carlyroth10's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this book! It's about "super heroes", but it's more like people with powers. The good people are the ones without power! Or so you would think. This book has twist left, right, center.
isabellarobinson7's review against another edition
3.0
Rating: 3 stars
So. I come to the predicament once again. Do I compare Brandon Sanderson's non-Cosmere books to his ones set in the Cosmere? Do I knock them down because they are not part of the epic fantasy universe I have come to love? To I give them slack because they are YA and therefore have to appeal to a younger audience?
In general, I prefer adult fiction to YA. When I first realized this, it was an immensely overdue realization, as my main complaint with the majority of YA books I had been reading for the past two or three years was that they were full of whiney teenagers and saturated in every kind of romance trope on the face of this earth. Then, one day, it occurred to me, "Hey, since adults usually read about people their own age, then books written for their age group would have no whiney teenagers!" My long awaited epiphany lead me to one of the best reading years I have had basically my entire life. But, the only problem now is that when I do end up reading the odd YA book every now and then, I very rarely like it.
Steelheart is YA. Does that affect my rating? To some extent, yes, it does. But, this is Brandon Sanderson, so it doesn't affect my rating terribly. His awesome "magic" system was there. His explosive ending was definitely there. His world was toned down for a different age range, and his characters weren't as strong as I feel they could have been, but all things considered it was a good book.
The cursing was strange though. I didn't understand why characters would curse by saying "Calamity!" Like yes I get that Calamity was the big thing in the sky that was giving people magic powers, but how long had it been there? Barely a decade. In Mistborn, they use the Lord Ruler's name as a curse, and in Stormlight they say "Stormfather" but those powerful beings were around for literal centuries to warrant their names usage in such a way (like people didn't just turn up saying "oh my God" a couple of years after Jesus left). That's just me being picky that's all.
And last bad thing: Megan and David. That was weird. A reminder why I (basically) quit YA in the first place.
One thing I did enjoy about Steelheart is that Brandon Sanderson didn't shy away from making his bad guys real bad guys. All too often in YA (every age range really) we see villains who say they are undefeatable and super powerful and then they are tapped once by our protagonist and conveniently fall and die. The Epics in Steelheart were brutal people. They slaughtered children in mother's arms just for the fun of it. One guy bashed someone's skull in with the palm of his hand. These aren't nice guys! And that's the way it should be. It wouldn't make sense if they were any other way.
The stakes were also maintained throughout the book because of this. Some of those Epics were mighty powerful, and seemed impossible to beat. Knowing Brandon Sanderson as an author, I knew none of the characters were really safe, but even if I wasn't well read in his books, I wouldn't be so sure all the main characters would make it through Steelheart.
And the ending of course was incredible (better than the ending of this review which is going to be horribly haphazard), as all Sanderson endings are. We got our epic fight (see what I did there? Epic fight), we got our plot twist, (which I actually did see coming for once, but that didn't affect my enjoyment at all) and it finished by creating twice as many questions as it answered. I also read the novella that goes between books one and two from this series, Mitosis, and although it isn't necessary in order to continue on with the series, it was a fine addition to the world Brandon Sanderson had already established. Rest assured, I will be reading book two.
So in terms of Brandon Sanderson's YA books, I prefer Skyward than Steelheart, but I still love the Cosmere books way more.
So. I come to the predicament once again. Do I compare Brandon Sanderson's non-Cosmere books to his ones set in the Cosmere? Do I knock them down because they are not part of the epic fantasy universe I have come to love? To I give them slack because they are YA and therefore have to appeal to a younger audience?
In general, I prefer adult fiction to YA. When I first realized this, it was an immensely overdue realization, as my main complaint with the majority of YA books I had been reading for the past two or three years was that they were full of whiney teenagers and saturated in every kind of romance trope on the face of this earth. Then, one day, it occurred to me, "Hey, since adults usually read about people their own age, then books written for their age group would have no whiney teenagers!" My long awaited epiphany lead me to one of the best reading years I have had basically my entire life. But, the only problem now is that when I do end up reading the odd YA book every now and then, I very rarely like it.
Steelheart is YA. Does that affect my rating? To some extent, yes, it does. But, this is Brandon Sanderson, so it doesn't affect my rating terribly. His awesome "magic" system was there. His explosive ending was definitely there. His world was toned down for a different age range, and his characters weren't as strong as I feel they could have been, but all things considered it was a good book.
The cursing was strange though. I didn't understand why characters would curse by saying "Calamity!" Like yes I get that Calamity was the big thing in the sky that was giving people magic powers, but how long had it been there? Barely a decade. In Mistborn, they use the Lord Ruler's name as a curse, and in Stormlight they say "Stormfather" but those powerful beings were around for literal centuries to warrant their names usage in such a way (like people didn't just turn up saying "oh my God" a couple of years after Jesus left). That's just me being picky that's all.
And last bad thing: Megan and David. That was weird. A reminder why I (basically) quit YA in the first place.
One thing I did enjoy about Steelheart is that Brandon Sanderson didn't shy away from making his bad guys real bad guys. All too often in YA (every age range really) we see villains who say they are undefeatable and super powerful and then they are tapped once by our protagonist and conveniently fall and die. The Epics in Steelheart were brutal people. They slaughtered children in mother's arms just for the fun of it. One guy bashed someone's skull in with the palm of his hand. These aren't nice guys! And that's the way it should be. It wouldn't make sense if they were any other way.
The stakes were also maintained throughout the book because of this. Some of those Epics were mighty powerful, and seemed impossible to beat. Knowing Brandon Sanderson as an author, I knew none of the characters were really safe, but even if I wasn't well read in his books, I wouldn't be so sure all the main characters would make it through Steelheart.
And the ending of course was incredible (better than the ending of this review which is going to be horribly haphazard), as all Sanderson endings are. We got our epic fight (see what I did there? Epic fight), we got our plot twist, (which I actually did see coming for once, but that didn't affect my enjoyment at all) and it finished by creating twice as many questions as it answered. I also read the novella that goes between books one and two from this series, Mitosis, and although it isn't necessary in order to continue on with the series, it was a fine addition to the world Brandon Sanderson had already established. Rest assured, I will be reading book two.
So in terms of Brandon Sanderson's YA books, I prefer Skyward than Steelheart, but I still love the Cosmere books way more.
ashleykwbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Yet again Sanderson has captivated me. He showed a whole new side of his writing. I love everything I've read by him so far and while I feel this wasn't his strongest nor best it was still amazing and Epic.
All I have to say is I knew it! I saw that twist, I knew just knew that that was going to happen (though not quite in the way I thought and I was wrong about the weakness) but as usual Sanderson made me second guess my thoughts and made me believe I had to be wrong and then BAM what I'd guessed at happened.
Great read I would definitely recommend.
All I have to say is I knew it! I saw that twist, I knew just knew that that was going to happen (though not quite in the way I thought and I was wrong about the weakness) but as usual Sanderson made me second guess my thoughts and made me believe I had to be wrong and then BAM what I'd guessed at happened.
Great read I would definitely recommend.
yeshualr's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
leahegood's review against another edition
4.0
All I can say is...I really hope the next one is as clean as this one, because I really want to read it!
10 years ago, 18 year old David saw his father killed by an Epic. That Epic now rules the city David comes home. Ever since his father's death, David has lived for one thing. Revenge. His father made Steelheart bleed. David is determined to see him bleed again. When he convinces the Reckoners to adopt his mission as there own, his dreams become possible. Maybe. But along the way he begins to see how awful the consequences of his actions could be.
My synopsis can't even begin to describe the complexity of this story. The author crafted a rip-roaring plot that can leave you breathless at times. But he didn't neglect his characters either. I don't think there's a cardboard cutout among them. The author also avoids the stereotypical depressed feel of many dystopian novels. Steelheart is a story about human courage in the face of overwhelming odds. At it's core, it's a story about hope. It's a book you can spend a while thinking about.
The main character did have a crush on a beautiful girl and a few scenes at the beginning made me question where it was going. Like when he awkwardly complimented her on pulling off her dress as part of a Epic fighting mission (she had other clothes on underneath). It never went beyond that, though. Also, if you're sensitive about fighting and gore, this book might not be for you. The author makes the bad guys really, really bad. So if reading about a baby being horrifically killed in its mother's arms is going to give you nightmares, pick something else.
I was impressed and really drawn in by this book. I'm looking forward to the next one.
10 years ago, 18 year old David saw his father killed by an Epic. That Epic now rules the city David comes home. Ever since his father's death, David has lived for one thing. Revenge. His father made Steelheart bleed. David is determined to see him bleed again. When he convinces the Reckoners to adopt his mission as there own, his dreams become possible. Maybe. But along the way he begins to see how awful the consequences of his actions could be.
My synopsis can't even begin to describe the complexity of this story. The author crafted a rip-roaring plot that can leave you breathless at times. But he didn't neglect his characters either. I don't think there's a cardboard cutout among them. The author also avoids the stereotypical depressed feel of many dystopian novels. Steelheart is a story about human courage in the face of overwhelming odds. At it's core, it's a story about hope. It's a book you can spend a while thinking about.
The main character did have a crush on a beautiful girl and a few scenes at the beginning made me question where it was going. Like when he awkwardly complimented her on pulling off her dress as part of a Epic fighting mission (she had other clothes on underneath). It never went beyond that, though. Also, if you're sensitive about fighting and gore, this book might not be for you. The author makes the bad guys really, really bad. So if reading about a baby being horrifically killed in its mother's arms is going to give you nightmares, pick something else.
I was impressed and really drawn in by this book. I'm looking forward to the next one.
theglitterynerd's review against another edition
5.0
This book was amazing! It took me a while to read it, but that was nothing to do with the the book. I was hooked from the word go and hooked right until the end. And that ending!!! Cannot wait for the next book I think it will be just as epic!
kirsteny's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
hgranger's review against another edition
3.0
Not a bad book....but too much talking between the action - could use some more show not tell via dialogue....The twists at the end made it better too; even if one of them was reasonably obvious throughout most of the book.
nevercomemonday's review against another edition
3.0
Fun book with some interesting twists on what would happen in a world with Superheroes. I'm not the target audience for this book but enjoyed it regardless. It was super refreshing after reading the last couple of books on my list, which were very *emotional* and *dark* and *female*. I was excited to see how the characters would figure out the ending and had suspicions I needed confirmed about a certain character and was rewarded. I'll probably be picking up the next book though it's not at the top of my list right now.
This is also my first Brandon Sanderson book. He's been so hyped to me and I saw a lot of good here. Not sure if this is the best thing to read of his out the gate? I'm not sure. Mistborn is definitely on my list and I recently purchased Skyward which I've seen good things about. Will definitely see what else he has to offer.
This is also my first Brandon Sanderson book. He's been so hyped to me and I saw a lot of good here. Not sure if this is the best thing to read of his out the gate? I'm not sure. Mistborn is definitely on my list and I recently purchased Skyward which I've seen good things about. Will definitely see what else he has to offer.
catanami's review against another edition
3.0
Top 3 protagonistas más molestos y estúpidos de la literatura