Review: Cindy's Seven

Cindy's Seven by C.T. Phipps
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Move over, Gary: this time, it's all about Cindy

Cindy’s Seven is labeled as the 8th book in C.T. Phipps's Supervillainy Saga, following The Horror of Supervillainy. Though it takes place after the previous book's events, Cindy’s Seven is a departure from the previous Supervillainy Saga books. It’s enough to be a spin-off series on its own, and rather than focusing on Gary as in the previous seven books, the narrative is recounted from Cindy’s point of view. I’ve loved the previous books, but this change up makes sense, as the plot is driven by her desire to move out from Gary’s shadow and to be seen as a true supervillain on her own (rather than just Merciless: The Supervillainy without Mercy™'s sidekick). However, the best part of the POV change is the dual narration of the audiobook by Heather Costa and Jeffrey Kafer. If you only have read the book, you’ve seriously missed out on a golden performance.

If you are reading the review for the 8th book in a series, I’m going to assume that you’ve already had the pleasure of experiencing the previous seven books and have enjoyed the unique and comical tone of the series. Therefore, this review will focus on what’s different in Cindy’s Seven – mainly because this book is obviously all about Cindy.

Though the POV character changed, Cindy’s Seven still has the zany antics and wild plot twists I’ve loved throughout the series. It does, however, have a slightly different feel, as I think it's more story-focused and less parody/satire than previous books. The POV character change-up makes it distinct, as Cindy’s storytelling is distinguishable from Gary’s snarky, wild, and often indecipherable narration. Cindy seems somehow to be a more logical (at least in that her crazy is more internally consistent) and goal-driven character. Most of her references are to the fantasy and sci-fi genres of books, games, and movies rather than Gary’s dialog of anything-goes, neverending, and sometimes random pop culture. It’s weird to realize that Cindy may actually be the more stable of the two.

In summary, Cindy’s Seven is an excellent book on its own, and though it's different from the Supervillainy Saga's other books, it's a good different. I’m torn between wanting a true Cindy POV sequel to Cindy’s Seven and a more Gary-focused, “classic” Supervillainy Saga book. Maybe it's time for a multiple-POV book for the 9th installment! And to reiterate my earlier mention regarding the audiobook narration, both Costa and Kafer are already outstanding solo narrators, but together, they are amazing. Unlike other dually narrated books, they don’t just alternate reading chapters but instead perform parts for the male and female dialog; their combined talent results in Cindy’s Seven having flawless narration.

Special thanks to C.T. Phipps, who provided me with this book at my request.

View all my reviews