Realignment by Bibi Heartsglow

You might like this book if you:

• Have read Induction by Syntax Takes and are eager to see Volta and Carmen again

• Are looking for a funny book with a whole lot of puns

• Like seeing representation of neurodivergent characters (autism)

• Can relate to sisterhood dynamics, especially one being protective of another

• Enjoy puns. No really, like… a whole lot of puns

Realignment is the fifth published book in The Korps Universe. Just like the other books in this shared universe, it brings new perspectives and subgenre elements to the table. In this case, neurodivergence is featured prominently, and there's a big focus on humor. While other Korps books have some hilarious moments (see that powdered sugar scene in Dissolution that still makes me giggle), this story is packed full of laughs that make it one of the most enjoyable Korps Universe books yet.

Realignment starts off with Lawful Neutral--a superhero who (I kid you not) activates her powers by making puns. The specific power she gets depends on the pun, setting up so much potential for hilarious and creative powersets that the possibilities immediately drew me in. Indeed, the author takes full advantage of those possibilities and creates powers for Lawful Neutral to use with wild abandon. Does this result in broken powersets that often don't make sense? Yes. Do I care in a story that's meant to be funny and in a series that's profoundly unapologetic? No. I recommend reader's similarly suspend their disbelief going into this one. It's far more fun that way.

Lawful Neutral's civilian identity is a demimorph named Ellen Foxpaw (In this universe, demimorph is the term used for people who have animal traits, like ears and tails, but are otherwise human). Ellen works as a hero, a surprisingly low-paying job, to support herself and her twin sister Vixie, who the world has heartlessly ostracized for being autistic. As in the other Korps books, the oppression of hero groups and the ostracizing of a bigoted society starts pushing Ellen and Vixie toward the Korps, but this time there are some familiar faces there to also pull them in.

This book sees the return of Volta and Carmen in a main role. They first appeared in the book Induction by Syntax Takes, and I'd been anticipating their return, so it was great to see them again. Lawful Neutral encounters Volta, now known as the villainous Redline, repeatedly in the course of her hero work, and the two have formed a charming villain-hero dynamic that of course comes into play as Ellen and Vixie start to see hero society for what it truly is. So fans of that first book will have a lot of fun with this one, since they're already familiar with some of the characters.

Regardless of if they've read about Volta and Carmen before, I think all readers will enjoy the newcomers Ellen and Vixie. The funniest people are often the most complicated behind the scenes, and Ellen certain fits that bill. Meanwhile, Vixie struggles against a world that sees her as nothing but a nuisance, and her story thus has a lot to say about respecting autistic people's agency. The sisters' personal struggles forge a deep bond between them, which was refreshing to see in a series that so far has mostly focused on romantic relationships. Family can be a tough topic in queer narratives, and I was happy to see it being tackled in a Korps entry.

I will say the book doesn't focus on their sisterhood as much as I would have liked. The dynamic between Carmen, Volta, and Ellen is given a lot more attention than the dynamic between Ellen and Vixie, especially in the second half. Vixie even sort of fades into the background throughout much of the story. While I think this was at times important for Ellen's character arc, it felt inconsistent with Vixie's character and with the story's focus on sisterhood. For that reason, I wish we could have seen Vixie in a more significant and active role.

And speaking of the second half, this book suffers a bit from feeling like a two-part story. The first half of the book is action-packed, with interesting powers, character dynamics, and story beats. But most of that is replaced in the second half by what feels like a romantic comedy, with Ellen agonizing over a crush. Plenty of readers might enjoy that, but for me it was a bit of a bore by comparison to the first half, and the sudden shift made for an inconsistent tale. So readers should keep that in mind going into the story, as perhaps it will work better if the story shift is expected.

Criticism aside, I must give props to the comedy in this book. It's definitely the funniest Korps book so far, and my copy is annotated with many an "LOL" (literally parts where I laughed out loud). Much of the humor is pun-centric, since that's how Lawful Neutral activates her powers. I think that focus on puns might make some pun-averse readers think they won't enjoy the story, but I personally found this to be a sort of elevated punnyness. The puns aren't often used in a vacuum. They function as part of larger jokes, and that keeps the story from becoming an eye roll fest. So those who don't usually like puns can rest easy if they're considering reading this book.

I'm happy to see The Korps Universe continuing to branch out. As more authors are brought to the table, the universe becomes rich with different perspectives, allowing it to amass a vast collection of subgenres, themes, and adversities. I estimate that The Korps Universe will one day have a book for everyone, and I look forward to being able to make those recommendations. I can't wait to see what's next. Print: https://furplanet.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=1318

eBook: Coming soon, I assume.