THE EXTRAORDINARIES (The Extraordinaries #1) by TJ Klune
- Publisher: Tor Teen, 2020
- Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, LGBTQ+
- Format: Ebook (eARC)
- Page Count: 400 pages
- My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
Click on the cover for my review on Goodreads.
When I started reading The Extraordinaries, I did not have any expectations. The opening of the story was a fanfic chapter by Nick, and I did not really appreciate it nor realise Shadow Star and Pyro Storm were real in the book. But as I read on into the main story, it was surprisingly enjoyable and gave me a few laughs. The book was the kind of YA fantasy with queer main characters I needed back in my teens.
“Love is such a weapon in the face of darkness, if you only know how to wield it.” – Martha Gray
The Extraordinaries is an awkward, embarrassing, and cute story on love (friendships, families, romantic relationships) and trust. Nick’s obsession with Shadow Star and attraction to his best friend Seth are adorable and sometimes cringey to watch. The interactions between him and his cop dad were both loving and saddening at times. With Nick’s queer clique of best friends: Seth, Gibby, and Jazz (I love Gibby and Jazz), Nick was always backed by his most trusted and loved ones. I generally really like books with conscious characters, and Nick’s best friends were awesome. I would totally read its sequel to see what happens next!
“Gibby loves you. You know that, right?” Her smile was tight. “I know.” “Then you should trust her to know what’s right. And on the off chance that your paths split, well. Maybe it doesn’t have to be forever. Or if it does, it doesn’t mean what you had mattered any less.”– Nick to Jazz
Klune has carefully shifted the narrative, and being queer was never a big deal in the book. But we can obviously see the parallel of being queer in our world, being with Extraordinaries in the fictional one, and being neuroatypical in both meant being singled out. I think these parallels give us something to think about.
“I don’t like it when you tell me that I can’t. I don’t like it when people think I’m not capable of doing things. Because I am. I know I talk a lot, and I know my brain makes me do or say things that people don’t always get, but that doesn’t make the things I want any less important.” – Nick
All in all, The Extraordinaries is a great book for readers of any age. TJ Klune’s YA debut certainly does not disappoint. [15 Mar 2020]
I received an e-ARC from Tor Teen via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
