So, yesterday was the official kick-off of the Keep Portland Weird festival here in Paris, which meant that I had a reading/screening in the...
Continue »
You should ignore the rest of this review and just BUY THIS BOOK. Seriously. Are you still reading? Why haven't you bought it yet?
Okay. Review. While not covering any new ground in the superhero genre (The good guys/girls are good and the bad guys/girls are bad), what makes Dull Boy stand out is Avery. His voice, his challenges, and the snark with which he overcomes evil. It's pretty fantastic. I read Dull Boy in one sitting because Avery's voice was just that compelling. He shows us that having superpowers isn't always awesome (especially when you accidentally hurt your friends...or your friend's parent's car).
The sidekicks were well fleshed out (though I could easily stand to read a book from each of their points of view) and the baddie's motivations were clear and understandable. If you're looking for something fun and light and awesome, this is the book.
I only have two issues with Dull Boy (and they're so minor you can really just skip this part). One: it's recommended for 12 and up. But there's some profanity. I'm not a prude, I swear frequently, but some words are blocked out a-- but then other times are spelled out directly. It's a minor thing that didn't bother me, but I felt like sometimes this was a middle grade book and sometimes YA. I just wish they'd either gone for the curse words or cut them out completely. The second minor thing is that some of the extras are painted too broadly. Kids at Avery's school are either Thugs or Burnouts or Mary Janes. I wish that the book had played less into those stereotypes. But like I said, these are very, very minor issues in a spectacular first novel.
I can't wait for the sequel.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(1 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)
Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and eBooks — here at Powells.com.
Don't Miss
Customer Comments
Shaun Hutchinson has commented on (1) product.
Dull Boy by Sarah Cross
Shaun Hutchinson, June 8, 2009
You should ignore the rest of this review and just BUY THIS BOOK. Seriously. Are you still reading? Why haven't you bought it yet?Okay. Review. While not covering any new ground in the superhero genre (The good guys/girls are good and the bad guys/girls are bad), what makes Dull Boy stand out is Avery. His voice, his challenges, and the snark with which he overcomes evil. It's pretty fantastic. I read Dull Boy in one sitting because Avery's voice was just that compelling. He shows us that having superpowers isn't always awesome (especially when you accidentally hurt your friends...or your friend's parent's car).
The sidekicks were well fleshed out (though I could easily stand to read a book from each of their points of view) and the baddie's motivations were clear and understandable. If you're looking for something fun and light and awesome, this is the book.
I only have two issues with Dull Boy (and they're so minor you can really just skip this part). One: it's recommended for 12 and up. But there's some profanity. I'm not a prude, I swear frequently, but some words are blocked out a-- but then other times are spelled out directly. It's a minor thing that didn't bother me, but I felt like sometimes this was a middle grade book and sometimes YA. I just wish they'd either gone for the curse words or cut them out completely. The second minor thing is that some of the extras are painted too broadly. Kids at Avery's school are either Thugs or Burnouts or Mary Janes. I wish that the book had played less into those stereotypes. But like I said, these are very, very minor issues in a spectacular first novel.
I can't wait for the sequel.
(1 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)