Sara’s Review: Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson (audiobook)

Steelheart (Reckoners #1)
written by Brandon Sanderson
published by Delacorte Press, 2013

find it here: (affiliate links) Barnes & Noble, Amazon, iBooks, Book Depository, Goodreads

Did I enjoy this book: I love, love, loved it! I listened to all 12+ hrs of the audiobook in less than a week. I was totally hooked!

I have always enjoyed Sanderson’s world building, and this book is no different. Despite it being less fantasy and more real-world based, I still loved it. It’s interesting to think about what would happen to our real world if all of a sudden people with superpowers appeared. And in our reality, would we really expect them to be heroes rather than villains? Seems to me this is a dim yet truthful representation of mankind.

I loved the characters! David is a fun protagonist to follow—he has a hilarious habit of using awful metaphors that had me (and characters in the story) laughing out loud. I actually found myself wondering how the heck Sanderson managed to come up with all the ridiculous metaphors David used. He must have spent a good deal of time thinking about metaphors that don’t make any sense, because they really don’t come to you easily.

Also, either David or Sanderson really really Really doesn’t like handguns . . . I felt like at least 1/4 of David’s dialog is about how rifles are infinitely better than handguns. I have to say I really don’t care, nor am I confident that I could identify a rifle if my life depended on it. For the first half of the book I was thinking of a shotgun every time they talked about a rifle, so needless to say, I was a bit confused by why David thought his rifle would be more accurate than a handgun . . .

The plot is exciting and moves well. I did find it a tiny bit hard to believe that David as the 18-year-old newcomer to the Reckoners joins the team and becomes the “expert” when the rest of the team has been fighting Epics for half a decade. And as for David’s “Plan to Defeat Steelheart”—that’s his life’s work? Well, let’s just say I wasn’t too impressed . . . it seemed like a pretty weak plan to me, and yet the Reckoners are totally willing to throw all-in with this detail-less plan.

As for Megan, I loved her! I knew a little bit about her secret because of having already read Mitosis (you can read my review here), but I was certainly in the dark about the twist until right before it’s revealed. I am excited to find out whether we will learn more about Megan in the second book as her ending was a little uncertain.

 

Would I recommend it: This is an awesome book, and I started into the second book right away after finishing it. I would certainly recommend this book! Pick it up and enjoy!

About the book – from Goodreads: 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.