Once a villain, always a villain?
Optimistic and idealistic superhero Prism is determined to redeem her father’s legacy by rebooting his supervillain rehabilitation program. To do so, she sets her sights on Fade, the relapsed supervillain who was the reason the government canceled the original program in the first place. However, when she petitions for Fade to be released into her custody, she … her custody, she finds out things might not be as simple as she thought.
Convicted of an unforgivable crime, Fade received a choice: surrender to trial and possible execution or endure a memory erasure so he could start fresh. Now with no recollection of his time before incarceration, Fade doubts he has the ability to be anything but the villain the public believes him to be.
A series of attacks by a mysterious power-swapping villain points back to Fade’s past and the crime that cost him his freedom and memory. With her father’s legacy and her own reputation on the line, even Prism has to wonder: can a villain truly be reformed?
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A well-written Superhero novel with some fun twists and turns, and a surprising but inevitable reveal at the end. I was just expecting a light-hearted superhero romp but found much more than that. This story had heart. There was drama and a natural-feeling romance that doesn’t overwhelm the story.
I enjoy superhero stories and love the idea of the supervillain rehabilitation project! Through the two main characters—Prism and Fade—the author created a dynamic blend of emotions that fueled the story’s progression. Prism was the ideal character to fight for the previously failed rehab project’s reinitiation, and I loved her determination and fighting spirit. Her optimism was endearing, and I loved cheering for her as the plot progressed. As the first villain to enter the reinstated program, Fade was a well-developed and interesting character as well. His self-doubt and inner turmoil felt realistic, and I was eager to see him succeed in the program and find a place among the other heroes on his team.
I like superhero books to start with a lot of action—with a chance to meet the characters and get to know them as the story rolls along—so the beginning of this book felt a little slow to me. I liked the development of the characters and the world-building/technology, but it felt like it took a while for the real action of the story to get going. Once it did, however, I was quickly caught up in the excitement of identifying the mysterious new villain and the motive behind their actions. I was pleased with the conclusion, and I look forward to continuing the series to see what happens next!
Reformed fits into the new adult genre. The content is appropriate for a mature teen audience but best suited to the 20-35-year-old crowd. Mild adult content includes infrequent swearing, alcohol consumption, and brief mentions of sleeping with an ex-lover. Readers looking for a redemption story with a bit of mystery, suspense, and romance will find an exciting and satisfying read in book one of the Supervillain Rehabilitation Project series!
Watch out for this brand new series by the genre hopping author, H.L. Burke! I beta read this one and it was so much fun! It has wonderful characters, witty banter, romance, action, and suspense. Prism is the optimistic team leader who has a vision to see supervillains reformed and working as superheroes. Her first project is to take on Fade, a particularly challenging case. He was given a second chance previously and messed it up abominably. Has Prism bitten off more than she can chew? It certainly seems that way when things begin going horribly wrong. I’m already looking forward to the next book!
Confession: I really struggled to get engaged for almost the first half of Reformed. My guess is because I’ve only read one other superhero book in recent years and not a big superhero fan in general. I just had a hard time connecting with the characters and feel that was a “me” thing as I have deeply loved other books by this author (and have devoured them).
Though even with that said, I was glued to my Kindle for the second half! When these characters roped me in with their powers, I was indeed hooked (and actually “hid away” for a little bit to finish it)! In many ways, this reminds me of a modern Marvel movie, but cooler because it’s by an indie author. (Though this would seriously make an EPIC film, hands down!)
Everything seemed very plausible and thought the “mystery” aspect was superbly well done. I had to do quite a bit of thinking and how it entangled with characters was definitely creating feelings of 😮 😮 😮 :o!
Prism was a really great main character and loved her bright personality. Her leadership and caring for her team really warmed my heart and think she might be up there in some of my favorite characters. Her brother, Aiden, was definitely a second favorite! He was quite the character and loved his snarky, over protective self. Fade was also really cool too!
I’m looking forward to reading book two and seeing what happens next! I’ve gotten pretty attached to these characters and want to see what villain they will defeat next time! I also definitely want more of a certain “thing” I will leave unsaid. 😉
Recommended to superhero readers and Marvel fans!