Is it possible to die from second hand embarrassment? Asking for a friend. Y'all the opening scene of this book took me out. And, I am not even going to give y'all any details on this one because I need to you to be as mortified as I was alongside Nick.

Flash Fire picks up shortly after The Extraordinaries. If you haven't read The Extraordinaries then DO NOT CONTINUE reading this review because it will inadvertently spoil the good bits.

Okay, now that you’ve been warned, this book picks up with Nick adjusting to being a boyfriend to Seth. One of the aspects that I really enjoyed is the exploration of “the next step”. Nick thinks he’s ready for sex, but ultimately doesn’t want to pressure Seth or go into a situation unprepared. I will say, the fanfic that he continues to write that explores all of the emotions he’s going through this time is both hilarious and spot on. Oh, and let’s not forget about the safe sex talks from Nick’s dad. The overall message reinforced sex positivity and consent throughout the book, which I loved.

So one of the biggest criticisms from book one was that The Extraordinaries felt like police propaganda because Nick’s dad is a police officer. While I agree that there is a lot of situations where the police are present and that it can in fact be triggering for BIPOC, I didn’t read this as police propaganda since the whole superhero/police struggle goes is literally a fundamental facet of their complicated relationship. That being said, I think Klune does a great job having a Black character stepping in and discussing how Nick’s dad’s behavior was problematic and the privilege that he was afforded where BIPOC would not have been. I don’t want to give away any more than that, but this is addressed on page.

The side characters (Seth, Gibby, and Jazz) continue to be amazing ride or dies, and I honestly I would die for them, so Klune don’t get any funny ideas. That being said, this team of badass friends continues to protect Nova City from new evil forces while trying to do normal high school things like going to school dances. Icons. Honestly.

In true Klune style, this also ended on one hell of a cliffhanger, and now I’m chomping at the bit for book three.

Thank you to Tor Teen for providing a review copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.

TJ Klune is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. I love the touches of whimsy and humor laced in to each of his stories. The Extraordinaries took me a bit to get into but not Flash Fire. I was drawn in immediately. The characters are all so varied and interesting (though I want to smack Nick half the time!). I love that it reps bipoc, queer, and neurodivergent characters. This book was pretty action packed and keeps you wanting to read more. Make sure you read the bonus scene at the end! I can’t wait for the next book in the series!

Flash Fire is the second book in The Extraordinaries series by T.J. Klune. I loved book 1, The Extraordinaries and really enjoyed book 2 as well.

Now that Nick has the superhero boyfriend of his dreams, he’s struggling with the fact that he’s just ordinary. With the arrival of new Extraordinaries in Nova City, Nick, with the help of his friends, Seth, Gibby, and Jazz, must figure out who is truly good and evil while dealing with some truths about his past.

T.J. Klune does it again! This is the third book of his that I’ve read, and I truly enjoyed it. The way he writes the friendships in these books along with the relationship between Nick and his father was fantastic. These stories are coming of age, and now that Nick is in a relationship there is a lot of sex talk. At some points it was a bit much, but didn’t take away from the overall story.

I’m looking forward to continuing this series when book 3 comes out in 2022.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Teen for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I missed the first instalment of this book, I went into this one blind! I will be reading book one! i love the style of this writer and the underlining messuages in this novel 4/5

4.5 stars.

This series continues to be cute and fun. I love Klune's writing and how he manages to be flippant and sarcastic, but at the same time deliver lines that enforce the need for equality and treating people with the respect they deserve.

The plot moves pretty smoothly and there is a lot of action in the book, just like the first. There is some awkwardness and weirdness, but that's just the way Nick is. And I love him for it. He is an unabashedly outspoken person with a different way of looking at things and, while he occasionally gives me anxiety, I think he's adorable. Or adorkable. Either way.

I love the dialogue and the friend group. It's just so warm and inviting while still remaining fun. The characters are where Klune really shines. He just makes such vibrant and lovable characters, they are all wonderful and tangible.

I originally thought this was meant to be a duology, but OBVIOUSLY I was wrong. That ending...what????? I did NOT see that coming and I have some issues with it. There are questions that need to be answered. Now I'm on the edge of my seat waiting for the next installment.

* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. *

I was worried that it would be hard to recreate the unique quality of Nick's narrative in a second book. It would be so easy for it to become repetitive or pushed too far to force the story. I didn't need to worry, though: Nick is back with his unflinching sentimentality and unpredictable honesty, and I loved every page. There are still plenty of absurd quotes to be found:

"Oh my god, wait. There have to be trans Extraordinaries! Do you think we'll get to meet them?"
"Probably," Jazz said. "I've personally met an absurd number of queer Extraordinaries. Poor straight people. They really don't get to have much, aside from fake-white Jesus, do they?"
They took a moment of silence for the heterosexuals of the world. When enough time had passed (six seconds - straights didn't need that much sympathy), Nick clapped his hands.

There's definitely more action this time around, and I found the story to be a lot less predictable. But don't worry, it's still incredibly cheesy, especially as Nick and Seth navigate their friendship becoming a relationship. I loved Nick's steadfast refusal to allow bisexual erasure when it came to Seth's identity, always pushing it to the forefront while seemingly oblivious to their surroundings.

It's unusual for parents to play such a big role in YA, but it allowed for the discussion of police brutality that was sorely missing from The Extraordinaries. Admittedly, it was a little clunky and politically correct - it's hard to do a total 180 from cop worship to defund the police - but it was definitely an improvement. I'll be interested to see if this is developed further as the series continues.

The biggest sticking point for me was that no one figured out that ***SPOILER*** Seth was Pyro Storm. One day Nick is kissing Pyro Storm, and the next day he's kissing Seth - who else could it be?!*** For some reason, in a series that is full of plot holes and unlikely events, that's the one that bothers me. Unfortunately, I wasn't a fan of the post-credits scene this time, either. I'm hoping Klune can save this stinker of a development with a bulletproof explanation in the third book, but it doesn't seem possible.

Flash Fire managed to replicate the magic of The Extraordinaries while developing the relationships of the characters and adding more depth to the narrative. Nick and his friends demonstrate how to balance acceptance, inclusion, and accountability admirably; it's not always easy, but it's definitely worth it.

I really love this series. Flashfire is the second book in TJ Klune's Extraordinaries series.
Nick is finally in a relationship with his best friend/superhero Seth. The book was funny and sweet and real and authentic. He does a great job mixing the everyday high school elements with the superhero elements. He also does a great job dealing with the BIG ISSUES that come up in the book.

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

The characters are as endearing as ever, especially Nick. His chaotic self was as amazing if not more amazing than I remember from book one. His relationship with Seth is one of my favorite parts of this entire story and I'm so happy I got more of it. They are absolutely adorable together. The rest of the gang got more page time, and I loved that too. All in all, definitely a series I would recommend.

4.5 Stars

Oh to be a teenager again! And even more, to be an EXTRAORDINARY teenager (emphasis on the EXTRA, please). Just the tought of sneaking around with your boyfriend (or girlfriend) and having your Dad walk in, exactly at the same time your bedroom echoes the phrase ‘BLOW ME’ 🤣🤣🤣🤣…

And that my friends is how ‘Flash Fire’ kicks off and becomes one of my FAVE books read thus far this 2021. To be honest, I dove into this book with the exact mindset you are supposed to being an adult who loves YA: just ENJOY IT.

After hundreds of books and a few dozen YA authors, giving Tj Klune the chance to prove himself as a masterful teen story teller was a no brainer since I’ve been a hardcore OG fan of his since day and book one, many, many, many, many moons ago. Did he changed his writing style now that he joined the ranks of high profile authors belonging to the NYT Bestsellers? I say it became a sharper style, but he didn’t lose his signature humor, sarcasm and wit. If you ask me what I think about this latest book? I’ll tell you that he is just plain and simple, a BRILLIANT author. Period. ‘Flash Fire’ -the sequel to last year’s ‘The Extraordinaries’- just proved my point.

And for that exact reason, going back to Nova City was the mental equivalent of traveling Disneyland on steroids.

I refuse to spoil this for you guys. This book DESERVES to be enjoyed in any and every format (cause his all time fantastic narrator Michael Lesly takes the cake here again with the audiobook) but what I will twll you is that no matter how ‘Extraordinary’ any character may or may not be, they are still TEENAGERS, and Lord HAVE MERCY, Tj portrayed these teens as realistic and dramatic and overbearing and HORMONAL as possible. After reading the first three chapters you simply CANNOT deny that everything Nick, Seth, Gibby and Jazz go thru is possibly a reflection of your OWN teenage years. It’s an ode to the supreme drama that floats around each teen at that perfect age where your heart melts when you see that boy or girl you like and the butterflies build a colony in your stomach. Yep, it has action, love, sweetness, drama, and though some things MIGHT seem predictable, they really end up NOT like you believe they will. Trust me on this. This book has EVERYTHING.

After the EPIC battle Nick and Pyro Storm fought against Shadow Star, everything SEEMED to be somewhat going back to normal, but not everything CAN go back to what it was, and Nova City is just preparing for another wave of not only new and brilliant Extraordinaries to join Pyro Storm in his mission, but we also see the possibility of not only one more story, but at least two more. I have my hopes high here, but I am a HUGE sucker for teenage drama (even more if this includes queer super heroes).

In short: Fash Fire brings the adventure and humor you would expect in your average YA story, but it also has those deeply rooted family ties Tj has mastered to portray over the years in every one of this books. Tj is an EXPERT storyteller when it comes to family bonds, blood and none blood related, and he manages to make you shed a tear or two with the way each story unfolds and the messages he wants to share. Flash Fire will make you laugh, cry happy tears but mostly, remember why your teenage years (or at least mine) were the BEST. ❤️

Tj Klune is one of my all time favorite authors. I actually ended up also buying the kindle version of this book and absolutely loved it. I am not usually an emotional reader, but Tj's sense of humor just gets me. I think that he is absolutely brilliant and it is evident in his style of writing. I loved the fact that even though there were jokes and lighter topics there were also important deep conversations that made this book just feel that much more real. I loved the super hero aspects and the powers, so much so that I almostttt forgive him for the cliffhanger and amount of twists and turns in this book.... no but really haha. Honestly I think that this book was even better than the first which was hard to top. Overall I though this was amazing, and Tj could release a grocery list and I would probably feel the same lol.

Setting aside my personal issues with the author and the choices that they've made in regards to some of their other books, this just wasn't my favorite. While I really enjoy queer stories, I felt the pacing of this was totally off for about the first third to half of the book, and then it felt like everything started to happen all at once, which really just isn't my style. It was almost a DNF for me and I kind of wish it had been.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

<i>"I have to hope it will be. We can't know what's going to happen tomorrow, but if we spend all our time focusing on what *might* happen, we could end up missing what *does* happen."</i>

TL;DR: A solid follow-up to what was a fun initial book -- but which, unfortunately, gets bogged down by clunky and awkwardly-integrated Very Important Messages.

Vibes: The MCU (NOT the DCCU because TJ Klune is absolutely hysterical at times) + The Boys (Amazon show) + Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl (but like, better, in every way) + Percy Jackson

Genre: True YA Superhero Queer Romance; Sequel

Character MVP: Still definitely Gibby and Jazz and Nick is still a bit much.
We get a few new characters this time around -- mainly Gibby and Jazz's parents and...*sigh* I get WHY TJ Klune added them, but <i>Buzz, your girlfriend. Woof.</i>. It's a swing and a miss for me.

Verdict: Okay, I loved TJ Klune's first book in this series. Like, flat out adored it.

But, I will be the first to admit -- I didn't consider the ramifications of Nick's dad being a cop. And that's on me. Especially in our current climate, police portrayals in *any* medium are being carefully rethought -- look at Brooklyn-Nine-Nine. What started as a light-hearted comedy about a lovable precinct of quirky police detectives has had to reinvent itself, especially since 4 of its 6 main characters are people of color.
And yet...I didn't give as much thought to Nick's dad being a cop when I read the first book, and I certainly didn't stop to reflect on the implications of him assaulting a witness aside from the fact that it was clearly designed to demote him and introduce some conflict into the plot.
Yikes.
Not a good look.

So I fully understand WHY TJ Klune did what he did in this book -- which is to say, he corrected course and made sure to place the characters in the context of our current, real-world climate. The fact that Nick's dad is a good person is never really questioned; it's more that (1) he benefitted from his position of privilege as a white man (he assaulted a witness and while said witness may have been taunting him about his wife's death, the fact remains that he was demoted and placed on leave, not fired and prosecuted); and (2) police officers aren't viewed the same by all members of a community. And those points are absolutely valid and absolutely necessary.

For me, they were just really awkwardly, and didactically, inserted into the story. We meet Gibby and Jazz's parents for the first time, and it seems like the only reason we do so is so that we can have those Very Important Conservations about race and policing. And again, those are conversations we absolutely need to have, it's just that they seemed to interrupt the flow of the story. Like, everything halted so the characters could have those conversations and really drive home the points to the audience. It was a bit of an over-correction for me.

Ugh, I love this completely random super hero world so much! The beginning was a teenage wet dream, but it got into the story and the loved it.
The book hit some major topics that are super timely, but in the best way possible.
The plot, while fairly obvious, was fun and definitely felt like a blockbuster movie! I flashed through this one very quickly!

I have been a fan of Klune since Wolfsong and since then I have loved everything I have read from him. Flash Fire is a beautiful story about finding yourself and real friendship. It is a story full of humor, heart, and adventure. If these are things you are looking for in a story then this is the one for you!

The humour in this book is some of the best I’ve ever read and had me laughing out loud so many times; it’s snarky, witty, and full of love. At its core, the story is about friendship, family, and love but it’s not afraid to dream big. This is a wonderful sequel with a diabolical cliffhanger.

The superhero story is falling rapidly out of favor these days, partially because supers often support and valorize police officers. I appreciate that this book addresses some conversations about policing, but it still feels outdated.

Back in 2008, when I was in high school, there was a superhero novel featuring a gay character that I really enjoyed called Hero by Perry Moore. Ten years later, TJ Klune has written a superhero series featuring a gay character as well. There are such big sociological differences though with these works and how each respective series’ queer characters are featured, Hero dealt more with the psychological struggle of coming-out, whereas in TJ Klune’s superhero series, beginning with The Extraordinaries, deals with larger societal conflicts because a character being gay just happens to be an attribute of the character, and less so something that sows self-hatred/self-abnegating feelings. When you stand back and compare these two equally well-written books, it’s awe-inspiring to behold the progress that’s been made in society towards being more egalitarian of all the different shades and diverse spectrums of human identity.

Perry Moore sadly passed away before his dream of having a Starz television series for Hero was made manifest. The project has seemed to fade away into obscurity and the book itself is out-of-print at this point. Such a travesty given that the book deserves to live on in infamy for the profound role in played for setting the stage for TJ Klune’s Extraordinaries series.

This is a review of the sequel to the first entry in the series,The Extraordinaries, which was in of itself highly addictive, strongly emotive, and just an all-around excellent read. Up to this point, I’ve read two out of the four books in TJ Klune’s Green Creek Series (excellent shape-shifter/werewolf series) and The House in the Cerulean Sea, a one-off novel that is much more gentler in tone/pacing than The Extradionaries. However, for as much as I loved The House in the Cerulean Sea, I actually think the The Extradionaries is my favorite of his series with the newest installment and sequel Flash Fire being my favorite of his books to date.

Flash Fire never peters away in terms of pacing, it picks up right where the last book was, and it explores some fairly contemporary social issues including the issue of systemic racism, and also the book continues to feature a very wide spectrum of LGBT characters beyond just having either a gay/bisexual character, which I think is pretty important, since there are actually quite of a lot of different facets, as we’re learning to both our gender expression and sexuality. None of these qualities are things characters treat as character flaws, or some morose detail of their internal struggle because thankfully we’re long past that now in books being released. So we get to delve into equally as important and more interesting plot concepts, such as the grey morality of superheroes/vigilantes, and how that reflects also on the role of police in our society. There is a tension between the two. And even more interestingly, the antagonistic force being a pharmaceutical company that displays a pretense for wanting to help heroes, when in actuality, helping really means serving to profit through some type of ulterior scheme.

Flash Fire is even more complex which could have made for a tedious, exhausting read, but Klune has a strong ability of balance all these many story strands and have all character, even minor ones, develop into more than just caricatures. They are well-drawn and have their own foibles, as well as distinct expressions and dialogue style, helping to differentiate each of the characters from one another. As someone who struggles with not cobbling together a bunch of characters who feel like their full range of expression is muted by the monotony of mulish meandering world-building in some books, having distinctive characters that transcend beyond the hackneyed stock character is a huge relief for my brain/ occasionally short attention span.

Being a big fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, filled to the brim with wonderful pop culture references and allusions among the clever dialogue, Flash Fire, much like The Extraordinaries, is populated with many pop culture references that never detract from the book, especially if they’re references to things the reader might not be familiar with. This works in tandem with TJ Klune’s exceptionally great sense of humor too which was another triumph of Buffy being able to balance the melodrama, gut-wrenching stuff alongside well-timed/oftentimes sardonic/biting humor that never felt forced, instead there’s always a character who uses this lines in Shakespearean fashion to work as a catharsis to help the reader to properly grieve or process more difficult scenes. This is a very, very hard thing to balance and accomplish as a writer and it’s one of the reasons I greatly enjoy TJ Klune’s books because this is not at all a pedestrian skill to have as a writer.

Brilliantly, TJ Klune also features an ADHD character as his lead. As someone that likely has ADD to some extent, and has family members who have ADHD, I really appreciated that this book works to normalize those with ADHD, offer more neurodivergent characters. One of my many concerns about the current hostile internet environment with its strident condescension/ruthless sanctimony when it comes to always saying the right stuff/being correct in general with expression is that for those with ADHD people can be particularly vicious to those with ADHD. Those with ADHD as shown through our main character’s struggle are very acutely aware of disappointing someone, and being shamed/shunned for doing something may greatly enfeeble that person from ever improving themselves in a far more encouraging way. Social media is devoid of any grace, forgiveness. It feigns sensitivity in the guise of braggadocios shows of always being right. I cannot think of a worse environment for neurodivergent It’s no wonder those shunned their whole lives in classrooms and elsewhere might venture to darker corridors of the internet, where people, even with the wrong intentions, might actually listen to them, and not dehumanize them, denigrate them.

TJ Klune is even-handed in his ability to write with diversity without it coming off as artificial and fake. There’s no political correctness when a writer works hard to maintain a degree of realism with their characters. If there was one song that kept pummeling its way into my mind while reading this book, it’s Evanescence’s Imperfection from their album Synthesis, something I’ve been listening too over-and-over again for the last four years. The message in this song, as with this series, is imploring us to recognize our intrinsically flawed selves, but not to actualize a thought process of destroying ourselves, giving into the disinclination not to live, to endure, and heal by realizing that there’s nothing wrong with being imperfect.

Even when this summer’s severe allergy season has left me feeling at times extremely tired, cotton-headed due to brain fog, TJ Klune’s terrifically entertaining, heartstring-tugging, at times poignant superhero story starring a boy with ADHD, managed to enliven my mood, impart to me the importance of books that celebrate diversity in all its iterations, and ones that works as a salve/source of empowerment to all of us. Flash Fire is easily my favorite novel of the year thus far and I think it’s TJ Klune’s strongest writing effort to date.

If you enjoyed TJ Klune’s series, you might also greatly enjoy another character-driven series All For the Game by Nora Sakavik. you’re forewarned that this sports drama is unexpectantly addictive, and much like Klune’s books will mostly definitely leave you with one big book withdrawal afterwords.

WOW! I am left speechless with the second installment of Kline's Extraordinaries series. OMG, the embarrassing and cringey moments with Nick and his dad were both hilarious and horrifying. I loved being inside Nick's head and seeing how his ADHD brain worked. His brain went haywire a lot and it was so awesome to see. He was just so huggable. I loved him and Seth and all their friends. I will say that the first 30% of this book was just meh. I mean, there were a LOT of funny scenes with Nick, his dad and all their friends and I enjoyed them, but the plot didn't really seem to be moving. I wasn't sure where the author was going with the story. Then it really picked up a lot. I don't want to give too much away, but I will say there were more Extraordinaries, which was a great surprise. And then that last fight scene . . . and that ending . . . OH. MY GOD!!! That ending left me with my jaw on the floor and in DESPERATE need of the next book in the series!!

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!!!

4.5!

I received an earc of this book from NetGalley! This has not influenced my review in any way.

Klune always knows how to hit the heart!! It feels AMAZING to read about an MC with ADHD and anxiety. This book covered some important topics such as family is not being OWED your love and addressed the police brutality issue in the first book.

I’m still not a fan of the dad—he’s made some really terrible decisions, but Klune did what Klune does best: made the characters human. Humans make mistakes, some are trivial and some are so large, you can’t believe they could make such a mistake/bad choice.

I recommend this series, but be careful with the first book! (CW: police brutality and police-positive. This was fixed in book 2.)

I’m looking forward to reading the next installation! Even though that cliff hanger has me all sorts of angry.