Men in Tights, by Danielle Banas

This is by far one of the best Wattpad books I’ve read so far.

Men in Tights is set in Morriston, a small town in Philadelphia. The book follows Abby Hamilton, the daughter of the Mayor in Morriston. Morriston has no police force, only a kick-ass band of men in spandex keeping the peace and security in the land. Which, naturally works better than a police force. Why can’t we all have them? One of those heroic superheroes is her brother, Connor (alias Red Comet). The entrance of a mysterious superhero (or supervillain) whom the newspapers call Iron Phantom, and a plot against the Mayor result in mayhem. Connor’s fame and ability is threatened, and Abby is left to wonder if the mysterious stranger she has befriended is also on Morriston’s most wanted list.

First, it checks the most important box when looking to read aWattpad book: grammar. This is something you would take for granted in a book, but in Wattpad books, it’s nearly always completely absent. Crimes perpetrated in most Wattpad books include: mixing up the tenses, forgetting prepositions, faulty sentence structure… and don’t even get me started about the typos. They’re everywhere.

The style of writing is unique, and the book’s funny one-liners actually made me laugh out loud in some parts. It’s a well constructed narrative, although some major plot twists, like the Iron Phantom’s true identity, are made transparent by the fact that the author provided too many clues to guess the identity of the Iron Phantom, and not nearly enough alternatives.

The charaters have enough depth to be believable. Abby isn’t your typical average, insecure teenage girl which, for some reason unknown to man and God, every Wattpad writer chooses to write about. I can’t sympathise with dumb, clunky protagonists. Abby is a talented actress, who wins the lead in the school play. Despite not having any super powers, she is character with some personality, who remains in control throughout the book. Connor, despite having super powers, is something of a lovable doofus.

As a science fiction novel, however, it lacks the profound scientific base every sci-fi novel needs to succeed. The parts of the book which require a scientific explanation are completely glossed over, leaving the reader baffled. (What? How did they do that? That’s not even possible!)

Despite it all, it is an extremely enjoyable read. I’d read this one even if I had other alternatives, book-wise. It’s the first book in a trilogy. I’d recommend the other two only as an alternative to sleeping-inducing pills, but this one’s definitely worth reading. It won the Watty Awards in 2014. (Pro tip: Books that have won a Watty are generally a cut above the rest, as Wattys are equivalent to the Nobel Prize for Literature. No higher honour can be bestowed on a Wattpad book).

Image Source: Book Cover, created by Danielle Banas.