Thank you for the opportunity to read this, however, I didn't realize that this was a sequel to an existing book.

Flash Fire is a strong continuation of the first book. It has the same charm and humor that I love in books.
I was so happy to see Nick’s character development in this book. He is still the lovable idiot but has grown in so many ways.
Love all the representation this book brings and Nick and Seth are such an adorable couple that would risk anything for each other.
This book is especially strong at laying the groundwork for the next book in the series and getting all the players ready for the fight to come.

Thank you Tor Teen and Netgalley for this arc!

3.5*

This book was mediocre yet enjoyable. If you're into corny gay culture that lgbt instagram pages likes to profit off of and rom-coms, you'll probably end up loving this book. For me, the over usage of the word "queer" was really annoying to the point i had to physically cringe.

The plot line was much better than the first book and I had much less second hand embarrasment moments, so that was great. I liked their friendships and I'm so happy that they had the conversation about Nick's dad being a cop because it had been bugging me since the first book.

The plot twist felt really generic, but it was okay because the ending was good. My biggest issue with this book was making Nick the comic relief (even though he is the main character) which made it really hard for me to take him seriously. But maybe that was the point?

Overall, it was fun and easy to read. Except the fanfiction parts. I feel like this is a very petty comment to make but as a daily consumer of fanfiction, it was really cringe and I do not know why TJ Klune thought it was okay to make Nick write fanfiction about him and his boyfriend... And Nick constantly posting author updates was funny because the site that he was using was clearly AO3 and AO3 just. Doesn't work like that. 😭

Anyway, even though all the complaints I had I'll be reading the third book because at this point, I really am invested.

First, I want to thank NetGalley and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Yes this is YA and I don’t care! It holds such a great meaning to the lgbqt community and it is fun story! Some of the dad jokes are so bad they make you laugh out loud. This book puts a smile on my face and is a great escape from all the hate in the world. I loved the ending! Definitely looking forward to a book three!

Nick and co. are back at it again. Doing superhero things in a superhero world. And of course Nick has to be as adorably awkward and goofy as possible trying to figure out all that superhero drama. He has zero chill.

While this second installment didn't have quite the same charm as book one, it was still an enjoyable journey. It was nice getting to see Nick go through his junior year with his friends, especially knowing it's Gibby's last year there. It always sucks when older friends graduate before you. And it was great to see a group of teenagers who got along and didn't have unnecessary melodrama just for the sake of having unnecessary melodrama. Though, in all honesty, a little bit of relationship drama between Seth and Nick would have been great to see. Sometimes their "arguments" never seemed to really dig deep into major feelings. And that was true for a lot of the conflicts in this book. You'd go from one major revelation to another with no real downtime to let the emotions play out. It was almost too fast-paced.

But there was an introduction to a certain superhero that had me absolutely in love! The name! The powers! YASSSS! Nick was 100% correct in his excitement level. I could totally relate.

Sadly, the plot developments for this book were fairly predictable, whereas in the first book, I was totally surprised by the major reveal. I guess because there aren't any more secret identities floating around, the superhero trope I won't mention because of major spoilers had to come into play. Let's just say that it's a development that was set up at the end of book one about Nick's own backstory. Oh, and something I thought I'd mention is how the author addressed the police brutality plotline from book one. The author totally made the effort to fix elements of his story; however, I'm not sure if I was just aware of these changes because I knew he was going to fix it, or if it's something I would have noticed regardless, but sometimes the writing around those particular scenes felt a little drawn out and forced. But maybe that was just me. I do appreciate him making the effort though.

So did I have fun reading this story? Absolutely! There were chuckles and a couple of face palms, but I was slightly disappointed that no major plot reveals came about, or at least not ones that I wasn't already anticipating. However, I'm not the target audience here, so I think teens will really enjoy this addition to the series. It's definitely one comic book readers and Marvel movie fans will love, and it's also a great book to diversify shelves, both in terms of genre and characters. Overall, I'm still eagerly anticipating the conclusion to The Extraordinaries trilogy, and I can't wait for Nick to finally "take out the trash."

3.5/5 stars

*Note: I received an ARC of this book to review from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affected my opinion/review.

***Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest opinion***

What a fun and exciting follow up to Nick’s story! This book was everything I expect from a TJ Klune story; fun, humorous, and loveable. I also really appreciated the social commentary on bisexual erasure and racial discrimination from police. I felt that this is a topical issue that the author tried to get right in commentary to the critics of book 1. However I do feel that the entire weight of the conversation was put on one character, which happens all too often with marginalized communities. Always room for improvement for sure as we all work towards dismantling biases!

TJ Klune has this habit of writing characters that I can’t help but love and this series is certainly no exception! This book also has some of my favourite tropes: found family and childhood friends to lovers. The realtor ship between Seth and Nick is a refreshingly healthy relationship in a YA setting.

I found many of the twists pretty predictable (which is nice sometimes), but the ending took me by total surprise. It is a very fast read and offers a lot of great plot points and character development for Nick. Overall I found this read enjoyable. I can’t wait to see what comes next!

Flash fire, the sequel to Extraordinaries was everything I hoped for and more. Right from chapter one I was laughing uncontrollably with stitches in my sides, cringing from second hand embarassment and falling helplessly more in love with all these characters. But it’s not just giggles and fun, T J Klune also does not hold back from discussing some tough topics like Aaron as a police officer assaulting a man in custody and how he got off with barely a rap on the knuckles. I wouldn’t say it was resolved perfectly but I appreciate the fact that the abuse of power and how race plays into it was discussed honestly.
But moving on to my favourite characters, Nick was as chaotic as ever but we also see so much growth to him. We see him taking responsibility, being more mindful while also still being innately himself. I loved his character arc and I am so excited to see how it progresses in the next instalment of the story.
Gibby, Jazz and Seth along with their parents/guardians get more page time in this book as well and I loved getting to know them better. Their friendship is the biggest highlight of this book. I loved it!!! And the little things like wanting to go to prom and picking up their prom dresses just emphasises the fact that they are just kids placed in extraordinary situations doing the best they can to enjoy their teenage years as well as save their city. I also loved seeing the adults stepping up and being there for our teen heroes and heroines which is kind of rare in the YA book I have read. We usually only see teens having to fend for themselves or keeping the adults out till the very end when it’s too late for them to help but here we see something different . The parents are cautious and worried but at the same time incredibly supportive and helpful. It made these characters and the story all the more endearing.
We also get to meet some new superheroes both good and bad and they have raised the stakes so high. The book ends on a massive cliffhanger and the situation has grown more dire and the villains more villainous but also with this small glimmer of hope. I literally cannot wait another year for the last book because I need to know that all my babies would safe and happy and living their absolute best life.
If you loved Exrraordinaries, I definitely recommend checking this sequel out with even more wild shenanigans from Nick and co, a few more good guys to root for, a few more antisuperheroes to root against and a whole lot of fun, giggles, action and of course plenty of second hand embarrassment.

Flash fire, the sequel to Extraordinaries was everything I hoped for and more. Right from chapter one I was laughing uncontrollably with stitches in my sides, cringing from second hand embarassment and falling helplessly more in love with all these characters. But it’s not just giggles and fun, T J Klune also does not hold back from discussing some tough topics like Aaron as a police officer assaulting a man in custody and how he got off with barely a rap on the knuckles. I wouldn’t say it was resolved perfectly but I appreciate the fact that the abuse of power and how race plays into it was discussed honestly.
But moving on to my favourite characters, Nick was as chaotic as ever but we also see so much growth to him. We see him taking responsibility, being more mindful while also still being innately himself. I loved his character arc and I am so excited to see how it progresses in the next instalment of the story.
Gibby, Jazz and Seth along with their parents/guardians get more page time in this book as well and I loved getting to know them better. Their friendship is the biggest highlight of this book. I loved it!!! And the little things like wanting to go to prom and picking up their prom dresses just emphasises the fact that they are just kids placed in extraordinary situations doing the best they can to enjoy their teenage years as well as save their city. I also loved seeing the adults stepping up and being there for our teen heroes and heroines which is kind of rare in the YA book I have read. We usually only see teens having to fend for themselves or keeping the adults out till the very end when it’s too late for them to help but here we see something different . The parents are cautious and worried but at the same time incredibly supportive and helpful. It made these characters and the story all the more endearing.
We also get to meet some new superheroes both good and bad and they have raised the stakes so high. The book ends on a massive cliffhanger and the situation has grown more dire and the villains more villainous but also with this small glimmer of hope. I literally cannot wait another year for the last book because I need to know that all my babies would safe and happy and living their absolute best life.
If you loved Exrraordinaries, I definitely recommend checking this sequel out with even more wild shenanigans from Nick and co, a few more good guys to root for, a few more antisuperheroes to root against and a whole lot of fun, giggles, action and of course plenty of second hand embarrassment.

I did not like this one bit and ditched it in disgust after 10%. That's a lot less than I normally give a book that I do not like. Usually I can soldier on, and I try to cover at least a quarter or a third, and sometimes half or more of a novel like this, but I honestly could not stand to read this one at all. It just felt bad and wrong in every way. The book is a sequel, which I knew going in, and it was not a problem - except that of course I had no background for these characters, having been unaware of the first novel when it came out; but if I'd read that I probably wouldn't be reading this one; so - swings and carousel!

What it meant was that I was meeting these people for the first time and I was sorry the author didn't help. The assumption seems to be that any reader of this volume has just completed volume one and is immediately going into volume two, which didn't work in my case. Naturally no author wants to rewrite entire character biographies in each volume, and no one who is following a series wants or needs that either, but for readers coming in new, or after a long layoff, a few words of context here and there would not have hurt, and would not have been obtrusive. I didn't get those, which made it difficult to get into, and difficult to relate to the characters. An action scene right up front, showing off these people, would have worked well, but it didn't come.

The real problem for me though, is the billing. It's billed as a super hero novel with gay characters, which sounds great, but it's actually a gay novel with superhero characters. That's an important difference. That would not have been an issue either, had it been better written, but as it was it felt juvenile and not in a good way; the entire relationship between Nicky and Seth seems to be physical with nothing else to hold it together, and that's not a good thing in a world that seems like it's entirely a no-consequence world.

As for the lack of consequences, at one point for example, the teens spend, without permission, ten thousand dollars on equipment they decide they want for their super hero team, which is not only irresponsible, it's dishonest. It's theft, in effect, yet no one feels bad and no one gets in trouble. That just felt inauthentic. These are the heroes?! Ten thousand dollars is not an insignificant amount, even for a wealthy family. That sabotaged the suspension of disbelief for me.

Appropriating large sums of money is hardly heroic, but the weird thing is that the novel seems not to differentiate between good guys and bad guys if judged by the book description, which has them all as heroes. It tells us: "with new heroes arriving in Nova City it's up to Nick and his friends to determine who is virtuous and who is villainous." Why? Why is it up to these teenagers? And why are 'new heroes' arriving in Nova City (not a very imaginative name)? What's the attraction? Why there as opposed to somewhere else?

The thing is that I don't honestly get how a villain is a hero. Not that we met either - not in any meaningful sense in the portion I read. I'd expect a story like this would have some action up front, but the only action is between Nicky and Seth on the bed. Is that the most important thing that's going to happen in this novel? Because if that's all the story is about why even have supers in it? Why not just two horny young guys in bed and call it Flash Junk?

This is a problem with series, and why I'm typically not a fan. The first volume in a series is the prolog and/or the introductory volume and it seems like the author feels like he did all the action work in volume one as well - which he may well have for all I know - but I don't think that absolves him from bringing some in volume two, but if it's here, it's much further in than I read. What I read felt like a backwater, a doldrums, a slack tide, and it was, frankly, rather boring. It did nothing to substantially introduce me to the characters or to endear me to them. From what I read of them here, they felt shallow and thin and I had zero interest in learning any more about any of them.

Worse than this though, is that the ten percent that I read seemed obsessed with the physical relationship between Seth and Nicky, which is broken-up by Nicky's dad, who seems like a jerk who's main passion in life is discussing homemade dental dams. It wasn't clear to me where this story is taking place because it's one of those fake cities that DC Comics favors, rather than real world locations, but the idea is that Nicky and Seth are under age. Maybe they are, but without a real-world specified locale, at sixteen, you are over the age of consent in about fifty percent of the US states, so in the absence of other information, the chances are just as good that they were legal as not. Evidently they live in a state where the age of consent is higher, but a fake Nova City doesn't help establish anything. The story felt disconnected from reality.

The book blurb tells us that Seth "is the superpowered Pyro Storm, who can manifest fire and spends much of his free time aiding local citizens in their fair city," but it's unclear exactly what he does - and how manifesting fire helps local citizens. Do they have a lot of yard waste to burn? I didn't like 'Pyro Storm' as the hero name. It felt too much like a 'junior X-men' kind of thing, and Nicky's adoration of him felt forced rather than natural, especially given that it was built entirely around sexual attraction - so it seemed from what I read in this volume. Maybe there was a lot more to it - aspects of the relationship that were revealed in volume one - I don't know, but judged by what was written here, I have very little faith that there is more to it and I don't want to read a gay sex novel - not without a lot more substance to it than this novel seems willing to offer.

So based on my admittedly limited reading, I can't commend this. I would have liked more - to have had an incentive to read further, but life is short and novels many and I don't see the point of a forced march through a novel that simply isn't doing it for me as a reader who is looking for a fun, interesting, imaginative, and engaging story, with fascinating characters, an intriguing world, and original situations.

RATING: 4/5 STARS

This was a solid sequel to THE EXTRAORDINARIES! The story hits the ground running where the first book left off with antics, humorous banter, and horribly awkward but entertaining situations. FLASH FIRE was just a delight to read. Nick and Seth's relationship is just as endearing as ever. And the supporting characters from the first book (Jazz, Gibby, Nick's dad, Rebecca Firestone...) are back in full force. There are some new awesome and not-so-awesome Extraordinaries as well, who add some drama to the story. Secrets are revealed, which result in a lot of character growth for Nick and reflection about the past. If you enjoyed the first book, you're sure to like this one. It's important to mention that the controversy surrounding police brutality and corruption are addressed in this book, as the characters have extensive dialogue surrounding these issues and acknowledge their biases. I think this is a well thought out response by TJ Klune to the reader reactions to the first novel, so if you're reluctant to read FLASH FIRE it may be helpful to know that!

A sincere thanks to Tor Teen and Netgalley for providing an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

TJ Klune, as usual, wove together a story filled with excitement, love, and humor in Flash Fire. From the first page, the tone is set for the book, and you can see that it’s keeping pace with the first one. Nick Bell remains the loveable, dork, caring character we saw back in The Extraordinaries. His friends continue to be the support group that you constantly want to see more of. Klune does an excellent job of making every single character, even the small ones who barely get any page-time, interesting. While the fight scenes can get messy, the point of these books aren’t that; it’s the lives and love between the characters. It’s the continuation of the queer superhero story we deserve. Klune weaves together both regular, teenage problems easily with the dangerous aspects that come with being a superhero.

The main reason I love this book is the characters; I absolutely adore every single one of them. Seth was given an amazing opportunity to shine in this book in contrast to the last book, where he kept his distance from Nick for a good portion of it. Gibby and Jazz both showed more vulnerable sides to them, which rounded them out well. Nick himself- Nick was wonderful in this book. He’s still the same Nicky- dorky, loveable, and kind- but the sides to him that come out as the story goes on expands on his character in a way that makes him even more believable and shows that even the best characters can’t be perfect. They all face struggles, they continue to stand together, and their group grows exponentially with wonderful new additions as the story goes on. They keep you invested in the story and aching for more when it’s over.

So, if we're being honest, I would read like, 100 books in the series if TJ wrote that many. It's just THAT good.

While reading, I switched between cackling (SO MUCH CACKLING) and swooning and ugly crying and gasping and I LOVED EVERY SECOND OF IT. I adore these characters (and watching their growth) and I love TJ's writing. It's so unique to him and truly unputdownable. AND SO GOSH DANG FUNNY. I love Nicholas Bell with my whole heart, okay?!

In FF (and in all of his books, really), TJ navigates some really important topics with humor, heart, and meaning. They're embedded so seamlessly into the story that it makes it feel authentic, real, and important -- no matter your age.

Also, I'm really impressed with how he used this book to address straight-on some of the issues raised by readers of the first book, and in a natural -- but significant -- way. I think I loved Flash Fire one even more than #1 and cannot wait for the final book next year. *BUILDING TIME MACHINE NOW*

ALSO THE END I--

A huge thanks to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. This really is such a gem of a series. Bravo, TJ!

<i>A huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review!</i>

In my review of The Extraordinaries I didn't mention the way the book portrays cops. Besides the one line about police brutality that was Not Great, I didn't even pick up on it. Didn't see the problem. The reason for that is that I don't live in the US. I live in a country where cops are pretty much not allowed to use their guns, ever, and never to kill. To think they're perfect would be naive, or that it wouldn't be the same if they were allowed to use their guns the same way, but as it stands, when I read a book, I don't necessarily see a cop as bad. Not until it's pointed out to me afterwards.

I reread The Extraordinaries before Flash Fire, and with more knowledge and awareness on my side, I saw all the things that were icky, to say the least. I read Klune's statement about it, and was curious to see how he would handle it in Flash Fire.

And well, right there in the first few pages, he tackles it. And it keeps going throughout the book, with the common thread of Nick doubting the police and his father. The problems of the police are called out, both by Aaron and Cap, and more importantly, perhaps, by Gibby and her parents. It definitely gave a different vibe to the book, one I really appreciated, and I hope others will, too.

Speaking of different vibes, Flash Fire is very different from The Extraordinaries. Where The EO is very camp, wholesome, and very hilarious, Flash Fire adds darkness to the mix. My anger is very real, and my notes of the final chapters were pretty much just me yelling. If you think Rebecca Firestone and Simon Burke couldn't get worse, you're in for a surprise, let me tell you. Book three is a long way away, but I will be vibrating in anger until then, ready to be angry some more. Some of the allegory, meant or not, just really hit home, and if Simon Burke dies in mysterious circumstances, I won't mourn him.

Of course anger is not all I got out of this book. Nick is Nick, our resident chaotic queer disaster, and his relationship with Seth is the cutest thing. Jazz and Gibby are awesome, as always, and we get to meet their parents! Martha and Bob are still people I aspire to be when I grow up, and Aaron is the most conflicting character I've come across in a while.

I was personally very excited to learn more about Nick's powers, and loved what we got! We also meet new characters, new EOs, including a fucking badass drag queen who I would die for.

Speaking of, Klune, you gotta stop with all the characters I'd die for, because the list is growing worryingly long and this is only my fourth book from you. I will protect them all with my life and I will keep them close to my heart.

Because that's the thing. The characters. Main, side, new, or known. They all burrow themselves into your heart (besides the ones you don't like of course, they can choke) and refuse to let you go. They're all so distinct, and real. And so deliciously queer!

We're here, we're queer, and you better get used to it!

I will happily read anything by TJ Klune. I first want to say that I appreciate the change in approach towards police violence in this book compared to the first. I enjoyed the character growth in this book. Nick is just so...adorable. And I absolutely love the group dynamics between Nick, Seth, Jazz, and Gibby. I think that Klune cannot be beat when it comes to comedic relief.

This novel has the same funny, strong, diverse characters as the first one, but I think they are even better here. I felt like in this novel the characters from the first novel became more deep, we learned even more about them, and there was just a lot of character growth and development. Honestly, even if nothing happened in the plot, I feel like Nick, Seth, Gibby, and Jazz sitting in a room alone would still be enough for me to be invested.

Most importantly, Klune appeared to really put effort into changing how police were portrayed in this novel after the concerns raised about book one, and I appreciated the active steps he took to bring these conversations into the novel. I don’t think I’d have been able to read this novel if these changes from book one hadn’t occurred. And there is acknowledgment from the MC that he should have thought about this stuff sooner. It felt like drastically different portrayal from book one and I appreciated that. Moving forward, I hope to see the white characters (like Nick and his dad) rely less on people of color (like Gibby and her family) to educate them though and continued acknowledgment of systemic problems. However, I also encourage people to look into own voices reviews, as they are the only ones who can determine if enough changed in portrayal in this book.

Does anyone know of a good void I can go scream into while I wait for the next book? Everything I wanted. We're here, we're queer, and we have SUPERPOWERS. I mean, with that and a neurodivergent main character, can you really ask for a more perfect read?

I will read anything Klune writes. His style is so distinct and captivating, and his characters climb off the page. I loved this just as much as The Extraordinaries, and I can't wait to read what he does next.

Summary: This book follows Nick as he continues to discover what it means to live in a world where kids have to balance the human and the superhuman. Nick and his friends are just teenagers but are they really? Along with all that good teenagey stuff that everyone else is dealing with, Nick, Gibby, Jazzy, and Seth also have to manage some "extraordinary" things. At the end of book 1, Nick had finally found his way to the boy he loves, but having a boyfriend is new territory, let alone a boyfriend with this particular set of gifts. On top of all this, Nick has his own mysteries to uncover and they just might shake up his entire life.

Review: This entire duology was a breath of fresh air. The humor and the graceful way Klune navigates difficult topics like mental illness, sexuality, and police brutality, all contribute to how truly wonderful and different this book was. Nick has ADHD and suffers from panic attacks and chronic cluelessness, all of which make him that much more lovable and relatable. There were some moments where I thought I'd surely die of second hand embarrassment on his behalf but it was worth it. His relationship with Seth is heartwarming to say the least and the way they navigate the unchartered waters of love and adulthood together is a beautiful example to young teens. I enjoyed this book immensely.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for sending me this ARC in exchange of an honest review!

I wanted SO badly to like this as much as I did the Extraordinary’s... something just felt off. The characters were there, the plot was interesting, the writing was still Klune-esque... but it just didn’t connect for me until the end. I felt myself fighting to pick it up rather than fighting to put it down (which, by the way, I did with Extraordinary’s this past year... reading until 3 am isn’t something I can do anymore now that I’m a real life adult, but it was SO WORTH IT!). I definitely will say it’s not BAD... I’ll still buy it, and I’m still going to recommend it to people! I often feel that the second book in a trilogy of this genre tends to be the fluff/filler... that’s a bit what it felt like, at least to me.

Though, looking through some other reviews, I believe I’m the only one with that opinion!

Just finished this one! Definitely going to have to write a more in detail review in a few but, it was phenomenal! I just want to go and binge read all of TJ Klune's books.Amazing sequel! And the cover is so gorgeous