Revelation

A Kid Sensation Novel

By: Kevin Hardman

Narrated by: Mikael Naramore

Length: 10 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

The pressure of being a super - especially a teen super - can get to anyone, as Jim (aka Kid Sensation) has witnessed firsthand. Now he wonders if he himself might be succumbing to the strain in some way, as he can't shake the feeling that he is now being watched by some new stalker. Moreover, despite his wide slate of powers, he hasn't been able to discover a single clue to substantiate the existence of this potential new enemy, making him wonder if it's all in his head.

Looking forward to a few days of rest and hanging out with his friends, Jim's downtime is interrupted by the unsettling news that Alpha Prime, the world's greatest superhero (and Jim's father), is missing. As if that wasn't bad enough, Jim finds his world rocked by an even more ominous revelation: his deranged half-brother, Paramount, has escaped from confinement in a maximum security installation.

In the course of investigating these events and trying to ascertain what connection, if any, there is between them, Jim becomes privy to information concerning a potent alien device capable of laying waste to the entire planet. But he's not the only one - an enigmatic villain wants the alien technology for his own purposes, and it's up to Jim to find a way to stop him before the world pays the ultimate price.

©2015 Kevin Hardman (P)2016 Kevin Hardman

Very Enjoyable

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, and found it very entertaining. Life is always difficult as teenager, but add being a superhero and having the world to save, it becomes stressful to say the least. With a very interesting plot, developed around very unique characters this story moves along a good pace, and suddenly it's over. With just the right amount of suspense, action and humour makes it well worth the listen.

The true sequel to the first Kid Sensation book

Kevin Hardman never ceases to amaze me with this series. The first three books were good(even though, I find the second book to be a bit of a letdown) but this latest book is easily the best in the Kid Sensation series so far and the true sequel to the first book. What do I mean? Much as I loved the first book and enjoyed the third book, the second book came off as a letdown. And while I cannot focus much on that book, this book I find made up for the shortcomings of book two. For starters, Jim's character arc is impeccable.

Unlike the last three books where Jim was facing some exterior threat, the conflict with him is a lot more personal, given Paramount is involved. Not only does this build off well from the first book but it is much-needed character development. I also enjoyed Smoky and Elektra during this book. They had solid introductions in the first book but this is where the group dynamic I found really started to form and I started to care a lot.



So what holds this story back. Two things. One is very minor and the other is moderate. The minor thing is that this book ends on a cliffhanger. It isn't bad because the rest of the story is good but it is annoying and will depend on how that tale resolves itself for me to accept his. The bigger issue I had with the book is that the main villains and their motivation while fine, felt very crammed during the last portion of the book. A lot of this is conveyed through exposition and while it isn't bad, I just wished that it could have been spread out more. An exposition is an important tool but it runs the risk of bogging down the story which during the last half I felt that.

Mikael Naramore's performance is amazing as always. Though, if I had any gripes it is that some of his male voices, like Paramount, sound a bit too similar to Alpha prime at points to where it became confusing. This is very minor but for purposes of this review, I need to be honest.

Overall, this book is still good and I enjoyed it for its character work even if its plot was shaky. I'd highly recommend it for Kid Sensation fans and absolutely showcases Hardman's talent as an author.

It's hard to remember

Sometimes that Kid Sensation is 16. His vocabulary is extensive and yet...still describes actions and feelings with the same words. I do like the "gang" that his small ring is turning into though. Not sold 100% on all the characters, but it's getting there.

another great adventure for kid sensation

I really did enjoy this story. I thought it was a great installation in the compilation of the kid sensation storyline. I like how the characters came together. especially from the teenage standpoint on young heroes trying to become seasoned vets. I also enjoyed the family intrigued that was going through kid sensations life. overall I really have enjoyed this author. I truly believe it was great light reading. I couldn't put the book down and was really glad when there was an audio book available.

Good Listen

I really like Hardman's books, and this was no exception. I do have to say I wasn't as crazy about some aspects of the story, however. The main character seems somewhat dense in regards to his powers and relationship skills. There were really no surprises and after a few chapters his father and uncle just sort of disappear, I know why, but it would have been nice to know more. The best part for me was the bringing together of more supers and their interactions.

Finally Back to the Promise of the First Book

Okay after an average second book and a rather less than average third book I really didn't know if I would be buying and listening to book 4 in all honesty. While book 1 was well written, with layered character backgrounds, well thought out powers, with bits and pieces of what was happening given to you at a time to keep you interested the rest of the series was the same quality. Still it was my hope that the series would return to the promise of book 1's quality that got me to buy book 4. To my surprise it was actually a good choice. While this book isn't as good as book 1 it by far surpasses the other two books in the series. So if you felt the same there is no need for you to read further.

For the rest of us fence sitters here is the remainder of my review:

The Pro's
1. All of the characters actually act like humans. They get jealous, they over react, upset and so on unlike the last book where everyone acted with impossible amounts of maturity. There is no, "oh you tried to steal my girlfriend by placing a magic spell on me that caused great emotional trauma to both of us but that's okay because you have a crush on her." type thing from the last book.
2. We return to the layered story telling, we aren't given everything all at once and merely have to wait for Alpha Prime or Kid to fix things. Rather there is a very chance throughout that they might fail. The return of tension is nice.
3. the side characters have larger parts for a change. They are actually a part, a big part of the story.
4. Kid's and Electra's relationship is portrayed more realistically, they argue, they bicker, and they make up. In fact all of the relationships are more realistically done and Kid is no longer treated as always being right merely by virtue of being the main character.
5. A villain that could actually win if not for luck and a character flaw!
6. The more realistic path of a teen turning to other people his own age to solve a problem rather than the adults.
7. there are not pages and pages of explanation. There are a few explanations but only a few paragraphs, no a massive info dumb.

The Cons:
1. The obvious planted plot device at the beginning of the book that appears at the end to save the day. I really wish these would be introduced a book early so they're aren't as obvious, but given this is a YA novel it's not horrible.
2. A certain relationship is kind of mishandled. Mean everyone but the empath gets former super villan isn't the same person? Yep, the people that were betrayed, nearly murder, lost friends and their home forgive and forget faster than the empath that was least effected. Just a little bit of a plot hole.
3. I don't know if three is so much a con so much as an irritation. Kid has a ton of powers, many that overlap in what they can do, yet rather than use all of his powers he relies on one or two powers overly much. Oh no some one is shooting a gun I'll go incoporial, rather than teleporting the gun away, using his speed to deflect the bullets or his telekensis to simply stop the gun from firing or redirect it away. I know this is done so Kid seems less over powered in this book, but I rather would have had smarter villains that could have thought around that.

I suppose I should remark on the narration here. Honestly though it wasn't good enough to stick out in my mind, which is a good thing since it also means it wasn't bad either. There was no irritating mistake or off narrated voices to jar me out of the book. It also just wasn't so good that the narrator become the character either.

In the end if you have baught the first two books in this series and liked them buy this book, it is much better than book 3. If you don't like super hero books, must only read 'adult' books than don't read this. The audio book right now is almost as cheap as a paper back and is an enjoyable fluffy read for ten hours.

I just hope audible continues the series as there are another several books in the series and with the return of quality in this book I look forward to continuing the series.

Superhero for the modern age

Kid sensation is the superhero for the modern age. He is a hip teen descended from superhero and alien lineage. His powers are vast and are still growing as is he. The combination possibilities for his powers are limited only by imagination. His friends are loyal, his enemies are cunning, the government sees him as a threat. Now he discovers his family is more than he imagined it was. What will this revelation cost him? Be ready for some big twists and some rough realities for our hero to face. I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Super. Dramatic and totally awesome!

Revelation by Kevin Hardman and narrated by Mikael Naramore is an audible book I requested and the review is voluntary. Wow, this book was so great! Lots of action, twists, emotions, surprises, and superhero awesomeness. It's witty, clever, sprinkled with humor and tender moments! These are not cheesy superhero books! These are exciting and lifelike. The end was a total shock so I can't wait for the next book!
The narrator excels at his job to perform the voices with passion and keeps the story going at a fast pace!! Wonderful

Great Story!

As always, lots of great action, humor, and twists. And lots of family drama! Loved it!

Awesome!

I love how the series builds each character and how the story always leave you wanting more. I won't spoil it but I cannot wait until the next book!