All right folks I'll say it upfront, I helped fund this book through Kickstarter. I also wanted the super duper deluxe edition with all the nifty extras which included everything from the Hardcover deluxe edition to so much swag I can't help but glory in it. This in no way biased my opinion towards the material however.

Honestly speaking I signed up and helped fund this because the book is damn good. Kelly Thompson takes superheroes, grief, growing pains and learning to adjust in a world that's treated you pretty badly from the start and mashes them together to create a cocktail of thoughtful, provoking writing. Bonnie, who loses everything in the car crash that changed her life and Lola, who thought she could have everything if she changed her life, have parallel stories of grief and searching for answers that come to several encounters that neither walks away from completely.

Even more than how they chose different paths in regards to their powers, I think it was interesting as they learn about their mothers and the paths they chose. We learn more of this from Bonnie's point of view passages then we do Lola's (which let me just say I think how Thompson denoted the different POV's was great. Subtle, yet very very effective). Bonnie is much more driven to find out the nature of what's going on with herself (and by extension Lola), though Lola is more of a trial and error girl. Their different approaches to figuring out their unique abilities are reflective of who they are. Bonnie is cautious and likes to think things through, Lola is more instinct.

The girls' journeys are parallels of each other. Lola obtaining her 'power' and Bonnie leaving the Orphanage she grew up in happen at relatively the same time. Though Bonnie has has her powers for longer, she didn't experiment with them too much so Lola is quicker on how to harness things. They almost meet briefly, but go in completely opposite directions across the US. Bonnie goes to NYC where she tries her best to make a life for herself (friends, place to live, boyfriend, job) and Lola goes to LA (eventually) where she does the same thing...just more violently.

While I rooted for Bonnie to win the day, I liked Lola. Putting aside her kill first attitude, I could relate more to her at times. Feeling let down by a parent, knowing there's something more to life but being unable to find it, finding it hard to find a 'friend'--I get that. And even though Bonnie goes through much of that as well, it was Lola's mistakes that made her more relatable. Even her mental instability after a tragedy was more relatable to me.

I'll warn that the epilogue is kind of like 'Ahaha no sunshine and rainbows for you!' kind of thing. I wasn't keen at first, but it makes so much sense within the context of the story that I couldn't outright say I hated it. Thompson is careful to make it clear that you can't have one without the other, that balance has to be maintained. Also, every action has a consequence. ( )

While I'm not a fan of fantasy, this was an unusual one. I received this for free and I voluntarily choose to review this. First of all, this has a lot of violence in it and I personally don't think under 18 should be reading this. While fairly well written, these GOD's that are fighting tried to rationalize their killing reasons. As for me, it reinforced my reasons for not liking this genre. I've given it a 4* for it's writing. ( )

I wish I could give this book a million stars, I want to marry it. ( )

The Novel that Reads Like a Comic Book!

Bonnie Braverman and Lola LaFever are two young women, both orphans, standing on the threshold of adulthood. Though they don’t know it yet, they are two halves of the same whole: an ancient and powerful force, passed on down though the matrilineal line, which bestows upon its possessor (or possessed, as it were) god-like powers. The descendants of one blood line are driven to save, protect, and nurture; the other, to kill, destroy, and dominate. Their opposing existence ensures that there is balance in the world. But this equilibrium comes at great cost to those destined to maintain it.

The Girl Who Would Be King is an enjoyable story, and unique inasmuch as it’s a piece of prose that reads quite like a comic book. The battle scenes in particular call to mind images of black and white comic book panels; at times I could almost picture Bonnie shooting up into the atmosphere, an unconscious Lola in tow, or Lola ramming Bonnie through the walls of an office building. Reportedly author Kelly Thompson had trouble finding a publisher, since The Girl Who Would Be King was deemed “too violent” for the YA genre. But the violence contained within these pages is cartoonish and over-the-top; more disturbing is Lola’s rapid descent into madness. The language and sex are also rather tame, in keeping with the conventions of the genre.

The story’s greatest strength is in its characters, the bulk of which are women. Men are mostly absent and defined by their relationships to the protagonists – brother, boyfriend, roommate – in a happy inversion of conventional gender roles and representation. Women and their relationships with one another take center stage; as Bonnie and Lola attempt to navigate their social worlds, we get a glimpse of both nurturing and destructive female relationships. Whereas Bonnie mourns her mother, dead some twelve years at story’s outset, our first introduction to Lola is when she’s in the middle of murdering her own mother, Delia, in order to steal her power. Shy and riddled with guilt, Bonnie is just emerging from a decade of self-imposed muteness when she moves to New York City and forms a tentative friendship with coworker Liesel; Lola, on the other hand, kidnaps therapist Liz and coerces her into becoming her criminal advisor and “BFF.” Bonnie and Lola are mirror images of one another, reflections distorted and warped through a cruel and inflexible lens, and their opposing natures are further reflected in their connections with the women in their lives.

The Girl Who Would Be King owes its existence in part to a Kickstarter campaign. In hopes of self-publishing her first book, Thompson launched a fundraiser with the goal of $8000; 709 backers exceeded that number to the tune of $26,478. Clearly, this is something readers want more of: female-driven superhero stories with well-rounded (and practically outfitted) women characters. Thompson has most definitely succeeded in this regard. Are you listening, Hollywood?

In the con column, the story does drag a bit in the middle – but the double twist ending more than makes up for this. Bonnie and Lola sometimes read like caricatures of good and evil; but this is kind of the point, is it not? And of course, there’s also the question of believability, which Thompson addresses in a tongue-in-cheek (and vaguely Whedonesque) manner:

“A lot of stuff about you doesn’t make sense,” Liesel says. [To Bonnie, in reference to her seemingly innate ability to read a foreign language.] “I think we just have to accept that premise and move forward.” (page 300)

Like much good fiction, The Girl Who Would Be King might even compel you to research the historical roots of the story: searching for Banshees, Furies, and Valkyries on Wikipedia, perhaps, or checking out a book or two on the history of women warriors.

The paperback features a gorgeous cover with artwork by Stephanie Hans. Exclusively on the author’s website, you can also buy a limited edition hardcover copy, signed and numbered, with sixteen full-color, full-page illustrations. I wish I’d known this before I bought the paperback – I definitely would have sprung for the shinier copy!

http://www.easyvegan.info/2013/10/28/the-girl-who-would-be-king-by-kelly-thompso... ( )

I really enjoyed this book. Bonnie's story started off a bit slow but once the story picked up it was an exciting and fun ride. There is something about a person's decent into madness that I will always enjoy.

A sequel isn't needed but I would be interested in reading one based on that ending. ( )