Review: V is for Villain

V is for Villain by Peter Moore
Grade: B
Release date: May 20, 2014
This ARC was provided by Read Between the Lynes in exchange for an honest review.
Summary: Brad Baron is used to looking lame compared to his older brother, Blake. Though Brad's basically a genius, Blake is a superhero in the elite Justice Force. And Brad doesn't measure up at his high school, either, where powers like super-strength and flying are the norm. So when Brad makes friends who are more into political action than weight lifting, he's happy to join a new crew-especially since it means spending more time with Layla, a girl who may or may not have a totally illegal, totally secret super-power. And with her help, Brad begins to hone a dangerous new power of his own.

But when they're pulled into a web of nefarious criminals, high-stakes battles, and startling family secrets, Brad must choose which side he's on. And once he does, there's no turning back.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Superhero books are big right now, and this is one of the better ones I've read.  Overall, I felt the writing style was a bit simple and stilted and didn't draw me into the story.  It didn't ruin the reading experience for me, though.  Brad Baron was an interesting character, as were his friends.  The worldbuilding was just enough for me.  I learned enough about the heroes and the Phaetons and their powers to feel satisfied.  There was a good twist towards the end that didn't leave me totally shocked, but I hadn't seen it coming either.  I liked that some lines were blurred on who the true heroes and villains were (although I do like my good guy heroes, too - particularly Captain America).  I can't say too much, but the development of Brad's abilities was great.  However, one of my main complaints is the lack of development for the secondary characters.  We met some great ones (Layla, Boots - who I think could've been really cool, Peanut, Javier, and Blake) but none of them really got a lot of development.  And I wanted to see more of the female heroes and characters.
Romance was tame, although there were some crude conversations; language was fairly mild, but several words were almost used.

The Verdict: This was a decent read.  I was kept interested through the whole thing, but I'm not sure it's something I'd reread.  I'd recommend this for fans of Dangerous, Vicious, and possibly Shatter Me.