Flash Fire

This sequel to “The Extraordinaries” was a book I was greatly looking forward to. While this was a fun book, I don't think it lived up to how successful the first was.

This book starts off after the first book ends, with Nick and his friends just trying to get through high school while also dealing with the Extraordinaries from Nova City. One of the biggest things I loved in the first book was how funny it was. I was laughing constantly, and even when things got serious, I still had fun. This book was much more serious than the first one. At the beginning, I thought it would have the same hilarity, and I found myself laughing aloud multiple times. However, as the book went on, that was kind of lost. There were a few one-liners here and there, but I wasn't rolling. The stakes in the first story felt higher, but it was still able to brign that fun nature. This one got very serious.

While I understand what Klune was trying to do with grappling with Nick's dad being a cop, I don't know if he pulled it off or not. There was a lot of discussion throughout about cops in America and Nick's dad's part in that. While I think in a way this was an important discussion to have, it felt weird seeing it all from Nick's perspective. Not sure how to put it into words, but it just felt a little off.

While this book didn't live up to the first one, I still love the found family in this book. Nick, Seth, Gibby, and Jazz are the cutest group of friends in the world. Their interactions are so genuine, and they are all just there to support each other through whatever they go through. This trope is definitely one of my favorites, and Klune has proven to be a master at it.

All in all, this series is a fun read. It's cute and funny. However, not sure if this one had the same impact as the first.

TW: assault, blood, bullying, fire, hostages, kidnpaping, police brutality, profanity, racism, violence