A review by ajsterkel
Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots

2.0

I wanted to read this book because the first sentence of the synopsis made me laugh. Most of us have "been there, done that," right? (RIGHT? Maybe it's only me who's been there.) Anyway, the book also has a stunningly high average rating on Goodreads, and I couldn't ignore that. The premise is brilliant. The main character is a morally gray hypocrite who uses math and spreadsheets to show how much damage superheroes cause. She then sets out to stop the heroes. I raced through the first half of the book because it's unique and funny. Then . . . everything started falling flat. I guess I expected more depth? The main characters have very little backstory or personality. Most of them are just names. I also wanted more from the worldbuilding. We learn a bit about the heroes and villains, but nothing about the average people who are trying to live their lives around the antics of the "supers." In the end, I was disappointed with this novel, but I am intrigued by the ideas it explores. It talks about how villains are created by the actions of heroes, which seems plausible.