The Vindico is about 5 young teens who are kidnapped and taken to train with the Vindico, which are a group of villains with superpowers who have been at war with the Legion of Heroes. The evil mentors search for their apprentices' strengths in order to train them but also exploit their weaknesses in order to make them villains. This book was an interesting twist on the "Teen Superhero Team" subgenre that has become so popular. The teens actually learn more about themselves than they ever would have learned if they had become superheroes. I look forward to reading The Feros. ( )

The Vindico is about 5 young teens who are kidnapped and taken to train with the Vindico, which are a group of villains with superpowers who have been at war with the Legion of Heroes. The evil mentors search for their apprentices' strengths in order to train them but also exploit their weaknesses in order to make them villains. This book was an interesting twist on the "Teen Superhero Team" subgenre that has become so popular. The teens actually learn more about themselves than they ever would have learned if they had become superheroes. I look forward to reading The Feros. ( )

Maybe it's just that I haven't read a good book for a while, but I seriously loved this. It hit all of the high points I usually look forward to without embarrassing itself. All of the characters were surprisingly well-developed (especially for their being as many as their were) although I did have some initial difficulties remembering which villain was which. The plot moved like a good movie; fast-paced, constantly shifting, always with a great element of suspense. You never could be sure what the protagonists would do next, thanks to the psychology of their situation, and I was constantly changing my mind about who I sympathized with and who I had bald-faced contempt for. In fact, the book itself made me think about right or wrong in a new way, as I considered what I would do in the situations presented through the lens of my own adolescent experiences. Because who doesn't want superpowers? Who doesn't think they could do something good with it? It presented a lot of deliciously scary questions about how far we'd go to be special or to fit in or to just not have to suffer our own failings any longer.
I found Vendigo thought-provoking, interesting, and an absolute delight by the end--which managed to wrap things up without either depressing me into a state of existential misery or offering easy, cliched answers about how the world should be. In an age of superhero mania, this book really will be added to my collection of favorites.
The only point of criticism was that I had hoped for a little deeper reflection on the similarities and differences of the superhero and supervillain groups. We never really found out how much each side had twisted the information, and I was able to sympathize a lot with some of the alleged 'villains', who were very human. I wanted to more heavily question which side deserved to win. I think the kids themselves are a perfectly good study on how the term 'hero' is very relative... and I just wanted to know more about some of the nastier things the superheroes did. Were the villains making it up? Were their perspectives skewed? Were the superheroes hateful human beings riding on the coattails of media support?
I mean (spoiler alert), Sparrow? Yes, I'm glad he wasn't killed--but he did seriously seem like a jerk. This book really refused to be black and white about who was good or bad, and I wanted it to take that further.
I also could have stood it being a bit longer. I can't really whine because I have to admit that there's very little as satisfying as burning through a riveting book in one sitting, but... This one was impressive. Could have stood to enjoy it a little longer.
Overall, this definitely has my approval! ( )

Title : The Vindico
Series : -
Author : Wesley King
Pages : 272
Release Date : June 14th 2012
Publisher : Putnam Juvenile / Penguin Canada
Format : ARC
Source :
*An ARC was provided by Penguin Canada in exchange of an honest review*






My Opinion :


The Vindico is Wesley Chang's debut novel, and he has done it with uniqueness and originality.

You know, when you were a kid, you used to watch superhero and villains fight in animated TV Shows. Well, now you can READ it in a book! How cool is that?

In The Vindico, you find 5 teens, most of angsty, and now they have been kidnapped by The Vindico; supervillains, so they can become the next generation of Villains to fight the war against The League of Heroes. They are trained, get powers... but what if it all ended... not like The Vindico planned? After all, the student will always get better than the master :D

I have to say, The Vindico got me nostalgic with all the memories of watching superhero shows on the TV. I remember wanting to have powers... ahhhh.... innocence.

The Vindico is written with a fast-pace style of writing, and you can't help but want to see what happens next! And, you root for the teenagers, just like you did with your favorite superheroes!

The characters, even if there were MANY, all had different and unique well-written personalities, and they didn't waver throughout the book, which is a BIG PLUS!

A great, refreshing debut!


The Vindico is described as 'X-Men meets The Breakfast Club'... and that is EFFING scary : http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GmJ_dpdmV-8/T9Dc578jYJI/AAAAAAAAAHs/hMz_vY4PFAw/s1600/... ( )

When supervillains of the Vindico realize they are getting too old to fight the League of Heroes, they kidnap and begin training five teens, but James, Lana, Hayden, Emily, and Sam will not become the next generation of evil without a fight.