AntiHero


Young Adult - Coming of Age
476 Pages
Reviewed on 10/15/2015
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

J.M. Fibelkorn was born in Kansas in 1990 and has since traveled around the world, visiting many countries including Portugal, Japan, U.K., Mexico, Bahamas, France, Spain, and more. Working towards a Ph.D in Clinical Psychology, J.M. is currently serving with the U.S. Navy and lives in Maryland with her spouse and two dogs.

J.M. Fibelkorn loves writing psychological and supernatural stories and is working on another book with her spouse that follows two detectives who are tracking down a mysterious serial murderer while dealing with their own painful, ongoing histories.

After losing her only sister, Stephanie, in a sudden accident, tragedy deeply incorporates itself in all of J.M.'s stories and novels. However, J.M. also ensures that her sister's positive and optimistic view of the world and future is built into every novel, leaving readers with a bitter-sweet sense of hope.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Romuald Dzemo for Readers' Favorite

What does it feel like to be broken at one’s own early beginnings, neglected, and filled with untold setbacks? AntiHero by J.M. Fibelkorn is a wonderful story of an ordinary young boy whose adolescence is filled with all kinds of vicissitudes. The second year high school senior, Colby Dixon, could not be described as anything but screwed in his early adolescence with home and school life not working out great for him, except the solace he finds in his friendship with Sawyer. But things will change when he finds love and has to create a positive, meaningful response to the harsh blows he’s received from life. Will Colby be up to the task of successfully rebuilding his life, finding true happiness, and reconnecting with those who matter to him?

AntiHero is a beautifully written book, with a stream of consciousness that peels off each page like a bubble. J.M. Fibelkorn’s writing is musical, laced with humor and engaging dialogue that will draw readers in and make them feel like they are a part of it. It is interesting to see how the characters shape into compelling ones. The story is filled with surprises and besides being highly entertaining – all the way from its beautiful language to the surprising events – it is equally educational. Both young and older readers will find lessons about coping with life, taking risks in the name of love, and creating a life of purpose. It is also interesting to see how the hero metamorphoses from a self-absorbed lost soul into a caring giver. Fans of John Green’s books will certainly love this beautiful story.

Francine Zane

In AntiHero by J.M. Fibelkorn, high school senior Colby Dixon learns that love is not always convenient or easy, but what else is new? He has spent a lifetime battling an alcoholic, negligent mother, he can count only one person as a true friend and even she is not aware how bad things really are at home. Then he notices a new blue-eyed boy at school. The attraction is immediate and leads him on a path to lust, heartache, pain, love and personal empowerment, not necessarily in that order.

J.M. Fibelkorn builds AntiHero one layer at a time, allowing the reader to become fully engrossed in the story of the dark horse who sees no future for himself that isn’t filled with loneliness and pain. I was taken on a journey through Colby’s past, his education, his love life and his home life. By the time the book ended, I felt as if I knew Colby, and I cared about his future as much as anyone did.

AntiHero took me on an emotional roller coaster ride, although the first pages were very self-involved and left me wondering why I would possibly care about this loser kid who lived in such a colorless world. Fibelkorn built on that colorless world a layer at a time until I was so enthralled with the book that I didn’t want to put it down. I can see where AntiHero will give readers of all ages hope and an undeniable belief in a high power.

Kim Anisi

AntiHero by J.M. Fibelkorn revolves around the life of teenager Colby Dixon. As the title suggests, Colby is not your traditional hero. He has plenty of weaknesses and attributes that could turn him into a rather unlikable person. He is a very troubled teenager, with a mother who hardly ever is sober, and a best friend who becomes more distant after she started dating a popular guy. As if life wasn't already hard enough, he started falling in love with the broody guy, Christian. Not such a negative development, you would think, right? But what about falling in love with a guy who has blackouts and can't remember certain periods in his life? And what if there is a development that puts your whole world on its head? How can a teenager deal with such things? And will Colby fall deeper into his own problems with alcohol and anger, or will he find a solution for himself and the people around him?

It took me a while to get into AntiHero by J.M. Fibelkorn as the narrative is rather slow at stages. Yet it probably would not be suitable for such a story to be fast paced. The various characters within the novel are very well developed, and you would most likely be able to identify them from their behaviour even if their names were not mentioned. There are some interesting plot twists in the story, and you'll definitely want to keep on reading to find out what Colby will do in the end.