A well-paced story that has plenty of twists.
Beyond Superhero School: Let the Games Begin! by Gracie Dix propels Team HOPE into their most public—and perilous—challenge yet. The teenage superheroes, bound by friendship and extraordinary abilities, are invited to compete on Unleash Your Wild Side, a live global TV game show packed with mental and physical trials. Within the show’s Environmental Dome, the team confronts scenarios engineered to exploit their deepest fears, pushing each member to face vulnerabilities they never anticipated sharing on a world stage. As obstacles intensify, bonds are tested, trust wavers, and the heroes learn truths about one another that are both humbling and empowering. But beneath the spectacle, a darker force stirs: VORK, their relentless enemy, manipulates events from behind the scenes, sending a demon to disrupt the competition and imperil Team HOPE’s survival. What begins as a quest for glory quickly escalates into a fight for lives, loyalty, and the safety of countless innocents. With humor, heart, and nonstop action, Dix delivers a superhero adventure that celebrates courage, resilience, and the enduring strength of friendship when the odds are stacked impossibly high.
With a sharp eye for character detail and a knack for clever plotting, Gracie Dix brilliantly combines superhero action with the raw, relatable struggles of being a teen, making this a story that’s both thrilling and heartfelt from start to finish. Readers are sure to be instantly drawn in by the entertaining premise of teen superheroes getting things sometimes very right and other times hilariously wrong in a series of difficult and dangerous missions. The story strikes a fine balance of humor, danger, and emotion, anchored by characters who are incredibly lovable. Dix writes with the energy of someone who clearly loves her world and her characters, and that joy leaps off the page as Team HOPE feels like a group of real friends you always want to root for. They’re funny, flawed, and sincere, and contribute to the themes of teamwork and friendship underpinning the fantastic action sequences and blockbuster drama. The setting of the Environmental Dome with its TV game show feel is a wonderfully rich playground for the action to take place, and Dix uses this concept to full effect for a well-paced story that has plenty of twists and believable, satisfying surprises. A standout in YA superhero fiction, Beyond Superhero School is a fun, inspiring reminder that the greatest power isn’t super strength or flight: it’s friendship, loyalty, and hope.
