Hello Book Lovers,
Today I bring to you a review of Steelheart, the first book in the Reckoners series by one of my favorite authors – Brandon Sanderson published on 26th September 2013 with 386 mind blowing pages. It is published by Delacorte Press and is categorized as a Young Adult Fantasy novel.
What is it about?
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 will.
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.
Review
I fell in love with Brandon Sanderson’s writing ever since I read Skyward earlier this year. He has quickly gotten into my list of auto – buy authors and I do not regret it. Steelheart is his lesser known novels and I am smitten with his writing style.
“Where there are villains, there will be heroes. Just wait. They will come.”
The world building is brilliant! After the world is visited by Calamity, average humans are randomly gifted supernatural powers. These humans are called Epics, and they are not the heroes everyone hoped they would be.
While it is a classic good vs evil story , there is a sense of a deeper meaning and understanding to the story. We experience the vengeful nature of David, corruption which to some extent some real life moral dilemmas.
Also, absolutely in awe with the complex magic system!
“The truth is not a downer,” Abraham said in his lightly accented voice. “The lies that you pretend to accept are the true downer.”
The plot is fast paced and totally entertaining. I did see a few plot twists coming and some of them just blew my mind away! The characters in this group are quite eccentric and each stand out distinctly.
“Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
There are a few slang words which I believe are made up words but I chose to ignore that tiny detail. We also have a love interest which I did not really ship together though! I honestly would not like this book any less if there wasn’t a love interest or not!
I mean we have Epics who have superhero powers but they aren’t super heroes? Super heroes are evil, and we have to fight them. Amazing technology as human beings as well like tensors that can break any obstacle and a jacket that can save you from any injury. Yes please! What’s not to like?
David is funny and also realistic. I like how he is portrayed in the book and would like to see more of such traits in YA. As a character, he obviously is the clever one and strives to achieve what he wants but at the same time just like any other teen , he is more into finishing the goal front of him than looking at the bigger picture.
Overall, I would totally recommend this book and the author as well. He truly is a genius!
I would read his grocery list if I can:P
Rating: ★★★★
This book is being added to my TBR