Review: Fantastic Plot and Characters!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 14, 2013
This book has been on my TBR (to be read) list for awhile.  It sounded very intriguing, so when I was offered the chance to review it, I automatically said yes.  Luckily, the book didn't disappoint.I think the title is an excellent fit for this book.  Even Jeff's sister refers to him as the king of bad at one point.  It's also an ironic fit for Jeff as we soon discover.  (And don't worry, that wasn't a spoiler).The cover is alright.  I like the whole fire and ice thing going on with the cover which fits nicely with the book.  I just wish there was less person and more scenery in the forefront.I loved the world building!  It made me wish I was part of it.  Strand does a fantastic job of making the world of King of Bad seem like it's a real thing.  The setting takes place in the United States although there are super villain and super hero academies all around the world.  I like that Strand kept her novel set in the real world instead of some made up fantasy world.  It makes it feel more real.  The only thing I found confusing was the end.  To me, it just felt a bit rushed, and just left me scratching my head wondering what had just happened.The pacing is very enjoyable, and I found myself becoming more and more immersed with what was and what would happen to Jeff.  Like the world building, the pacing does speed up a bit too much towards the end for my liking.  Personally, I felt that things should've been better explained.I loved the plot!  It's about time we see the perspective of the world from a super villain!  All too often, books tend to focus on the super hero.  I liked the idea of a Super Villain Academy and seeing how the children were all trained to be bad.  When a super hero academy attacks Jeff's school, I was actually rooting for the bad guys although it didn't feel wrong.  There is a plot twist which I really enjoyed.  There's no cliff hangers in this book that I noticed, so it can be read as a stand alone.The characters were fantastic.  It was hard not to love Jeff.  He had fantastic manners for a baddie, and he was also very sarcastic which was my favorite thing about him.  Source was probably my favorite character.  I loved his nerdiness, and I could totally relate to him feeling that he didn't really fit in although Jeff felt that way as well.  Oceanus came across as conflicted which I believe was intentional.  She didn't want Jeff to think of her as a nice girl because she was supposed to be a villain.  However, I did like Oceanus very much, and I kept rooting for her and Jeff to get together.  Mystic is a fantastic character, and I never really trusted her.  The author does a fantastic job in making the reader feel conflicted about Mystic which is also intentional.  She had the power of suave which I thought was a fantastic ability.  She also comes across as a caring and sweet girl for the most part.The dialogue and character interactions flow very smoothly.  Nothing ever felt forced or awkward writing wise.  There is some swearing in this book as well as some sexual references and violence in case that isn't your thing.Overall, King of Bad is an enjoyable and original read.  My favorite thing about this book were the characters and reading about super villains as opposed to super heroes.I'd recommend this book to those aged 15+ who are feeling a little bit bad although they're really good.  If you enjoy great characters and a fantastic plot, then this is the book for you!(I received this ebook for free from the tour host in exchange for a fair and honest review.  This review also appears on my blog).