History Literature / AllThoseExplosionsWereSomeoneElsesFault

** '''Aria:''' ComicBook/BlackCanary ([[MakeMeWannaShout Ultrasonic Scream]]), [[ComicBook/FantasticFour Sue Storm]] ([[BarrierWarrior Force Fields]]), + {{Flight}}

* BadassBookworm: All four main characters are studying STEM fields, and are therefore able to approach many situations with a strong scientific stance. Taken UpToEleven with Jools, who goes from being the most athletic, yet the least bookish, of the four to a literal human library with the fighting strength and abilities of ComicBook/CaptainAmerica.

* ScrewedByTheLawyers: A hilarious In-Universe example involving [[spoiler:Diamond]]: he used to put background music in his evil speeches before uploading them to Website/YouTube, only to have them pulled after copyright claims by BMI and ASCAP.

** [[spoiler:Kim feels this way about Shar's ability, after, when they're all attacked by Lilith and her henchmen, Shar ''takes over'' Kim's body without asking in order to see what's occurring through Kim's eyed. Kim is ''fully concious'' of what is happening, and likens it to being "violated". It causes a serious strain on their friendship for a while, although Kim is later able to admit that, as much as they hate what happened, they understands Shar did it for the right reasons]].

The novel's narrator is 21-year-old Chinese-Canadian college student Kim Lam, who, along with her friends and housemates - glamourous Miranda, [[BrilliantButLazy cavalier]] Jools and [[TheReliableOne level-headed]] Shar - is caught in a [[FreakLabAccident Dark experiment]] that accidentally gives her and her friends astonishing superpowers, thus inducting them in the ranks of Sparks, despite their utter lack of experience or desire to fight evil. It's not long before they discover that a particularly notorious supervillain has set a plan in motion that will test their newfound abilities to their limits. As Kim says, "Spectacularity ensued".

* AmazonBrigade: The team, a group of superpowered young women who end up standing together against an incredibly dangerous foe.

* AuraVision: Kim's "Spark-o-Vision" allows her to see when her team-mates use their abilities, represented by auras of different colours (Jools is green, Miranda gold, and Shar violet/purple). She can also see invisible magic and Spark tech this way.

* ChekhovsSkill: One of Kim's main abilities is her [[{{Sizeshifter}} size shifting]]. At one point, she accidentally goes from miniscule to near full size directly under Jools' chin, knocking her out cold due to her mineral form. She later weaponizes this as an attack against an enemy.

* FeministFantasy: The protagonists are four hyper-smart young women who are imbued with incredible superpowers and must work together to take on a maniacal supervillian.

* MagicVersusScience: It's clearly stated that the two cannot be used at the same time, and in many cases, cancel each other out. Whether this is a result of the Dark and Light being diametrically opposed or simply an incompatibility between the two is unknown. [[spoiler:Diamond actually exploits and weaponises this incompatibility in his plot to destroy the Dark, inventing a machine that imbues anyone caught in it with Spark powers. Any Darklings and most normal humans exposed have a brief period wherein they're incredibly powerful - before they explode spectacularly]].

** [[spoiler:Kim feels this way about Shar's ability, after, when they're all attacked by Lilith and her henchmen, Shar ''takes over'' Kim's body without asking in order to use her ability to attack one of the monsters. Kim is ''fully concious'' of what is happening, and likens it to being "invaded". It causes a serious strain on their friendship for a while, although Kim is later able to admit that, as much as she hates what happened, she understands Shar did it for the right reasons]].

** Kim's "Spark-o-Vision" is a limited version of this, allowing her to psychically cast her vision ''in every direction'', and perceive far more of the world around her than is available to her eyes. It sort of works much like the camera in a ThirdPersonShooter video game, albeit with ''much'' greater range, and the ability to see through walls.

** If Zircon shrinks small enough, she's essentially able to fly due to being so light, she can ride the air currents much like an insect would. Unfortunately, this also means that she's at the mercy of wind currents, changes in momentum can send her careening off in any direction, and she's only as fast as she can flap her arms.

** Grandfather says that Sparks have also always existed in the shadows, and that it was the first appearance of the Spark he nicknames "Big Blue" (strongly implied to be {{Superman}}) that led to their own public emergence.

* RealityEnsues:

** A hilarious example involving [[spoiler:Diamond]]: he used to put background music in his evil speeches before uploading them to Website/YouTube, only to have them pulled after copyright claims by BMI and ASCAP.
-->'''[[spoiler:Diamond]]:''' Note to self: [[EvilIsPetty fill their headquarters with anthrax]].

* LawyerFriendlyCameo: The two characters at the centre of the story that Kim relates about the first time Sparks appeared are all but outrightly stated to be this universe's version of {{Superman}} and ComicBook/LexLuthor.

* Literature/GoblinMarket: There's an actual one which Popigai's forces attack, and becomes the site of the team's first major heroic effort. The poem itself is also mentioned before they enter, as an example to why one should never make deals with goblins.

* AbsoluteXenophobe: [[spoiler:Diamond's ultimate goal is to wipe out all Darklings on Earth, believing them to be nothing more than AlwaysChaoticEvil monsters]].

** [[spoiler:Diamond]] as well, with his enclosed battle suit, mad genius abilities, foreign background, and lofty world-ending goals, could be seen as one for ComicBook/DoctorDoom.

** '''Aria:''' ComicBook/BlackCanary (ultrasonic scream), [[ComicBook/FantasticFour Sue Storm]] (force fields), + flight

** '''Zircon:''' ComicBook/AntMan (SizeShifter), ComicBook/EmmaFrost (changing to a hardened mineral form)

* CrapsackWorld: Although not as obvious as it might seem at first glance, the world the characters inhabit is almost completely ruled by creatures of darkness, who treat regular human beings as second-class citizens at best. The worst examples of the Dark don't even care about breaking the Dark Pact, and are more than willing to kill and consume normal humans if they think they can get away with it. And sure, Sparks exist, but consider that all the rules of collateral damage still apply, with a battle between the two sides having the potential to do enormous devastation. It gets to the point where the book makes it ''very'' clear that, unless you keep your head down, it can be just as easily bitten, zapped or blown off at a moment's notice.

* AnArmAndALeg: [[spoiler:Diamond]] wears a glove that shoots incredibly powerful miniaturized missiles from the palm as part of his battle suit. Unfortunately, he doesn't consider what might happen if he fires one while a {{Sizeshifter}} made of one the hardest, most resilient minerals on Earth happens to sneak inside the barrel...

** Grandfather says that Sparks have also always existed in the shadows, and that it was the first appearance of the Spark he nicknames "Big Blue" (strongly implied to be {{Superman}}) that led to their own public emergence.

* MeaningfulName: Discussed when the team are trying to come up with their Spark names. Kim, being a geology major, decides on Zircon, a mineral known for its physical resistance and ageless properties; sports-mad Jools calls herself Ninety-Nine, after UsefulNotes/WayneGretzky's hockey number; Shar calls herself Dakini, both the name of female spirits from Hindu mythology, as well as a term for human women with a certain amount of spiritual development, which Shar, being the most spiritually-grounded of the four definitely is; and Miranda, already a skilled singer before being granted a super-powered voice, goes by Aria.

* CaptainErsatz: The two characters at the centre of the story that Kim relates about the first time Sparks appeared are all but outrightly stated to be this universe's version of {{Superman}} and ComicBook/LexLuthor.

* BadassBisexual: Kim, who has a preference for women, but was also in a serious relationship with Nicholas Vandermeer prior to his conversion to the Dark.

* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: Most vampires in general are presented like this, with specific mention going to Lilith.

* MindRape: [[spoiler:Kim feels this way about Shar's ability, after, when they're all attacked by Lilith and her henchmen, Shar ''takes over'' Kim's body without asking in order to use her ability to attack one of the monsters. Kim is ''fully concious'' of what is happening, and likens it to being "invaded". It causes a serious strain on their friendship for a while, although Kim is later able to admit that, as much as she hates what happened, she understands Shar did it for the right reasons]].

* AuraVision: Kim's "Spark-o-Vision" allows her to see when her team-mates use their abilities, represented by auras of different colours (Jools is green, Miranda gold, and Shar violet/purple). She can also see Spark tech this way.

* ChekhovsSkill: One of Kim's main abilities is her [[{{Sizeshifter}} size shifting]].At one point, she accidentally goes from miniscule to near full size directly under Jool's chin, knocking her out cold due to her mineral form. She later weaponizes this as an attack against an enemy.

* ChekhovsSkill: One of Kim's main abilities is her [[{{Sizeshifter}} size shifting]]. On more than one occasion, she goes from miniscule to near full size directly in front of someone, startling them. She later weaponizes this in combination with her mineral form when she does the trick ''directly'' under an enemy's chin, smashing them out cold.

* OneSteveLimit: Amusingly discussed when the team are choosing their names. Both Kim and Shar think that Miranda - being a blonde, statuesque, classically-trained opera singer with a super-powered voice - think that she should go by Valkyrie, only to be informed by Jools that there are ''numerous'' Sparks bearing the name.