Review: Fierce by Rob Rosen

Author: Rob Rosen

Publisher: JMS Books

Length: 294 Pages

Category: Fantasy

At a Glance: The plot is far-fetched and over the top in so many areas, so I basically just took a leap of faith and went with everything, even the completely unbelievable parts, and enjoyed myself immensely.

Reviewed By: Lindsey

Blurb: Lucas has a typical life — apart from being abandoned as a baby, raised by wolves, and having super powers. Still, inside, he feels like two people, both vying for control of himself. He’s a superhero and a nerdy college freshman. He’s both feral and tame. He wants to do good in the world and, at the same time, he wants to do nothing. And most of all, he wants to find his birth parents.

In this comedic tale of romance, mystery, and adventure, our hero is joined by his hunky boyfriend, his acerbic boss, an uptight college science professor, and his ex-boyfriend/once crime-fighting partner — not to mention a whole pack of wolves — to help foil his nemesis and uncover the secrets of his past to save his future.

Review: I totally enjoyed this book for what it was, and I personally really liked it; though, admittedly, it won’t be for everyone. There is a specific reader group out there for this type of book. If you are a reader who prefers a lot of substance and angsty-drama (which is something I usually go for, but needed a break from) it definitely doesn’t fit that mold. Also, it’s pretty much YA, with a lot of references to sexy times, without a lot of description of them when they happen (though Lucas is eighteen, so he often thinks with his hormones, it’s just not detailed).

The humor could go either way. I can see some people finding it hard to get into the book, because the comedy really is sort of non-stop and over the top. Even when the “drama” happens, it is hard to take anything too seriously. Told from the first person POV, Lucas is a hoot, but I could definitely see how some readers may find it all just a wee bit too much. Though I liked the comedic tones throughout, it could have used a little more seriousness here and there to break up some of the constant humor being volleyed at me.

What will you find in this story? You will find a clearly outrageous, funny and unbelievable plot involving Lucas, who was raised by a pack of wolves as a baby, eventually is found as a feral child, and adopted. Somehow he developed superpowers, and now, as an eighteen-year-old, he has questions, okay? Like, who were his real parents? What was he doing as a baby in the mountains of Montana? When can he get laid, again (because he is eighteen and hormones—okay)? He isn’t really the most prepared superhero out there, but he does go with the flow. When he is in superhero mode, I totally pictured my own internal dialogue being pretty much the same as Lucas’s, and that helped me connect with him as a character.

“Give yourself up or else.”
 
He squinted my way. He didn’t look as afraid as I would have liked. “Or else what?”
 
I gulped. I hadn’t thought of the or else. In fact, I was pretty much winging it by that point. I mean, I’d made it there. I lived through a bullet party. He should’ve been cowering. FYI, he wasn’t cowering. In fact, he looked the opposite of cowering. Mad, actually. Yes, he looked mad. Like crazy mad. Then again, bank robbers/hostage takers aren’t exactly the sanest people—or so I surmised.”

Doug, his acerbic boss at the coffee shop, has ideas. Ideas that help point Lucas in the right direction to find his answers. Ideas that help find others to help Lucas get his answers, because Doug prefers to drink coffee and that’s about it. If only he could get ideas to help Lucas remember how to serve decaf and regular coffee appropriately. Spoiler: it probably won’t happen.

I got caught up a couple times on the plausibility factor of the plot in the beginning. The plot is so far-fetched and beyond realistic in so many areas, so I basically just had to take a leap of faith. I decided to let go of figuring out whether the situations were believable (which a lot weren’t), and just go with the flow. Once I did that, I delighted in it so much more.

I enjoyed this book for what it was and what it gave me, which happened to be a lot of laughter. It wasn’t meant to be serious, and it wasn’t meant to be believable (at least, I don’t think it was. I surely hope not!). But it was a fun-filled and crazy little journey, with an eccentric cast of characters and an eighteen-year-old with no filter, priorities that generally are dictated by hormones, and a hairy back, who was frustrating and endearing, at the same time. It was the perfect way to get me out of my somewhat grumpy mood over the last couple days, and fall asleep with a smiling face.

You can buy Fierce here:
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