The Rise of Renegade X, by Chelsea M. Campbell

Damien Locke is all set for his 16th birthday - it's the day his life of crime officially begins.  It's basically a technicality - Damien's mom is the mad scientist Mistress of Mayhem, he is a shoe-in for Vilmore Academy, the ultimate school for teenage supervillains and he's already got his supervillain name picked out: Midnight Marauder.  But in Golden City, all supers have a letter appear on their hand on their 16th birthday to make it official - H for heroes and V for villains.  So imagine Damien's surprise when his V doesn't show up, but neither does an H; an X appears instead.
X is rare, so rare that it's pretty much assumed it's an urban legend.  An X happens when someone is half H and half V and it's very rare that heroes and villains have babies together.  Um,  except there is something Damien's mom didn't tell him about what happened approximately 16 years and 9 months ago...  Damien is frantic - no one can find out that he is right on the edge, able to go over to either the hero side or the villain side, based on his behavior over the next few months.  But once Damien figures our who his superhero father is, his mom sends him to live with his dad while she works on her latest evil plan.  Damien has to figure out how to turn himself evil, deal with a new friend determined to be his sidekick or his girlfriend, maybe both, figure out what his superpower actually his and stop his newfound dad from getting killed.  All in a day's work for a future supervillain, or possibly a superhero?

This book has some sexual situations, language and humor that definitely make it more appropriate for older teens, but it is funny and snarky and worth recommending to teens who like fast-paced, action stories, especially with a scifi twist.

SLJ grades 9 and up.