I went into The First by Kipjo K. Ewers blind without any knowledge of the publication history. I just assumed it was a new release that was a bit of a period drama as it's set in 2008. So I was shocked to find that it was published in 2013 and that two more installments were already published. This book is so incredibly good, I can't believe I haven't heard of this series until now. 

The novel centers on Sophia Dennison, a doctor in her 30s who is sentenced to death for the murder of her husband. She maintains her innocence all the way to her execution. Just minutes after this execution, she comes back to life with brand new super powers that continuously adapt to her injuries. 

The central conflict is the mystery of where her powers came from and who the real murderer of her husband is. Following Sophia through the unraveling of these questions also sheds greater light on what a layered and fascinating character she is. I love that she's able to be ruthless in getting justice against genuinely terrible people and the narrative doesn't demonize her for it. 

This novel is very much a gritty super hero origin story. Ewers writes specifically to this genre, embracing, joking with, and averting the common convention. My only criticism is from the villain monologuing that over-explained the story unrealistically since there was no reason for the villains to start explaining things other than to helpfully provide valuable information to the reader and the characters. That is element of the super hero genre, so it's hard to be too critical. But it was a little annoying.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.