Roasting Review? Again? I know you are probably getting tired of me at this point, but a roaster has to roast! The next plate of savagery with extra critisism on the side is sponsored by @postergirljulie and her science-fiction story, Working Class Heroes.

The cover is probably a major WTF if you haven't read the book, but actually genius if you do. Either way, it's original and eye-catching. The blurb is short (my absolute favorite), and gets straight to the point. Six people obtain superpowers and their reality is turned upside down. But how well is this reality actually depicted?

Plot & Characters

Let me start by saying: this story had only ten chapters when given to me to review. So I have no idea what the writer has planned, or what great plot twists are going to happen in the future, so I am judging only the given material.

Melissa works as a waitress in a stip-club where she meets Gage, a young and successful management consultant. Gage takes pity on Mel when she gets fired because of her incompetence (burning microwave food epic levels of incompetence), and buys her a hot dog. Because Mel can't find a new job, Gage offers her the chance to be his roommate in his two-bedroom appartment FOR FREE, at least in the first few months. Even though Gage and Mel know each other two freaking weeks or so, Mel accepts to stay with him. (even though she had turned down similar accomodation offers from friends she knew a lot longer, because plot.)

To thank him for the appartment, Mel gives Gage two tickets to a music festival. Gage is "forced" (majorly because he is such a goodie-shoes who can't say no) to take a co-worker name Geil with him, even though she is an utter bitch and he doesn't like her (because plot.)  So, Gage, Geil, Mel and her three friends Hannah, Wendy and Kardin ride to the festival, have a few cat-fights because Geil treats everyone like carbage and ultimately have a good first day at the festival. Geil even scores a phone-number from a super nerdy, super cute dude named (LEROOOOOOOY) Jenkins. 

The troubles start at the second day of the festival and, over time, we find out that some of our MCs have a mysterious red mark on their bodies and therefore, have obtained superpowers. Well, kind of. Gage, who is a hokey player and had injuries that caused him severe pain, doesn't feel any pain at all. Mel, who couldn't even heat a ready meal, can suddenly accomplish anything by watching Youtube videos (muscle memory) and Geil has heightened smell and hearing, but also awful headaches. Jenkins can control lighting, and Emerson (Jenkin's best friend who is literally mentioned ONE time until chapter seven) can cause earthquakes? ... I think. We don't know who the sixth guy/girl is yet, but the last two chapters shows our MCs dealing with their new abilities.

It almost saddens me that I had set such high hopes for this book. Not only a very interesting premise, but an original one too: A book about the characters and their traits alone, where the superpowers don't conquer the stage, but play a secondary role to the plot. Sadly, even it didn't captivate me as much as I thought it would.

My first problem is the slow pacing. I know it's a cliche and normally I don't mind at all if the story is slowly unraveling, but it has to hold at least some appeal, some hook for me to keep reading. This didn't happen with Working Class Heroes, simply because there is no mystery whatsoever. There is nothing to expect. Things just happen, some interesting (Mel's very unique power and Geil's character development f.instance) and others utterly boring and/or meaningless (Kardin's, Hannah's and Emerson's whole presence). If the story had at least one prologue with actual science fiction on it, say f.e about those mysterious insects that bit them?  I am not talking about a grand plot reveal, just a reminder that I am indeed reading sci-fi. When the only thing I see is fundamentaly normal people with fundamenty normal lives and super-abilities (because they are not really powers per ce), I have nothing to hold on to until the big action kicks in.

The second problem is the so many because plot/why even moments. Gage and Mel meet and he likes her instantly, but not romantically. Even though he knows her for practically a few days, he offers her a room, and even tries to find her a job. WHY? It makes no sense. And don't start shouting "CYNISISM!." Why would someone practically bring a person he just met in his house? Their whole meeting and Gage instantly liking her and caring for her from ch.1 also doesn't make much sense. Why the instant liking? Just WHY? Emerson suddenly obtaining a power and also dating Hannah who is one of Mel's best friends. We've seen the guy only once till then, twice if you count the out of place scene on the appartment. Why am I supposed to care that he has a power? I don't, because I haven't met him from the beginning like say Jenkins. 

I've talked more or less about the characters, but a few more words won't hurt (much). Mel is a typical girl whose self-esteem is at the bottom of the ocean keeping company to the Titanic. But the girl does in fact screw everything up. Cute and caring, but borderline stupid at times, too. Gage is the most perplexing character for me so far, he cares about EVERYONE and is always polite, even to people who are complete asses. No idea why.

Geil is actually the most well-written character in this book and it shows. The only person with complex internal thinking and a brain which processes everything before acting. Bitchy at first, but logical and thoughtfull as the story progresses, her arc is beautifully crafted and the best one so far. Jenkins is my second best character, with an "abused kid with a high chance of turning into villain" thing going on, that feels so god-damn real. His romance with Geil comes of as natural, too, which is a huge plus.

I don't really care about Emerson, Kardin or Hannah. Their arcs have given me no material to actually bond with their fates. And I think ten chapters is a reasonable number for a reader to feel connected with the MCs.

Grammar & Writing Style

Aside a few missing commas and words, I don' think there is something to complain about here. The chapters are well written and the grammar is 90% correct, which is always a huge plus on Wattpad.

The writing style is buffling, though. Like the story, the style is original, told by the POVs of six different people in third person, but not in the usual One Chapter-One POV style. Most of the chapters have two or three POVs. I personally loved the idea and would have loved the style too, if the transitions were not so sudden and weird. Lots of events are happening behind the scenes which are never described f.e Mel doesn't speak to Gage after his friend fired her from that restaurant, but then suddenly, we see them eating again at a fast food place. How did that happen? Others are very akwardly cut, like the scene where Gage gives Mel space muffins, then they watch TV, then they sleep. And then the next chapter shows our MCs already at the van going to the concert? I understand this is supposed to feel like a comic, but sometimes its hard to relate the previous chapter to the next chapter and keep up with the lives of six people.

Advice to the writer

1)Think about reducing your characters to four. Preferably Gage, Mel, Geil and Jenkins, which are the most developed so far, and focus on their POVs. The other characters can stay as secondary, but the writing style you want to achieve (lots of short POVs in one chapter) doesn't come off as well as it should with six main characters. You need strict focus and character development since you want to keep the story realistic, and the more characters you have the more difficult it is to build them and link them together.

2) Give us a few sci-fi clues here and there. A prologue about how the weird bugs came to be, or a glimpse in the mysterious organisation who injected them and turned them into super-carrying-devices. I know this is called Working Class Heroes, but it is still categorised under sci-fi. I am not talking Alien or Terminator level of science-fiction, just something for the readers to hold on to, while we progress through the heroes ordinary lives.

3) Expand on your character's traits. For a story whose main object is to delve into the minds and personalities of normal people suddenly turning into super-people, the characters are surprisingly dull. Except Geil who has a wonderful thinking-acting process, and Jenkins who has a backstory to offer us, what do the other characters have? Yeah, Mel is incredibly clumsy and has a low self esteem, but why? Was she always this way? Has she another trait other than her painful self-pity? And Gage. His actions have no base whatsoever. Why does he act like such a saint? Why does he feel the need to help everyone? I know your story is in progress, but take that as a future advice.

Final Rating: 6.5/10. Because it had good elements, but the idea is pretty strong and can be better executed. A book that I actually read gladly till the end, unlike some other Wattpad books, but still one that didn't capture me as much as I thought it would.