A SH*TLOAD OF CRAZY POWERS by Jackson Ford – Review

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

A Sh*tload of Crazy Powers by Jackson Ford
Series: The Frost Files #4
Published by Orbit on May 10 2022
Genres: Adult, Science fiction
Pages: 480
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

The nitty-gritty: Heartstopping action, hysterically funny dialog and unforgettable characters make A Sh*tload of Crazy Powers a fantastic entry into Jackson Ford’s addictive series. 

“You stupid little girl,” he says. “Look at me.”

I do.

He opens his mouth, but I get there first. “Enough with this little girl shit. I have a name. It’s Teagan. Teagan Fuck You Frost.”

Look at that. I finally found a middle name I like.

Teagan Frost and her friends are back with another laugh-out-loud funny, high octane crazy adventure, with terrorists, scary siblings, car chases, sexy German billionaires, helicopter action and a whole sh*tload of crazy powers. This series just keeps getting better and better, and if you haven’t started it yet, I urge you to pick up the first book so you don’t miss any of Teagan’s shenanigans. This series is not only fun, but it’s full of wonderful friendships and emotional moments too.

Also, please be aware of minor spoilers for previous books in the series.

The story picks up soon after the end of Eye of the Sh*tstorm, after Teagan has pulled off an impressive rescue mission at the LA River. The bad part, though, is that she had to use her powers in public in order to save lives. Teagan, you see, is able to move objects with her mind. She can sense anything made of metal or steel, like guns (for example), and manipulate them when necessary. Over time, her abilities have developed and now she can move organic matter as well. Unfortunately, she’s made a deal with a government agency to work for them in exchange for her freedom, and part of the deal is that their operation is secret, and no one is supposed to know what Teagan can do.

But now that the China Shop has been compromised, Director Moira Tanner has come to Los Angeles to run the day-to-day operations and keep a close eye on Teagan. When she announces that their crew has been hired to protect a visiting Senator at an arms defense conference, Teagan reluctantly agrees to the gig—even though a run in with her presumed dead siblings, Chloe and Adam, has resulted in the loss of her powers. But it turns out Teagan has way bigger things to worry about when the conference goes sideways in a spectacular way, and she and her crew are forced to run for their lives.

The story alternates between Teagan’s and Annie’s points of view, and I absolutely loved this format. Teagan’s story takes place almost entirely at the Del Rio Hotel, where the conference is being held, while Annie, who just woke up from a coma after being struck by lightning in the last book, is desperately trying to find Teagan after she witnesses Chloe and Adam dragging her out of Annie’s hospital room. I loved these two points of view, especially because neither Teagan nor Annie have any idea what’s happening to the other. Annie is joined by Teagan’s “sort of” boyfriend Nic and they have a wild adventure together. Poor Annie still isn’t recovered from her injury, but she’s so worried about Teagan that she will do anything to find her. And let’s just say Annie makes a few rash decisions that put her in even more hot water, but that’s just the kind of person she is.

Meanwhile, Teagan, Africa and Tanner find themselves trapped in the Del Rio, along with the German billionaire Jonas Schmidt (from Random Sh*t Flying Through the Air) and a journalist named Michiko Kanehara who is doing a piece on Jonas for the New Yorker. Not only is Teagan surprised to see Jonas again, but she thinks he’s sleeping with Kanehara, and boy is that awkward, since she and Jonas almost had a thing at one point. I have to admit I was happy to see Jonas again—he was such a fun character—and even better, the dynamic between him and Teagan was ridiculously entertaining. I loved Teagan, Africa, Jonas and Kanehara together, all four forced into close quarters several times during their adventure at the Del Rio. Jackson Ford is so good at creating well-rounded characters and relationships, and with each new book in the series we get to know the core characters even more.

In this book, we dive deeper into Annie’s past, and these revelations made me love her even more. Annie’s had a rough time of it, growing up in an abusive household and spending time in prison. Many of her friends are drug dealers and gang members, but no matter what she’s done in the past, she’ll do anything to help Teagan. Their friendship is tested in this book, but I love the way Ford resolves things in the end. You know those rare moments when a book can make you laugh and cry at the same time? Well, this is one of those books. I also want to give a shout-out to one of my favorite scenes, which involves Annie and baseball and a rock. In my opinion, it’s a couple of pages of perfectly written fiction.

Once again, Jackson Ford does a great job of immersing the reader in his setting. The story takes place in Los Angeles, and I loved all the details and references to specific streets and city landmarks. As a native Californian, I appreciate these details, especially when the author takes time to do his research. It’s fun when the characters drive down roads that you’ve driven yourself, like the famous Laurel Canyon Boulevard that winds through the hills of L.A.

The only small disappointment for me was that we don’t get much page time with Reggie, who only has a few scenes in A Sh*tload of Crazy Powers. But based on the way the story wraps up, I think we’re going to see a lot more of her in the next book.

Speaking of, I was thrilled to read the last chapter, which clearly indicates that there is at least one more Frost Files story on the way. Ford wraps up almost all his subplots by the end, but he leaves some mysteries unsolved, like what Chloe and Adam were really up to. Oh, and you must read the author’s Acknowledgements, written by Teagan on behalf of the author. OMG, so funny! Grab this book as soon as you can, it’s one of my favorite books of 2022 so far.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.