**I received an ARC from Netgalley. In no way was I compensated for this review, and these are my honest opinions.**
Heroine's Journey by Sarah Kuhn
Release Date: July 5, 2018
My Rating: 4.75 stars
Summary: The final book in the smart, snarky, and action-packed Heroine series completes the "Heroic Trio" as Bea Tanaka joins her sister, Evie, and diva Aveda Jupiter in their quest to free San Francisco from its demon portal problem
If there's one thing Beatrice Tanaka never wanted to be, it's normal. But somehow, her life has unfolded as a series of "should haves." Her powers of emotional projection should have made her one of the most formidable superheroes of all time. And she should have been allowed to join her older sister Evie as a full-fledged protector of San Francisco, pulverizing the city's plethora of demon threats.
But Evie and her superheroing partner, Aveda Jupiter, insist on seeing Bea as the impulsive, tempestuous teenager she used to be--even though she's now a responsible adult. And that means Bea is currently living a thoroughly normal life. She works as a bookstore lackey, hangs out with best friends Sam Fujikawa and Leah Kim, and calms her workplace's more difficult customers. Sure, she's not technically supposed to be playing with people's mental states. But given the mundanity of her existence, who can blame her?
When a mysterious being starts communicating with Bea, hinting at an evil that's about to overtake the city, she seizes the opportunity, hoping to turn her "should haves" into the fabulous heroic life she's always wanted. But gaining that life may mean sacrificing everything--and everyone--she holds dear...
I was so excited when I was approved for this book! I binge-read the first two books last year and I adored them; I mean, what more could you want in a series? Demon cupcakes, possessed wedding dresses, evil unicorns, hot romance, Asian-American female superheroes, amazing friendships, found family, I could go on honestly, but I'll stop.
Heroine's Journey is, perhaps, my favorite book in the series (so far! the series was recently expanded from a trilogy to 6 books and a bonus novella!!). I really related to Bea and her struggle to be taken seriously by the people in her life and also her self discovery as she tries to find what she's passionate about. She's really the character I didn't know I needed, honestly.
Also, one of the main things that made this THE book in the series for me was..........the romance. Bea and Sam have a childhood rivals-to-best-friends-to-lovers trope and I loved it! Their relationship was so cute and supportive, as well as hot.
The characters were amazing, of course. One of my favorite scenes was when the older gang get really protective of Bea in front of Sam; it was the best thing ever, honestly, I laughed. Also, the casual diversity! Besides the main characters from the first two books, Sam is Japanese-American and Leah is half-black and half-Korean (I believe? Sorry it's been a bit since I've read the book) and wlw (sorry I cannot remember so please correct me if I'm wrong!). Bea is also bi, I believe, and none of this made to be a big deal!
Apparently, people dislike the fact that Bea fits into the Asian-character-must-have-colorful-hair trope but actually if you read the book, you get to see Bea call out this trope. Yes, this is an overused trope that shouldn't define Asian characters, but that's the thing: Bea chose to dye her hair. She didn't do it to be ~rebellious or to be seen a certain way. She just wanted to dye her hair different colors, and it in no way reflects on any of her character. And honestly it's badass on her, like look at her on the cover and tell me you would not dye your hair like that if you could. I know I would.
Heroine's Journey is a great conclusion to the first half of this series. It ties everything up as well as opens new plotlines for the future. The relationships, romantic and platonic and family, were portrayed so well; you can't help but be enamored by them all, with Aveda and Evie's protectiveness, Nate and Scott's support, Leah and Sam and Bea's, well their everything. You'll fall in love with this series, if you haven't already, and if you haven't started the series, you need to pick it up today.
About the Author: Sarah Kuhn is the author of Heroine Complex—the first in a series starring Asian American superheroines—for DAW Books. She also wrote The Ruby Equation for the comics anthology Fresh Romance and the romantic comedy novella One Con Glory, which earned praise from io9 and USA Today and is in development as a feature film. Her articles and essays on such topics as geek girl culture, comic book continuity, and Sailor Moon cosplay have appeared in Uncanny Magazine, Apex Magazine, AngryAsianMan.com, IGN.com, Back Stage, The Hollywood Reporter, StarTrek.com, Creative Screenwriting, and the Hugo-nominated anthology Chicks Dig Comics. In 2011, she was selected as a finalist for the CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment) New Writers Award.
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