The Bibliophile's Bookshelf

Title: A Twisted Tale- Suddenly Super

Series: Twisted Tale #16 (standalone within the series)

Author: Jen Calonita

Genre: Young Adult, Retelling, Superheroes, Disney

Rating: 4 stars

Review:

Violet Parr lives by two rules: hide her powers and blend in. When a mysterious woman, Mirage, shows up claiming her parents are dead, Violet realizes that everything she thought was true may be a lie. And know she is responsible for her little brothers, Dash and Jack-Jack’s, lives. The only person she can trust is Syndrome, who claims he is Mr. Incredible’s biggest fan.

Sorry if this review isn’t as in depth as some of my others; I have struggled writing this review because I don’t quite know what to say, but I’ll do my best.

This was book was really good! It was a nice read during the stressful times of finals.

I will say the version of the book I got was the Australian version, which threw me off a little bit. Some of the terms used were different from the one’s used in America, which was confusing to me until I looked into it.

The story was entertaining, though the writing was a touch juvenile. I wouldn’t have too much hesitation letting a young YA reader read this.

It wasn’t too dark or violent, which I enjoyed. It also kept some of the aspects of the movie as well, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I especially liked how Dash’s protectiveness was kept. We also got to know more about Violet than we got in the movie.

I will say that Violet felt different in this book than she did in the movie. In the movie, I know she struggled with her force fields, but it seemed like she had a handle on her invisibility. In the book it painted her as struggling with both of her powers.

There were two to three chapters from Mirage’s perspective and one from Syndrome’s. Before I read it, if I had heard of the multiple POVs, I would have been super excited. After reading it though, I felt these chapters were slightly unnecessary. It would have been fine if the book had remained in Violet’s perspective.

I was shocked at the revelation of who Mastermind was. It was a super entertaining moment, and I have to say: I love villain relationships with superheroes where they are basically like “I am nothing without fighting them.” It gets me every time.

I think this book could be its own series and the next one could explore what would have happened if Syndrome raised Jack-Jack and Dash, or if (spoiler: Violet had actually lost her powers).

Suddenly Super was a nice, cozy book to usher in spring. I enjoyed the characters and returning to the classic Incredibles’ universe. For any Disney fan, you should read this Twisted Tale novel!