ARC Review: “Quincredible Vol. 2: The Hero Within” by Kelly Fitzpatrick, Rodney Barnes, Selina Espiritu

“Quincredible Vol. 2: The Hero Within” by Kelly Fitzpatrick, Rodney Barnes, Selina Espiritu (Illustrations)

Publishing Date: July 13, 2021

Genre: YA, Graphic Novels, Fiction

Page Length: 144 pages (electronic review edition)

Synopsis:

Rodney Barnes and Selina Espiritu return for another Quincredible adventure, this time diving into the world of Voodoo. Quinton West is back as the would-be hero of his city New Orleans, battling against a new enemy who wishes to claim the historical land for himself.

When meteors fell to Earth Quinton West was gifted with the power of invulnerability. Seeing others take up hero identities, Quinton decided to help his city of New Orleans in his own way. Using his smarts, creativity and a bit of training from his mentor Glow, Quinton is on his way to becoming Quincredible, hero of New Orleans!

But even superheroes must do homework, and Quinton’s newest assignment is to learn the history of New Orleans and Voodoo. An assignment that leads him to the mysterious Madame Adelaide who gives him a new task to fulfill for the good of New Orleans. Is Madame Adelaide a spirit? An enhanced human? And what is the evil that threatens New Orleans that Quinton must stop? (description from Goodreads)

Review:

*To read the review for the first book in the series, click here.

Quincredible Vol.2 packs a punch like the first installment of the series. Once again, readers follow Quinn on his journey to become a hero and is faced with a new set of obstacles in his journey. This time around the story mixes fantasy elements with a bit of New Orleans history as a rich entrepreneur wants to build a casino on sacred land. Will Quinn be able to solve the mystery and how will continue to shape himself into the hero he wants to be?

Quinn faces the question of light vs dark as he questions what is purpose is to have the superpowers he gained after the meteor show. He struggles with having to constantly fight new foes, and how his powers are shifting the relationships around him. The relationship dynamic surrounding him and his parents has changed as they have to come to terms with him eventually becoming a superhero. They struggle with seeing him grow up so fast and how he is constantly in the face of danger. Quinn wants to come to his parents for advice but doesn’t want to burden them with the weight that he carries.

Another aspect I really enjoyed is seeing how Quinn’s powers have evolved from the first volume. He grown to be more accepting of uniqueness with the help of his mentor, Glow. He’s still trying to figure out what role he has as a hero in the community and how he can help others out even when he loses hope. His powers see a major level-up and readers get to see how he tests and pushes the limits of what he can do. I’m really hoping to see even more growth in future novels.

While there are a lot of superhero stories out there I like that the Quincredible series is set in the tight-knit community of New Orleans. You can really feel the spirit of the community and I like how each arc of the story (so far) introduces the readers to another part of the city’s culture and rich history. I enjoyed this volume and all of the action-packed scenes along with the characters. This a fun series and I can’t wait to see more of it!

Final Verdict:

FTC Disclaimer: I recieved this book from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.