College freshman Liv is more than just a fangirl: The Starveil movies are her life… So, when her favorite character, Captain Matt Spartan, is killed off at the end of the last movie, Liv Just. Can’t. Deal.
Tired of sitting in her room sobbing, Liv decides to launch an online campaign to bring her beloved hero back to life. With the help of her best friend, Xander, actor and steampunk cosplayer extraordinaire, she creates #SpartanSurvived, a campaign to ignite the fandom. But as her online life succeeds beyond her wildest dreams, Liv is forced to balance that with the pressures of school, her mother’s disapproval, and her (mostly nonexistent and entirely traumatic) romantic life. A trip to DragonCon with Xander might be exactly what she needs to figure out what she really wants.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
MY THOUGHTS
To Liv, the Starveil movies are her life. She loves the movies and she's deeply immersed in the fandom, making online vids and online friends who share her deep love of Starveil. She can't wait to see the new Starveil movie, only to find out that her favorite character, Spartan, is killed off. Liv refuses to believe that Spartan is dead, so she decides to prove that he is not dead. She starts a online campaign that shoots across the fandom.
Okay, so when I first heard about this book, I knew I had to read it! I've been in this position before, every fangirl (or boy) has. While with me it was books, not movies, and all I did was kill the author off in my own story, I can relate to Liz. Still, fandoms are such a big part of the world now, so it's exciting to see a book that fully explores it.
I enjoyed the characters in this book. As I mentioned, Liz is relateable. She's also a normal girl. She's not one of those redhead and skinny MCs that are unaware of how beautiful they are (this sums up the MCs of a hole lot of YA). She's a normal girl, just starting college, who spends a majority of her time online. I did think she was a bit whiny and dramatic at times, but other than that, I liked her.
As for supporting characters, I really liked Xander. He's the best. Xander is in a completely different fandom than Liz, and doesn't really understand Starveil, but they are such great friends. Xander actually helps Liz out with #StarveilSurvived and even takes her to DragonCon. I seriously love their friendship. I also liked other various characters, but I love Xander. Though, I will say that Liz's mom annoyed me, because of the things she said about fandoms. I understand why Liz's mom is against fandoms, but she did say some horrible things.
As for romance, there is a very slow romance in the book, so you'll be shipping it for awhile. But I actually really liked the romance. It never took over the plot!
IN CONCLUSION
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book! It's a fun book about fandoms, friendship, and more. Also, Xander is awesome! So, pick up this book if you want a fun contemporary featuring fandoms!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Danika Stone is an author, artist, and educator who discovered a passion for writing fiction while in the throes of her Masters thesis. A self-declared bibliophile, Danika now writes novels for both adults (The Intaglio Series and Ctrl Z) and teens (All the Feels). When not writing, Danika can be found hiking in the Rockies, planning grand adventures, and spending far too much time online. She lives with her husband, three sons, and a houseful of imaginary characters in a windy corner of Alberta, Canada.
Ms. Stone is represented by Morty Mint of Mint Literary Agency.
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