29th out of 284 books
—
445 voters
Karma Girl (Bigtime #1)
by
Jennifer Estep (Goodreads Author)
Bigtime, New York, is not big enough for both Carmen Cole and the superheroes and ubervillains who stalk its streets. An intrepid reporter, Carmen's dedicated her life to unmasking the spandexwearers, all because her fiancé turned out to be a superhero, and a cheating one at that-sleeping with none other than his nubile nemesis.
Exposing the true identities of the nation'...more
Exposing the true identities of the nation'...more
Paperback, 360 pages
Published
May 1st 2007
by Berkley
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WOW! That was SO INCREDIBLY CHEESY, it should win a cheese award! But a GOOD cheese award (cheddar/mozzarella/swiss/provolone)... as opposed to a BAD cheese award (Kraft Singles/American/Velveeta).
This book was FUNNY and CUTE and SILLY and UTTERLY-RIDONKULOUS in ALL the right ways! I LOVED IT! It got a BIT frustrating at times, when Carmen was being dense... (How did she NOT know who Striker and Fiera and Hermit and Malefica were??? But I didn't know who Mr. Sage was, either... (I kept forgetti...more
This book was FUNNY and CUTE and SILLY and UTTERLY-RIDONKULOUS in ALL the right ways! I LOVED IT! It got a BIT frustrating at times, when Carmen was being dense... (How did she NOT know who Striker and Fiera and Hermit and Malefica were??? But I didn't know who Mr. Sage was, either... (I kept forgetti...more
Have you ever wondered what would happen if there were *really* superheroes? Karma Girl describes a world just like ours - except every town has its own superhero and ubervillain. It's just a fact of life.
This author has obviously read her share of comic books, but didn't take them *too* seriously, as so many comic book fans do. In Karma Girl, she has taken a lighthearted poke at the comic book genre and incorporated the fun, funny parts of a comic book world into a fully realized romance story....more
This author has obviously read her share of comic books, but didn't take them *too* seriously, as so many comic book fans do. In Karma Girl, she has taken a lighthearted poke at the comic book genre and incorporated the fun, funny parts of a comic book world into a fully realized romance story....more
I'm a big fan of Jennifer Estep’s Elemental Assassin series and immediately fell in love with the premise and characters of her Mythos Academy series, so I had a hinch that I would be in for a great story when I started reading Karma Girl, but I never expected to be blown away this much!
Karma Girl is the first novel in Jennifer Estep’s Bigtime series which is set in an alternate universe where every town in the world has their own superheroes (“someone who shows up whenever the train runs off th...more
Karma Girl is the first novel in Jennifer Estep’s Bigtime series which is set in an alternate universe where every town in the world has their own superheroes (“someone who shows up whenever the train runs off th...more

WHAT. IN. THE. NAME. OF. BLOODY. HADES. WAS. THAT?!
I..
I don't know how to start..
It was a mesh of complete utter bullshit for most part, bursting it's guts out with a pool full of cliches, what with all that talk of explodium and getting hit by lightening (and not dying or going raving mad, oh no, but gaining SUPERPOWERS instead. HOW ORIGINAL.)- AND THE THING THAT MOST APPALLED ME- the writing was all very amateurish.
I never ever expected that of Estep.
But since this book was written some tim...more
Holy blue eye shadow, Batman! This funny book is a sort of combination of sassy-sexy-chick-lit meets comic-book meets paranormals. On her wedding day, reporter Carmen Cole discovers her husband-to-be in the arms of her best friend and maid of honor. As they go at it, hot and heavy, their clothes reveal that he is the superhero Machinator and she's his arch-enemy, the ubervillan Crusher. Carmen, like any reporter scorned, takes a photo and her first page story revealing their secret identity prop...more
This was on a table at my library because it is in the running for a reader's choice award. Gak! No, no, no! If this qualifies for any award, then the criteria for nomination needs to be seriously looked at.
Here's what I wish for: A funny book. A really funny book. That isn't stupid...isn't raunchy...isn't pathetically unimportant. Is that too much to ask? I can tell the author is trying to be witty and interesting. But the result is embarrassing.
Karma Girl follows a jilted woman who discovers...more
Here's what I wish for: A funny book. A really funny book. That isn't stupid...isn't raunchy...isn't pathetically unimportant. Is that too much to ask? I can tell the author is trying to be witty and interesting. But the result is embarrassing.
Karma Girl follows a jilted woman who discovers...more
Mar 06, 2008
Heather
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone who likes comic books
Recommended to Heather by:
Library-Readers choice
What a great Book!! Reading this book put me back into reading comic books about Superheros, which I haven't done for a very long time! And I think if anyone is looking to read something about fighting evil forces, this would be the one! I was actually surprised that I finished this book in one day, but I just couldn't put it down! Jennifer Estep has done a great job on this book. My praise goes out to her on her first novel
Reading this book also made me think that every one of us in the world,...more
Reading this book also made me think that every one of us in the world,...more
Carmen Cole, betrayed by her fiance (a superhero) and her best friend (a villain) on her wedding day, has dedicated her life to exposing the true identities of superheroes and villains. When her expose leads to the suicide of superhero Tornado, she is torn apart with guilt and retires from the unmasking business. But now uber-villain Malefica has given Carmen a deadline: unmask the Fearless Five (including their sexy leader Striker) or suffer a fate worse than death...
The book has a lot going on...more
The book has a lot going on...more
Ok I loved this book. Loved. It. Not because it's not some literary masterpiece, because it is not, but it is just so fun. I like the Mythos Academy series by Jennifer Estep and that series mentions Karma Girl, Gwen has a poster of her on her wall so I've been curious. I finally got to this series and I'm so glad I did. Yes it has that super cheesy factor, but the writing is engaging, the characters are fun and witty and I just love the writing style. I did not want to put this book down, which...more
For the first half to two-thirds of this book, I was ranking it as a solid five. There's enough plot in the first third alone to satisfy an entire book, and Estep is not afraid to her heroine Carmen screw up hard and face the guilty conscience that comes with it. Carmen is tough, smart, and flawed in ways that are understandable and sympathetic even as you're screaming at her to knock it off before she ruins someone's life. The will-they-won't-they between Carmen and Striker is based upon actual...more
This book really surprised me. Although it is written in a very simple manner and as a whole it's not brilliant, I'd say its a nice book made up of a bag full of cliches, good humor, and cheesy lines.
The main good point of the book is how the author makes fun of its own story, like Carmen's hometown is called Beginnings, instead of really naming it. Or how superheroes and villains are mostly named with the same first letter for name, last name and alternate name for double life. That sort of si...more
The main good point of the book is how the author makes fun of its own story, like Carmen's hometown is called Beginnings, instead of really naming it. Or how superheroes and villains are mostly named with the same first letter for name, last name and alternate name for double life. That sort of si...more
Karma Girl is very different from Jennifer Estep's two urban fantasy series. This is not a criticism, just a statement of fact. I went into Karma Girl expecting a fun, frothy bit of brain candy and that's exactly what the lovely Ms. Estep has delivered!
The Bigtime series is set in a world where superheroes and supervillains are commonplace. It didn't really matter to our plucky heroine, Carmen Cole, until she discovers -- on her wedding day -- that her fiance has been cheating on her with her be...more
The Bigtime series is set in a world where superheroes and supervillains are commonplace. It didn't really matter to our plucky heroine, Carmen Cole, until she discovers -- on her wedding day -- that her fiance has been cheating on her with her be...more
So the re-release of these ebooks is 3 bucks a pop. So I bought all three and started reading.
Two issues each worth removing a star (hence my three star rating):
1. Carmen Cole is to investigative journalism is what Glen Beck is to calm discussion. At first I said "OK", she is heartbroken, angry at the world and might not realize some things. But at some point not recognizing a guy after you have seen him "that" close becomes stupid. I enjoy feeling smart when I solve the mystery a few pages bef...more
Two issues each worth removing a star (hence my three star rating):
1. Carmen Cole is to investigative journalism is what Glen Beck is to calm discussion. At first I said "OK", she is heartbroken, angry at the world and might not realize some things. But at some point not recognizing a guy after you have seen him "that" close becomes stupid. I enjoy feeling smart when I solve the mystery a few pages bef...more
Reviewed by Jen
Purchased for fun
Carmen Cole is getting married. Yet on her wedding day, she feels something is terribly wrong, so she goes to talk to her husband-to-be. But she's in for the shock of her life when she not only discovers her best friend and fiancee' in flagrante delicto, but also that he is a superhero and she is his arch nemesis. Carmen uses her career as a reporter to unmask the two and begins a crusade to expose the identities of other caped crusaders and their arch enemies. He...more
Purchased for fun
Carmen Cole is getting married. Yet on her wedding day, she feels something is terribly wrong, so she goes to talk to her husband-to-be. But she's in for the shock of her life when she not only discovers her best friend and fiancee' in flagrante delicto, but also that he is a superhero and she is his arch nemesis. Carmen uses her career as a reporter to unmask the two and begins a crusade to expose the identities of other caped crusaders and their arch enemies. He...more
Après avoir lu 3 volumes de l'Araignée, j'avais un bon feeling avec Estep donc me suis lancée dans cette série qui m'a agréablement surprise car je m'attendais à une sorte de copie du précédent. Que nenni! Bigtime n'y ressemble en rien: son univers est particulier, le thème quoique désopilant est complètement différent, et le ton accrocheur.
Imaginez un monde comme le notre où chaque ville possède son lot de superhéros et de méchants. Le jour de son mariage la journaliste Carmen Cole découvre no...more
First in the fantasy series, Bigtime, set in a New York City-like location.
I seriously considered a 2.5 except they don't allow for one of those in Goodreads.com.
When I first started reading, I was enjoying it thoroughly. Estep had such an hysterically funny comic book writing style going. I could definitely imagine this as a graphic novel. But then I started getting irritated with the Carmen Cole character. She seemed like such an intelligent woman…how could she not get that she was destroying...more
I seriously considered a 2.5 except they don't allow for one of those in Goodreads.com.
When I first started reading, I was enjoying it thoroughly. Estep had such an hysterically funny comic book writing style going. I could definitely imagine this as a graphic novel. But then I started getting irritated with the Carmen Cole character. She seemed like such an intelligent woman…how could she not get that she was destroying...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Jan 12, 2011
Tracy
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
alternate-universe-fantasy-romance
Carmen Cole is on a mission. When she found her fiance in bed with her best friend thirty minutes before her wedding, something in Carmen broke. When she realized that under the wedding clothing that the two were...er...working around...lay the truth of their secret identities, and that her fiance was her town's superhero and her best friend was the town's ubervillain, she did more than break. She snapped. Pictures that is. Of the two lovebirds doing the deed. Then she ran right to the newspaper...more
I had a lot more fun with this than I thought I would. I like the premise, but wasn't wowed by the sample I downloaded from Amazon, nor was I all that jazzed by my first Estep book Touch of Frost. But Estep has a lot of fans, so I figured I'd check this out to see whether I should bother with Kiss of Frost when it comes out. This was a lot of freakin fun in a guilty pleasure, chick lit for girls who like comics kind of way.
Estep has some fun with comic book conventions. Alliterative names: Fion...more
Estep has some fun with comic book conventions. Alliterative names: Fion...more
This was a very fun read about a woman scorned who just so happened to be a modern day Lois Lane! On the day of her wedding she finds her fiance having sex with her best friend and on top of that they turn out to be a super hero and a ubervillain and she never had a clue! Was she hurt? Heck no she was mad as hell and went on a rampage using her job as a reporter to unmask any and every superhuman she could to exact her revenge. We can already see even this far in that she is gonna find herself i...more
I am severely disappointed by this book. Not that I expect much when I get a book from the clearance section. But only 50 pages in and I already know the rest of the story line. I know who is who, just from the name alliteration. Seriously? I'll keep reading, because it is well written and is an interesting idea, but I know the predictability of it is going to be a let down.
~
That being said, now that I've finished it, I can finish a full review. Yes, it was still predictable and I was surprised...more
~
That being said, now that I've finished it, I can finish a full review. Yes, it was still predictable and I was surprised...more
I felt this book could've been so much more than it was.
The concept was original - out of all the more recent adult urban fantasy/paranormal romance books these days, the idea of a superhero filled world really tickled my interests. I love superheroes and have always wanted to write a superhero-centric novel myself. So I, of course, jumped on Karma Girl. I was so geared up to read it that I got my hands on the sequel ahead of time.
I won't be reading the sequel. This review will contain spoilers...more
The concept was original - out of all the more recent adult urban fantasy/paranormal romance books these days, the idea of a superhero filled world really tickled my interests. I love superheroes and have always wanted to write a superhero-centric novel myself. So I, of course, jumped on Karma Girl. I was so geared up to read it that I got my hands on the sequel ahead of time.
I won't be reading the sequel. This review will contain spoilers...more
These are billed as paranormal romances, but they really are romance novels set in a superhero world. The first book is obviously a spoof. A reporter takes on the mission of exposing secret identities, after her fiancé cheats on her with the Maid of Honor and they turn out to be superhero and supervilliness. This features the idea that the villain is always someone involve the hero’s secret identity. The second book, is a bit more serious, the viewpoint character is a member of a superhero team...more
This is my first foray into superhero fiction, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I have to admit that I've always had a thing for Batman *blush* and wouldn't mind having a sexy superhero of my own.
Some people have complained that the identity of the superheroes was obvious from the beginning. To which I respond, Of course it was! (Jennifer Estep also addresses this concern on her website.) In almost all superhero movies, the identity is blatantly obvious to the viewers. (Clark Kent's disguise of blac...more
Some people have complained that the identity of the superheroes was obvious from the beginning. To which I respond, Of course it was! (Jennifer Estep also addresses this concern on her website.) In almost all superhero movies, the identity is blatantly obvious to the viewers. (Clark Kent's disguise of blac...more
Hell hath no fury than a woman scorned.
On Carmen's wedding day she found out that her fiance and her best friends were entangled in a very shocking way. She literally caught him with his pants down while her best friend moan with pleasure, after her heart shattered into million pieces, the shock did not end there, in the throes of undressing, she caught a glimpse of another clothing underneath, and found out that her fiance was a superhero named Machinator (controls machines with his mind) and C...more
On Carmen's wedding day she found out that her fiance and her best friends were entangled in a very shocking way. She literally caught him with his pants down while her best friend moan with pleasure, after her heart shattered into million pieces, the shock did not end there, in the throes of undressing, she caught a glimpse of another clothing underneath, and found out that her fiance was a superhero named Machinator (controls machines with his mind) and C...more
This was an awesome, quick read that was out of the norm. To be honest, the reason I got the book to read was because I was looking for a book in another one of Estep's series and ran across this cover and it intrigued me. I got the book without ever reading the plot line or anything about it. I'm glad I did. Estep took a simple concept, which seems to have been seriously overlooked by other authors, and made it rock!
I female reporter is set out to unmask all of the superheros and ubbervillians...more
I female reporter is set out to unmask all of the superheros and ubbervillians...more
Oh wow... Karma Girl is ridiculously cheesy. That being said... I liked it. Quite possibly because I'm somewhat of a comic book nerd (to an extent) and this book was all about superheros and ubervillains. Granted it wasn't Superman/Lex Luthor or Batman/The Joker, but still - I liked it.
The story is about Carmen Cole, a young reporter, who on the day of her wedding, discovers her fiance in bed with her best friend (who are also the Machinator - a superhero and Crusher - a villain). Furious, Carme...more
The story is about Carmen Cole, a young reporter, who on the day of her wedding, discovers her fiance in bed with her best friend (who are also the Machinator - a superhero and Crusher - a villain). Furious, Carme...more
So I read this book many years ago and realized the other day it was part of a series. I decided to give it a quick reread so I could check out the rest of the series. Carman had her heart broken by her exfiance and former best friend when she caught them together, on her wedding day....She decides to expose them and soon makes a name for herself unmasking superheroes and ubervillians. Then she gets to Big Time and everything starts going wrong. She ends up reporter for the society page and fall...more
A light, fun, fantastic street view of comic book heros, I enjoyed KARMA GIRL immensely. Carmen Cole is a heroine after any bookworm's heart, leveraging her organizational skills with intuitive leaps to make one heck of a reference librarian (though no librarian would travel with garbage bags full of Xerox copies, Carmen could benefit from the data-savvy of a few actual library science classes). Ultimately, Carmen learns that even without super powers, one must be careful to work for the side of...more
I have a problem with how the main character seems to blame everything on Karma. He does not love me because of Karma when it really is lack of confidence in yourself and faith in the other person. It really was a scapegoat through out the book. I can't do this because my Karma is so bad, it's my fault and gives me bad Karma. Fist off you are not responsible for the decisions that others make, you can only be responsible for your own. Second Karma is more than what come around goes around. It is...more
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| travis alive? | 1 | 4 | Aug 09, 2012 03:37pm |
Jennifer Estep is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, prowling the streets of her imagination in search of her next fantasy idea.
Jennifer writes the Elemental Assassin adult urban fantasy series for Pocket. Books in the series are SPIDER'S BITE, WEB OF LIES, VENOM, TANGLED THREADS, SPIDER'S REVENGE, BY A THREAD, and WIDOW'S WEB. THREAD OF DEATH, an e-novella, is also available.
HAIN...more
More about Jennifer Estep...
Jennifer writes the Elemental Assassin adult urban fantasy series for Pocket. Books in the series are SPIDER'S BITE, WEB OF LIES, VENOM, TANGLED THREADS, SPIDER'S REVENGE, BY A THREAD, and WIDOW'S WEB. THREAD OF DEATH, an e-novella, is also available.
HAIN...more
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“Well, what did you have for lunch?” I snapped. “Surely that’s not top secret superhero information.”
“Steak with mashed potatoes and a side salad,” Striker replied. “And a piece of chocolate cheesecake for dessert.”
I gave up on conversation after that. I was too jealous of the cheesecake to continue.”
—
25 people liked it
“Steak with mashed potatoes and a side salad,” Striker replied. “And a piece of chocolate cheesecake for dessert.”
I gave up on conversation after that. I was too jealous of the cheesecake to continue.”
“Can you play the piano like Beethoven? Or sing like Carly Simon? Can you take fie pages' worth of quotes and turn them into a usable story ten minutes before deadline? I don't think so, unless you have more hidden talents I don't know about. We all have our special sills. They don't make us better or worse than each other. Just different”
—
12 people liked it
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