The Love Interest

A picturesque superhero universe and the 21st-century world collide in Comerford’s rom-com debut, which features comedic dialogue, sophisticated depictions of mental health, and empowering, authentic female relationships. Seventeen-year-old Jenna Ray lives in the coastal town of the Nine Trees, where a prophecy involving catastrophic disasters will be fulfilled when a new hero emerges. So when Jenna is the first person saved by newcomer Blaze, the public has already cast her as the helpless love interest, a role she has no desire fulfilling, especially if it means being kidnapped by villains. But when the villains offer Jenna the opportunity to see her mother, who has been missing for more than 10 years, in exchange for spying on Blaze and the Hero’s Association, she realizes there’s more to the superhero industrial complex than costumes and cool weapons. Mixed-media formatting including splashy text and in-world newspaper clippings add to the classic superhero flair, offering ominous foreshadowing throughout the easy-to-follow plot. The juxtaposition between the stories being told to Nine Trees’ population and the real, uneasy truth behind these tales is handled maturely, and the incorporation of contemporary sensibilities that mimic IRL society add a hilarious twist to this male-dominated superhero world. Ages 12–up. (Nov.)