The Girl Who Would Be King by Kelly Thompson

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Separated by thousands of miles, two young women are about to realize their extraordinary powers which will bind their lives together in ways they can't begin to understand.

Protecting others. Maintaining order. Being good. These are all important things for Bonnie Braverman, even if she doesn't understand why. Confined to a group home since she survived the car accident that killed both her parents, Bonnie has lived her life until now in self-imposed isolation and silence; but when an opportunity presents itself to help another girl in need, Bonnie has to decide whether to actually use the power she has long suspected she has. Power that frightens her.

Across the country, Lola LeFever is inheriting her own power by sending her mother over a cliff...literally. For Lola the only thing that matters is power; getting it, taking it, and eliminating anyone who would get in the way of her pursuit of it. With her mother dead and nothing to hold her back from the world any longer, Lola sets off to test her own powers on anyone unfortunate enough to cross her. And Lola's not afraid of anything.

One girl driven to rescue, save, and heal; the other driven to punish, destroy, and kill.

And now they're about to meet.

In case you don't know, I am what you would call a superhero fan-girl, and I love all things comic book related. Unfortunately, while I've read my fair share of comics, I haven't read that many actual novels about superheroes - only Perry Moore's Hero and Superman: Last Son of Krypton by Elliot S! Maggin. That's why I was beyond ecstatic to hear about this book while browsing through Kickstarter.

The Girl Who Would Be King tells the story of two very different girls: Bonnie Braverman and Lola LeFever. Bonnie is an orphan who survived the car crash that killed her parents at the tender age of six. She grew up in an orphanage, and moved to New York City as soon as she turned eighteen. I absolutely adore Bonnie - she's a hard worker, has a kind heart, and when she finds out about her abilities, she decides that she wants to use them to help people. Bonnie also goes through her fair share of struggles, including trying to balance being a superhero, working at a bookstore, and having time to spend with her friends and boyfriend.

Lola, on the other hand, finds no pleasure in helping or being around others. Instead, the novel opens with a sixteen-year-old Lola drugging her mother and driving her off of a cliff in order to steal her powers. She then runs off to Vegas, and later Los Angeles, where she commits various crimes and murders. While Lola may not have grown up knowing how to trust others, she does take a stab at trying to find love and friendship - but those relationships usually end in Lola killing more people, to the point where she becomes rather insane. I found that Lola's descent into madness was quite fascinating, and I enjoyed reading from her perspective.

And yes, this novel is told from both Bonnie's and Lola's perspective - I love it when authors choose to alternate viewpoints in a story. There are so many things going on in the lives of those two girls that this book never got boring - it was a very quick read. And once Bonnie and Lola finally met and battled, the story became so gripping that I could not put it down.

Kelly Thompson wrote a fantastic first novel, and I'd recommend The Girl Who Would Be King to anyone - especially those of you who enjoy comic books or superheros in general. I will warn you that there are some typos (at least in the printed version), but while there are enough to be noticeable, they don't detract from the story at all, and there weren't enough to really be a big bother. I truly loved reading this book, and I hope Ms. Thompson decides to put out more novels soon, as I would love to read more of her work! This definitely added any of her future books to my insta-buy list!