Mundie Moms

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Book Review: The Vindico by Wesley King


By: Wesley King
Published by: Penguin Teen
Released on: June 14th, 2012
Source: ARC from publisher to review
4 stars: I Enjoyed It
Purchase from: Penguin | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Vindico are a group of supervillains who have been fighting the League of Heroes for as long as anyone can remember. Realizing they’re not as young as they used to be, they devise a plan to kidnap a group of teenagers to take over for them when they retire—after all, how hard can it be to teach a bunch of angsty teens to be evil?

Held captive in a remote mansion, five teens train with their mentors and receive superpowers beyond their wildest dreams. Struggling to uncover the motives of the Vindico, the teens have to trust each other to plot their escape. But they quickly learn that the differences between good and evil are not as black and white as they seem, and they are left wondering whose side they should be fighting on after all . . .


With fast-paced action, punchy dialogue, and sarcastic humor, this high-stakes adventure from a talented new YA voice pulls you in from the first page- quoted from Goodreads

Sometimes the only way to out smart a Villain it to become evil in order to become a super hero, or is it.... *evil laugh* If you took The Justice League and X-Men and introduced them to the Breakfast Club, you'd get The Vindico. This well written, fast paced book is one both YA and adult readers will enjoy. It's at times humorous, other times action paced and yet at the heart of this story is a message readers can walk way with. The thing I enjoyed the most about Wes's writing is how he was able to blur the lines of good and evil. It was incredibly fascinating for me to see how my first notion that someone was wrong, or the choice someone else made was good, was in fact not necessarily the truth. Getting to see how someone on the "other side" of that action saw it was eye opening, and explained a lot about the history of two groups and the feelings towards each other. 

Mixed into this story about Superheroes and Villains, are 5 proteges who were all kidnapped and in a round about way forced to join the world's greatest villains, The Vindico. Each of these kids are just your average teens, and yet there's something about each one of them that will help them grow into these amazing kids with superpowers. You know the kind of power you wish you had, like jedi mind trick powers, super strength, speed and more. As much as I loved getting to read about and understand the back story on how some of the villains came to be and their ties to the League of Hereos, I enjoyed getting to know about the 5 proteges more. 

Wes's writing is fabulous, as he tells the story from all angles, and introduces each character into the story in a very distinct way, making it very easy to follow along with. This not only made the story flow well, but it kept me invested with this story, and all that was going on. I seriously love the Justice League, and really any sort of well created Super Hero vs Super Villain story, and The Vindico was the perfect mix of that. This is a story that I surprisingly read in one setting, I enjoyed it that much. It has all the right elements that I enjoy in my beloved super hero story's, and then some. Like humor, a little bit of romance, kick butt characters, characters who are trying to find their own destiny and can easily be persuaded to do good or to do wrong, and a back story that allowed me to understand the actions of both sides of the law. 

Readers are able to get a glimpse into the lives of each of the teen characters that are introduced in this story, and are able to see how their back story's shape who they become, and the roles they now play in the epic battle of good vs evil. Given the fact there's still a lot left to know about them and their final decisions, I'm hoping that either each character will get their own book, or there will be at least a few more books in this series. I'm looking forward to reading more books from Wes and jumping back into this world with his next installment with this series. I think this is a story that both guys and girls, teens and adults alike with all enjoy, and it's one I highly recommend picking up!



Don't miss my interview with Wes here.

Clockwork Princess Snippet


In honor of Will's YA Crush Tourney win yesterday, Cassie treated fans to this lovely Clockwork Princess snippet....

Clockwork Princess snippet
“Will!”
He turned at the familiar voice and saw Tessa. There was a small path cut along the side of the hill, lined with unfamiliar white flowers, and she was walking up it, toward him. Her long brown hair blew in the wind — she had taken off her straw bonnet, and held it in one hand, waving it at him and smiling as if she were glad to see him.  
His own heart leaped up at the sight of her. “Tess,” he called. But she was still such a distance away — she seemed both very near and very far suddenly and at the same time. He could see every detail of her pretty, upturned face, but could not touch her, and so he stood, waiting and desiring, and his heart beat like the wings of seagulls in his chest. 
At last she was there, close enough that he could see where the grass and flowers bent beneath the tread of her shoes. He reached out for her —

*sigh* Will.... Thank you to everyone who has supported Alyssa and I with #TEAMWILL during the YA Tourney! Here's to another fabulous upcoming match!

Interview with The Vindico author, Wesley King

I'm thrilled to have debut author, Wesley King on the blog today to talk about his recent release, The Vindico.


I love that your book is described as X-Men meets The Breakfast Club. How would you describe your book in 5 words or less?

 Teens with superpowers—bad idea.  

I'm intrigued with the idea that in order to have a superpower, you first have to become a supervillain. If you were to become a supervillain what power would you choose to have and why?

Hmm, that’s a good question. I always think of the power I’d want if I was going to be a superhero, but it might change if my goal is crime and calamity. I think I’d go with telepathy. There’s something inherently wrong about going into people’s minds, so you might as well be a bad guy. There aren’t many morally good things you can do with telepathy.

Which of your characters did you enjoy seeing develop as your story went from drafts to the final book?

All five protégés in general. I felt like I was seeing them grow, which is ironic, because they actually became younger as the drafts progressed. I even had to cut two of them. But if I had to choose one, I think I liked seeing Sam slowly develop into a stronger character who is going to have a big role in future books. Hayden started as a loveable jerk and ended as a loveable jerk. I knew how he would turn out from the first draft.

What were some of your favorite books to read as a teen?

A really random assortment. A lot of classics: War and Peace, A Tale of Two Cities, Dr. Zhivago, Moby Dick. In my younger teens I read just about every Star Wars book ever written—I was pretty cool—and Lord of the Rings three times as well. Ironically I was reading War and Peace in my teens and have now read Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, and The Inheritance Cycle in my twenties. Teen fiction is awesome. I was missing out.

If you could write one super hero or super villain into your book, who would that character be and why?

I have literally never thought of that. Hmm. I’ll say Wolverine, because he’d fit right in with my cast and I’d love to write dialogue between him and Hayden. Wolverine would hate him, which of course would make Hayden harass him all the more.


The Vindico are a group of supervillains who have been fighting the League of Heroes for as long as anyone can remember. Realizing they’re not as young as they used to be, they devise a plan to kidnap a group of teenagers to take over for them when they retire—after all, how hard can it be to teach a bunch of angsty teens to be evil?

Held captive in a remote mansion, five teens train with their mentors and receive superpowers beyond their wildest dreams. Struggling to uncover the motives of the Vindico, the teens have to trust each other to plot their escape. But they quickly learn that the differences between good and evil are not as black and white as they seem, and they are left wondering whose side they should be fighting on after all . . .
With fast-paced action, punchy dialogue, and sarcastic humor, this high-stakes adventure from a talented new YA voice pulls you in from the first page -quoted from Goodreads

Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Follow Wes on his: Website |Twitter Facebook  | Goodreads

Cover Reveal: Beyond by Mary Ting



Today's cover reveal is for book 3 of a series I've really enjoyed reading from Mary Ting, called the Crossroads Saga, which includes angel-lore and of course plenty of romance! Check out the cover for BEYOND and find out a little more about the book, as well as reader a teaser from the book below.


Torn between the past she can't remember and a future she isn’t ready for, Claudia feels at a loss. With unanswered questions, she is certain there is more to her past than just being a venator. Finding the missing pieces in her life won’t be easy because duty calls. When mysterious dark shadows get released, an apocalypse sets in motion. The venators and the alkins must work together once again. Knowing Claudia would be the key to destroying the demons that were released, a familiar stranger appears to protect her. Drawn to the beautiful angel, Claudia finds she must unravel the mysteries of her past in order to help save the world. Who is the angel assisting her and why does she feel a strong connection to him? Time is running out. Will she discover all the secrets before it’s too late?

Published by: World Castle Publishing
To Be Released on: September 12th, 2012
Series: Crossroads Saga, Book #3
Pre-Order from: Amazon

Beyond Teaser:


Michael took her to Island of Eden. They stood on the cliff. Claudia was completely engulfed in his wings, unable to feel the breeze. She felt a sense of warmth and comfort she hadn’t felt since she woke up from the accident. Though she was with a stranger, she remained unafraid. The cut healed quickly, and she knew the reason why the stranger nicked her.
Claudia ran her hand delicately up and down the soft, silk like feathers, allowing the light to peer though the layers. It all seemed familiar to her, like she had done this before. She was captivated and the feeling of rapture consumed her.  She didn’t want him to let go as her back was to him.
It took every ounce of will power to hold Michael back from showing himself. What did it matter anyway? She wouldn’t recognize him, but being alone with her and being this close for comfort, drove him mad. His hands just a touch away, wanting to lace his fingers through her hair and place his lips on hers, to take her in. Every second lost they could have been together.   
“Claudia,” he sang her name softly, like a sorrowful melody, hardly audible, but she heard.
“How do you know my name?” she asked. “You know me, don’t you?”

Series Reviews:

I'm looking forward to reading Beyond! You can check out my reviews for Crossroads & Between, books 1 and 2 in the Crossroads Saga

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