Skyhunter

i've loved all of marie lu's previous books, so i was so happy to be able to get my hands on a copy of skyhunter! the cover is so gorgeous and the synopsis immediately caught my eye. the book starts off with talin kanami and her striker partner, her shield, corian, fighting ghosts that were created by the Federation in the the warfront. unfortunately, he dies, which puts talin in a difficult position as she was always racially discriminated, even among the strikers, as she is Basean. as a war prisoner was brought in, talin is the only one that stops everyone calling for his death and he gets made her partner. his name is red, short for redlen, and is the Federation's first Skyhunter. together, they figure out a way to stop the Federation from creating more Ghosts, but their mission fails and they go to war. overall, skyhunter is a solid ya fantasy novel, with good plot and action. however, it is slightly predictable and there seems to be no real struggles for the characters. the relationships between talin and her friends are super cute and i really enjoyed reading about their friend group. i enjoyed reading it although a lot of parts didn't feel very fleshed out. i would recommend for anyone looking for an easy ya novel to dive into.

Skyhunter is in a dystopian world where sometime in the year 2164,there were once nations that had fallen to the clutches of the Federation. Mara is the last remaining free nation from tyranny. Talin immigrated from her country Basea to Mara, after their nation had been conquered. She and her mother become new citizens of Mara,and Talin alone,vows to serve Mara and becomes their hope for destiny,desire,devotion,and above all... freedom. Corian who had been her comrade, unexpectedly dies and becomes a causality of the Ghosts. One of the Federation's war experiments; they're simply humans turned unnaturally into creatures. To be controlled by their captors in combat. Talin then is put in one of the most difficult positions that she must make. Overcoming of her being discriminated because she is Basean,and not just being a mute,she must make a choice in that order to do with it takes to become a Striker,an elite warrior. To fight for Mara. And to trust her unfamiliar new comrade,Red.

Happy Pub day to this wonderful book! Thank you to Bookish First and Roaring Brook Press for this ARC! Not only was the story great, but the hardcover has an absolutely beautiful design and feel to it. As a child, Talin and her mother escaped to the city of Mara after their home was destroyed by the Federation. Now as Striker, one of Mara’s fiercest warriors, Talin faces constant ridicule for being a Basean outsider. Strikers are the main line of defense in protecting the city from Federation experiments such as Ghosts. These humans, turned monsters, are contorted and deformed creatures that seek to kill everything in their path. If a human is bitten by one, they will become one themselves. After her Shield - a Striker’s partner - is mauled by a ghost, Talin is forced to do the unthinkable. Just as she is about to give up hope on Mara defeating the Federation, a prisoner of war is brought into the Striker compound. Something about this man seems different to Talin. Could he be the answer to Mara’s prayers? I’m embarrassed to say Skyhunter is my introduction to the wonderful writing of Marie Lu. However, I can guarantee this will not be the last book I read from this creative author. Most of my four and five star reads grab my attention after a few chapters. This one had me after a few pages. This Sci-Fi Fantasy story is filled with action, monsters, war, heroics, and a tid bit of romance. I was teetering between giving this 4 or 5 stars. I ended up giving it four based on the amount of inner dialogue the reader experiences with Talin.Talin is a mute, so the reader experiences her interactions with other characters through her thoughts and when she explains what she is signing. It's a very interesting reading perspective that became a bit much for me in the more action packed parts of the story. I highly recommend Skyhunter to anyone who loves to read Sci-Fi Fantasy. Especially if you are a fan of series such as Divergent or The Hunger Games.