On Rereads: The Reckoners and A Darker Shade of Magic

On Rereads is a monthly feature on My Thoughts Lit where I talk about the books I reread during the month. It's an opportunity to share some new thoughts on a book I read before and usually to prepare for a new release. For the foreseeable future I plan to do one reread a month so I want to share my thoughts on these books the second time around.

All the amazing books are coming out in the next couple months, amiright? In particular, there are some great sequels and series enders coming out in February, many of which are on my most anticipated books of the year. So to prepare I am reareading the books in their series. As usually these are my audiobooks for the month. But here is my thoughts on these rereads....

The Reckoners Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson

Steelheart -  (Amazon / Goodreads / Audible / My Review)
Mitosis -  (Amazon / Goodreads / Audible)
Firefight -  (Amazon / Goodreads / Audible / My Review)

I am so freaking obsessed with this series. It will always hold a special place in my heart for being my first Brandon Sanderson book. The rest is history but this is the book that started it all. So with Calamity coming out I knew I needed to reread the first books in the series to refresh my memory.

It was honestly a really great choice because these books are so well-plotted with amazing plot twists and big reveals that I was reeling from even the second time around. I remembered a lot of the big stuff but small details had escaped me. Rereading it allowed me to come up with these super harebrained theories about how it will all end. I started Calamity a few days ago and one of my theories has already been proven wrong but this is Brandon Sanderson so I shouldn't be all that surprised.

But what I really liked about this reread was the audio. MacLeod Andrews, the narrator, is a genius. Steelheart is one of my all-time favorite audiobooks and he is a big part of that. Like all really good narrators he does a fantastic job of creating different characters. I love the way he creates David's awkwardness and humor, Megan's jaded snark, and Prof's turmoil and gruff caring. Plus Cody and Abraham! GAH! I had never listened to Firefight before so I was really excited to here the narration for it and wow, was it amazing! I'm reading Calamity but I like the audio so much that down the line I may listen to it too.

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Scwab
(Amazon / Goodreads / Audible / My Review)

This book, ugh, you guys. It's so good. It was my favorite book of 2015 and quickly became a new favorite when I read it last year. It's so freaking amazing. The world is so complex and compelling, the characters are interesting and likable, and the plot is so freaking engaging. I'm super excited for A Gathering of Shadows coming out in less than a week!

Usually with rereads I am excited to read them because I forget little detail about the book and I need a refresher. And that definitely happened here but I remembered a lot more than I thought I did. But because I knew what was coming I felt like I had less patience for the exposition. Now don't get me wrong, I love the world building here but I spent a lot of the beginning thinking "when are Kell and Lila going to meet? When are they doing to Red London? I HAVE FEELINGS!"

But I think that maybe that was because I didn't totally love the audiobook, which made me kind of sad. I was so excited to listen to it because the plot of this book is so amazing and engaging. But the audio slowed things down a little too much for me. The speed was just too even keeled. This is an action-packed book and the narrator had the same tone during exciting action scenes as it did for easy-going explanations. I like my narrators to set the tone for the book and this didn't really do  that for me. And I didn't love the different voices for the characters. Kell was good, Rhy was fun, the voices for Holland and the Danes was not great, but Lila did not work for me at all. It wasn't bad, I just didn't love it.

But despite the fact that I didn't love the audio, I am really glad that I reread this one. I am now totally ready for A Gathering of Shadow. I need more Kell, Lila, and Rhy in my life. *prepares to have mind blown and feels destroyed.*

Have you read the The Reckoners trilogy or A Darker Shade of Magic? Did you reread in preparation for their series conclussions? Have you done any rereads lately? What books? Do you like doing rereads or not? Tell me why.  Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Crossing Over - Stories About Super (Anti-) Heroes

You guys, yesterday I finished reading Firefirght by Brandon Sanderson, the second book in the Reckoners series (thanks again Mark for sharing the ARC you won). I can't say much until the book releases in January but I can say that it is a completely brilliant book. If you read and enjoyed Steelheart, you are in for a treat with Firefight. If you haven't read it yet, stop wasting your time and get prepared to love this series. I would like to encourage you by comparing it to another brilliant book that you may have read.

Vicious by Victoria Schwab - My Review
(Amazon / Goodreads / Audible)
Vicious is a complex and interesting story about people who have superpowers and don't necessarily use them for good. There is a lot of exploration of power and control along with that old concept that "power corrupts." In addition the book is full of complex and interesting characters and a "magical system" that is rooted in logic and science. And with a thrilling plot and shocking twists, Vicious is definitely worth the read.

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson - My Review
(Amazon / Goodreads /Audible)
Steelheart is a complex and interesting story about people who have superpowers and don't necessarily use them for good. There is a lot of exploration of power and control along with that old concept that "power corrupts." But my favorite thing about it is that it cuts through those dramatic moments with such humor. In addition the book is full of complex and interesting characters and a "magical system" that, like all Brandon Sanderson's book is brilliant and mindblowing. And with a thrilling plot and shocking twists, Steelheart is definitely worth the read.

In addition I actually experienced both of these books as audiobooks and I totally recommend them. With Vicious the narrator perfectly captures the atmosphere and mystery within this world and with Steelheart the narrator perfectly captures the characters (a ragtag group of diverse characters full of humor and heart). So if you like audiobooks, here are two you should check out!

So there you have it. Two great books about superheroes not using their powers for good making them quite compelling anti-heroes. I definitely recommend The Reckoners series so if you haven't read Steelheart yet, check it out and get read for Firefight which comes out on January 6th, 2015

Feature and Follow Friday #48 - Book Recommendation

A weekly meme hosted by Alison Can Read & Parajunkee's View

How it Works: 

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

How does this work? First you visit the blogs of our illustrious hosts and leave your name on the post using using the linky tools, then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

What sets this Hop apart from others, is our Feature. Each week we will showcase a Featured Blogger, from all different genres and areas. Find out below. Just remember it is required, if you participate, to follow our Features and you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) as a courtesy. How do you follow someone? Well, if you have a preference, state it in your #FF post. A lot of blogs are transitioning to Wordpress in which they do not have the luxury of GFC, so an RSS subscription is appreciated or if you choose an email subscription. If you don't have GFC please state in your post how you would like to be followed.

This Week's Question: 

What books would you give to newbies in your favorite genre? (Ex. I'm a newbie to high fantasy and EVERYONE said to ease into it with Throne of Glass series) - suggested by Take Me Away 

This Week's Answer: 

So my two favorite genres are Historical Fiction and Fantasy. I feel like I talk about HF a lot. I did a Top Ten Tuesday a few months ago where I recommended HF books based on your other reading tastes so if you are interested in that you can check it out [HERE]

As for Fantasy I would recommend The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo (Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm, Ruin and Rising). I think a lot of people don't like fantasy because the authors can overwhelm you with world-building and there's either too much or it's confusing. Leigh creates and interesting and fantastical world but she builds it slowly and definitely shows instead of tells.

And... it's not a genre (though it is Fantasy) but there is a lot of talk about Brandon Sanderson in the blogosphere these days and a lot of people are reading him for the first time. I've suggested first Sanderson reads to a few people but if you like Fantasy already check out Mistborn (it's flawless) but if you like Dystopian then check out Steelheart (it's amazing). ALSO... if you're just getting into audiobooks, Steelheart is a brilliant audiobook and you should start there!

Okay, that's it, I'm done. I have recommended enough books to you. But seriously, read Brandon Sanderson! He's my newest auto-buy author, he's brilliant. And there is a whole community of Sanderson fans that will support you through the feels and gush about him with you!

And remember this is a blog hop so take a look around and if you like what you see give me a follow and leave me a comment so I can follow back. I am indifferent to the manner in which you follow so pick your poison: GFC, Bloglovin, and/or Twitter.

Thanks for dropping by, Happy FF and HAPPY READING!

Waiting on Wednesday - Firefight by Brandon Sanderson

A weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine

This is about the second book in a series so beware of spoilers! (Like in the synopsis). If you haven't read Steelheart do it and come back. Here's my review to encourage you - READ IT

Title: Firefight Series: The Reckoners #2 Author: Brandon Sanderson Published: January 6, 2015 by Delacorte Press (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: Brandon Sanderson, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Words of Radiance, coauthor of Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series, and creator of the internationally bestselling Mistborn Trilogy, presents the second book in the Reckoners series: Firefight, the sequel to the #1 bestseller Steelheart. Newcago is free. 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 simpler. Instead, it only made David realize he has questions. Big ones. And no one in Newcago can give him answers.  Babylon Restored, the city formerly known as the borough of Manhattan, has possibilities, though. Ruled by the mysterious High Epic Regalia, Babylon Restored is flooded and miserable, but David is sure it's the path that will lead him to what he needs to find. Entering a city oppressed by a High Epic despot is risky, but David's willing to take the gamble. 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 now he will go on a quest darker and even more dangerous than the fight against Steelheart to find her, and to get his answers.

Why I'm Waiting 

The first book in this series, Steelheart (FULL REVIEW), was my very first Brandon Sanderson book. Oh to be young and innocent and not know the joy and pain of reading a book written by the incomparable Brandon Sanderson. I was completely blown away by how brilliant this book was.

Sanderson always does an impeccable job of creating characters that you can't help but love. Every one of The Reckoners is interesting and well-rounded and I need to find out what happened and will happen to so many of them. This series is about superheroes, no supervillains, no villainous superheroes? I don't even know! I'm not even sure how to categorize it. It's about people with superpowers who do not really use them for good. Or do they? It's all very unclear. WHICH IS AWESOME! The "magical system" here is incredibly unique and detailed. Everyone with powers has something distinct to them and there is a hierarchy of powers. But what really got me is the plot twists. The ending of this book completely blew my mind. I thought I had it figured out. I thought I knew the twist he was going to throw at me. But Brandon Sanderson is flawless and that was just a red herring! Sanderson you are a magnificant bastard!

I was recently listened to the audio for a short story within this world that connects Steelheart and Firefight called Mitosis. (It's free on audible right now so go check it out). I thought it would be a good way to tide myself over but it had the opposite effect. I forgot how brilliant this series is! I forgot how much humor it has, the main character uses the most terrible metaphors you guys, it's hilarious. I also forgot how much mystery there is in this world. Seriously it's only 35 pages long but like all Sanderson it packs some serious punch! It only served to make me desperately need to read Firefight!

What about you? What are you waiting for this Wednesday? Have you read Steelheart? Are you waiting on Firefight along with me? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Audiobook Review: Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson

Title: Steelheart Series: The Reckoners #1 Author: Brandon Sanderson Published: September 2013 by Delacorte Press (Random House) (Amazon / Goodreads / Audible) Synopsis: 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.

So I have a bunch of different ideas for books I would like to write/read. One of them involves superheroes. Superheroes that are douchey, power-hungry jerks who do more harm than good. I no longer need to write this book because Brandon Sanderson has written it so well and I will never reach hat level. Seriously, how do you describe a book with an incredible world, amazing characters, and a brilliant plot full of mind-blowing twists? The only word that comes to mind is epic. Despite it's conotation within the story, that's what Steelheart is... EPIC!

If you're familiar with Brandon Sanderson then you know that what he does incredibly well is create an interesting and complex. Steelheart is no exception. Everything is so lusciously described in incredible deatail and the world of these heroes or Epics is incredibly unique and well-developed. Each Epic has it's own very specific power that is unlike anyone elses. Whether you are an illusionist who can make people see things, can create total darkness, generate power, fly, give your powers to others, you name it there is probably a person with that power. And there is a hierarchy, those who have the best or most powers are the people in charge. It may seem complicated but Sanderson makes it all seem so natural and easy to understand. It's not at all overwhelming and we are definitely shown and not told about this world. The rules are clear and unlike anything else I have read about previously. The book on the whole has a definite post-apocalyptic feel with the world being changed completely by an odd event that gives people supernatural powers. And while these Epics do their best to control the people and "provide" for them, it's pretty clear that things are not going very well.

It is also clear right from the beginning that these Epics are not heroes. This is not Batman and Superman flying around helping keep the streets free from crime. This is a book about people who allowed their powers to go to their head. There is such a deep-seated theme throughout the book about power and control. As the old saying goes "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely." But what would they say about super powers? I love books that explore this concept and Steelheart is the kind of book the beauty handles this idea and creates a host of characters that are not only deliciously evil but complex and dubious.

It is these characters that really made me love this book. First there's David who is an amazing protagonist and MC. Right away we are able to connect with him and his struggle for vengence. And whilethat is what drives him he is so much more than that, he is also intelligent and funny. Probably my favorite thing about him is how truly bad he is at metaphors, it was quite the comic relief! The entire book I wanted to see him succeed and get exactly what he wanted because it was also what I wanted. But more than just David, the book was full of amazing secondary characters all of whom I loved. All of The Reckoners were fantastic and likable. There was snarky and badass Megan, intelligent and mysterious Prof, hilarious and optimistic Cody, thoughful and supportive Abraham, and Tia who is cautious and resourceful. Each character was distinct and interesting and I grew very attached to them throughout the book.

But for me the best part of the book was it's amazing plot full of action, mystery, and surprise twists. The book started out with an incredible opening scene and from there it never seemed to slow down. The plot just built and built until there was no way of containing it any further. It was like a volcano with the lid on (a Davidesque metaphor). As usual I spent most of the book trying to figure out exactly what was happening. Usually I'm not completely mind-blown by a plot twist and I thought that Steelheart was going to be just like every other book. I thought I had it all figured out and then Brandon Sanderson reminded me why he is a master storyteller and threw me for not one but two absolutely insane twists. When the book was over I couldn't wrap my head around exactly what had happened. One thing I knew for certain, this is a fantastic book and I can't wait for the next book in the series!

I experienced this book in audio format which was a really excellent choice. I love audiobooks but it takes a very specific book for me to really enjoy it's audio. Steelheart was that book. It was full of action and adventure with enough thrilling moments to keep me on the edge of my seat throughout the audio. And the narrator did a fantastic job of not only telling a compelling story but allow you to become immersed in it with his acting. All the voices and inflections of the characters were perfect. He was able to capture Cody's southern accent, Abraham's French accent, Steelheart's tough guy growl, and even an Indian accent. He was fantastic and he made the audiobook a fantastic choice.

I give Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson a 10 out of 10

It was a fantastic and interesting story with an amazing world, mindblowing plot, likable characters, and deeper themes about humanity. If you are a fan of superhero stories or books with lots of adventure then definitely check this one out!

Have you read Steelheart? What were your thoughts? Leave me a comment and keep the conversation going. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!