"The Vindico" by Wesley King

Release Date: June 14, 2012
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Pages: 272

From Goodreads: "The Vindico are a group of supervillains who have been fighting the League of Heroes for as long as anyone can remember. Realizing they’re not as young as they used to be, they devise a plan to kidnap a group of teenagers to take over for them when they retire—after all, how hard can it be to teach a bunch of angsty teens to be evil?

Held captive in a remote mansion, five teens train with their mentors and receive superpowers beyond their wildest dreams. Struggling to uncover the motives of the Vindico, the teens have to trust each other to plot their escape. But they quickly learn that the differences between good and evil are not as black and white as they seem, and they are left wondering whose side they should be fighting on after all . . .

With fast-paced action, punchy dialogue, and sarcastic humor, this high-stakes adventure from a talented new YA voice pulls you in from the first page."

Before I fell head over heels for paranormal I was in love with superheroes- you name it and I was probably all over it, whether it be the X-Men, Justice League, and the likes of. Therefore when I read the synopsis of this book I KNEW that I had to get my hands on a copy of it to A) be relive my childhood and B) IT IS ABOUT SUPERHEROES. While many book characters that I have read over the years could be considered superheroes in their own right I personally have never read a book about legitimate superheroes, nor does a single one that deals with them come to mind (if you know of any feel free to let me know, I'd love to check them out!).

When I first started this book I found it to be a fair bit juvenile (on the verge of being MG), I had expected the characters to be young adults, so between sixteen and eighteen years of age and they weren't. I believe that the youngest, Sam, was thirteen, and that the oldest was no older than fifteen or sixteen. That being said, as I got more and more into the story the characters and their situations really started to grow on me and I found myself having less and less of a problem with its juvenile-ness.

Overall, I did really enjoy the book, while it was most definitely cute and funny, it did have its more serious moments such as bullying, loss, and dysfunctional families- at one point in time I actually found myself tearing up by the plot (specifically the plot surrounding Emily), something that I don't often do while reading books. I believe this to be a testament to author Wesley's ability as an author, that his words have an impact upon the reader.

I think that what personally made the book for me were the characters, specifically Hayden, Rono, and the Torturer. Had Hayden been a few years older I would have found him to be utterly swoon-worthy with his bad boy/ playboy-ish attitude and swagger. He brought so much humor to this book that I literally lit up whenever I read about it. I also really enjoyed Rono and the Torturer because I found them to be more than mere villains, I loved seeing them interact with their students James and Emily- it became obvious that despite everything they really came to care for the kids.

All in all I think that this is a fantabulous read- while more so targeted at those occupying the younger ends of the YA spectrum I do think that older readers will also enjoy it, also this book, without a doubt, would appeal to both male and female readers alike (can't get the young male in your life to read, give him a copy of this and I guarantee that you will make a reader out of him!).

Rating: 9/10

I received this book from the publisher to read and honestly review. I was not compensated in any way for said review.