Ten years ago, Calamity appeared in the sky.With it's appearance it gave some humans some extraordinary powers, and the public started calling these people epics. Epics however aren't friendly. They seek to take over, rule, and destroy. After David's father is killed by an epic named Steelheart he seeks revenge.
I usually start out my reviews by listing off the main characters then breaking them down for you... With Steelheart it's going to be a little different because in my opinion there's only one main character, David Charleston. David has made it his life goal to get revenge on Steelheart the epic that killed his father. Yall, it was so refreshing to have just one main character to focus on and put all our support into. There are several other characters I think some might throw in and say are main ones, but I would disagree with them. It's been a long time since I've read a solo male character that I liked. His emotions feel real, he's easy going, he's determined, and his poor use of metaphors make him such a likable character. I liked that he is obsessed with finding out information on epics. He spends all his time taking notes, and gathering information on them so when the time comes he will know how to take them down. David put his whole heart into getting revenge and this had me wanting him to come out on top. We also get a little bit of romance with him, but again, this isn't the highlight of the book. The romance never overshadows what the story is really about. Again another plus. The only two things I didn't like about his character is that sometime he spoke a little younger than I imagine an eighteen year old boy would. I get that he never really got a childhood and that he never had parental guidance so he is a little more youthful. At the same time I didn't always like this. The second thing is he was constantly blushing. "I looked away blushing" probably happened 20 times in this book. Like David, this might not be something to take lightly... you might have a skin condition or something. Other than that I really enjoyed him.
Finally on to the plot. Okay, I've been dying to talk about this! The prologue! Wow just so amazing. This has to be one of my favorites, if not my number one favorite prologues off all time. How Sanderson makes us love the father son relationship in so little pages, how were introduced to Steelheart, and then how everything after that plays out is perfection! My jaw was on the floor! I could see the whole thing playing out in my head like a movie and I was overwhelmed with joy. Seriously can't stress enough how great it is. I also can't get over how much I loved the epics and how their powers work. Each epic has one or two powers that can be counteracted with some random weakness. Like one epics powers can be stopped by smoke, another by uv light. Each epic has their own special characteristic. This is what pulls you into the story. You'll find yourself powering through this book so you can finally find out what Steelhearts weakness is... and lets just say it's really good! Had no clue what it was going to be, and it doesn't disappoint. There are actually three twist at the end. Two which I knew were going to happen and then the one that I just didn't see coming. The reason I didn't give this a higher rating is because some parts of this book (mainly the middle building up to the end) dragged some, and then of course the few predictable moments. I wish that the middle was as strong as the beginning and the end. I completely get that sometimes books can't just be go go go non-stop, but still. At one point I was like "mmmm should I just google the ending because I just really want to know already". I'm glad I didn't spoil myself because the ending is worth the few more lagging moments. When the big reveal happens I'm pretty sure I stopped breathing for a few minutes.
Steelheart was a great way to introduce me into the fandom that is Brandon Sanderson. He manages to give us a super-hero book where the heroes are villians. He gives us a book where you'll question if revenge is really worth it. He'll have you questioning the "lesser or two evils" phrase. And all of this is great.
Why has it taken me so long to read a Brandon Sanderson book?
"Where there are villains, there will be heroes. Just wait. They will come. Sometimes, son, you have to help the heroes along..."
8.5/10
-Angela
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