Review: Holiday Heroine by Sarah Kuhn

The Heroine Complex series is one that I’ve continued to read from the beginning. It’s an adult fantasy supernatural series I always recommend. For fans of family stories, fierce heroines, or even just supernatural crime fighting, Holiday Heroine is for you! Keep reading this book review for my full thoughts.

Summary

Nobody loves Christmas like Bea Tanaka—so when her family visits her for a special holiday celebration, she’s beside herself with joy.

After years of chaos, questionable decisions, and flirtations with the supervillain path, Bea is finally thriving. She’s got a sweet, new gig hunting demons in Maui, she’s working hard to hone her powers, and her big sister Evie is proud of her at last. In fact, everyone is so proud of her that she can’t tell them the truth: she’s feeling lost and adrift. She and her boyfriend Sam Fujikawa are struggling to make their long-distance love work, and her powers are displaying some intriguing new elements—elements that could lead her down an evil, mind-controlling path once more.

When her family’s holiday visit is disrupted by otherworldly monsters rising out of the Maui ocean, Bea throws herself into the battle—until she’s suddenly and mysteriously transported to the perfect Christmas back in San Francisco, surrounded by her family and an excess of merrymaking.

As she finds herself trapped in the bizarre holiday rom-com of her nightmares, Bea must unravel a treacherous demon plot, save the world from unspeakable evil, and resist the siren song of a supervillain destiny. And hey, maybe she’ll find time for a little holiday cheer after all….

Review

(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)

Holiday Heroine is one of my favorite reads from the Heroine Complex series. I have been excited for Bea’s story from the very first time I met Bea. So her own perspective was always going to get me in the gut. But what I didn’t expect was how much Bea’s story would resonate with me. Bea struggles to see and accept herself. If you ever thought you were your worst enemy, Bea is for you. She’s so convinced that her powers should be feared and that she is this chaotic nightmare which needs to ‘grow up’.

I felt like this desire to be different, to think the worst of us, and to have trouble accepting ourselves is so universal. Her struggle to see herself and her abilities resonated deeply with me. For anyone who has felt like they weren’t okay the way they are will no doubt see themselves in Bea’s journey. At the same time, Holiday Heroine examines the ethics of powers and mind manipulation. As this is a popular power, I loved seeing Kuhn examine the ramifications and self-doubt with this power.

Overall,

How hard it is to walk the line between super powers and ‘villains’. While this is the main theme of Holiday Heroine, it seamlessly blends with Bea’s journey of self-acceptance. How we shouldn’t have to carry the weight of our problems alone and we should be able to let our emotions out. We can be so afraid to show people and be vulnerable when we feel ‘messed up’, but in those moments are when we need people the most. Overall, Holiday Heroine succeeds on every level: thematically, Bea’s emotional journey, and the action of the story.

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With high stakes, personal stakes, and family dangers, Holiday Heroine is definitely at the top of my favorites from the series. It’s precious, emotional, and deep all at once. Find Holiday Heroine on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound, Bookshop.org & The Book Depository.

Discussion

What is your favorite adult supernatural series?

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