Hot Mama
Jennifer Estep
Reviewed by Susan Gottfried
In
music, we often talk about a sophomore slump for a band's
second album. In literature, we sometimes see the same phenomenon. An
author pours
amazing amounts of attention into that first book. Years are spent
perfecting
it between rounds of submissions to agents and publishers. The deal
happens and
… the follow-up isn't written. Or polished. Or otherwise made ready. It
winds
up being rushed to press and … the author's fans are let down.
Not so with Hot Mama,
Jennifer Estep's follow-up to
the fantastic Karma Girl. All the
elements that made Karma Girl stand
out are present: the ubervillains, the superheroes, the city of
In fact, Hot Mama's story is
less about Fiera's
conquering ubervillains Siren and Intelligirl and more about Fiera's
alter ego,
Fiona Fine, and her struggle to get past the loss of her fiance Travis,
the
fellow member of Feira's superhero collaboration, the Fearless Five.
Travis aka
Tornado's death shaped the plot of Karma
Girl.
At a charity event,
Fiona meets Johnny Bulluci and decides it's time to return to the land
of the
quick fling. Chemistry interferes, as it has a way of doing when the
man
flirting with you is gorgeous and possessed of a luscious hot body and
fantastic personality, and before long, Fiona and Johnny are hiding
secrets
from each other -- and truths from themselves. At the same time, Fiera
is
trying to take down Siren and Intelligirl despite the meddling of
generational
superhero Johnny Angel.
As with Karma Girl, the secrets
concealed by the
characters are obvious to the reader almost from the start. Because of
this, it's
not Johnny Bulluci's mysterious secret that keeps the pages turning as
fast as Fiera can throw a fireball. Instead, we must know the hows,
whys, and whens --
questions which are answered in the most delectable of ways.
Many of our
favorite characters from Karma Girl
have returned; in fact, the novel opens with Carmen's wedding, making
me
initially wonder if I was reading the right book. This wedding happens
and after
the reception and the revelation of this book's ubervillains, Carmen
and new
husband Sam are shunted off-page on their honeymoon. We hear about them
and
even hear from them a few times via
phone calls, but mostly, Fiera's on her own -- with the help of
Fearless Fivers
Mr. Sage and Hermit. This technique allows Estep to create Fiera as an
independent character; there's no hiding behind the old and familiar
here. The
characters of Karma Girl and Striker belong in the other book, the
message is.
It's a wise message, indeed.
Besides, Fiera is a
big enough character that she deserves her own book. Elements of this
were
evidenced in Karma Girl. Hot Mama
proves the truth of those
clues.
Through the
expanded characters of Bella Bulluci and Lulu, women we'd met in Karma Girl and who are certainly
intriguing enough to warrant bigger roles, Estep allows the world of
Bigtime,
New York to grow; this is what helps us feel more comfortable in
Estep's world.
Gone is the wonder and excitement of the comic book elements of the
world.
Instead, as Estep shows us more of the city, the elements that so
delighted me
in Karma Girl now come across as
perfectly normal. We are immersed in this world, now, and it's a good,
if a deliciously
over the top, place to be. After all, I can't think of a single
American city
that has a budget for the repair of its buildings and landmarks due to
superhero-ubervillain
fights. And yet, having that budget makes perfect sense.
Because Estep's
world has come to be a normal thing, the focus can move from the
explanation
and showing of the world. It is time for the characters to carry the
stories,
as Fiona does in Hot Mama. By doing
this, Estep guarantees that the series will remain fresh. Readers will
pick up
each new volume with the question of who we'll be learning about, not
which
superheroes will be fighting which ubervillains this time.
Happily, we readers
will get to ask those questions a few more times. The third book in the
series,
Jinx, will be released in April 2008.
Thus far, we readers haven't met anyone named Jinx, but I wouldn't be
surprised
if she's someone we've already met. In Bigtime, what seems normal may
not be.
And what seems abnormal to us readers is often perfectly mundane.
Perhaps the
clues are there.
There is only one ways
to find out: Spend some time with Hot
Mama, and then wait impatiently for Jinx
to arrive. Sadly, it won't arrive with the speed of Superhero Quicke,
but at
least we can be sure it'll be a most satisfying read once it does.
Author
Web Site
Author Interview
Review: Karma Girl
FRONT STREET REVIEWS HOME PAGE