I received this work as part of the 2018 Hugo Voter Packet. This is a story which will appeal to those who enjoy superhero stories with a lighter touch and humor. The main character is sympathetic, but the supporting characters are tiresomely selfish and immature, which is not really portrayed as being the awful behavior it actually is. I'm also concerned that this is a very non-affirming story for people who are asexual or aromantic, as not wanting sex or romance is portrayed as a defect. Recommended for those who enjoy stories of people who start out weak and insecure and gradually learn to become strong and self-confident.

It was fun. Light, a little fluffy, a lot of adventure, a little sex, and a karaoke battle. It was nice to see all the representation in the book without a big deal being made of it.

I got the download link for this book from the Hugo Voter Packet.

There's something delightfully entertaining about the premise of this story, and it's written in a light, breezy style that goes down really easily, but I don't think it holds up particularly well in a field of award-nominated titles and authors. It's an unfair comparison, but the very nature of Hugo voting demands it.

We've got weird, zany demon attacks in San Francisco! Asian lady superheroes! A karaoke demon battle showdown! And the story arcs of the main characters center around repairing broken friendship and family relationships in a way that brought some gravitas to the human dimension of the story. But there's also a lot here that's cringe-worthily cliché. It's hard to suspend disbelief when the central premise of Evie masquerading as the superheroine Aveda Jupiter is set up. It's contrived, and the ramifications of it are predictable. The mystery of the demon invasion wasn't as fun as I hoped it would be. And the heavy romance angle didn't do much for me either, not because I mind romance per se, but because Nate came across as a pretty bland love interest character for most of the book.

Overall, it's a decent, light read, but I don't feel the need to read the rest of the series.

Fails to answer an important question: could he still play the piano? Darn it: now I'll need to read the next one! :p

Thank you for making this available to WorldCon76 voters.

I would give this book 4 out of 5 thanks to the Asian superhero concept. It a really good twist on the white superhero idea. In a world where superheroes are normal, one sidekick/assistant to a popular superhero does all the horrible jobs like cleaning up after a fight at a cake shop. This relationship changes when Aveda Jupiter gets injured and she has to impersonate her for party. Naturally, Evie discovers she has powers and the rest of the book is about how she manage these changes and Aveda's jealousy of Evie new found frame as her.

This is an adorable book about a superheroine's personal assistant. If that premise alone isn't enough to get you to pick it up, I'm not sure what else I can say. It's a perfect summer vacation read with seamless worldbuilding, characters that are interesting and well drawn enough to keep my attention, and the occasional dose of steamy romance.

Heroine Complex is set in a modern day San Francisco that is just like our San Francisco, except that there are really weird cupcake demons (not a euphemism) that pop out of portals and which are vanquished by an Asian-American super heroine. Heroine Complex is an absolutely delightful romp of a novel which I did not want to put down (and as such, only put it down twice and then only because I have two small children who needed attention). I loved the backstory relationships in the novel, the development of Evie Tanaka from beleaguered personal assistant to full on heroine in her own right, the banter and creativity of the writing, and the escalating action sequences. Straight up, Heroine Complex is a lot of fun.

This superhero chick-lit was a fun adventure. The romance was handled well, but I wasn't entirely satisfied by the resolution of key toxic relationships.

A fun romp about the trials and tribulations of being a superhero's personal assistant. This is not a deep or difficult novel; it's a summer beach read. And there's nothing wrong with that!

This book was an enjoyable read. It was easy to identify with the heroine, and the other characters were very understandable. I look forward to reading more of Sarah Kuhn's books. As this book has been nominated for a prestigious John W Campbell award, I wish the author the best of luck with the ongoing voting!

"Being a superheroine is hard. Working for one is even harder.

Evie Tanaka is the put-upon personal assistant to Aveda Jupiter, her childhood best friend and San Francisco’s most beloved superheroine. She’s great at her job—blending into the background, handling her boss’s epic diva tantrums, and getting demon blood out of leather pants.

Unfortunately, she’s not nearly as together when it comes to running her own life, standing up for herself, or raising her tempestuous teenage sister, Bea.

But everything changes when Evie’s forced to pose as her glamorous boss for one night, and her darkest secret comes out: she has powers, too. Now it’s up to her to contend with murderous cupcakes, nosy gossip bloggers, and supernatural karaoke battles—all while juggling unexpected romance and Aveda’s increasingly outrageous demands. And when a larger threat emerges, Evie must finally take charge and become a superheroine in her own right...or see her city fall to a full-on demonic invasion."

Yes, there's superhero fatigue... but then there's this to combat said fatigue.

Book had too much language and felt a little too juvenile in the reading. I normally appreciate a smart mouthed heroine but this can be done without the use of so much bad language.

Before I talk about the book itself, I want to say how much I adore this cover. I liked it from the start, but I’m even more of a fan now that I know it’s actually almost exactly the first scene of the book, with the exception of it spoiling Evie’s fire power. Heroine Complex is funny, silly, diverse, and has an excellent ship, so, yeah, I’m a fan.

Evie Tanaka works for her best friend, San Francisco superheroine Aveda Jupiter (originally Annie Chang). They’ve been friends since Annie saved a young Evelyn from elementary school bullies. Their relationship has turned a bit toxic, as Aveda’s focus becomes her image and she becomes used to seeing Evie as her assistant. There’s excellent female friendship in this book, as Evie comes into her own and she and Evie work things out. They’ve got a mutual jealousy thing going, but they do both care. There’s also bodyguard Lucy, who’s a lesbian determined to get herself and Evie laid (not together). Lucy’s so much fun. Also, look at all these badass ladies being badass! And I do think it’s cool that Aveda’s a hero because she trained so hard, her power being almost useless.

Evie’s got a pretty classic character arc, going from mild-mannered with her feelings completely shut off to a vibrant heroine of her own life after being put into catalyzing circumstances. In pretending to be Aveda, she discovers her own strengths and becomes more comfortable with who she is. She also falls in love with the grumpy hot scientist in Aveda’s team, Nate, and it’s so fucking bantery and cute. I ship ittttttt.

Plot-wise, Heroine Complex was admittedly a bit ridiculous, partly intentionally and partly not, I think. The whole thing is a send up of superhero stories, while also being one and needing to stand on its own. The villain is actually defeated by keeping her monologuing too long; while that is satirical, it doesn’t make the plot any more effective than when it’s done non-ironically. Plus, most of the battles finish way too easily. The world building is a wee bit clunky too, but I’m willing to roll with it because I love the concept.

Heroine Complex is more likely to be a hit with readers who are here for laughs and romance than readers coming for an awesome superhero story. I’m looking forward to the second book, which features ship #2, which I totally called at Scott’s first appearance FYI.

I love stories about people with mundane jobs who exist in the orbit of someone extraordinary – like a personal assistant to a superhero, for example. It’s a fun mental exercise to think about what that might actually be like, what you’d have to deal with when your job function includes placating a petulant heroine when she isn’t out saving lives and stopping evil.

Evie Tanaka is in that exact position when Heroine Complex by Sarah Kuhn begins. She’s the mousy, reserved personal assistant to Aveda Jupiter, San Francisco’s Favorite Superhero – previously known as Evie’s childhood friend, Annie.

Evie has no social life outside of work and tries to keep her feelings on clampdown because of a tragedy in her past. It doesn’t help that her mom died a few years back and her father subsequently disappeared on walkabout, so Evie is also responsible for taking care of her bratty teenage sister, Bea.

Evie is just barely holding her life together until Aveda is injured and needs someone to take her place in public appearances. See, Aveda’s superhero powers come from a failed demon invasion that turned into an ongoing demon problem, and she isn’t the only person who was granted powers. Their friend Scott can perform little magic spells, including a glamour that will let Evie impersonate Aveda.

As soon as Evie goes out in public as Aveda, things go off the rails. Demons attack, and Evie is forced to use her own powers – flames that come out of her hands when she is upset or angry. She’d tried to keep them inside like her emotions because she was afraid of what she might do, but as soon as she lets them out, she finds it much harder to keep anything inside.

Heroine Complex is ultimately a story about a closed-off, repressed young woman learning to trust her own emotions and believe in herself. It’s also funny, full of well-drawn characters, and genuinely entertaining.

When I first picked it up and started reading, I assumed that it was a young adult novel, partially because of the cover, but also because of the writing style, which made the characters seem young. However, as I kept reading, it became obvious that the characters were all in their late twenties. Then there was the first of several fairly hot sex scenes, which made me realize that I’d been reading an urban fantasy all along.

This genre confusion didn’t negatively impact my enjoyment of the book, but it did make me wonder why I immediately assumed it was a young adult novel. I really like the cover design, but maybe the cartoony style made me jump to conclusions.

In any case, I’d definitely recommend Heroine Complex. It’s the first book in a trilogy, each of which focuses on a different girl in the group – Evie, then Aveda, and then finally Bea. I’ll probably pick up the next two sometime soon.

I got this to review at some point, but I also bought a copy… a fact which I now regret. Okay, there’s a lot of cool things about it: female Asian protagonists who kick ass in different ways, a casually queer character, bitey flying cupcakes, the main character talks frankly about anxiety… And for quite a while I was enjoying it a lot.

It’s just, I don’t like reading books where people like me are called dead inside, even in jest. I’m sure the main character isn’t intended to be read as asexual — it’s mostly that she’s forced herself not to feel in order to control her powers (let it go, let it go, can’t hold it back anymore…) — but the lack of sexual attraction to people she describes is my every day and whole life. And I’m okay with that; it doesn’t bother me or my partner, and I don’t think I’m broken because of it (anymore). It’s just the way I’m made.

It’s not my “Dead-Inside-O-Tron”.

Yes, that’s what Evie calls her lack of sexual attraction — her “Dead-Inside-O-Tron”. Neatly calls up two stereotypes about people who aren’t interested in sex: that we’re robots, and that we’re dead inside. And before you protest that nobody says that, I saw it twice on my twitter the day I was reading this book.

I kept going for a while with the book, but when I put it down to go out and came back, I found that I was just tired of it. Tired of the romance scenes punctuated by Evie wondering why her “Dead-Inside-O-Tron” had stopped working. I can get a person feeling that way and calling it that; I can understand that it’s not targeted to hurt people like me by reiterating the whole “you’re dead inside” meme. It doesn’t mean I can keep enjoying the book.

Reader, I put it down. I have plenty of books to read that don’t remind me constantly that people think I’m a dead-inside robot.

The flying bitey cupcakes are still a cool image, though.