Our Thoughts Precisely: Holiday Heroine by Sarah Kuhn

Title: Holiday Heroine

Series: Heroine Complex #6
Author: Sarah Kuhn
Source/Format: NetGalley; eARC
More Details: Urban Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: DAW Books; August 30, 2022

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

The sixth book in the smart, snarky, and action-packed Heroine series continues the adventures of Asian-American superheroine Bea Tanaka as she takes on demons in Hawaii.

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...

**Note: there may be minor spoilers for books 1-5**

The Heroine Complex series is always such a joy to read. Beatrice (Bea) Tanaka is one of my favorite characters of the series. And after the events of Heroine’s Journey—where she uprooted her life with a big move to Maui—I was hoping for another book from her perspective, to further explore her character directly. That’s essentially what this book delves into, and it does it so well. And with a good dose of holiday rom-con themed hijinks (and nightmare scenarios), time travel and its perils, and an abundance of otherworldly chaos, the sixth and latest installment—Holiday Heroine—to date is one of my top-favorites.

I liked Kuhn’s approach to both the old and new characters. The cast has always been colorful—big personalities, plenty of drama and mishaps—but the series has centered on their deeply personal issues and the strength of their relationships (both platonic and romantic). For me, it’s one of the highlights.

I also enjoyed the holiday themes. Rom-coms are always fun, and I liked how many of the hallmark aspects were incorporated throughout the story.

As Evie’s younger sister, I was used to Bea being in proximity to the core characters and main events of the series. The hub of supernatural activity has, for much of the series, remained in San Francisco, but the past two books have expended on that. And with her being so far away, there was somewhat of a noticeable absence. With the change in location, she clearly viewed it as a chance at independence and proving how mature and in control she was of her life and over her superpowers. Even the best laid plans, however, can have their hiccups, and once the latest threat was established, it proved that there was a lot left Bea had to learn and accept about herself.

I liked the way Sarah Kuhn handled Bea’s doubts. Outwardly, she was a confident and smart character, but inside she had a lot of turmoil and conflict associated with her powers to unpack. It affected her relationships, and made her vulnerable in unexpected ways. The frank realness of that particular end of the story was refreshing.

Holiday Heroine was the perfect mix of action, super heroes, and romance. If you’re a fan of this series, you’re going to love this one.

About the author....

Sarah Kuhn is the author of Heroine Complex—the first in a series starring Asian American superheroines—for DAW Books. She also wrote The Ruby Equation for the comics anthology Fresh Romance and the romantic comedy novella One Con Glory, which earned praise from io9 and USA Today and is in development as a feature film. Her articles and essays on such topics as geek girl culture, comic book continuity, and Sailor Moon cosplay have appeared in Uncanny Magazine, Apex Magazine, AngryAsianMan.com, IGN.com, Back Stage, The Hollywood Reporter, StarTrek.com, Creative Screenwriting, and the Hugo-nominated anthology Chicks Dig Comics. In 2011, she was selected as a finalist for the CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment) New Writers Award.

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