A teen with a seemingly hopeless future gets the chance to have a positive impact on the world.For eight years, Darius Logan, a Black teen, survived on his own-bouncing among foster homes and derelict buildings-after his family (and many others) were murdered in The Attack. His life changes course after he gets caught in a drug deal, giving him his third strike. Fortunately, Captain Freedom of the Super Justice Force, who met Darius when he was named Student of the Year for his academic excellence, advocates for him to enroll in a classified rehabilitation program instead of going to prison. Now Darius is immersed in the lives of the heroes he's only read about in the comic books he loved as a child, and he has the opportunity to gain skills and finish his education, along with building a community of people who care about him-things he never thought he'd have again. His life isn't without obstacles, however, and when a secret plot is uncovered, Darius is thrust into the spotlight, his life forever altered. Through the third-person omniscient narration, readers are immersed in a diverse post-apocalyptic world. The tertiary characters have depth beyond their interactions with Darius, and this element, paired with the detailed lore, creates a rich, engaging narrative that will keep readers invested. The author seamlessly blends humor and heart in this story of justice and redemption.An accessible and thought-provoking narrative. (Fiction. 12-18)

Gr 7 Up— After "The Attack" that killed his family, Darius Long is forced to survive by any means possible in a world turned upside down. He moves through the post-Attack foster system, making mostly okay decisions. But then he makes a bad one, a really bad one, and he's caught holding a knapsack with enough of the illegal drug eXXeLL to get busted for distributing. He continues with his bad decisions and punches a cop to get away. Darius gets put into Second Chance, a new program to help people make better decisions instead of going to jail. The program is set up by Super Justice Force, a team of superheroes and crime fighters about whom Darius read comic books as a child. One adult is batting for Darius to succeed while the other does everything in his power to make sure he doesn't. Add to this high-stakes life a future world that's gone a little crazy and the setting is perfect to provide opportunities for character growth—or utter failure. Walker builds the post-apocalyptic world well and captures the essence his character, a young Black man who dreamed of superheroes and read comic books voraciously. The adventure and pacing are ideal, akin to Stephen Cole's Thieves Like Us and Alexander Gordon Smith's "Escape from Furnace" series. Short sentence structures, lots of action, and quick dialogue add to the speed and pacing of the story. VERDICT A must-have for tween and teen libraries.— Cathleen Ash