Saturday, March 8, 2014

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson

There are no heroes.

Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men and women extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics.

But Epics are no friend of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man you must crush his wills. 

Nobody fights the Epics... nobody but the Reckoners. A shadowy group of ordinary humans, they spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them.

And David wants in. He wants Steelheart—the Epic who is said to be invincible. The Epic who killed David's father. For years, like the Reckoners, David's been studying, and planning—and he has something they need. Not an object, but an experience. 

He's seen Steelheart bleed. And he wants revenge.


5 Star Rating
My Recommendation:  So worth it!  Am I upset that he took time from finishing the next book in the Way of Kings series to write this?  HELLZ YES..but adding a YA series to his collection was such a very good idea.  Action packed, humorous, imaginative, climactic and moving.

Recommended Age:  14+  I will try not to be biased in this review, but I can't get enough..can't get enough Brandon Sanderson!  None of his books has ever disappointed.  As an author he has such an amazing way of bringing  unique ideas to his books.  This was a super hero book with what seems to be no true super heroes.  You are rooting for the regular humans in this story and they are all great characters.  Quirky, individual and passionate.  What you think you've figured out, you didn't!  I just knew..KNEW I KNEW what Steelheart's weakness was after the Prologue.  Ehh..wrong!  This book has surprises, shocks and plenty of funny moments.  Just another Brandon Sanderson book to add to the "I highly recommend" list!

Plot/Pace:  Couldn't stop reading.  As a matter of fact, I back-tracked quite a few times to re-read paragraphs.  Just the right measure of excitement and getting to know the characters.  The story didn't lag in place and it was never too complex to follow.  The plot is pretty simple, but well-thought out with victories and disappointments.  As a reader you don't feel like things are always working out perfectly.  And the hidden sub-plot of the labs and testing on superheroes!!!  I can't wait until the next book where that really starts to be revealed.

Imagery:  Well written descriptions of the scenery and characters.  I was able to build in my head a good image of the surroundings and faces.  But things weren't so detailed that I was limited in making the characters my own.  Brandon Sanderson relates a scene in a way that allows you to envision facial expressions without having to spell it out in the sentence.  I became absorbed in reading the story. I felt awkward when David felt awkward; empathy for the Professor when he would lose it and I fell in love with Cody's charm and liveliness.  Now that's some good writing right there!

Romance:  The story has a teen crush element.  It made for some very cute moments with David.  

Action:  Action-packed! The situations they got themselves into were very thrilling.  The book was filled with scenes to show off great weapons and great powers!  When this is made into a movie, and I really hope it is, this will be on par with the new Spiderman and Avengers.

Characters:  Each and every character was so well developed and unique!!  Bad guys, good guys, main characters and secondary!  Each had a personality trait or quirk that made him memorable.  David is a great main character and hero all in one.  He is smart, geeky, awkward and ballsy.  I loved his "inside the mind" conversations.  They brought a lot of humor to the story.  And so did Cody!  The Southern/Scottish character was one of my favorites.  He brought the human aspect to the story, balancing out the revenge with keeping their humanity and compassion.  Sanderson uses each of his characters to develop the story and make it entertaining.

What Irked the Shiznit Out of Me:  Not Applicable :)

What Blew Me Away:   The dialogue and banter between the characters.  The unexpected revelations and twists.

If you like this book, what else might you like???

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