4.5 stars 
 It was good throughout but the last quarter of the book was just a stupendous. I love that I had a feeling/inkling and then it was developed at that time so I was led off of that path and it still turned out to be a surprise. I loved the cast of characters -- I think I really enjoy gangs and crews and this collection of characters was so interesting. Each one was so unique and yet they all fit together so well. 
 I loved the surprises. So many different surprises and I was totally caught off guard which I LOVED. 
 There were also some FEELS. I actually sobbed in my car at the audiobook. Friendship feels. Romantic feels. Sad feels. So you know... Sanderson trying to destroy them. 
 The audio was fantastic! I've listened to another book that McLeod Andrews narrated (Lies Beneath) and I really love his narration. I had to finish the book via print copy because I HAD to finish but I missed the audio when I stopped it! Can't wait to start the audio for FIREFIGHT! (And also the story OMG) 
 Full review posted HERE on The Book Addict's Guide 3/6/15: I became a BIG Brandon Sanderson fan this past year... and luckily for me, after I binge-read the Mistborn series, there were still plenty of books for me to catch up on! Naturally, being a mostly YA reader and with the release of the second book in Sanderson's Reckoners series FIREFIGHT, STEELHEART was high on my radar! When Audible contacted me to see if I was interested in the audio, it was the final gentle push to start this series immediately -- and I was more than happy to! 
 STEELHEART was excellent. So far from Sanderson I've read high fantasy, fantasy meets steampunk meets Western, and mystery meets psychological so I was already fairly convinced that Sanderson can dabble in anything he wants to and I will straight-up love it. From the synopsis I gathered that STEELHEART was more superheroes meets dystopian and that was fairly spot on. It's definitely more of a superhero/science fiction feel in somewhat dystopian society and I really just gobbled it up!. 
 The characters, as always, are excellent. Each character has SUCH personality and they really just leap off the page (or in my case, make themselves individual while I listen to the audiobook). David is an excellent main character and he's just so relatable. He's got it out for Steelheart ever since a life-altering event when he was a kid and ten years later, all of his well-laid plans are finally starting to come together when he comes across the Reckoners -- a group of individuals who hunt down Epics. I loved David so much because HE'S not the superhero. He's an average kid who had some stuff happen in his life and he does what he has to in order to get by. He's clever, crafty, detail-oriented, and also your average guy/teenager who wants to be the badass who gets to hunt Epics and do some cool movie-type stunts (but in real life). He works hard for what he wants but he's also very passionate too (which also tends to get in his way). 
 The other characters are great too. It's another fantastic ensemble and a really great range of people and personalities. They don't always all get along perfectly, but they come together to form a really cohesive team. I LOVED the banter between Megan and David (bring on the banter!!!!) and he really took it so well. David always cracked me up and even when he was having a hard time with things, he was a really easy-going person and took everything in stride. 
 The overall concept was really interesting as well! I love how the Epics were superhero-types but... they weren't the good guys! And the limitations and structure of their abilities was so well-crafted and cleverly explored as the plot progressed. I really liked how STEELHEART was a sort of mash-up of so many elements that just clicked. A bit dystopian from the current state of the US after the Epic takeover and tyranny, a bit fantasy from the Epic powers BUT more science-fiction based on how they came about (that we know of so far) and of course overall action and adventure with a little bit of romance. 
 STEELHEART was so excellent. I laughed, I gasped, I even ugly cried, you guys. Who expected that? (But it IS Sanderson and sometimes he just hits you where you least expect it.) I loved the feel, I loved the plot, I loved the characters and of course, I will be coming back for more!