Musings and Ramblings

Scarred

Sapphire City, #2

Erica Hayes

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: HarperImpulse
Date of Publication: January 14, 2016
Number of pages: 317
Cover Artist: HarperCollinsPublishing

Superpowers don't make you a hero.

Verity Fortune's crime-fighting days are over. In exile, defeated by her smug supervillain nemesis, her shady past exposed—even her own superpowered family condemn her as a traitor. Whatever it takes, Verity's determined to prove she can still be a force for good.

Now, Sapphire City faces a new threat. A delinquent duo with extraordinary powers and a terrifying talent for destruction. Outmatched and on the run, her telekinetic powers faltering, Verity can't defeat this menace alone—but who can she trust, when the only person who believes in her is her arch-enemy?

I loved this quote because it shows the essence of Verity. She's funny, rude, crude, stubborn and just doesn't know when to quit. She's faced her darkness and found herself stronger for it. She's got a gritty realness about her that I can't help but admire.
Quote: 
Across the sidewalk, an office worker in a slim-cut suit did a double-take, and made a move inside his jacket. Sigh. Seriously: a gun? Are they arming metrosexuals now? Stop, or I'll order decaf!

I didn't pause. I just pointed into his face as I walked by, and gave him my best Dirty Harry impression. "You really wanna test me, punk?"

He scuttled backwards, dropping his computer case, hands raised in peace. Heh. Must have my angry face on today.

In my pocket, my phone's message tone chimed. Whatever. Probably Adonis wondering where the hell I was. Or Glimmer, texting me a dose of the guilts because he imagined I was drinking myself horny in some seedy Castro Street bar , and of course he'd never do anything so grotesquely banal and ordinary as get drunk and laid, because he was Glimmer and he was too damn perfect and jeez, when did I turn into such a jealous little worm?

I sighed, rubbing the dented scar on my cheekbone. A headache swelled like a tumor deep in my skull, threatening murder. Hell, I wanted a drink and a cigarette, even though I'd never been much of a drinker and I didn't like the smell of tobacco smoke. What I needed was food and sleep. I should go home, as far as “home” went these days, now that FortuneCorp were in hiding and Glimmer's secret techno -lair was a crispy barbecue and Sentinels mined half the city's streets into a no-hero zone.

But I needed to salvage something from tonight. Prove I hadn't simply screwed up, hadn't let those villains escape out of carelessness, that my power was reliable and strong. Or hell, I might as well rock on down to Castro Street right now and order a triple brainfuck with a twist of sordid.

Belligerent, I squared my shoulders. I didn't give a moldy fart for Sentinels or cops or vigilante office boys. What were they gonna do, shoot me? I'd survived that before. Anyway, my altercation with Sparkly and the twin tweens had set off every alarm in that building. The entire world already knew I was here.

So I strolled across the courtyard to the museum's main entrance, and kicked the door in. 

Review: 

I loved the first book, gave it 5 stars in fact. I did not want it to be a stand alone, so I was incredibly stoked to see this book come up on Netgalley. Our superhero heroine spent the entire book twisting and turning to discover who the villain was, Only to find out that in many ways, it was her all along.

This book picks up shortly after the end of book one. The bad guy had won, but the truth is, there was still so much we did't know. It still doesn't feel like we have the truth of everything yet. Verity is dealing with the shame of finding out how much she had become addicted to the man who tempted her into exploring her own darkness and just how far she had gone into that darkness. She wonders if she will ever truly make it back and flirts with the temptation to stop trying. The only things that keep her trying are the friendship she gets from Glimmer and the desire to redeem herself in her brother's eyes.

Verity is such a complex character, almost an anti-hero. The plot was a twisty, scary-fun ride, filled with moments of both loyalty and betrayal, that kept me on the edge of my seat. For maximum impact, you really need to read book one. If you like dark, gritty superhero stories, where not everyone makes it out alive, this needs to go on your to read list. I was kept guessing and second guessing right till the end. I had a great time with this read and gave it 4 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Impulse for the opportunity to read this book.