Thursday, February 25, 2016

Calamity~Brandon Sanderson | Review

Title: Calamity (The Reckoners #3)
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Genre: YA Dystopian Fantasy
Length: 421 Pages
Release: February 2016
My Rating: 5/5 Stars

Review
Do you like superpowers, super villains, bad metaphors, great action scenes, and just all around greatness? Then you should read this series. That should also include young adult, since that's the target audience for this series, but anyone can enjoy it.

There are several things that make this series great. So let me tell you about them. First, David. Our first person main protagonist is a eighteen or nineteen year old kid who grew up in a world ruled by super villains and dreamed of taking them down. He's charismatic, but lacks social skills possessed by most people his age, since he's obsessed over the epics his entire life, trying to learn all of their weaknesses. David is probably the best thing about this series, which is great, since he is the main character.

Second, the Reckoners. Book two Firefight left behind a couple of my favorite Reckoner crew members, but they are all back for Calamity. Some new, somewhat reluctant, members of the crew are also introduced and make for wonderful additions. Each of these characters really brings something different to the group, no two of them are the same. They come from different countries, backgrounds, cities, you name it. And it works so well.

Third, super powers, obviously. There are so many different powers explored throughout this series, from people who can turn everything to steel or fry an entire city to those who can grow finger nails really quickly. Ok, that last one is barely explored, but I'm pretty sure it's mentioned. And each of these people has some weakness built into them, something they fear that dampens their abilities. The exploration of these is so much fun.

Fourth, lots of action. This series, and this book in particular, is full of action. The Reckoners are fighting against the super villains who rule entire nations. Of course there is going to be action. And loads of tech built from these super powers is used to help out our heroes.

Fifth, multiple dimensions. This book explores this more than any other and it's insane! In the best possible way. I found these aspects, while confusing, to be completely captivating. I like not knowing how everything works. It makes it that much more exciting. And if Brandon Sanderson ever feels so inclined to write another book or series about any of the characters in these other dimensions, I definitely would not complain.

Sixth, a great ending. I know some people are not completely satisfied with how this story wraps up because there is so much left open, so many questions not fully answered, but that's what makes it beautiful! Seriously, I don't want to know the answers to everything. My mind can spin so many different stories of its own from what we were given and I like that. I don't feel like I was confined to one way of thinking. There are so many possibilities. Also, if Sanderson does ever decide to explore this world again, there is plenty of room left open.

I didn't want to delve too deeply into this book, since it's the third in a series and people might not have read the others, but I loved it. David and the gang were brilliant. There was some definite heartbreak, a lot of struggle, great new characters, and a marvelous ending. I highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys dystopian/fantasy stories and super powers.

If you've read it, I would love to hear what you think!    

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