Asian American Literature Fans

By Stephen Hong Sohn

I always say to myself: wow, this year is truly the busiest working year on record. I’m not sure I will be able to eclipse the amount of stuff I have to do this particular year, though. It’s gotten so busy, I’ve fallen behind on reviewing and just on reading. I used to be able to read about three new books per week. I am lucky if I get through one now. Nevertheless, as soon as the final installment of Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas’s trilogy came out, I knew I had to make time for it, even if it was at 2 a.m. in the morning and shorting me on sleep. Yes, as I’ve mentioned before, fans of the X-Men and the Austenian romance plot will find much to love about this paranormal YA: Evelyn Wyndham and Sebastian Braddock’s star-crossed relationship continues to disintegrate in the final volume, These Vengeful Souls (Swoon Reads, 2018). For those that might not remember, Swoon Reads is an imprint of MacMillan based upon audience participation. As writers upload their own manuscripts, the feedback given and audience responses to drafts enable editors to find what might fit within their catalogues and go on to publish them. I’m not sure how the finances shake out, but it’s a unique model in this more digital age.

In any case, the description of the plot comes out of this editorial blurb found on B&N: “England, 1883. On the run with the grieving Sebastian Braddock, Evelyn wants two things: to be reunited with her friends, and to get revenge on the evil Captain Goode. Not only has he misused his and Sebastian’s powers to rack up a terrible death toll, but he's also completely destroyed any hope of Evelyn or her friends regaining the life they once knew. Evelyn is determined to make Captain Goode pay for what he's done, but is her revenge worth risking the lives of Sebastian and her friends? Or is it better to flee the city and focus on staying alive? And with the Captain spreading lies about Sebastian in an attempt to flush them out of hiding and turn the populace against them, does she even have a choice at all?”

The friends include Evelyn’s sister, Rose, along with a bevy of others introduced in earlier novels. All have “superpowers” so to speak. Sebastian, for instance, has the power to disease, sicken, and make people near him die, while Evelyn is a healer. Captain Goode, however inappropriately named, can cancel out or enhance another individual’s superpowers, while Rose is a manipulative empathy, able to persuade those around her to do her bidding (even sometimes when she does not realize it). Others include Miss Chen, who can explode various items made of things like glass and metal; Mr. Kent, who can ask any question and extract a truthful answer; and later, on, another appearing by Miss Rao, with the power over the elements. There are numerous others, but too many to mention in this short review. The point of the plot is for “these vengeful souls” to enact justice and retribution on Mr. Goode, who had caused Sebastian’s powers to overwhelm him, resulting in the deaths of scores of people at the ending of book 2.

What I have appreciated all throughout the books is not so much the plot, but the wit that comes out of the pens and minds of Shanker and Zekas. They are especially attuned to the comic elements of their story, using Mr. Kent’s power to maximum advantage to tease out the hilariousness and absurdity of their lives. One of the most entertaining moments occurs when Mr. Kent’s power is used to give the heroes more time, so they request that he ask a question to a villain that would take a long time to answer. He asks this individual about the favorite thing he likes to punish with his power. LOL. You get the picture. And spoilers are forthcoming here: while you can expect the big bad to be vanquished by this merry band of heroes, you can’t help but wonder if there will yet be more adventures by the novel’s end. The trilogy may be closed, but the fictional world that Shanker and Zekas have created obviously leave the possibility of more  

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Review Author: Stephen Hong Sohn
Review Editor: Leslie J. Fernandez

If you have any questions or want us to consider your book for review, please don’t hesitate to contact us via email!
Prof. Stephen Hong Sohn at ssohnucr@gmail.com
Leslie J. Fernandez, PhD Student in English, at lfern010@ucr.edu