Thank you NetGalley for an e-arc of this book. Honestly, I wanted to read this book because of the cover - it just looks absolutely incredible. This is a middle grade book (which I don't read often) with mystery and superheroes. It wasn't my favorite book with ok plot, but unlikable (for me) characters.

With a cover like that, how could i not pick this up??

A story following a mystery around Nick whose superhero dad is murdered, this made an for an interesting concept. It was unlike anything I've heard of before! The characters were young and flawed, and this made the book even more enjoyable. This definitely read like a middle grade, but readers of all ages can enjoys this mystery-filled story with action and impact.

I liked the writing which was simple to follow, and the characters were developed well. It is a fun, quick read that I would recommend to teenagers who are finding out who they are, and what it means to hope.

I would recommend this!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read the book for an honest review. I believe that this book had a very good idea, but the actual writing and worldbuilding/character development didn't fulfill it.

I did not manage to read this in time and therefore cannot offer a meaningful review. I had plenty of opportunity but other books kept grabbing my attention more. When I saw the reviews after coming back to this one, all my enthusiasm for it was sapped, and I did not feel I could give it a fair chance.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read the book for an honest review. This is a middle grade superhero read involving action and mystery. It was also a "coming into his own" kind of vibe. Look forward to the next book.

We enjoyed this book but the children felt uncomfortable with some of the gender and racial issues. They thought that some of their mixed race friends or friends with gender sensitivities may feel distressed reading this book. I am certain that the author would not want to offend but the children thought it worth mentioning.

Nick Pappas was a normal boy, having a normal day, until he is taken into witness protection and discovers that his father was the famous superhero, Odysseus, who has just been killed on live television. Warned that any attempt to regain his former life will have dire consequences, he now has to keep his secret in a new town and a new school. But Crucible has it's own secrets to hide.

I thought for a long time about how I wanted to review this book. The truth is, from the moment I started reading, I wanted to be reading something else. Specifically, the better version of this book. There are many out there. If you're familiar at all with the 'pre-teen child is taken into protection / a specialist school / a specialist camp for their own good' trope, you've probably already read a better version of this book. Issues with pacing, a fairly unlikeable main character, and a severely questionable villainous motive undermined any positive aspects of the novel for me.

Although I liked many of the supporting characters, and that there were attempts made towards inclusivity, some of it made me distinctly uncomfortable. Other reviewers liked the presence of the non-binary character, and I will not disagree with their connections or interpretations, but for me an NB character who's power is to split into a male and a female character sat uneasily with me (I am, myself, nonbinary). I appreciated that Jerry was there at all, but their role in the story is quickly relegated to 'mysterious and semi-seductive', a familiar and well-worn personality for the action hero's love interest.

'Hide or Seek' is an obvious start to a series. It is, in fact, such an obvious start that it reads almost more like a prologue, a 0.5 for those curious to see how we got to book 1. Perhaps it is. I won't be reading the rest of the series to find out.

Enjoyed this book. When I read about it being a superhero book I did think yeah it's gonna be like Marvel movies with a lot of action in. It does have some action in but I felt it was more of a mystery than action book. The main character is always trying to find out why things are happening to him or the whole town he finds himself taken to. Regardless of this thought enjoyed it. It got me wanting to read on further to find out what happens faster. Hope this is the first to a series as I finished the book thinking there was a lot left open for another book.

Dnf at 78% listen I tried very hard to enjoy this—the concept and summary/blurb sounded very interesting, and at times I even liked where the story was going. I appreciate that there’s a nonbinary character, who seemed even to be the love interest? I really really enjoyed FINALLY seeing someone have a shapeshifting character (sort of) point out the inherent queerness of being a shapeshifter (sort of).

BUT there are so much offensive and badly written nonsense, and I couldn’t keep reading without punching my mental health down further.

SOME things that stood out to me:

in chapter 6 Jenna (girl Gemini) has cinnamon skin (offensive 101), and in chapter 7 Jerry (nonbinary Gemini) has mocha skin. James (boy Gemini) is described having a fade and blue eyes. All three of them (separate people but also the same character) are I think supposed to be Black? They’re also sort of all one person, and there’s nothing remotely similar between cinnamon and mocha. And honestly? it’s 2022, there are a MILLION different people who have explained why using food as skin color descriptors is HUGELY OFFENSIVE and racist! It’s not hard to say someone is Black, or say they have brown skin! Ffs put down the thesaurus when describing skin tones.

Also, all the Black and brown people in this book have blue eyes for no reason except i guess it makes them special??? Please google why this is not okay.

Shiv, the Indian character, can apparently do seance/future telling rituals in Sumerian and the mc calls it “hammy”, and then at a later point he says something “mystical” in Sanskrit. Like his use of Sanskrit is literally described as “mystical” so there’s some more racist, and orientalist, nonsense.

someone please explain what “his pupils narrowed to the size of periods” even means.

“gone were the spindly arms and bird chest of a boy, replaced by the sculpted pectorals and protruding biceps of a man” tell me this was written by an insecure white cis man without telling me it was written by an insecure white cis man?

Last thing I want to say—this is marketed on NetGalley as being for middle grade readers? The main character is sixteen, first off, and not in a “they started out mg age, then turned 16 over the course of a series” way. Then, are moms allowed to tell their kids to “get their ass down here” in middle grade? Are middle grade books supposed to have awkward “my mom thinks I was having sex with two other kids because they were in my room while I was naked in bed” scenes? Idk, there’s a lot that reads in a (condescending, out of touch) middle grade style, but most of it is pretty firmly young adult (still pretty condescending and out of touch).

3.5 stars out of 5 stars.

Hide and Seek was a book marketed as Middle Grade. To be fair, I've definitely passed Middle Grade book age but I still like to read them so I was quite excited for this one when I saw the premise. Superhero parents? Count me in.
The book itself was fine. It felt a bit odd that a Middle Grade book, which is targeted to 10 to 15 year old but I typically see as being for 12 year old, having a Main Character that was 16. However it did work as it never got explicit or anything. The book description felt like it would be an action packed story full of fighting while it became more of a mystery. It was therefore not entirely what I expected this book to be.
Do I feel like people should give it a chance? Absolutely. It's an enjoyable story, well-written and it has superheroes. Was it entirely for me? No. Was it as the premise described entirely? No. But that doesn't mean I don't still like it, I definitely still do.

I was provided by an ARC of this book on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I read an eARC of this book. Thank you for the opportunity.

This book has an interesting premise. Nick’s father is the world’s greatest superhero. When he is killed…or is he…Nick and his mother are given new identities and relocate to the Crucible.

And that’s where things start going badly. Both for Nick, and, unfortunately, for the story. While the book’s premise and first half builds up satisfactorily, after that point it starts getting more and more confusing, doesn’t really resolve, and shoves in a romance in the epilogue like a kid shoving one of the required elements of an assignment in the last paragraph. It ends up being very incoherent.

I really think this could be an excellent book, or even a start of a series. I just don’t feel it’s quite there yet,

What worked:
I’ve read a few books where kids have superhero parents but Nick’s father has been a questionable parent. The summary accompanying this post sums up the plot nicely as Nick and his mom are herded to Crucible where his mom says they’ll be able to live safely. Their handler seems shady and all of Nick’s questions are answered with ambiguity and vagueness. There are no connections to the outside world and Nick finds everything just a bit off. His name is changed to Theo and his former identity as Nick is erased from all digital footprints. The only place Nick exists is in his own mind. Crucible is the place his father wanted Nick and his mother to relocate in case of trouble but something’s amiss.
The initial pages seem like the book is headed toward an action-adventure but it develops into a mystery of sorts. Nick doesn’t like not knowing what’s going on with his life so he’s determined to figure out the secrets surrounding Crucible. Characters frequently warn him that his every move is being watched so it sometimes feels like Nick is a lab rat under the control of an unseen organization. Characters fear punishment when they don’t “follow the script” and it’s unclear which characters are the good guys and the bad guys. Nick’s not even sure if he can trust his new “friends” since they won’t tell him the truth and try to avoid him. The author allows Nick to ponder his new reality throughout the book and doesn’t reveal the true nature of Crucible until the plot nears the end.
The author endows the teenage characters with some uncommon powers. Nick’s temper causes him to become hot and fiery but he has no idea how to control it. Jerry is a curious character because they don’t identify with gender pronouns and are actually three people in one. I won’t elaborate but this character causes Nick a great deal of confusion in the first half of the book. Another boy is able to transport to different locations although his magic comes at a price. A girl is able to absorb and redirect energy, which can come in handy. It’s unknown if the adults have powers but it’s silly to assume none of them do. Mirrors have a special place in the plot and contribute to the eerie atmosphere of Crucible.
What didn’t work as well:
The blurb accompanying the post reveals way more than it should so opportunities for surprise are lost. This book is listed with middle-grade titles on NetGalley, Amazon lists it for grades 3-4, and the main character is sixteen. It can easily be read by middle-grade students since it’s not violent, vulgar, or embellished with sexual moments.
The Final Verdict:
The listings don’t say this book is the first of a new series but I assume that’s the case. It feels like this book is setting the stage for a sequel since there are issues left unresolved. Overall, the mysterious story is entertaining and I recommend you give it a shot.