Hero by Perry Moore Review

Damn, I had such high hopes for this book.
I won’t lie and say this book is terrible. I read several stellar reviews for this book though, and I was hoping for a lot more than it was. It wasn’t good, it wasn’t bad, it was a big ole cup of “meh.”

Here is what I liked about the book:

The fresh perspective. I haven’t read very many books whose main characters were gay, and I know there aren’t a huge amount out there (which I hope to counterract), so I always appreciate when an author tries to do something different, or just not soaked through the mainstream. I definitely empathized with Thom, even though he was a dumb as a bag of bricks (more on that later).

The addictive quality. This book I literally couldn’t put down until I finished reading it, which was at around 4:30 a.m. on a Saturday. Or into a Saturday, rather. The book is very action-oriented, so it’s impossible to get bored.

Here is what I didn’t like:

The predictable plot. This book was written by someone who has been in around the movie industry, and that really shows through. It has the basic plot of any superhero movie you’ve EVER seen. Think X-men. Boy discovers talent. Boy has family problems. Boy meets other superheros. Boy trains. Boy wins big battle. The end.

The stupidity of the main character. And this isn’t slight. The main character is a stereotypical “jock” in many ways, including in that his intelligence is severely lacking. This kid is so dumb I just wanted to tear the hair out of my head. Things I had figured out within the first few pages of the book, this character didn’t clue in on until the end of the novel. GAH! A lot of wasted potential. I just can’t stand characters that are this damaged in the head.

Overall? Three stars (of 5). Don’t waste your money on a new copy – buy it used.
I am currently reading The Solitude of Prime Numbers, which I am LOVING atm. Also, my never ending throng of National Geographics, which I hope to make a table out of one day. More on that later.