Steelheart (Reckoners, #1)

by Brandon Sanderson

[justine_manzano]

I had been told to read this book several times in the last year or so, and never got the opportunity, until it managed to fill a spot on a reading list I was trying to complete this year. I had the audiobook, so I listened on the train that day, and I was immediately sucked into the story.

Sanderson does an amazing job with creating this world where Epics either rule or destroy. While he paints on interesting picture of power systems and weaknesses, he is even better at creating the more small scale atmosphere of Newcago, formerly Chicago, where the Epic named Steelheart has turned everything to steel. As the Reckoners, regular people who are fighting to kill the Epics, trudge through the steel understreets of Newcago, the reader is transported to a world where anything is possible...and it's all terrifying.

Add to that fast-paced action, memorable characters, and both tragic and comic moments, and you've got a book that will leave you yearning for more.

How can you tell? I was supposed to read the next book on my list. Instead...I'm reading the sequel.