Sovereign

The Following Review will be posted on my blog, The Crown of Books on June 24th around Noon EST.

Back in January, I came across the first book in the series, Dreadnought, and knew I wanted to read the book immediately. Luckily, I was able to request the book on NetGalley and was approved. I was so happy that I was approved because I knew that I was going to enjoy it. As a matter of fact, I did. When I was done with the book, I saw that there was going to be a sequel and I knew I wanted it then and kept an eye out for it. When it became available on NetGalley, I pressed request right away. After a few days, I was approved. I am just glad that I was able to read and review both amazing books.

In Sovereign, the story takes place 9 months after Dreadnought's debut, first major battle, and its consequences after it. She also becomes across a new super villain that wants to change the world in a better way. Only that "better" may not be the way you think it is. Danny has to solve how to defeat this super villain once and for all while juggling other duties like dealing with her parents and an old enemy.

Between Dreadnought and Sovereign, you can tell that the two books are connected perfectly, even with the time jump. While Dreadnought's life was adjusted and impacted, Danny's life dealt with similarities between the books, namely her parents and a specific former teammate. I liked seeing that we were dealing with new problems and issue but not all the problems were gone. It gave a nice form of continuity between the books.

Sovereign was just as good as Dreadnought, or perhaps even a little bit better. I loved seeing all the characters again, and enjoyed reading about the new characters as well. They added a certain atmosphere in the story that I liked. Even though the second book was just as good, it faced a similar problem. The world building was still kept to a limit although a new setting for the book was created wonderfully and described well. Only New Port lacked a little bit of world building again. More information was added, but I was still looking for more overall.

One thing I also enjoyed was seeing the relationship between Danny and Sarah evolve. In the beginning, you quickly discover that after the first book, tension has brewed between the two. As the story progressed, you would think that the relationship would not survive, but they were trying, or at least Danny was. When a friend reveals an important information, Danny didn't know what to think, or didn't even realize it. When I came to this point, I didn't even realize it either. I just did not see it coming at all. All I can say is that I liked how the relationship came to be.

If you enjoyed the first book, you have to read this book. It is just as good as the first book and introduces new characters that adds to the story. This was the perfect sequel to the original story.

This was a really great sequel! It had a slower start which made me worried, but once the action got started it didn't stop. We got to see more of favorite characters from the first book, and got introduced to some great new ones too (Red Steel was my favorite.) Overall, a worthy sequel and I can't wait to see what happens next!

There is SO MUCH going on in this one tiny little novel, and it is just so good. Okay, so maybe it's not one tiny little novel, but I managed to read it all in one sitting, so it seems really short. Maybe it's more that it's really good, so I found it impossible to put down until I was finished.

So this is the second novel in April Daniels' 'Nemesis' series, the first one being the equally amazing Dreadnought. Some would find it incredibly difficult to follow up such an amazing first novel with another of such calibre. Not April, apparently! Danielle/Dreadnought comes back just as powerfully from the very first pages of this new novel.

We start with a conversation between Danielle and her media representative, Cecilia, going over an interview and how she can do better. This is important for a number of reasons. First, it sets up that she's been interviewing, so that when we meet Kinetiq, a nonbinary superhero that Dreadnought has accidentally managed to rile up, it doesn't come out of left field. Secondly, it means that when she's trying to adopt a straight face and give nothing away in various interactions with the media, in court and with supervillains, it's convincing, ALL BECAUSE OF THIS SCENE.

Following that is a Comic Con for superheroes, located down in Antarctica (how cool is that conceptually, though??). This is actually where we meet Kinetiq. There is some stunning dialogue around here that manages to be both funny and serious as well as propelling the plot forward. If people are unsure about whether they are going to like Sovereign, this is probably around the time when they're going to decide, wholeheartedly, YES.

Can we also just talk about the cover art for this book, though? I know that's not technically something that a lot of authors have power over, but it's actually great because it sets the scene for so much about the way Dreadnought thinks about herself, her powers, the world, and is relevant to not just one but two incredibly important plot points that unravel throughout the story.

I think I'm doing pretty well talking about the story without spoilers so far, so let's get straight onto the character of Danielle/Dreadnought herself. First of all, everything is written in 1st person, so it's really hard not to feel like you are right there with her the whole way through. And she talks about some really intense things, like how she enjoys beating up people essentially for money. Several times, with a lot of analysis into the ethics of this. It's incredible, and not something that often gets brought up in superhero writing.

And if that wasn't enough, it then went into the consequences of where such things can lead for the second half of the story. I mean, this was just as perfectly built up as the plot points. April was very clever in her writing. It never seemed heavy handed, but things never seemed like they came out of nowhere for convenience sake, even if point A and point B weren't perfectly and directly linked. Reading this, I felt like I had a lot to learn as a writer, and I was definitely jotting down notes.

All in all, a fantastic follow up to Dreadnought. Just like last time, the TERF character of Greywytch was difficult to read, but I have high hopes that we won't be seeing her in book 3. Regardless, you better believe that's going to be on my shelves as soon as it's announced.

I'm in the middle of university exams, so I haven't had the chance to write a full review. However, the following brief note is my Goodreads review, and I'll try and expand on it during the summer if I can!

I think I liked this better than the first one, though, possibly because I knew what to expect and wasn't caught out by the tone the way I was the first time. In the first book, transphobia is a major theme, and I'd been expecting a much more lighthearted story, so it totally caught me out. This one had less of a focus on that side of things, though: while Dreadnought/Danny still has to face up to transphobic bigots, it's a more minor part of the narrative, and also I knew to expect it so wasn't caught out. I liked that the book featured a brief discussion of being intersex with regard to chromosomes, and the fact that many people have no reason to know they're intersex, but gender's not as clear cut as it seems. That was a nice touch.

Danny is trying to pick up the pieces after her big fight with supervillian Utopia. She's getting a contract with the city that'll make her financially independent, she's going to court to win her independence from her mentally abusive parents, and she just might have a way to revive the Legion. She couldn't have seen this problem coming.

Ultra rich guy Richard Garrison contacts her about a project he'd love to involve her in--and she's stunned when she finds out what it is. When she flatly turns him down, he and an old nemesis of Danny's hold her hostage and do terrible things to try to forward their agenda.

Escaping and saving the world are both paramount, but Danny also needs to make sure her friends are ok--after all, one of her closest friends in an identity crisis, and the other has Danny feeling inadequate despite her superpowers.

Sovereign is the second book in the Nemesis series, and this plucky little series about a trans superhero keeps moving along at pretty fast pace. We get some great character development from Danny, who is learning to live with PTSD and a demolished personal confidence. We see all the day to day life issues she has as well as her becoming stronger and dealing with them, making friends and healing.

The second novel is every bit as good as the first, and I really hope another is on the way soon.

Within the first few pages I could tell I was going to enjoy Sovereign and even more than the first one (always the true mark of a good sequel in my opinion).

I am so pleased I was approved for the sequel to Dreadnought because everything I enjoyed in the first, was amplified in the second. Daniels brings a nuanced complexity to everything in this book: Danny’s powers, her relationships, and her own identity. Right from the get go, Danny is under more pressure than ever before and she’s beginning to crack. Who can blame her? Suddenly thrown into this superhero world she has had immense challenges and incredible opposition.

However, in this book, Danny comes against enemies of all shapes and sizes, one of them being herself. This is by far my absolute favorite part of the book, and what stays with me even days after finishing. When overnight we have the powers to fulfill all our fantasies, good and bad, it becomes a struggle. The challenge to remain a white cape, and not succumb to punish those who hurt us and escape justice is monumental. With this comes responsibility, loneliness, fame, and loss. Danny’s narrative voice is genuine, funny, and heart-warming making us empathize with her and allows us a first row seat into these growing pains. Her transformation through this process makes the entire novel more complicated, more adult feeling, than the first as Daniels explores very real issues of power, corruption, and justice.

This time around, Danny has a few friends to help her who are super cool and diverse. We still had our Calamity, even more complicated after the first book, and Kinetiq (a non-binary cape). My only complaint with these is that we don’t see them enough! I want more of them, especially Kinetiq and Codex. Their interactions are some of my favorite.

(Also I cannot get over how cool a superhero convention would be! Like that just makes my inner self so happy. It would be flat out amazing).
I really appreciated how twisty this plot was. While I thought the first was pretty cunning, I think that Daniels outdoes herself with this one. Not only are our supervillains humorous and dangerous, but the events in Danny’s life are important to the plot and her character. Additionally, the ending is really great and I wonder if there’s a third in the making.

Sovereign teaches us, among many things, that sometimes the worst villain is ourselves. We may fight a lot of battles in our lives, and it is important to hold onto what is true about us. There is a great propensity within all of us to become twisted into a black cape, minus the super powers of course, and our normal challenges of fear, insecurity, and anger can be dangerous forces to be reckoned with. But we define ourselves by our actions in the face of this black hole that threatens to whisper in our ear. In these moments, is when a true war begins, and one that becomes imperative to decide if we succumb or stand up to the darkness, for good, and ourselves.

While I liked the first Nemesis book and rated a 3.5, bumped up to a 4, I genuinely, flat-out <i>loved</i> this book. The first book was cute and fun; the sequel is interesting and intriguing and so complicated, especially as far as character arcs go. Danny, in particular, goes through such a freaking fascinating character arc. You see her nine months after the events in Dreadnought, and how the power and fame has changed her, both in good and bad ways, and then how much she still has to learn in her personal and professional lives.

Plus, super hero politics, you guys. I'd read a whole book about them.

<b>tl;dr</b>: Liked the fun of the first one, <I>loved</i> how complicated, compelling, and dark the sequel was.

Sovereign is the second book in the Nemesis series, which follows the transgender superhero Danny Tozer. Danny is male-to-female and when she was granted the powers of Dreadnought, her body finally mirrored the way she felt on the inside. Danny is great at her job, but she has a lot of anger for a teenager. She’s been through a lot, even with superhero powers, and everything seems to be mentally and emotionally catching up to her, even if her physical strength just gets better.

I loved the first book, Dreadnought, so I was really excited to read the sequel. I thought this one was just as good. I love the intricacies of superheros, the villains, and everything that goes into making these books. Daniels has an amazing imagination. While this series is fully developed, with a lot of great information, there are never any info dumps. Things are revealed as needed and it works! As for Sovereign, I really loved the journey that Daniels takes Danny on in terms of her anger and past traumas. I felt it was handled well, and as realistically as possible when dealing with super humans.

If you haven’t read Dreadnought yet, please do, and if you have, then I hope you’ll continue with Sovereign.

This was so good. I mean the whole thing was great but there are tons of reviews focusing on a plot recap so I just want to talk about how much I really love all the little details and the thought that was put into it.

I love that they introduced a nonbinary superhero and also that they specifically touched on how the media has latched onto Dreadnought as the 'first' transgender superhero - which obviously isn't true - and that this is causing a little bit of tension in the trans/nonbinary community.

I love all the thought that is put into Dreadnought's flight powers and how she operates in outer space. I mean it would be really easy to just be like 'yeah and they she flew into space and punched some stuff and came back down because SUPER POWERS' but she has to like calculate her trajectories and leave at certain times etc and how even though she doesn't have to breathe in space she needs to have oxygen stored in her lungs [I'm assuming to keep them from collapsing? although I could be off base there]. Really a lot of thought has been put into her powers in general and I like that although at first glance she seems like this unbeatable over-powered character, she still has a lot of blind spots.

I'm always here for a good round of super hero politics [I mean, if it's done WELL. Side-eying you, Civil War] so this was a really fun story for me, but I don't want to spoil you guys by getting too into it. My only complaint villains-wise is that I felt Graywytch seemed a little ...cartoony? I mean I know there really are people like her out there and I think it's great to make the point that cis women are often leading discrimination against trans women and that it's not only men who can be prejudiced, but she still just felt more like she was reading out a script to make her Maximum Evil than acting like a real character.

Overall the book was great and also Sarah and Danny are adorable and Sarah is just amazing in general and I can't wait for the next one!

I really liked the first book, and wondered how the second one could be better. Now I know.

After accepting her new role as a superhero, it isn't hard for her to slip into the suit and become the savior that the people of New Port- and the world -need. But while things had a HEA after a terrible accident in the last installment, it seems that Dany isn't quite done with the bad days.

This totally got deeper and more personal, a whole lot uglier and scary. Cause it's really scary when you're having to bare the darkest parts of you that no one wants to even think about, let alone acknowledge. I loved that the story focused more on young Danielle and the things that weren't all wrapped up in the first book, and I appreciated seeing her struggles and acceptance with things that I hadn't even really thought about until they were brought up. I totally cried.

The writing was great, with Dany's POV seeming a little more mature and harder, which I thought was cool. I liked the new characters introduced, thought maybe one wasn't as fleshed out as the others, though in their defense, they rarely appeared. I loved that there was a movement for more trans superheroes to be acknowledged, that Dreadnought was not the first. It really made the world seem a little real for me just by bringing up such real life issues. It was an overall great read with action, endurance, heart and a slightly dry sense of humor that made me laugh about as much as I teared up. You must read this.

Sovereign is the sequel (out today) to Dreadnought, which came out earlier this year in January. Dreadnought revolved around Danny, who became a superhero in a world where superheroes, villains, and "gray" capes are widely known. When Danny became a superhero, she also became a girl, making her deepest secret apparent to the world around her. It follows her journey as a newfound superhero, also dealing with prejudice and parental emotional abuse (trigger warnings for both!). If that sounds intriguing, you should definitely go read Dreadnought now! If you want more information, I also reviewed Dreadnought here. Sovereign is set nine months after the end of Dreadnought. Danny is trying to juggle protecting the city, her first superhero convention, relationships with the police/her parents/friends, and a new supervillain on the scene. As she juggles all of these, she's also learning the limitations of her powers and trying to figure out what's going on with her friend Sarah. 

What I really enjoyed about this book was that, just like Dreadnought, there's a good mix of movie-worthy action and combat scenes and character development. Danny's relationships with those around her are really important to her survival as well as her emotional well-being. This is made apparent through what you see going on, rather than being told, which is also really great from a writing style perspective. It's nice to have some characters back from the previous book as well, and a few new ones to build on. 

The story also continues to follow Danny's experiences as not only one of the world's newest superheroes, but also as someone the world widely considers to be the first transgender superhero. In this vein, she has to learn how to "handle" the press, and try to make it known to the wider world that she is *not* the first transgender superhero, she's just the first to be widely recognized. She has a lot on her plate, essentially. Be forewarned that some of what she deals with is rough--and there are trigger warnings for torture and transphobia towards Danny.

Overall, this is a great superhero story. The writing is well done, the villain is properly scary in a way that mimics current society, and Danny's story is one you really care about. Her adventures are also interesting, and I had a very favorite subplot (that I won't spoil here) that was super sweet and cute. If you enjoyed Dreadnought, I recommend Sovereign. If you haven't read Dreadnought, then I recommend reading both!

Note: I received this book from Netgalley & the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Round two of the Nemesis series, and the stakes are even higher than before. Nine months after her debut as Dreadnought, Danny is tired but loving the power of being a superhero. She's kicking ass and taking names and about to attend the world convention of superheroes. . . that is, until things start to go south. Quickly. Now her parents are fighting her emancipation, she's been framed for murder, there's a new supervillain, and Nemesis is coming to change the face of the planet.

First off, I love superhero books, particularly those that riff off any and all tropes. Capes. Costumes. Cool superhero names. Secret identities. The powers. Backstories. All of it. And I loved Nemesis, which takes the superhero genre and inserts some much needed diversity with the "first" transgender superhero (Danny is not the first, apparently there was another back in the 1960s in this universe).

Secondly—damn. This book just hit me right in the feels from the start, particularly after this week's military transgender ban. I really hope that more on Danny's experiences from this book (view spoiler).

Anywho. Lots of action. A diverse cast. Good dialogue and LOTS of emotions. I only wish it was longer.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

Wow.

I read Dreadnought at the beginning of the year and loved it. Sovereign is even better. It just ramps absolutely everything up by about a billion. Everything is so action packed, so emotional and the stakes are the highest you can imagine.

There's not one but two villains for Danny to tackle in Sovereign. The first is Graywytch, back and even more horrible than she was in Dreadnought. I'd say she's the more personal conflict. She's a TERF that hates Danny for being trans and is willing to go to any means to strip Danny of her powers. In this book, she teams up with a billionaire (the titular Sovereign ) who wants to market superpowers to the wealthy and establish dictatorships where everyone else works for them. Now, I'm not saying that there are some frightening real-world parallels here, but there totally are, intentional or not.

Sovereign deals really well with its character-driven plot points -- Danny's anger issues (possible PTSD?), relationship with Sarah and legal battle with her parents -- and has some great commentary on gender, sexuality and discrimination. At the same time, this is an action-packed superhero story -- possibly one of best I've read. There's lots of world development, from Dreadnought's PR nightmares, a superhero convention, a false murder charge and two hugely ambitious mustache-twirlingly evil supervillain plans.

Sovereign is a superhero tour de force, and I loved this sequel even more than the first book.

This review will go up on my blog, Foxes and Fairy Tales, on 10 Aug.
https://foxesfairytale.wordpress.com/2017/08/10/review-sovereign

In this second book in the series, Danielle, as Dreadnaought, has learned that there is a lot of politics and paperwork and dealing with authority when you are a superhero who is not yet an adult. A new supervillain who calls himself Sovereign has appeared and it is up to Danny to stop him. She fights evil and her own demons as well.

Dreadnought is an amazing story about a young girl who gained superpowers that also helped her to express her truest self!

In this sequel, Sovereign, we find Danielle - Dreadnought - Battling more supervillains, teaming up with more superheroes, and butting heads with the awful Graywytch.

(- As a side tangent on Graywytch - her cruelty and refusal to accept or respect Danny's identity makes Graywytch one of the hardest characters to read about - I'm not sure I've ever disliked a character quite as much as her with the exception of Prefessor Umbridge from Harry Potter... Yes. Graywytch is on THAT level.)

Overall, I think this series needs to be at every library and in every YA department - tackling themes on gender and sex identity, first loves, self-confidence, and family tension, while the story is set in a fantasy world with superheroes like Dreadnought, Danny faces some conflicts that I think are quite relatable to LGBT youth.

I absolutely love the writing style of this author, and I adore the characters!
A truly unique gem, and one that deserves more attention, I eagerly await the next installment of the Nemesis Series!

An impeccable sequel full of characters you loved in book one and new characters that you can slowly learn to adore. Danny remains, as ever, a fierce heroin forced to deal with complex issues of self worth, the push to make ever more morally questionable decisions, and the concept of a found family in her own life. She reaches incredible highs and navigates dark lows as she faces a villain all-too reminiscent of a current day threat. The bow on top of this superhero drama full of diverse characters at every turn is a story with heart and a romance worthy of its build-up. Superb in every way.

Sovereign was good, but not as good as the first book Dreadnought for me. I’m not sure if it was the particular mood I was in the first couple of days I read this, but Danni really, really annoyed me. She just became extremely arrogant in this book about her abilities (which yes are amazing, but she’s still only starting out and I didn’t like how she talked to others around her, not to mention the policemen and stuff just doing their job. She basically seemed to treat everyone but Calamity as an idiot).

The first half of this book was a three-star read for me but the second half was a four-star. Things really heated up - I also felt like everything moved way faster in this book, there was no time to breathe but I liked it - and Danni was really challenges as Dreadnought and really made her realise she’s not the best things since sliced bread just because she can fly.

The villain bit near the very end of this book was so terrifying but I also loved how it all worked out. I also like that Danni is going to be seeing a therapist and needs time to process what she’s done, and what she saw. I feel like this isn’t something that’s every touched upon in superhero stories - at the end go the day, they’re mostly human and need to take care of mental health just as much as their physical health!

The trans rep and LGTBQIA, diverse rep in this book was great as always (as far as I could tell anyways as a straight, cis, white woman) and I’m not sure if there’s another book coming but if there is, I will definitely be reading it!

Much like the previous installment, this book does contain transphobia and some body horror, so be warned! ANYWAY! I'm so happy I got to read this sequel so soon after reading the first because I really love Danny. I just want her to be happy. Which she does get to be at some point in this book, even though when reading it, it really seems like she never will be. BUT I PROMISE SHE WILL EVENTUALLY!!!!!! She also teams up with a super cool NB hero as well! As far as sequels go, this one was pretty damn fun and does a decent job in continuing to build up the world of superheroes and metahumans that Danny lives in, and saves. Even thought the plot felt a bit like a rehash of the first, the writing and dialogue and characters were fun enough to make up for it. I was really sad when it ended. I WANTED MORE. I hope there's another book in the pipeline....

https://hercommonplaceblog.wordpress.com/

Okay. You know what, I didn't actually think April Daniels could top "Dreadnought", because I thought it was basically a perfect book. But, it happened. "Sovereign" was impeccably done, and everything I loved about the first book, was brought back ten fold into this, and more. I believe that throughout my read of this novel, I felt every emotion imaginable. I laughed, I cried (a lot more than I expected), I squealed and swooned, I screamed in frustration (mainly at Graywytch), and I was in awe of the brilliant action and clever techno-science stuff (I am great at descriptive words as you can see). I thought this book was infinitely clever and well paced, it blended emotion, action, romance, humour and social commentary in the most balanced way, and with a lot of care. I could feel how passionate the author was and is about her story and her characters, and it rubbed off. I WILL FIGHT FOR DANIELLE/DREADNOUGHT FOREVER! This book is a super empowering read, with great representation (yes!) and I will recommend it to anyone and everyone! More please!