Name: Giulia Popovici's review of Flash Fire by T.J. Klune
Item: Flash Fire
Rating: 4
Author: Giulia Popovici

T.J. Klune

The explosive sequel to The Extraordinaries by USA Today bestselling author TJ Klune. Nick landed himself the superhero boyfriend of his dreams, but with new heroes arriving in Nova City it's up to Nick and his friends to determine who is virtuous and who is villainous. Which is a lot to handle for a guy who just wants to finish his self-insert bakery AU fanfic. 'Uproariously funny!' Sophie Gonzales, author of Only Mostly Devastated 'The most down-to-earth book about superheroes I've ever read' Mason Deaver, bestselling author of I Wish You All the Best

Flash Fire

Flash Fire is the explosive sequel to The Extraordinaries by New York Times and USA Today bestselling author TJ Klune! Nick landed himself the superhero boyfriend of his dreams, but with new heroes arriving in Nova City it’s up to Nick and his friends to determine who is virtuous and who is villainous. Which is a lot to handle for a guy who just wants to finish his self-insert bakery AU fanfic. Praise for The Extraordinaries An Indie Bestseller! An Indie Next Pick! “Uproariously funny, this razor-sharp book is half a love-letter to fandom, half self-aware satire, and wholly lovable. I haven't read anything quite like this before!” —Sophie Gonzales, author of Only Mostly Devastated “The most down-to-earth book about superheroes I’ve ever read.” —Mason Deaver, bestselling author of I Wish You All the Best

The Extraordinaries, Book Two

Cassidy Nolan

“We have a ship name!” Nick cried. “Holy shit, we’re PyroGuard! Wait, no. That sounds like medicine for a foot rash. GuardStorm! StormGuard? GuardPyro!”

“So, when we leave here, I ask that you remember something: a world without hope isn’t a world at all. Hope is a boon. Hope is a necessity. Hope, when need be, is a weapon, one to be wielded with a firm but just hand.”

“Are you freaking kidding me? You know what? Screw all of you. Hey, Pyro Storm!”

Seth turned toward him, tense and afraid. Nick didn’t need to see all of his face to know that. There was only one way to make this better.

Nick bared his teeth in a ferocious grin and said, “I love you.”

 how Seth smiled. Not Pyro Storm. Not the Extraordinary. 

 The boy from the swings. The boy who wore chinos and sweaters and bow ties. The boy who Nick thought hung the moon and stars. The boy whose glasses got fogged up when it was too cold outside. The boy who Nick thought the world of, the boy who Nick would do anything for.

The second before the alarm blared, Nick, ever the badass, said the greatest mic drop in superhero history, in his most humble of opinions. “Where there’s smoke, there’s 

“It’s all right,” he said, mouth near Nick’s ear. “You’re doing fine. You got this, Nicky.”

He didn’t know how much he needed to hear it until this very moment, and even though it was just a dance, it gave Nick courage. It gave Nick hope, something to hold on to, and there, on the tip of his tongue: those three little words like a lighthouse guiding him home.

“Sorry,” Nick said hastily. “Sorry. Just . . . thank you.”

“Existing,” Nick said honestly. “For being my best friend. For being my boyfriend. For being you.”

Seth laughed bright and loud, and Nick was entranced. He watched Seth lean forward until he was kissing him sweetly. Seth tasted like toothpaste. Nick was going to devour him.

“Is he still upstairs? Do you want me to . . . go . . . get . . . 

 The last word came out breathy and soft, a sigh that crawled from Nick’s throat.

Seth Gray stood at the top of the stairs, looking down at them, a question on his face as he glanced at his aunt. She waved him off, taking a step back, but she might as well have disappeared for all Nick knew, because everything disappeared—the sound of the people in the living room, the house itself, the city, the world. All that existed was Seth. Heart in his throat, Nick tracked every step Seth took down the stairs.

“Daddy,” Jazz said with a pout. “You should’ve told me. What if I want to do something that you don’t approve of?”

“Then you probably shouldn’t do it,” Miles said. “Seems simple enough.”

The skin under Dad’s left eye twitched. “That doesn’t matter. Use condom sense, Nick.”

Nick slumped against the door, legs wobbly. “Did you—did you just make a dad joke about condoms?”

Seth smiled at him and said, “It’s okay, Nicky. Move with me.”

And though Nick knew people were watching them, he only had eyes for Seth. Nick was stiff, unsure, but the longer it went on, the more he relaxed. He laughed when Seth sent him out for a spin, their hands twisting but never letting go. Seth pulled him back with a snap, their faces inches apart. Everything melted away around them, and for a moment, Nick could imagine they were two normal boys, dancing, dancing, dancing.

Three little words on the tip of his tongue.

“On it,” Jazz said, and a moment later, Elvis Presley began to croon about wise men saying that only fools rush in.

The students who hadn’t scattered all turned slowly to stare at him as Nick did the same, eyes bulging. Jazz’s jaw dropped, and Gibby sighed as if she couldn’t be bothered to deal with the idiocy of teenage boys.

Hanson snorted. “Gray, next time you tell a joke, try something that’s funny—or even remotely believable. Otherwise, it’s just sad.”

 Gibby snarled.  “Don’t make me sic Jazz on you.”

“I’m dangerous,” Jazz said sweetly. “I’ll make you bleed, though I won’t be happy about it. Do you know how hard it is to get blood out of cashmere?”

 with him, and no matter what happened in the future, no matter where their roads took them, nothing could ever change that. Not now, not ever. Here, today, at this moment, he was in love with his best friend.

Seth pulled away but only just, pressing his forehead against Nick’s. They breathed each other in. “See?” Seth whispered. “It’s not all bad. We’ve still got good things, Nick. No matter what, okay? You and me. Always.”

“I didn’t mean . . .” Then Seth clenched his jaw and squares his shoulders. “No, you know what? Screw it. I did mean it.” He turned on the street and tilted his head back, shouting, “I love Nicholas Bell, and I don’t care who knows! He’s my boyfriend, and I am in 

 Jazz hissed at her. “We can’t interfere. We can only observe. We talked about this. You know how queer boys are in the wild. If they know they’re being watched, they get skittish and run for the forest.”

“When one finds out about a new Extraordinary, one must ask two questions that matter above all else.”

“Do they want to kill us?” Gibby asked.

“Is their costume better than mine?” Seth asked, and didn’t even have the gall to look affronted when they all stared at him.

“Pyro Storm,” the Extraordinary said, squinting down at Nick. “Who is this little twink who won’t stop talking?”

Nick groaned as the front door closed. He was starting to see why people had kids: child labor. That was the only reason.

“You’re welcome,” Jazz said. “Even if it didn’t go like I was expecting it to—though, if you think about it, it’s a really weird way to tell Seth you love him.”

Jazz squinted at him. “That’s the whole point of the fic, right? It’s a love letter to Seth.”

But everything can change in an instant. A snowflake can lead to an avalanche.

And on a cold February morning, it began to snow.

“Please be my friend forever,” Nick said, because it was the only thing he could think of.

Seth laughed quietly. “Forever is a long time.”

Seth brought Nick’s hand to his mouth, kissing the back of it sweetly.

And Nick—always and forever Nick—blurted, “I’m Pyro Storm!”

The only sound that followed came from the honking of horns out on the street. Then Dad put his face in his hands; Martha said, “Oh my”; Bob took out a handkerchief and blew his nose; Seth moaned quietly; Gibby said, “Nicky, I swear to god”; and Jazz laughed so hard, she started crying.

And that didn’t even begin to cover the looks on the faces of the new arrivals. Trey’s eyes were bulging from his head, Aysha’s mouth had dropped open, Miles was squinting at Nick as if he didn’t understand what he’d just said, and Jo said, “Come again?”

henrique

Giulia Popovici

** spoiler alert **
           I'm overjoyed by the fact that the mother is alive, but I knew right away when TK commented on Nicks dad at the beginning of the book that she *must* be Jenny.

What I did not enjoy about this book is how the author portrayed the police. 
In the first book nothing like corruption or the police not doing their job was mentioned, so everything was waay too sudden in Flash Fire, and without any background story besides real life situations. 
In Extraordinaries Aaron is portrayed as a good cop trying to save people's lives, and then suddenly in flash fire he's made to be a bad guy? What even happened to cause such a reaction?
 It's literally without any background story besides Aaron punching that witness. (which I consider absolutely normal, because the dude was legit insulting his dead wife, how could he not react to that? )

In any case it was too much of an over kill with the police hate, especially because it seemed unaccounted for. It is clear that Klune reacted to the tragedy that happened last year by incorporating the aftermath into his book, which is pretty confusing since nothing like that seemed to have happened in this story. 

Cap and Aaron resigning just made me feel like they gave up trying to change the system from the insides, which is also pretty depressing. 

Plus, I read books to escape reality, but what should i do when reality finds me there anyways?

Tatiana Alvarez 

This series, y'all. I FREAKING LOVE IT!

Where to even begin. The banter alone is enough to make me love it, but through in queer superheroes, a diverse set of characters, and an amazing storyline, wrap it all together and you get this amazing book.

I literally was laughing out loud most of the book. However, there were times when I gasped because crazy stuff was happening! If you have the ability to listen to this series, PLEASE DO! The audio reader is amazing and makes the book EVEN BETTER. I'm obsessed y'all.

BUT THAT ENDING THOUGH!!! WHAT EVEN!

I don't know If I can wait. IT WAS TOO GOOD! I have so many questions.

Anna Wilson

** spoiler alert **
           Thank you so much to NetGalley for this copy of Flash Fire!!

I read the first book in June and fell absolutely in love withholdings nick, gibby, Jazz, Seth, Aaron, all the characters! I was so excited to see where they all ended up!!

As with the first book the friendship is everything. One of my favorite things in books is a great friendship group. Often in YA, we only see the on sided friendship with the MC and their relationship to the friend. But what I love about this one is I feel like I know all the friendships and I’m rooting for them.

When I read the first book a couple months ago, I didn’t take notice of the way the police were handled in the book. Upon reading some reviews, I noticed that the timing of the book and the way the police were handled, people felt like the author was glorifying the police. This sequel has conversations about the police and the mistrust and harmful behavior they can sometimes display. I don’t feel like I can comment on that, but I wanted to mention it in case you wanted to know if the author took a stance following the first book.

SPOILERS (especially if you haven’t read the first book)
Throughout the first book I was questioning why the mention of nick take your pills came up so much. I kept thinking he’s gotta be an extraordinary right?? It never happened in the first book but this time OMG! Did it happen! I absolutely love that he got his powers and he wasn’t like I know how to use them I’m a badass superhero now! No he’s using trial and error to try and work them out. Such a nick thing to do! 

The battle at prom was EPIC! Getting to know additional extraordinaries was fantastic! That was one thing I wanted to know from the first book was if pyrostorm and shadow star were the only ones. Miss Conduct and TK were such cool characters and I know we get more in the next book 

THE CLIFFHANGER!!! Why’d you do that to me TJ Klune!!!

Alexis 

4/5 Stars 

** I received this as an E-ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review, Thank you!** 

I had a great time reading this book, I love the world, characters, and writing. I loved that we were able to be with them again and watch their relationships grow. I will admit that this second book felt a little repetitive and predictable. There wasn't a whole lot that really surprised me. A lot of it I guessed in the first book. Overall I still had a great time and really enjoyed myself. I would recommend giving this a read.

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Flash Fire

Author: T.J. Klune

Book Series: The Extraordinaries Book 2

Diversity: M/m romance, bisexual grandpa, Black side characters, Black lesbian side character, Bisexual side character, Bisexual love interest, Gay ADHD MC, Puerto Rican drag queen side character

Rating: 5/5

Recommended For...: young adult readers, fantasy, superheroes

Genre: YA Fantasy

Publication Date: July 13, 2021

Publisher: Tor Teen

Pages: 374

Recommended Age: 15+ (Sexual content, Porn mentions, Police brutality mentioned, Panic attacks, Death, Violence, Gore)

Explanation of CWs: Police brutality is mentioned and there is a lot of discussion about how race plays into policing and policies. There is some sexual content and porn is mentioned.

Synopsis: Nick landed himself the superhero boyfriend of his dreams, but with new heroes arriving in Nova City it’s up to Nick and his friends to determine who is virtuous and who is villainous. Which is a lot to handle for a guy who just wants to finish his self-insert bakery AU fanfic.

Review: I fell in love with this book so hard. The book did well to continue the story and keep me on my toes. The book also did well to present more mature teenagers, which I think is a demographic lost in most YA books speaking from experience as someone who was more mature than her peers. I also loved the mirroring of the two books, the loss of trust and the rise and revelation of the heroes. The character development is amazing, I loved the commentary on police brutality and race, and I loved the world building.

The only issue I had with the book overall is that it sometimes felt that the teen characters were a bit too mature in some parts, but I loved it regardless.

Verdict: It's amazing, highly recommend.

Joleen

4.5 Stars

Flash Fire, the sequel that my heart wanted and needed. I needed something that made me laugh, and Klune did not disappoint.

If you have not read the first book, The Extraordinaries, then go read that first. Then come back and check out this review. Now let’s get to the actual review and my constant fangirling.

The characters are still endearing as ever, especially Nick. His chaotic self was just as amazing as I remember. His relationship with Seth (ABOUT TIME) is by far my favorite part of this entire series. They are just utterly adorable. The rest of the gang got more page time, and I loved that. It’s about time we get more Gibby and Jazz. 

 I appreciate that Klune included a lot of sex positivity and safe sex talks. While the sex talk scenes were a bit embarrassing, and by a bit, I mean a lot. I still loved that they were included. Leave it to TJ Klune to give me some second-hand embarrassment within the first 15 pages. I swear my cheeks are still red. 

Now let’s talk about that big issue from book one. I was really nervous about how Klune would address the police plotline. For reference, Aaron (Nick’s dad) assaulted a man in custody. While I can’t say that I am 100% happy with how it turned out. I am happy that there were several discussions on why it was wrong. Both from Aaron and Nick. The biggest reason why I was unhappy about it, it felt like most of the responsibility fell onto Gibby and her parents to explain things. But I did appreciate the many conversations that the characters had. I do hope going forward this continues to be a topic in the book.

Thank you to Netgalley & Tor Teen for letting me read one of my most anticipated reads!

Bethany Phillips

How will I ever wait until next year to get the last book in this series? Truly. I just...do not know how I will wait until next year. The ending of this was bananas--in a good way. 

Still really love Nicky, Seth, Gibby, and Jazz--they are all so precious. They deal with more serious issues in this book, too, so that was interesting to watch them wade through the difficulties and complexities of having BIPOC friends when your father is a cop and how they have differing views on important issues like that. Klune does a really amazing job of weaving in important and impactful moments in stories that are also fun and endearing. 

I absolutely cannot wait for next year.

The explosive sequel to The Extraordinaries by USA Today bestselling author TJ Klune.Nick landed himself the superhero boyfriend of his dreams, but with new heroes arriving in Nova City it's up to Nick and his friends to determine who is virtuous and who is villainous. Which is a lot to handle for a guy who just wants to finish his self-insert bakery AU fanfic.'Uproariously funny!' Sophie Gonzales, author of Only Mostly Devastated'The most down-to-earth book about superheroes I've ever read' Mason Deaver, bestselling author of I Wish You All the Best

Lisa Beasley

This was a great sequel, I love TJ Klune's writing and Nick is such a brilliant character. He and his friend group are total friendship goals. This definitely delivered in plot too, so many little twists came into play. Some surprised me and others I definitely saw coming. The little bonus chapter at the end was a nice confirmation of my suspicions and set up the last book nicely. Now it's just another wait ;)

4.5 stars. Great read.

henrique &
Flash Fire by T.J. Klune

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