What was most interesting to me was how this book touches on the subject of what it means to be human. There’s a lot of potential to explore this topic with the conflict brewing in Miraji and with the existence of the djinn (and their relationships with mortals). There are also elements of religion in the book, but there is a strong leaning towards atheistic themes, irreverence towards the country’s gods, and the empowerment of humans. However, we only get the MC’s perspective for the most part. I would have liked to see more complexity in the world building with other perspectives presented to us.
The plot was predictable, no real surprises. The MC also shows inconsistencies in character that suggest that, while she is largely independent, she’s easily influenced by her emotions, which is particularly noticeable when she’s in love. While I would have liked to see more development of the character and how she become the person that she is, the inconsistencies in character didn’t detract too much from the read.
This book stays true to what it is: a YA fantasy with a good dose of romance. If you’re looking for an easy read with a straightforward plot, I would recommend this book. Though the world is still underdeveloped (hopefully, more complexity is added with the later books), it is an interesting world to visit.
Content: Kissing, Violence
Series: The Reckoners #1
Published by Delacorte Press on September 24, 2013
Genres: Sci-Fi Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 386
Format: eBook
Source: Library
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.
Recently, I found out about Brandon Sanderon’s Mistborn and Stormlight Archive series. At heart, I’m a fantasy lover and have been looking for books to return to my (reading) roots. I’ve purchased The Way of Kings off Amazon and, while waiting for its arrival, decided to read Steelheart since it was available for digital loan from my local library.
Since Steelheart is a YA novel, I understand that the characters and world building won’t be as intricately developed as Sanderson’s longer fantasy works. While we learn more about the characters as the novel progresses, I didn’t see as much character growth as I would have liked. Events were predictable for the most part and didn’t flow into one another smoothly, though the time skips are understandable given all the waiting that must happen. What kept me turning the pages was my desire to learn why Steelheart bled and how the MC will get him to bleed again.
Overall, Sanderson has created an interesting world that explores the effects of possessing ultimate power: what it does to an individual’s personality, moral code, and attitude towards others. And how their treatment of others will influence the world. I’m not in a hurry to read book two, but I do expect to read it one day in anticipation of how the Reckoners will change the world.
Content: Violence
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Have you read these books? What’re your thoughts?
Author: Crystal
A story girl at heart, Crystal is a bibliophile who can easily spend the day immersed in a good read. She writes under the name Kristy Wang. You can follow her writing adventures on X and Instagram @_kristywang.
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