Book #190 of 2018:
Theonite: Planet Adyn by M. L. Wang (Theonite #1)
This YA novel has a neat hook: its thirteen-year-old protagonist has spent her whole life hiding superpowers, only to discover that her new neighbors have special abilities of their own and are here from a parallel dimension in search of a dangerous criminal hiding out in Joan’s reality. I like this storyline a lot, and I think it would be good material for a TV or film adaptation. The worldbuilding is pretty imaginative, and I’m guessing author M. L. Wang will develop the concepts she’s introduced even further in the sequel(s).
Unfortunately, this is a self-published book from a young debut author, and the writing is very exposition-heavy. There’s a tendency for the narrative to tell instead of show, and this whole first book ultimately feels more like setup for what comes next in the series than a satisfying story in its own right. The heroine is also a bit overpowered in my opinion; she’s strong, and fast, and telekinetic, and pyrokinetic, and hydrokinetic, and magnetokinetic, and fire-proof, with a perfect photographic memory to boot. (Did I miss anything?) Even the other ‘theonites’ she meets are in complete awe of her abilities, which makes it hard for the plot to maintain any tension or challenge her character effectively.
My copy of this book also contains a few typos, missing words, and other issues that an editor should have caught, although none are substantial enough to impede understanding of what the author means or detract from the story at hand. Still, this would be something else for Wang to keep in mind in her future publications or revised editions of this one. As with the plot, there are solid foundations but definite potential for improvement there.
[This book was passed along to me by a friend who knows the author’s mother. If you’d like to read it next, I am happy to send it your way!]
★★★☆☆
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