Review: Where There's a Will by Cari Z (Panopolis #3)
Note: This ARC was provided by Riptide Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
There was a time when we didn't have Heroes and Villains at our fingertips, wreaking havoc and playing God. They're a relatively recent invention, almost exclusively dating from WWII. Why then? Was it truly the great leaps forward in scientific technology, coupled with a new and vibrant disregard for safety, that led to the creation of so many bigger-than-human, larger-than-life personalities? Because we make most of them, people: check their origin stories. We make 'em, and then we break 'em.
Why can't we unmake them, then?
The first two books in the Panopolis series were such a blast to read and Edward Dinges and Raul Tremblay--the Mindmaster and the Mad Bombardier, respectively--are part of the reason why I the series was one of my reading highlights last year, but I must confess that author Cari Z took things up several notches with the third installment. Where There's a Will is the third and latest novel in this superhero slash super villain series and the spotlight is focused on Craig Haney, better known to majority of the people in Panopolis as Freight Train, who was first introduced to fans in the series starter, Where There's Smoke, as Edward's admirer, and then made up for his less than stellar behavior there in the sequel, Where There's Fire. Here, Craig doesn't get a sidekick but he does find himself an unlikely partner in crime, or, in their case, defeating it, in the form of Dr. Ari Mansourian, a genius of a scientist originally from Armenia. This third in a series is steadily paced story telling and character building at it's heroic best.
Craig Haney may have once been a good cop, but as Freight Train, he's considered the best Hero in Panopolis. He's got Mr. Fabulous nipping at heels and while Craig doesn't really care about who's number one or raking in the most income, their manager has overly ambitious plans that don't sit well with Craig. The one bright spot is the new scientist and head of the research and development department over at his sponsor GenCorp's laboratories, Dr. Ari Mansourian. Agreeing to assist in whatever way he can with Ari's research and experiments, Craig can't help but feel that he's sorely lacking compared to the multi-degreed Ari. After all, Craig knows he isn't exactly all that smart and that the one thing he's good at is being a Hero. But with Mr. Fabulous's reality show, other Heroes using untested equipment, and shoddy information pitting Heroes against Villains just when efforts are being made to curb Villainy, Craig may begin to question if being a Hero of Panolopis is what he wants to continue doing. If only there was an alternative...
I am so glad that fans of the series like me now have the opportunity to get to know Craig better with this third novel. He was always such an interesting character and while I wasn't thrilled with his lack of defense when it came to his grandmother's treatment of Edward in the first book, he redeemed himself in the second one. Not only do we get Craig's back story, but his current situation ties in with things that happened in the past, so it felt like a full circle moment in terms of Heroes and Villains in general. Both he and Ari were keeping their share of secrets from one another, but Ari's secrets had the potential to impact not just Craig but the rest of the Hero community. We also get unexpected answers to lingering questions, especially when it comes to SuperTruther (major shocker!), so this does feel like a series ender, but I'm hoping it isn't because this series has a treasure trove character-wise and I certainly won't say no to more books in the Panopolis universe. Cari Z has so outdone herself with Where There's a Will. Five-plus stars. ♥
I am so glad that fans of the series like me now have the opportunity to get to know Craig better with this third novel. He was always such an interesting character and while I wasn't thrilled with his lack of defense when it came to his grandmother's treatment of Edward in the first book, he redeemed himself in the second one. Not only do we get Craig's back story, but his current situation ties in with things that happened in the past, so it felt like a full circle moment in terms of Heroes and Villains in general. Both he and Ari were keeping their share of secrets from one another, but Ari's secrets had the potential to impact not just Craig but the rest of the Hero community. We also get unexpected answers to lingering questions, especially when it comes to SuperTruther (major shocker!), so this does feel like a series ender, but I'm hoping it isn't because this series has a treasure trove character-wise and I certainly won't say no to more books in the Panopolis universe. Cari Z has so outdone herself with Where There's a Will. Five-plus stars. ♥
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Read my reviews for the Panopolis series:
Where There's Smoke (book one) - five stars - My Review
Where There's Fire (book two) - five stars - My Review
Where's There's a Will (book three) - five-plus stars - My Review (posted above)
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Release Date: 02 May 2016
Date Read: 02 May 2016
Learn more about Cari Z.
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