Heroes 'Til Curfew by Susan Bischoff

Heroes 'Til Curfew (Talent Chronicles, #2) by Susan Bischoff

Published 2011, Kindle Edition. 


Hush Money was the first self-published book I read on my Kindle, and it was awesome. The Talent Chronicles are about people who have Talents - telekinesis, super strength, invisibility, etc. The NIAC (National Institutes for Ability Control) is a big threat in this world, as they pick up kids who have Talents and ship them to State School. The story follows a certain group of high school students. In the middle are Joss, a girl who is just getting used to having friends; Dylan, the kid who is leaving behind his life of crime; and Marco, the bully who makes both of their lives miserable. Joss and Dylan have it bad for each other, but both are too afraid to mess their friendship up.

This book is equal parts adventure and romance. Joss and Dylan slowly grow into their relationship, skirting around miscommunication, difficult families, and life threatening situations with jerks from their school. The author weaves together the fear of the NIAC with high school drama flawlessly.

I spent all day Friday reading this book. It was great. Her writing is so addicting; I literally didn't want to put my Kindle down. I love that she takes on a different angle of the "boy needs to save damsel in distress." Dylan struggles with this, wondering how he could protect Joss when she seems physically stronger than him and more accomplished in her ability. I thought it was very refreshing. Joss, who's been a loner most of her life due to her dad's controlling nature, has a hard time getting used to friends and a boyfriend she's head over heels for. Their dynamics were very realistic, and I found myself absolutely loving these characters. The action scenes were great, too. Does this need to be a movie? YES.

This book is more than twice as long as the first, which I LOVED. I liked finding out more about Dylan's family. I liked seeing a bit more about how the world worked: Syndicate, the NIAC mole, etc. I honestly can't wait for more, and I'm hoping we see even more of the NIAC and the State Schools. Bischoff works well with relationships, but I'm eager to see more world building. As last time, it took me a while to get used to the point of view, but I think her writing has improved. It wasn't as stream-of-consciousness, and it was easier to tell who was talking when.

If you like young adult, adventure, fantasy, romance, superheroes - check this series out. There's Hush Money, Heroes 'Til Curfew, and a short story about a different group of kids called Impulse Control. Can't wait to see more from this author.