Lightning & Thunder

Heroes and Romance #1

by Sara Raasch

DELUXE EDITION--featuring stunning sprayed edges!

Percy Jackson meets Thunderbolts* in this action-adventure romcom where the descendants of gods protect humanity, and Zeus’s snarky, vigilante heir is forced to team up with the globally beloved descendant of Thor.

As a Zeus descendant, Pollux “Lux” Keraunos never intended to be a villain. But if the cyber-crime hat fits, he’ll wear it to destroy the tyrant Hero Council led by his brother.

Then his brother vanishes (not Lux’s fault). Zeus’s line must continue, and the Hero Council turns to Lux as the heir―with the caveat that he trains under Erik Thorson, his brother’s Viking-wannabe BFF. Lux’ll use this to bring down the Council, and he isn’t falling for Erik’s smoking hot with a heart of gold persona―

Even if Erik didn’t know Lux’s brother was corrupt.

Even if Erik actually helps people―and believes Lux can, too.

As Lux tries the good guy role, the truth behind his brother's disappearance surfaces, and he’ll have to decide if he still wants to destroy the Council . . . or if he wants someone else more.

Hero? Villain? Or a secret third disaster bisexual with a savior kink?

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Mythology, LGBT, Queer, Adult, M M Romance

336 pages, Paperback

Expected publication December 29, 2026

About the author

Sara Raasch has known she was destined for bookish things since the age of five, when her friends had a lemonade stand and she tagged along to sell her hand-drawn picture books too. Not much has changed since then — her friends still cock concerned eyebrows when she attempts to draw things and her enthusiasm for the written word still drives her to extreme measures. Her debut YA fantasy, SNOW LIKE ASHES, the first in a trilogy, came out October 14, 2014 from Balzer + Bray. It does not feature her hand-drawn pictures.

Reviews

[Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a low tolerance to cheesy romances, and this was way too cheesy for my liking. The more the romance progressed, the more I hated it. This went from 4 stars, to 3 stars, to 2 stars in the blink of an eye.

The narrator’s tone also didn’t help and I was cringing through all the smut scenes 😭 No idea if I’d feel differently if I was reading it, but the dirty talk and words being used… just no. (Though, to be fair, I think he did a great job with everything else. I just really hated the smut scenes)

I don’t know if I want to rate this 2 stars because of the romance, or 3 stars because I did enjoy the story, most of the characters and how the friendships developed. I loved Ophelia and Hattie, and I’m so excited to see they are the main leads of the second book! yaaay!

BUT I still can’t believe how much I hated the romance. If you like your romances super cheesy and corny, you’ll probably like this. If you’re like me, maybe not…

For now I’m settling on 3 stars for the plot and characters, but it's a very reluctant 3

✎ᝰ. pre-read: chores are boring, but this audiobook is saving me 🙂‍↕️ 20% in and loving it so far!

💌 Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the alc!

[Fernanda (ivyfer_isreading) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a new take on super heroes, especially when they are a little unconventional.
Lightning & Thunder is about one of the descendants of Zeus who gets tangled up in the heroes' business, something he has avoided for years, because his brother(whom he detest, for good reasons) goes suddenly missing. Trying to recruit him is his brother's best friend of many years, and crush for just as long.
It quickly gets messy, as you can imagine.
Lux is a bratty sarcastic little guy and I love him to death, his quips were so funny and his virtual assistant Molly provided some of the best conversations in the whole book. Erik is the typical overachiever, has the weight of the whole world on his shoulders, type of hero, and I loved how Lux was able to make him relax and be present. All the other heroes also have pieces of my heart, especially Ophelia, I love her a lot.
It's been a long while since I've loved a cast of characters this much, and I'm so so so happy this will be a series so I can see them again. They are a band of misfits with a sprinkle of found family and that's my favorite thing ever. All of them are wildly different and I loved them all for different reasons. We already know the next one will be about Hattie and Ophelia(sapphic romance!!! I'm so happy!!!!!), but I also sense a little thing brewing between Tristan and Remeses and let me tell you that would be buzzy. I love Remeses' grumpy exterior teddy bear interior personality SO MUCH.
If this is important to you I can also inform you Lightening & Thunder has Sara Raasch's hottest sex scene yet and much of her signature humor that I absolutely adore.
The Life & Death sneak peak at the end of the book got me so excited for the next book in the series I cannot wait for next year to be able to read it!

Thank you Netgalley and Bramble for the ARC!

[annotated by Noi (in & out)]

I need it, in my hands, right now.

[Heather K (dentist in my spare time) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this so much!! Review to come when I’m back from the beach!

[Sophie (lambsbooks)]

Hero? Villain? Or a secret third disaster bisexual with a savior kink?

Sign me the fuck up.

[gracie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was this objectively an okay book? Yes. However as someone who's read a lot of Sara Raasch books,it's so obvious that the main characters are quite similar to those from Go Luck Yourself with little differences.

What I will say is that, even though I dnfed the divination offense on account of this, I somewhat enjoyed the cheekiness of the narrator in this one.Lux was very witty and a compelling pathetic hero to read about.I also enjoyed the lore and world building,I hope we get even more details in the next book which I'm extra seated for because it's sapphic!
~~~~~
imagine my excitement when I checked my inbox this morning to see I got the arcccc. Thank you Tor!

[Lance]

👀👀👀

[Ri]

Percy Jackson meets Thunderbolts? Hero x villain action adventure romcom? Say less!

[Amanda Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who has read most of Sara’s backlog, this might be one of my favs!

Lux was a perfect mmc - strong on his own while still having past trauma. He is smart and tactful and knows what he needs to do, and when to do it.
And wow did I also love Erik immediately. He was kind and sweet. Such a big softie, yet a strong, domineering male in bed. I love him your honor.

But the best part (and what is normally my fav part of Sara’s books) — the side characters! Wow I loved them. And I cannot wait for more books about them. It makes me look forward to this series even more!

I cannot wait for the rest of this series, and I’m so glad to be able to listen to these in advance!

Overall
4 ⭐️
1 🌶️

Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an ALC of this book!

[Jessica Porche · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredible and everything I’ve come to love about her romcoms. Also THE NEXT ONE IS SAPPHIC?! Sign me tf up!

[iam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun superhero romance that did a few things differntly than expected, and most I was very appreciative of.

The whole thing around superheroes being the descendants of various mythologies/deities was the least exciting "twist" of the book. Zeus and Thor aside, I appreciated that most other people came from very different pantheons, but I still think it would be nice if at least one of protagonist or love interest came from something less overt/well known/euro-centric.

I really liked Lux's very batant bisexuality. I always appreciate visible queerness, but explicitly bisexual is still something that is surprisingly rare, especially in male characters in media.

The plot follows Lux as he keeps trying to undermine his corrupt bully brother who is one of the most popular heros of the city. But when his brother vanishes, the hero council reaches out to Lux, and while he is happy for the opportunity to infiltrate them, as they are just as corrupt... things are not as they seem. And maybe he isn't the only one who has noticed that his brother isn't a good guy.
I really liked that this wasn't a "protagonist stands alone against overwhelming odds and no-one believes him" story. And despite that, there still was plenty of animosity and fighting against prejudice and biases, as well as having to face that maybe the things we believed as facts aren't so true after all. It was just really nice to have a story where the big reveal is that, actually, we are all fighting for the same thing.

Part of that was also the found family background plot, though I will admit it was pretty minor. Overall there was a lot of stuff in the background that played a very small role but could have easily been expanded. I am not sure if that was laziness, editing deliberately focussing on the romantic tension at the expense of the wider plot and worldbuilding, or deliberate teasing at there being more going on to set up for a sequel (there definitely is more than enough material.)

Another thing that was handled well was the presence of Lux's brother. He absolutely haunts the narrative despite not even appearing on-page before the disappears, but his presence is so stifling and heavy. It really set a dark mood, which at times was at odds with the otherwise very lighthearted and rom-com moments. That combination didn't always work for me, because the bullying was just straight up horrific abuse, and I don't think Lux's trauma was adressed enough.

The last things I want to mention was that I wasn't the biggest fan of the sometimes flowery language used. I just didn't vibe with the very colourful metaphors. But it also wasn't a huge deal, especially as I read in audio, which was otherwise well produced.

I received and ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love me a good descendants of the gods book, and I absolutely demolished this one because it was SO good. Sara does MM romance so well with just a smidgen of a fantasy twist, and apparently I’m going to keep coming back for more. 😂

In Lightning & Thunder, Lux is the lanky, dark-haired MIT grad and descendant of Zeus who is unintentionally working toward becoming the villain while trying to destroy the Hero Council his brother leads. Hero Council, you ask? Well, I’m glad you did. 😂 They’re a group of descendants who fight crime, enforce the rules, and are basically very beloved by the public.

Not exactly something Lux ever saw himself being a part of, but when his brother suddenly vanishes, he finds himself trying to figure out what happened. But there’s a bit of a pickle, without his brother, Lux is next in line in the Zeus bloodline, which means he has to step up and fill his brother’s seat. No love lost on his brother…

The only problem? In order to earn that seat, Lux has to train with his brother’s best friend, Erik, descendant of Thor. An adorable hunk, with a heart of gold and a bit of a crush on Lux but that goes both ways.

Erik’s goal is simple: infiltrate the Hero Council and finally take it down from the inside. Except he didn’t exactly plan on enjoying being a hero… or realizing that maybe he’s always been the good guy. 👀

Erik and Lux together were PERFECT. I cackled so many times while reading this one. The trope-reference scene? Absolutely amazing and SO dead-on. 😂 The chemistry between these two was perfection, and good GOD, Sara knows how to write some spicy scenes.

But what I really loved was the character development. Everyone slowly started growing on me, which is something Sara does so well… except for a certain someone. You’ll know who. 😂

I cannot wait to see what book two has in store because I am READY.

Also… a little appreciation for that cover art because SO FRIGGIN’ CUTE. 😍

[Christiana Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sara Raasch is an auto-buy author of mine for a reason. Consistently excellent, and always a good time. This was a bit of a different vibe than her past books focusing on a version of our own world where mortals are protected from mythical monsters by the decedents of ancient gods.

Underdog MC, and a golden retriever DESCENDENT OF THOR love interest. It’s sweet, it’s sexy, and it’s also laugh out loud funny at times. I recommend the audio, for accents and great character performances.

Preorder it now, I already have.

[shatterinseconds]

DNF 47%

Calling it quits here. I could not get into this story at all. Neither the characters nor plot sparked any joy or interest. I think it's time I stopped reading Sara Raasch's works.

I appreciate winning the GR giveaway but unfortunately this wasn't for me.

[Madison · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm a fan of Sara Raasch and I tend to give her romances the benefit of the doubt, but holy shit this was bad.

While in her holiday books (The Nightmare Before Kissmas) she elides any thorny questions of cultural competence by simply focusing on Americanized, secular, mall-Santa style depictions of exclusively Christian holidays like Christmas and Easter, she elects here to create a council made up of god-descendants from a variety of world religions. Bold choice! Unfortunately she does it badly, so we end up with Egyptian gods but also one guy who's a representative of "African" gods (in general, I guess?? Except not Egypt because they get their own?) who, of course, is depicted as a shoot-first, think-later hothead when he actually gets to participate in the narrative for all of three pages. Another character is a descendant of the Reaper (so...not a god?) and is just a one-to-one Harley Quinn ripoff. The descendants end up with various powers that appear when plot-convenient.

Speaking of, from a plot standpoint: the story involves the ever-present trope of a test/three tasks that the main character must complete in order to become a Hero. These mostly fall by the wayside, as does Lux's stated commitment to topple the Hero Council. There's also a deeply cringe cutesy-AI-assistant side plot that feels far out of step in the current era of techno-fascism. The villain is not memorable and also not really present.

The romance is fine because Sara Raasch writes serviceable romances even on a bad day. But the story around it needed serious work--and the considerations a writer should have around utilizing non-Western deities were clearly beyond her. Overall, this was a mess.

[katarina]

Dnf @ 60%

Sara Raasch is one of those authors I can’t help but return to despite already having a couple dnfs under my belt. Her books always sound like peak silly little magical romances which sometimes I need in my life, but unfortunately this one is joining the dnf graveyard.

The execution of the plot just seemed so juvenile. Slight spoilers here but I just thought it was way too convenient that Erik already knew of Castor’s corrupt behavior and had already made strides to take him down without Lux. I was like oh okay this is kind of uninteresting now.

I thought Lux was really well written and it was heartbreaking exploring how cruel Castor was to him. This book really follows that trope of a brother who seems like a golden boy but is actually horrible below the surface and the other brother who is misunderstood. I wish the other characters had that same kind of depth because most of the hero council sort of blended into one for me.

ALSO Lux having to prove himself in order to become a part of the council (a role he never wanted mind you) just felt so stupid. As if they aren’t the ones that lowkey kidnapped him and told him he’s not allowed to leave.

The romance portion was cute but did move a little fast for my liking. The whole buying Erik’s disguise was probably my favorite. Erik was so caring towards Lux and you can just tell he’s going to be really good to him.

Then just other parts of this book seemed so random. Like one second we’re going from being chased down by Roz to going bowling for team bonding. Castor is still on the run somewhere and we’re out here doing silly little sidequests. I just feel like the story shaping could’ve used some work.

Now, with this being my third Sara Raasch dnf I think it’s time for me to finally move on. Rival Wizards you will always be my beloved though.

Thank you so much to Bramble & Macmillan for providing me with this eARC.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Bramble for the ARC of this book!! As always with Sara Raasch, I loved it!!

_______________________________________________

What do I even say at this point! This book was exactly what I needed, honestly. In a time with so much loss and heartache, sometimes I just need a book about a bratty bisexual and his yearning thunder god.

I felt so seen by Lux. Honestly, he's up there with Seb as one of my favourite characters that Raasch has ever written, and if you know me, you know that Seb is my beloved and I'd do anything for him. (Something about sad twinks who carry a CATHOLIC level of guilt just speaks to my heart I guess).

I loved the dynamics in this book. Not just the romantic dynamic, though I will say that was top-tier, but the friendship dynamics, too. Watching Lux's bitchy, introverted ass realize that he truly does have friends made my heart sing. <3

Also, Ophelia my BELOVED. I am SO happy the next book is about her. I love her DOWN. Every time she appeared on page I was giggling and kicking my feet <3

10/10 thank you Sara Raasch

[Ally Bateman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yaaas! This book had me kicking my feet, falling in love, cheering on the underdog, all while being throughly entertained.
Lux is the perfect anti-hero. He thinks he’s a villain, but his motivations are pure, he just finds a different way to make a difference. He’s the one who gets people to work together and pool resources. He’s the one worried about causalities and reparations. He has the most pure heart of them all.

After a lifetime of being beaten down and living in his brother’s shadow, I’m so glad that Lux gets his moment in the sun. That and getting his man. The dynamics between Lux and Erik were perfect. That man is down bad and will stand by him, come what may. I also loved it when Erik had is moments to let down his hair and take what he really wanted. He goes from a golden retriever to a daddy and it was hot.

I can’t wait for book two!

[Heather Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another amazing story from Sara! I adored this one! I loved this take on superheroes that are descendants of gods.

Lux thinks he’s a villain. His heart is in the right place, he just works differently than the other heroes. Seeing him realize he can be a part of the council and have friends and people that care was so sweet. Erik was down bad for him and it was so fun to see. They were perfect. I loved every moment they were together. They had great chemistry and banter. These two helped make each other better and I love that!

The plot was intriguing and I loved the world. All of the side characters were fantastic but Ophelia was my favorite. I’m so glad the next book is about her! Tristan and Rameses were hinted at and I hope they get a book too.

The narrator did a fantastic job! I loved the portrayal of Lux. Everyone had a distinct voice. It was so easy to listen to!

I had such a blast with this one! I was hooked from the beginning and didn’t want to stop listening. Thank you Macmillan Audio for my ALC!

[Rayne]

I'm so ready to inject this book into my veins

[Shilo Quetchenbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy Sara Raasch's books, but these last few have been relying too heavily on romance tropes and not enough on plot.

Like, yes, we get it, Erik is huge and muscly and Lux is small and geeky. There has to be more to it than that though, or the book gets old fast.

There was some plot. I was even pretty invested in it. But I got so tired of the size difference repetition and the instant attraction. It was somewhat mitigated by being a situation where both of them have been in love with each other for years, but it still overtook the plot far too often.

The characters, as always were great. I really sympathized with Lux and enjoyed watching him hacking into things and being generally a geeky genius. Erik was pretty one-dimensional, but the other characters on the Hero Council and staff were all very interesting and I really enjoyed their interactions.

I'm looking forward to a sapphic book next! Maybe it can shake up the tropes Sara Raasch has been relying so heavily on these last few books.

I feel like all of the last few books have been trying to recapture the magic of the Nightmare Before Kissmas and failing because they sacrifice plot or unique characters for tropes. Maybe that's what the market demands right now but the books could be so much better with more interesting romance dynamics.

The audiobook is fantastic. The narrator does a masterful job giving the characters unique voices and injecting life into the story, making it even better. It definitely improved my opinion by at least half a star just for the added intensity and vibrancy.

*Thanks to NetGalley, Bramble, and Macmillan Audio for providing an advanced copy for review.

[Beca · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

Lightning and Thunder
4.25/5
Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio for an ALC copy!
One of my favorite things about Sarah’s books is even though they are billed as
romances, they are incredibly plot heavy and you know you’re going to get lost in them
(in the best way) and this new series is no different. It reminds me of Percy Jackson
meets The Boys (where descendants of gods are seen as superheroes with a central
governing body). One of my FAVORITE things is that it just doesn’t stick to the
stereotypical Greek or Roman gods. Basically, if any type of pantheon or place of
worship in any religion or culture exists, the descendants of those gods are also
represented (shout out Quetzalcoatl!)

The biggest thing that brought this book down for me was not having a POV for Erik.
This story would have tremendously benefited from his pining for Lux and stress and
worry. Instead, the version of Erik that we get seems to be “Mr. Muscles” and not much
else. I found myself multiple times wishing he had more of a personality and I believe if
this was a dual POV story, we would have gotten that side of him after being in his
head. That being said, I absolutely loved Lux. The way his dynamic with his brother was
written, my heart broke so. many. times. during this book, but the ending wrapped it all
up nicely for me. I also love the new found family that we’ve met in this book and I’m
really excited as it seems that the rest of the series will involve their stories.
The audiobook narrator was great. I loved loveddddd their voice and I don’t have any
complaints. I thought the production was excellent!

All in all, this book had an incredible plot. I feel like the story was stronger than the
romance but that wasn’t a bad thing. I’m definitely going to keep with the series as it
comes out.

[Ellie · Rating 4.75 out of 5]

Sara is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors! I still have not read Go Luck Yourself so lucky me for having more of her work to catch up on ha.

Lightning & Thunder was another delightfully fun time. A super hero, a vigilante hacker, an enjoyable computer sidekick... what's not to love? The plot was plotting, the slow burn relationship had me invested, and most of all, I loved seeing the characters develop (together, yes, but also as individuals). Lux was such an underdog and seeing him not only make friends & build a relationship with Erik, but also learn how to allow himself to want those things & accept he was worthy of them was just so sweet.

I am grateful to have received the ALC of this through NetGalley, so let me take a moment to touch on that as well (though I don't typically review narration). Going into it, I didn't recognize the narrators name & had no idea what to expect. I have definitely had my share of audiobooks where the narration decreased the experience all around but I can happily report this was not one of those cases! I thoroughly enjoyed the narration and am happy to have been able to listen to this story, it really brought the characters to life. I honestly couldn't come up with a better voice to fit Lux!

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh this was a delightful listen from beginning to end. The story is a unique take on superheroes with them being descendants of different gods from around the world. Pollux "Lux" (descendant of Zeus) is a bratty and sarcastic tech nerd who is doing everything he can to take down his no-good hero brother even if it makes it seem like he's a villain to everyone else. Erik is a superhero (descendant of Thor) and majorly crushing on his best friend's little brother. When Lux's brother suddenly goes missing during a villain fight Lux and Erik have to work together to figure out what happened, and fix the corrupt Hero Council. It's forced proximity goodness, mixed with some hurt/comfort healing, and a dash of cheesy rom-com vibes. Jamie Pak was the perfect narrator so I highly recommend listening to this on audio!

-forced proximity
-hurt/comfort
-brother's best friend
-found family
-superheroes/villains

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ story
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ narration
🌶️🌶️🌶️ / 5 spice (3-4 open door scenes)

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC! This review was given freely. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

[Nicole · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

Like all Sara Raasch’s books, this one left me absolutely THIRSTING for more.

Some minor spoilers below

I have never been the biggest advocate for romcoms or romantasy. It is a once in a while genre I pick up. However, the fact that it’s queer always sells me. I love seeing my folks represented. But secondly, for Sara I will pick up anything. She has such a great way of interweaving the romance and the plot and not letting the romance outweigh the story. It is still a romantasy, I would say, but the story and the characters are so well rounded, that her books are always ones I enjoy.

Lightning and Thunder is no different. It’s wonderfully fun and a romp through the streets and the sheets. While Lux may not be my favorite of her protagonists—he comes off standoffish, very angry and has a real attitude problem. Plus he’s got beef with his superstar hero older brother who the whole world loves. I didn’t love him at first but he worked his way into my heart over the course of the story as we get to learn more about him and his past with Castor and Erik.

Also 10/10 always recommend these books for top tier side characters! It makes sense now, because often they end up the stars of the next book in the series. Even if they aren’t, her side characters are so real and feel deep and like they aren’t just caricatures.

I’m super excited for Sun and Scythe and I’m not so secretly hoping for an announcement of a Ramses book because LAWD I loved him immediately and I felt the ~vibes~ with him and Tristan.

An absolute banger in the newest series from Sara Raasch. I will absolutely be recommending it to everyone!

Thank you NetGalley for the early audio copy!

[Patty Betancourt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This arc was amazing and the story was so cute and phenomenal. I loved every moment, the superhero made my inner superhero smile the whole time I was reading.

I love his sarcastic personality and how he made being a superhero really meaningful.

The chemistry between Lux and Erik was phenomenal it came with plenty of banter, tension, and so many aww-cute moments. All the twists, mystery and the found family kept me up till I finished I couldn’t put it down.

All superheroes there are trust, self-worth, and to always believe in yourself no matter what comes at you.

If you love queer, superheroes, found family, and banter lost of it then this would be and amazing add to your TBR

[Katie May · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fell just a wee bit short for me. Basically every book she writes is my most anticipated book and I loved the premise for this one but execution was not my fave. The individual lines of the story all felt a little weak and could’ve used some building up.

I really liked the over all story line is jusy fizzled rather than popped. The world building is pretty sparse unfortunately. There was just a listing of gods at one point. I think some of the middle part would make more sense with some more world building. The pacing is a little wonky; the beginning is mega slow and then everything starts ripping at like 60%. A little more balance I think would have made this 5 stars.

The romance is basically just told to you. I would’ve liked to see build up for them, you can do a lot with brother’s best friend trope in terms of tension and longing but there isn’t too much of that. Their chemistry is good once they get together but it kinda just happens.

High hopes for the next book as the characters are given some screen time in this story.

I think the narrator did a great job solo narrating all the voices. Would definitely recommend the audio.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

[Sea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun take on Hero x Villain! Lux was an amazing character to follow. His struggles and values were well done. Erik was such a sweet companion to have as well.
I loved seeing how they were both trying to fix things with their current systems. The world building was so cool and I loved how many deities/gods were incorporated!
With best an amazing crew and found family, I had a blast with the book and look forward to the sequel!

[Em · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

ASSEMBLE PERCY JACKSON AVENGERS

thank you to MAC Audi for this ALC. I adore Sara Raasch and this book was no exception!!! We had super heroes who were children of gods and they all made me laugh. Lux really went through it and idk if I’d be as understanding as him but wow I loved it. When lux’ brother disappears, the same brother who has been abusing him all his life, lux gets sucked into the world of heroes he’s actively tried to avoid AND hack to help benefit the people. He is reunited with his long time crush and brothers friend Eric. BUT soon realizes maybe his judgement shouldn’t go beyond just his brother.

Put through a serious of trials and facing some really crazy things, Lux starts to find his people. I loved bowli ng night so much! I also loved Molly the sarcastic AI. I also just loved watching his found family grow. SO SPECIAL. Can’t wait for more stories in this world!!

[Trio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lightning & Thunder is the first book I've read by Sara Raasch, and I'm SO impressed! I really enjoyed this creative tale, and the characters are engaging and very interesting. The story flows beautifully and I really like Raasch's writing style. I've added all their other novels to my to be read shelf.

The audio version of Lightning & Thunder is beautifully performed by Jamie Pak. Oh the voices this narrator can do - I'm thoroughly impressed.

an audiobook copy of Lightning & Thunder was provided by Macmillan Audio, via NetGalley, for the purpose of my honest review, all opinions are my own