Books you need to read post Avengers: Infinity War
Post Avengers: Infinity War reading list
If Avengers: Infinity War left you wanting even more but the realisation that we have to wait a whole year until the next movie fills your heart with fear, here are seven action-packed, kickass reads to keep you going through this difficult time.
‘Ms Marvel’ by G. Willow Wilson & Adrian Alphona
Kamala Khan is an ordinary girl from Jersey City — until she’s suddenly empowered with extraordinary gifts. But who truly is the new Ms. Marvel? Teenager? Muslim? Inhuman? Find out as she takes the Marvel Universe by storm! When Kamala discovers the dangers of her newfound powers, she unlocks a secret behind them, as well. Is Kamala ready to wield these immense new gifts? Or will the weight of the legacy before her be too much to bear? Kamala has no idea, either. But she’s comin’ for you, Jersey!
You can’t recommend books inspired by a Marvel movie, without recommending a Marvel comic, it just wouldn’t be right. Despite still not being portrayed on screen. (Seriously Marvel, what are you thinking? Give this girl a movie asap!) ‘Ms Marvel’ is one of the best superhero comics out there. (A strong statement but one I stand by wholeheartedly.) Following Muslim Pakistani-American and all-around awesome teen, Kamala Khan, Ms Marvel is funny, action-packed, heartwarming and essentially everything you could ever want from a comic, including a few cameos from some familiar faces in the Marvel Universe.
‘Renegades’ by Marissa Meyer
The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies — humans with extraordinary abilities — who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone… except the villains they once overthrew. Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice — and in Nova. But Nova’s allegiance is to a villain who has the power to end them both.
Superheroes, supervillains and supervillains going undercover as superheroes. What more could you want? With a definite YA Avengers feel to it, Renegades is undoubtedly the perfect read for Marvel fans looking for something to avoid those post Infinity War blues.
‘Not Your Sidekick’ by C.B. Lee
In Andover where superpowers are common, but internships are complicated. Just ask high school nobody, Jessica Tran. Despite her heroic lineage, Jess is resigned to a life without superpowers and is merely looking to beef-up her college applications when she stumbles upon the perfect (paid!) internship—only it turns out to be for the town’s most heinous supervillain. On the upside, she gets to work with her long time secret crush, Abby, who Jess thinks may have a secret of her own. Then there’s the budding attraction to her fellow intern, the mysterious “M,” who never seems to be in the same place as Abby. But what starts as a fun way to spite her superhero parents takes a sudden and dangerous turn when she uncovers a plot larger than heroes and villains altogether.
With a bisexual and Chinese-Vietnamese protagonist, who’s best friend is a trans POC, Not Your Sidekick and it’s sequel Not Your Villain are not only brilliantly diverse but also utterly adorable and funny, with multiple wonderful relationship dynamics and all the excitement you could want from the superhero/villain story, with a few twists and turns along the way.
‘Vicious’ by V.E. Schwab
If the villains of the Marvel Cinematic Universe are what keep you watching, V.E. Schwab’s Vicious and its upcoming sequel Vengeful will have you hooked from page one with its ambiguous cast of characters and classic comic book feel.
Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong. Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?
‘Secondhand Origin Stories’ by Lee Blauersouth
Opal has been planning to go to Chicago and join the Midwest’s superhero team, the Sentinels, since she was a little kid. That dream took on a more urgent tone when her superpowered dad was unjustly arrested for protecting a neighbour from an abusive situation. Now, she wants to be a superhero not only to protect people, but to get a platform to tell the world about the injustices of the Altered Persons Bureau, the government agency for everything relating to superpowers. But just after Opal’s high school graduation, a supervillain with a jet and unclear motives attacks the downtown home of the Sentinels, and when Opal arrives, she finds a family on the brink of breaking apart. She meets a boy who’s been developing secret (and illegal) brain-altering nanites right under the Sentinel’s noses, another teenage superhero-hopeful who looks suspiciously like a long-dead supervillain, and the completely un-superpowered daughter of the Sentinels’ leader. Can four teens on the fringes of the superhero world handle the corruption, danger, and family secrets they’ve unearthed?
For a character-driven story with a brilliantly diverse cast you’ll instantly adore and a world that will pull you in from the first page, ‘Secondhand Origin Stories’ is a read you’ll love if The Avengers characters themselves are your favourite part of the franchise.
‘Invictus’ by Ryan Graudin.
Farway Gaius McCarthy was born outside of time. The son of a time-traveling Recorder from 2354 AD and a gladiator living in Rome in 95 AD, Far’s birth defies the laws of nature. Exploring history himself is all he’s ever wanted, and after failing his final time-traveling exam, Far takes a position commanding a ship with a crew of his friends as part of a black market operation to steal valuables from the past. But during a heist on the sinking Titanic, Far meets a mysterious girl who always seems to be one step ahead of him. Armed with knowledge that will bring Far’s very existence into question, she will lead Far and his team on a race through time to discover a frightening truth: History is not as steady as it seems.
Imagine the Guardians of the Galaxy as teens travelling through time to pull off heists and you have Invictus by Ryan Graudin. It’s a funny, action-packed, fast-paced rollercoaster of a read and its charismatic cast of characters (one of whom has a pet Red Panda… Groot who?!) will have you addicted to this book after just one page.
‘Heroine Complex’ by Sarah Kuhn
Evie Tanaka is the put-upon personal assistant to Aveda Jupiter, her childhood best friend and San Francisco’s most beloved superheroine. She’s great at her job—blending into the background, handling her boss’s epic diva tantrums, and getting demon blood out of leather pants. Unfortunately, she’s not nearly as together when it comes to running her own life, standing up for herself, or raising her tempestuous teenage sister, Bea. But everything changes when Evie’s forced to pose as her glamorous boss for one night, and her darkest comes out: she has powers, too. Now it’s up to her to contend with murderous cupcakes, nosy gossip bloggers, and supernatural karaoke battles—all while juggling unexpected romance and Aveda’s increasingly outrageous demands. And when a larger threat emerges, Evie must finally take charge and become a superheroine in her own right… or see her city fall to a full-on demonic invasion.
With friendship, family, romance, hidden powers, demons and humour, Sarah Kuhn’s Asian-American superheroine led novel ‘Heroine Complex’ is a brilliantly fun read and, luckily for us, is the first book in a series.
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