mpdavis's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
dryhop's review against another edition
5.0
So I'm a pretty big Brandon Sanderson fan which is honestly the only reason I probably read this book in the first place. I grew tired of YA several books back when all of the plots seemed to be exactly the same in an ever so slightly different setting. This one broke that mold quite nicely and I'm pretty sure I devoured it in two days.
The characters were all uniquely motivated and not necessarily all toward the same task. The reveals were all excellent, as Sanderson does, and the pacing was quick, particularly for one of his books. I liked the idea that the bad guys were the ones with powers. It isn't necessarily a super creative twist (think every Dark Wizard who takes over the land only to be bested by a dude in a loincloth with a sword) but it was well executed and created a fascinating setting. The way the characters discover to battle the Epics is also fascinating and creates a depth even to the bad guys in the story. It was a wonderful read and I will definitely be finishing the series.
The characters were all uniquely motivated and not necessarily all toward the same task. The reveals were all excellent, as Sanderson does, and the pacing was quick, particularly for one of his books. I liked the idea that the bad guys were the ones with powers. It isn't necessarily a super creative twist (think every Dark Wizard who takes over the land only to be bested by a dude in a loincloth with a sword) but it was well executed and created a fascinating setting. The way the characters discover to battle the Epics is also fascinating and creates a depth even to the bad guys in the story. It was a wonderful read and I will definitely be finishing the series.
diamondpwrites's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
ailengarcia's review against another edition
5.0
Este libro es I N C R E I B L E
Te tiene todo el tiempo en vilo, la acción es prácticamente constante y tiene unos plot twist tremendos.
No sé cómo no había leído nada de Sanderson hasta ahora, es un genio. Necesito más, muuuucho más de él
Te tiene todo el tiempo en vilo, la acción es prácticamente constante y tiene unos plot twist tremendos.
No sé cómo no había leído nada de Sanderson hasta ahora, es un genio. Necesito más, muuuucho más de él
momreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
To be honest, if this had been my first Sanderson book, I probably would have given it 4.5 stars. The first part of the book wasn't really holding my attention. Then about half way through I started caring more about the characters. Mostly David. There were some complete surprises at the end that I loved and a few things that I had guessed and was right about. Overall, a fun book. Look forward to reading the next in the series.
lahren's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A decent book, though not my favorite of Brandon's work.
As per usual, Brandon developed a really interesting wold and premise. I know the concept of supers being the villains isn't new, but this take on it did feel fairly fresh. I kept thinking that things in the book felt predictable and that I knew how things were going to end, but I ended up being surprised and nothing ended as I expected.
However, I just really did not like David (our protagonist). The way he was written and the voice he was given just had a way of making me feel very much like this book (or at least, the potential to connect with the MC) was written for a tweenage boy and definitely not for me. I found a lot of the humor and the quirks our MC had reminding me of the things I didn't like about Percy Jackson, and it just made the reading experience very tiring at certain points. On one hand, I acknowledge the fact that I'm probably not the intended audience for this book in the first place and that not every book has to be for me, but on the other I just found it particularly disappointing because I think I could have really really loved this book if Brandon had written David to be more like literally any other character he's written (except maybe Lift lol).
As per usual, Brandon developed a really interesting wold and premise. I know the concept of supers being the villains isn't new, but this take on it did feel fairly fresh. I kept thinking that things in the book felt predictable and that I knew how things were going to end, but I ended up being surprised and nothing ended as I expected.
However, I just really did not like David (our protagonist). The way he was written and the voice he was given just had a way of making me feel very much like this book (or at least, the potential to connect with the MC) was written for a tweenage boy and definitely not for me. I found a lot of the humor and the quirks our MC had reminding me of the things I didn't like about Percy Jackson, and it just made the reading experience very tiring at certain points. On one hand, I acknowledge the fact that I'm probably not the intended audience for this book in the first place and that not every book has to be for me, but on the other I just found it particularly disappointing because I think I could have really really loved this book if Brandon had written David to be more like literally any other character he's written (except maybe Lift lol).
shoham17's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
lcalbie's review against another edition
4.0
I liked the book, and didn't realize it was a series but I don't think I'll read any more of them. It was an entertaining story in a post-apocalyptic world (I just have too many other books on my plate right now).
pixelski's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars. I am so sad. I wanted so hard to love this but the main character just ruined everything. I find that I usually have problems with at least 1 of the MCs in most of Sanderson's books ): in the case of Steelheart it was first person which annoyed the hell out of me. David was infuriating, naive and an idiot. How on earth did he manage to survive on his own for 10 years? On sheer stupidity? Ugh. At least the ending was pretty good.