Yvette - Bookworlder

I read Steelheart over a year ago, but I remember enjoying it a great deal.  It had a fresh take on the superhero/supervillain thing, as far as I was concerned (not being a big reader of those types of stories).  It only escaped being a gift for my youngest nephew because I was uncomfortable giving a then-12 year old a book where a teen boy is ogling a girl's body in any way.  My nephew has since read, and enjoyed Steelheart and Mitosis on his own.  About two weeks ago, he begged his dad for some kindle money because he could not go another day without reading Firefight.  Now he asks me almost daily if I have read Mitosis and Firefight yet, so that we can talk about them.

Having read Mitosis, I am no longer quite as excited to read Firefight as I was.  Thankfully, it was short, my library ebook copy claiming to be 42 pages.  

Freed from the rule of Steelheart, Newcago is now protected by the Reckoners.  They try to prevent more Epics from taking over, but attempts are made to enter the city from time to time.  On this occasion, the Epic who finds his way past the checkpoints is named Mitosis.  If you have a basic knowledge of cell biology, you guessed it, he splits into duplicate copies.  Now, to keep from spoiling anything, I'll just say that though we all know the Reckoners/good guys are going to win out, there should be some surprise combined with plausability to the resolution.  Here, we get something that is a bit too convenient, simplistic and a bit ridiculous.  

But perhaps, I thought, that's just my non-superhero/villain adult reading perspective.  Since this is a boy-centric YA story, I asked my now-13 year old nephew his opinion of the villain and how he was defeated.  Where I thought it was lame, he thought it was cool and that for a short story it was well thought out and an interesting idea.  So, there it is.  Perhaps my expectations were too high, or it had been too long since I had read the first book. Since he is the target audience, take his word for it and not mine if you enjoyed Steelheart.