“”Oh Rohan, what is that tone? I know that tone. I hate it. It is the tone of a man about to do something both regretful and stupid.”
He sighed. “Those are my middle names.””
He sighed. “Those are my middle names.””
Suppression of Powers officially rings in the second stage of the Hybrid Helix series, and you better believe the legendary J.C.M. Berne is kicking off the Black Gold arc with an absolute bang. However, I need everyone to please not freak out and stay as calm as possible, because Rohan is really trying to enter his peaceful era to save the day… emphasis being on trying.
The last entry in the series, Eyes of Empire, truly felt like a game-changer in how it brought the scope and the stakes of the story to a whole new level, and that trend only continues in Suppression of Powers. Except, while it is absolutely one of the most packed instalments so far, it somehow also offers some of the most chill and slow-burn vibes in the entire series as we lean more heavily into the cultivation fantasy aspects while Rohan prepares for his most dangerous and challenging conflict yet by, you guessed it, suppressing his powers.
Now, as impressed as I am with Berne’s ambitious vision for this series that is becoming ever clearer with each instalment, the Hybrid Helix series has always been more about the characters than the action/plot for me. So it should come as no surprise when I say that I personally loved the slight decrease in action in Suppression of Powers, as it resulted in some of the best character moments yet for me. Especially the first half of the book almost feels like a bit of a reset for the series and channels the more slice-of-life storytelling style from Wistful Ascending, which really allowed the found family vibes and character-/relationship development to shine.
Don’t get me wrong, Rohan is still an absolute drama magnet with way too many enemies to ever let his life get boring, but we actually get to see him have to accept that he can rely on others to survive instead of just tapping into his Hybrid rage. For me, Wei Li, Tamara, and Rinth absolutely stole the show and had some of the most surprising personal development in Suppression of Powers, and Katya and Ang just continued to cause some of the most hysterically funny situations due to all the culture clashing in combination with their dangerously curious personalities.
The second half of the book definitely ramps up the action again with a ruthless tournament that takes place, and even though I can’t sit here and pretend that that was my favourite part, there is simply no denying that J.C.M. Berne deserves the title of ‘best martial arts combat writer in SFF’. No punches are pulled, both figuratively and literally, which results in one hell of a riveting and tense ending to Suppression of Powers that sets up the sequel with a big ‘oh shit, here we go’ energy that has me SO excited.
I never thought that I would fall so head over heels in love with an action-packed superhero space opera sci-fi adventure with cultivation fantasy vibes, but here we are. Berne continues to find new ways to impress me with his exceptional imagination and exciting storytelling skills in each new instalment, and I think the new Black Gold arc of the Hybrid Helix series could not have started off stronger. It’s got all the humour, heart and dry wit you’ve come to expect, plus it offers so much more found family vibes, dating drama and exciting world building and lore revelations than you ever knew you needed. Just trust the hype, it’s real.
Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
