Book Review: Calamity by Brandon Sanderson

*** This is the final book in a trilogy so if you haven't read Steelheart and Firefight proceed with caution. But seriously, if you haven't read those books you must get on that! They are fantastic and everyone should read them. ***

Title: Calamity Series: The Reckoners #3 Written by: Brandon Sanderson Published: February 16, 2016 by Delacorte (Random House) (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: When Calamity lit up the sky, the Epics were born. David’s fate has been tied to their villainy ever since that historic night. Steelheart killed his father. Firefight stole his heart. And now Regalia has turned his closest ally into a dangerous enemy.  David knew Prof’s secret, and kept it even when Prof struggled to control the effects of his Epic powers. But facing Obliteration in Babilar was too much. Once the Reckoners’ leader, Prof has now embraced his Epic destiny. He’s disappeared into those murky shadows of menace Epics are infamous for the world over, and everyone knows there’s no turning back...  But everyone is wrong. Redemption is possible for Epics—Megan proved it. They’re not lost. Not completely. And David is just about crazy enough to face down the most powerful High Epic of all to get his friend back. Or die trying.  The last book in the series.

I LOVE THIS SERIES SO MUCH! I CANNOT COMMUNICATE COHERENT THOUGHTS! THIS REVIEW WILL BE CONDUCTED IN NOTHING BUT SHOUTY CAPSLOCK! OKAY? OKAY. 

No, I won't subject you to that. I could, mind you, but I won't. But seriously, I absolutely love this series and the final book was such a fantastic ending. It made me laugh, it made me cry (tears of joy and sadness), it took me on an epic (pun intended) adventure befitting of a Sanderson book.

One of my favorite thing about this series is the powers system. It's creative and complicated with endless iterations. I always love magic systems that plays with the tropes and Sanderson absolutely plays with the traditional superhero concepts in this book. In fact these aren't even really heroes at all, they're not even really antiheroes. People with powers are essentially the villains of this world. The people with powers in this book are very easily corrupted by them throughout the book. They have ruined things and take full advantage of their powers to lord it over those who are mere mortals.  I find this such a fantastic concept and I love exploring not only the powers but how it affects the people around them. We definitely get to see Epic powers at play in a big way. Characters who we know with powers get to use them even more and it's amazing to see them in all their glory. But even deeper than that, Sanderson explores what it means to be an Epic here, including more about how they got their powers and their weaknesses. It was so satisfying to learn about it but I do still have question. Most notably... More please?

This gif is so very awkward fanboy David, I had to use it.

But I want more of this series because I love these characters so much. This Reckoners has some truly amazing characters. It's a diverse and quirky cast and some of my all-time favorites. I absolutely adore David and his terrible metaphors, although in this book I think those were at a minimum. But even without them, David's voice is amazing. He has this great balance with humor, intelligence, resourcefulness, and impulsive dedication to his cause. He's really the hero of this book and it's been so fantastic to be along for that journey. But there are also some really fantastic secondary characters. Those from the second book joined some old-favorites from the first and it was great learning more and seeing Megan, Cody, Abraham, and Mizzy in action. And then of course there is Prof. Seeing Prof in action was both amazing and heart-breaking. I have come to know and love every last character in this series, even some that I probably shouldn't (like Obliteration). But they're so fun and real. I love their development and the relationships between them. It's a great crew and I love them so much I'm not ready to let them go.

But once again this book took me on an action-packed adventure full of vivid details and so much excitement and mystery. Brandon Sanderson is known by his fans (including me) for his ability to constantly surprise us. I'm good at solving mysteries and I almost never solve a Sanderson twist. When I read his books, my brain works a mile a minute and I desperately attempt to figure everything out before he rips my heart out again. with this book I had all-kinds of crazy theories going in and I was wrong on all of them. But, when they were proven wrong my theory crafting through the middle of the book did come up with the right solution so I'm calling that a win. But in general this is an incredibly fast-paced read. The stakes are really high and more than once I found myself biting my nails, worried and shocked by the way things were going for our heroes.  It built to an amazing conclusion and I just flew through these 400 pages, reading them in just a few days because I couldn't put it down. In the attempt to expand and explain it did have some moments where resolutions felt sudden or not complete enough but it was a hugely satisfying ending to a great series. And when I was finally done I was left with this strange combination of satisfaction and desire for more.

On the whole, Calamity was a great conclusion to a fantastic dystopian series. It was an action-packed read full of mystery and intrigue with great characters and a fantastic world full of interesting explorations of power and how it corrupts. It's so good. I'm not ready to let it go! *clings for dear life.*

I give Calamity by Brandon Sanderson 10 out of 10 stars
(It's probably closer to 9.75 stars but I'm giving it 10 because rounding and Sanderson)

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: BUY! I cannot recommend this series enough. It got me into Brandon Sanderson and it will always hold a place in my heart for that but it's also just a brilliant series. Fans of The Reckoners series will absolutely love this series and if you like superheroes, anti-heroes, or are looking for a books full of action then check these books out.

Have you read Calamity? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. 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