All Those Explosions Were Someone Else's Fault: A Novel

Kim Lam is an ordinary college student at the University of Waterloo until a freak lab accident leaves her and three housemates wielding the Spark: superhuman abilities drawn from the decades-long, mostly secret war between the immortal creatures of the Dark and the humans who rose to counter them. Calling herself Zircon, Kim has to learn to control her new powers, design a costume, and pick a hero name that won't embarrass her, all while trying to keep her family and her ordinary life intact.

Along with her housemates -- Jools ("Ninety-Nine"), Shar ("Dakini") and Miranda ("Aria") -- Kim soon discovers that their accident was no accident: it was the opening move of a Mad Genius's scheme, and the four new Sparks are the only ones positioned to stop it. Blending superhero action with campus comedy, the novel plays its capes-and-masks premise for genuine wit while taking its heroines' friendship and growth seriously.