Jan 2021 BotM - The Extraordinaries

[Kaje]

This month's winner is The Extraordinaries by T.J. Klune

Some people are extraordinary. Some are just extra. TJ Klune's YA debut, The Extraordinaries, is a queer coming-of-age story about a fanboy with ADHD and the heroes he loves.

Nick Bell? Not extraordinary. But being the most popular fanfiction writer in the Extraordinaries fandom is a superpower, right?

After a chance encounter with Shadow Star, Nova City’s mightiest hero (and Nick’s biggest crush), Nick sets out to make himself extraordinary. And he’ll do it with or without the reluctant help of Seth Gray, Nick's best friend (and maybe the love of his life).


Content warnings - uncritical support for police with tone issues regarding police brutality

This thread is for discussion of this book - there is no specific reading schedule and you may post at any time. There may be spoilers in the comments, so be aware if you have not yet finished. Especially if you are posting early in the two months, please try to put real plot spoilers into a spoiler-hiding tag - write <*spoiler> before the text and <*/spoiler> at the end of it - with both * removed to make it work, and it will be hidden, revealed only (view spoiler)[ to those who choose to read it. (hide spoiler)]

I look forward to seeing what the group thinks of this one.

[Andreas]

This is the first book I have ever read of T.J. Klune. I know he is both very prolific and popular, so my expectations were quite high, probably too high. The book is not bad, but it is far from being extraordinary. It has interesting and loveable characters, lots of back stories and is fun. But the fun is also of a special kind and is always slightly over the top. So, the effect quickly wears off and it is becoming quite annoying. Same goes for the Extraordinaries (aka superheroes) plot. The book has a great and intriguing first part and a bombastic finale, but also a very boring middle part that just drags on and on. Overall, the plot is very foreseeable, because the many hints are more like gigantic road signs with bright spotlights on them. They are so obvious that you always wait for some twist or surprise, but there is none.

The way the police is uncritically depicted as the good just guys like in some 90s movie or sitcom is hard to take. The author knows all about modern culture with its memes and fanfic but seems totally unaware of BLM and police brutality. Hell, it also features exactly that sort of police brutality, even if it is only mentioned. Also, the police jokes and the dad jokes are unfunny and cringeworthy.

On the upside all the young main characters are queer and loveable and well elaborated. Although they are also all very cardboard like, almost stereotypical. Foreseeable plot comes with unsurprising characters, I guess.

I am most likely not going to read the next book in the series. Both the plot and the characters are too generic to really care about them that much. I almost gave up on this one.

[Heather]

Andreas wrote: "This is the first book I have ever read of T.J. Klune. I know he is both very prolific and popular, so my expectations were quite high, probably too high. The book is not bad, but it is far from be..."

I definitely found the police aspect, and especially the way we're supposed to gloss over the MC's dad for beating up his informant because he was going through a rough patch wildly tone-deaf and off-putting.

Nick's humor, anxiety, and general kid-likeness made him appealing for me, and a completely believable teenager (rather than a 27 year old playing 16 in a teen drama). I don't love when the reader knows what's up chapters before the characters do, and I felt the reveal of who's good and who's bad and all that rather heavy-handed (I was hoping Shadow Star was Seth and would turn out to be the baddie, but because he was trying to break into the tower to get more superhero potion), so I feel like the book just didn't live up to my own mental construct. I will read the sequel, because I can never get enough queer fiction, and because I really loved the friendship aspect of the book.

[Phoenix (Books with Wings)]

Oh hey, I read this book a few months ago! I really enjoyed it because it was so funny and just a sort of lightweight book. I can't wait for the next book because of the sort of subtle cliffhanger at the end of this one.

Also, I actually had the amazing opportunity to interview TJ Klune about The Extraordinaries, since it was his YA debut, on my blog! If you want to check it out, here's the link: https://yabookswithwings.wordpress.co...

[Kaje]

Phoenix (Books with Wings) wrote: "Oh hey, I read this book a few months ago! I really enjoyed it because it was so funny and just a sort of lightweight book. I can't wait for the next book because of the sort of subtle cliffhanger ..."

Thanks for the interview link :) I hadn't realized TJ has ADHD although I will say I'm not terribly surprised to hear it.

[a bunch of rats]

This book is amazing! It was more lighthearted than what I usually read, and super funny! I loved the plot twist at the end that I won't say because I don't want to spoil it... but though it was rather obvious who was an extraordinary, it wasn't who you thought it would be! And the characters are very likeable and hilarious. I've read it twice now and am very excited for the sequel.

[Kaje]

a bunch of rats wrote: "This book is amazing! It was more lighthearted than what I usually read, and super funny! I loved the plot twist at the end that I won't say because I don't want to spoil it... but though it was ra..."

I'm glad you enjoyed it :) It's fun to get some lighthearted books in the mix.

[Molly]

I normally read sad, heartbreaking books like They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera but it was nice to give my eyes a break from all the crying. I really loved the ending.

[Kaje]

Molly wrote: "I normally read sad, heartbreaking books like They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera but it was nice to give my eyes a break from all the crying. I really loved the ending."

Adam Silvera is great, of course. I like a mix of reads.