Steelheart

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson



This book is awesome. The premise alone is interesting: What if people with superpowers were real, but all of them were evil, and people without powers had to figure out their weaknesses to assassinate them? The book has all the hallmarks of a good dystopia (totalitarian regime, small group of freedom fighters, etc.) AND the elements of superpowers developing in a modern world reminiscent of X-Men. It's also a fast paced plot that rarely lets up on the action, includes some quirky characters, and has a couple great twists at the end that readers may not see coming. The sequel comes out this January, but Steelheart can easily stand alone. I highly recommend it for anyone. My only complaint is a lack of female characters. There are really only two: lead girl Megan is a typical action hero and gets plenty of screen time, but Tia, the tech savvy supporter, is relegated to a background role. Despite this flaw and a tendency for the book to appeal more to boys than girls, I would absolutely recommend it for the list. -Danny Lykansion, Rodgers Memorial Library

I really like this book. It has action, adventure, and dystopia. It's a fast read because so much happens. I'm going to bring up gender and say that so many of the books nominated for Flume and even on the TTT list seem to be geared toward females, but this book guys enjoy. However, it's on the 2014 Teen Top Ten List, so I wonder if it's received enough attention already? His Rithmatist book is also on the TTT list this year, and it's great as well. -Kelly Budd, Keene High School