Firefight (The Reckoners #2) – Brandon Sanderson

Title: Firefight (The Reckoners #2) by Brandon Sanderson
Publishing Info: January 6, 2015 by Random House Publishing Group
Source: Audible
Genres: Dystopian, Science Fiction, Superheroes, Young Adult
Find it on the web: Buy from Amazon // GoodreadsDate Completed: February 8, 2015
Related Posts: Mistborn: The Final Empire (Mistborn #1), The Well of Ascension (Mistborn #2), The Hero of Ages (Mistborn #3), The Alloy of Law (Mistborn #4), Legion (Legion #1) & Legion: Skin Deep (Legion #2), , The Emperor's Soul, The Eleventh Metal (Mistborn #0.5), , Firstborn, Shadows of Self (Mistborn #5), The Bands of Mourning (Mistborn #6), Calamity (The Reckoners #3), , Perfect State, Mistborn: Secret History (Mistborn #3.5), Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell, Elantris, The Rithmatist (Rithmatist #1), Warbreaker (Warbreaker #1), The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive #1), Snapshot, Words of Radiance (The Stormlight Archive #2), Edgedancer (The Stormlight Archive #2.5), Oathbringer (The Stormlight Archive #3)

    They told David it was impossible--that even the Reckoners had never killed a High Epic. Yet, Steelheart--invincible, immortal, unconquerable--is dead. And he died by David's hand.
Eliminating Steelheart was supposed to make life more simple. Instead, it only made David realize he has questions. Big ones. And there's no one in Newcago who can give him the answers he needs.
Babylon Restored, the old borough of Manhattan, has possibilities, though. Ruled by the mysterious High Epic, Regalia, David is sure Babylon Restored will lead him to what he needs to find. And while entering another city oppressed by a High Epic despot is a gamble, David's willing to risk it. Because killing Steelheart left a hole in David's heart. A hole where his thirst for vengeance once lived. Somehow, he filled that hole with another Epic--Firefight. And he's willing to go on a quest darker, and more dangerous even, than the fight against Steelheart to find her, and to get his answers.

** This is a spoiler-free review for FIREFIGHT but there WILL be spoilers for book one, STEELHEART, if you have not read it. Readers be warned! **

Well, Brandon Sanderson, you did it again. I start a series, I binge read everything. Except unlike when I started Mistborn, I have no where else to go from here. FIREFIGHT just came out January… and I think I’ll be waiting another YEAR for CALAMITY (but then again, I guess I can always read more Sanderson books in between that time, right? RIGHT). Anyway — my point is that I just ended up loving these books so much that once I started, I couldn’t stop!!

FIREFIGHT was a special kind of book to me because so many big bullet points about it about it SHOULD have made it fall into the “second book in a series syndrome” category but it definitely did NOT. AND I REJOICED! This really made the book even more magical. I realized it while I was reading but once I finished, it dawned on me that not only was this book great in general, but Brandon Sanderson managed to turn things that I usually don’t get along with into things that I ended up loving and appreciating. I guess it really, truly does depend on the book and how it’s put together!

But that realization aside, FIREFIGHT was already awesome. The action and intensity definitely increased a notch but the same characters and overall goals were there. FIREFIGHT actually takes place halfway across the country from STEELHEART and that actually didn’t bother me like it usually does. The plot felt gracefully carried over and ultimately connected so the change in scenery was actually welcome and interesting instead of foreign. It opened up a new part of this altered world to me and I loved discovering it alongside David. (He’s also a great tour guide to follow!) Even though Steelheart has been eliminated, there are always more Epics to stop so the action definitely doesn’t stop with Steelheart’s defeat. In fact, things continue to escalate and as the characters come to know more about each Epic as well as their abilities, the plot continues to thicken!

We meet a new cast of characters to accompany some familiar faces like David and Prof. I usually have a hard time getting to know a bunch of new characters later in a series simply because I’ve become attached to the original ones, but I actually really liked the newbies too! I don’t think I connected to them AS much but I always felt like their presence was vital to the story and it was interesting to see a different string of Reckoners!

In true Sanderson form, of course there are some GREAT SURPRISES. They kill me but oh, how I love them. As you can see from my status updates below, some of them really caught me off guard and some of them absolutely terrified me but all of that really just enhanced my reading experience. Once again, I was afraid of ugly sobbing in my car as I listened to the audiobook, but that’s just a sign of a really great connection to the book so I always take that as a win! I really become attached to these characters and after I finished the book, I was already missing this crew and that feeling I had as I was reading.

FIREFIGHT just continued another great series from Brandon Sanderson and I will constantly be awaiting his next book so I can quickly gobble it up and then feel full and hollow all at once! I’m so glad to have started this series and I’ll be anxiously awaiting CALAMITY to see what in the world will possibly happen next!

(And yes, Megan is noticeably absent from my review. I had to go find out what happened to her, where she went, and what everything means for her and David in this book so you will too! Trust me — it’s all worth it.)

AUDIOBOOK IMPRESSIONS

Thank you again to Audible for hooking me up with this audiobook to review! As always, MacLeod Andrews is flawless. I just LOVE his narration and GOSH, these books. I mean, between Sanderson and his narration, I just FEEL all the feels, you know? These aren’t even crying books but somehow I sobbed at both. A huge bravo and I highly recommend his narrations!

“The View from Goodreads” is a featured section in my reviews that I decided to incorporate! I tend to update my Goodreads status a LOT when I read — reactions, feelings, notes — so I thought it would be fun to share the sort of “reading process”! All status updates are spoiler-free (no specific plot points will be revealed) but will contain reactions to certain pages and/or characters!

David // Character Obsessions: Megan, heroism, answers, teamwork, improvising.
I still love David. He just feels like such a REAL person. Maybe he reminds me of someone I know? But there’s just something about him that makes him so charismatic. He really just leaps off the page and I totally have a soft spot for him!
Epics // Character Obsessions: Power, domination, control.
WELL. There were some new characters in this book, but I’d rather talk about the Epics for a minute. The reader really gets to peel another layer back in the history and functionality of the Epics and it is just SO interesting. I love seeing even further into what makes them tick and I can’t wait to see what other kind of information pops up in the next book!

Kept Me Hooked On: Book two, apparently! I can really think of soooo many times that book two has been my least favorite in a series and somehow FIREFIGHT just totally blew me away. This is what a second book SHOULD feel like!
Left Me Wanting More: Original team. I actually wasn’t missing them as much as I normally would but I really did miss the other pieces of the original team that didn’t travel with David and Prof. Wondering if there will be a big reunion in the last book? I’m hoping everything comes back together because I grew to love them and want to see them back in the action!

Addiction Rating
Buy it!

Ahhhh I am so in love with this series. Something about it is just so refreshing and addicting. I’m already anxious for more and this book only just came out!

BOOKS LIKE FIREFIGHT

(Click the cover to see my review!)