It hasn’t been very long since the Super Patriots, Inc. were defeated by Velveteen and her friends, and the echoes of a world where superhumans could be bought and sold by corporate interests are still shaping the greater landscape. In order to achieve their victory, Velveteen had to make a devil’s bargain with Santa Claus himself, and now the cost of his aid is coming due. Even as the rebuilding begins, she has to leave for the Seasonal Lands and fulfill the terms of service she agreed to, or she’ll never be able to come home again, and never be able to enjoy the world she’s fought so hard and sacrificed so much to achieve.
And of course, there’s the matter of what comes after her sentence has been served.
In the aftermath of the fall of the Super Patriots, Inc., Velveteen will have to overcome the greatest challenge she’s faced to date: how does she move forward with her life and become an independent adult, when that’s the one battle she’s never been prepared for? And what about all the other problems she hasn’t defeated yet, from super villains to death itself? She’s already won, so why does it feel like the fight will never end?
Velveteen vs. The Consequences of Her Actions by Seanan McGuire is fun and thoughtful, one of the few series that I haven’t read previously. Made up of a series of short stories, all interconnected, this is volume three. While I was able to follow along easily, I do recommend reading the first two volumes first if you can but mostly because this volume was so much fun to read.
What I liked the most was how thoughtful the ideas were behind superheroes, fairytales and holiday magic. I feel like the roots of all the different types of stories all come from the same place, the desire to create heroes and magic and Seanan McGuire is fantastic at presenting those concepts, especially the multiple ways the universe can be designed. Her concepts are brilliant and I love the way she expresses how life as a hero impacts Velveteen and her friends. While the heroes do survive, I love the battles and challenges they face along the way.
If you love superheroes, fairytales and holiday magic and Seanan McGuire, I definitely suggest checking this out. Even though it is short stories, it is woven like one long novel and the brilliance of it is that it is done in a realistic way. I love the various challenges. This was a fun and thoughtful read.
Rating: 5 out of 5 toys
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