A review by noriboo
StarLion: The Thieves of the Red Night by Leon Langford

adventurous mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

What a ride. 

The story is told from a 3rd person pov that primarily focuses on Jordan, our 14-year-old mmc, who goes out at night to protect the city of Houston as a vigilante with superpowers. One night, this goes wrong, and he's offered a deal to stay out of jail: to go undercover at the prestigious Fort Olympus, an academy where Espers (how the supes are called in this world) are trained. The 3rd POV occasionally switches to other characters, like Jordans classmates and teachers. This served the story well. It gives the reader a broader perspective as to what other characters are feeling and what their motivations are. 

The kids in this story are 14, and they act their age. Jordan and his friends are incredibly driven in their ambitions to become heroes, but like most teens, they make mistakes along the way. Quite honestly, as an adult reader, there were points where I just wanted to give these traumatised babies a hug and tell the other adults of for placing these high expectations on kids to handle issues that they as adults couldn't even solve. 

In this universe, the Olympians and other God's and Deities aren't myths. They are real and have been an active part of world history.
Besides the Olympians, there is mention of powers passed through ancestry of Nordic, African, and Hindu Gods. Honestly, I wish the author had given us more in-depth information concerning this part of their universe because it's quite interesting, and I would have loved to see how that manifests in the powers of the heroes. I still enjoyed the story regardless. 

TLDR: The vibes are Percy Jackson meets My Hero Academia. 10/10 recommend this YA superhero novel. It's a fast-paced standalone adventure that leaves the door open for future stories to be told, and I'm hoping that the author will.


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