A lot of drama is fun but too much drama is just…. The personal conflicts between the friends and their families would be enough for any teen superhero novel, and when you toss in Nick’s ill-fated attempts at establishing Pyro Storm on social media, Seth’s inner conflict over what it means to carry a city’s safety on his shoulders ,and the whole poorly conceived (and never really established) plan to run an intelligence network to support Pyro Storm, then the fact that someone might be trying to kill one, two, or more of our heroes is a bit of overkill. If all this sounds a bit overwhelming, well, it can be. Should the group stay together with only two of them providing logistical support for Seth as he saves the day? What about the secrets Nick’s dad has been keeping about Nick’s deceased mother? What about the nefarious activities of the worst journalist in the world, Rebecca Firestone, who never misses a chance to make Seth and Nick’s lives a living hell? What about other extraordinaries in the area? Can they be trusted, or are they straight-up evil? What about Nova City’s most illustrious businessman Simon Burke (AKA Lex Luthor)? (This is not a question, Burke is totally Lex Luthor.) What is Burke up to? What does he know about Nick’s mom? Why does she want to hurt Pyro Storm? And the biggest question of all: WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN AT PROM?

There is also the question of college and what to do if Gibby (who is graduating) leaves Nova City behind for Howard University. For readers who are not interested in a lot of thoughts from sex-obsessed teens, Flash Fire might not be your cup of tea, but if you’re fine with a lot of love folded into a rapid-fire plot that also includes all the angst involved with being a teen hero, then carry on, because you’re going to love this book.Īlong with Seth and Nick’s evolving relationship, the teens and their two best friends, Jazz and Gibby, must also contend with a lot of parents learning about super heroics and not being happy about it. It’s a question as to which of these things is more significant because, while the recognition of Seth as Pyro Storm is a big deal, it’s romance that Nick has on his mind every minute of the day. Nick has discovered his best friend is not only an ‘‘extraordinary’’ (AKA superhero) but also the love of his life.

Flash Fire opens soon after the stunning events that ended The Extraordinaries. So, go read The Extraordinaries and then come back here for my thoughts about Flash Fire! It’s frankly impossible to write it any other way as everything in the first book so directly impacts the second. Klune’s sequel to The Extraordinaries, I need to warn that this will be a spoiler-laden review.

Flash fire the extraordinaries