Killerjoy

Killerjoy is an epic superhero fantasy novel by Jon Negroni. It's the first of a planned trilogy called Origin Stories.

Plot Summary
There are two main characters in Killerjoy. The first introduced is Attle Bowman, an 18-year-old laborer living in the colony city of Carver. The second is Exa, a super-powered mercenary who journeys to Monolith, the capital of the Dominion.

The story follows Attle and Exa in two separate continents, each of them coming into conflict with the lords of the dominion, powerful superheroes-for-hire who use a power called mettle to keep the peace between nations. Attle finds himself caught between the lords and their arch rivals, the masques, who are powerless rogues bent on exposing the corruption of the lords to the populace in Dirthe.

In Genith, the ruling continent of the world, Exa goes on a journey to become an elite Haiguard, putting her in the service of the Gentina, who rules the entire dominion and the lords. Along the way, she meets the existing Haiguard and is trained by a mysterious woman who teaches her how to master the Whirle, an "otherworld" that might help her become even more powerful than the lords who rejected her.

Characters
Attle Bowman - a Genith-born laborer who quits his job at the railings of Carver to become a collateral investigator, his first job being the investigation of a gargoyle attack under the Crossway. The story is partly told from his point of view.

Exa - a hellion with unique mettle abilities, also known as "Exa of New Garden." She can walk through walls and cloak herself at will, though only for a few seconds. She has two mysterious horns and is unaware of what they mean. At the age of four, she was kidnapped by Caramen out in the uncharted waters known as the Mavarice. She was later rescued and became a hellion working in New Garden before ultimately journeying to Monolith. The story is partly told from her point of view.

Demaro Jun- a Genith-born lord working for the Foundry, ranked as a third decadent. Jun has both Gage and Ethic mettle. His Gage manifests as ice, and his Ethic allows him to summon a cyclops from the Whirle at will. Originally trained in Sepperlin by his father, Jun traveled to Carver after graduating from patrician. He is also a childhood rival of Attle Bowman. The story is partly told from his point of view.

Gentina Mildren, or "Pollovi" - the current Gentina of the dominion, ruling most of the world except for Joal. Mildren spent her younger years traveling the Mavarice as a warlord before ultimately taking on the responsibility of Gentina in place of her sister, Gentina Noe.