So yeah, I love Kickstarter. Bands, books, video games… I adore finding interesting projects and donating a little bit of money to help something I believe in. And this book, The Girl Who Would Be King by Kelly Thompson, was a book I was particularly psyched about. I even included it in my lil’ BookRiot roundup in September.

I found out about the book after a post on USA Today’s PopCandy alerted me to it and the Kickstarter campaign. I read some samples on Kelly’s website and was immediately gripped. What can I say? I love me some angst filled YA with super powers.

I pledged to the Kickstarter and happily watched as the pledges soared up, reaching over three times the original goal. The end result? One hell of a gorgeous book. THIS is how you self publish, people.

Unfamiliar with the book? Here’s the synopsis from Amazon.

A novel about two teenage girls with superpowers and radically different agendas, destined for a collision that will rock the world:

Separated by thousands of miles, two young women are about to realize their extraordinary powers which will bind their lives together in ways they can’t begin to understand.

Protecting others. Maintaining order. Being good. These are all important things for Bonnie Braverman, even if she doesn’t understand why. Confined to a group home since she survived the car accident that killed both her parents, Bonnie has lived her life until now in self-imposed isolation and silence; but when an opportunity presents itself to help another girl in need, Bonnie has to decide whether to actually use the power she has long suspected she has. Power that frightens her.

Across the country, Lola LeFever is inheriting her own power by sending her mother over a cliff…literally. For Lola the only thing that matters is power; getting it, taking it, and eliminating anyone who would get in the way of her pursuit of it. With her mother dead and nothing to hold her back from the world any longer, Lola sets off to test her own powers on anyone unfortunate enough to cross her. And Lola’s not afraid of anything.

One girl driven to rescue, save, and heal; the other driven to punish, destroy, and kill.

And now they’re about to meet.

The Book: Ah, this book. The action packed story is just as riveting as the wonderful characters. One, a girl who wants to be a superhero, the other, a girl who wants exactly the opposite. As you can expect, the two eventually have one hell of an epic clash.

Lately I feel like I’ve spent a lot of time with YA leading ladies who have been… oh, I don’t know, not as bad ass as they should have been. These two? Amazing. Tough. Violent. Very dark, very fun.

It’s the perfect read for fans of comic books and dark adventure stories. If you’re the kind of reader who was thrilled with action in The Hunger Games and loves the characters in  graphic novels, this might be right up your alley.

The Art: So even if you didn’t pre-order the gorgeous hardcover with the limited edition art, the book still has one beautiful cover. And the interior is full of gorgeous artwork.

You can scope out the whole process regarding the cover art over on Thompson’s blog. Check that out here. Some awesome original sketches there. I don’t know how she chose.

The Verdict: Buy it. Immediately. Devour it and love it. You can pick up the eBook for your Kindle on Amazon for only $4.99. I do hope Kelly makes hardcovers available on her website at some point, because wow, that art. You need it.