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annaclairereads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
josiescott's review against another edition
4.0
*4.5
Really, really enjoyed this one! Can't wait for the sequel!!
Really, really enjoyed this one! Can't wait for the sequel!!
aposthuma's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Dare I say this book was...too tropey? I love Marie Lu and I don't want to slander her but it was so stereotypical of a dystopian YA that I felt like it was at times a caricature of itself. Granted I most likely would have eaten this up at age 15 and am not the target audience anymore.
ashction's review against another edition
5.0
I have been anticipating Skyhunter for nearly three years now, and even knowing somewhere deep down that it was going to be one of my favorite Marie Lu books, I couldn't have imagined how right I would be about that.
For those of you who don't know, Marie is absolutely one of my favorite authors, if not my favorite author, completely singular. Everything she's written so far is totally my style. I think she writes some of the strongest voices I've ever read, and I think she takes the issues we see in our society and reimagines them in compelling, fascinating ways and manifests them into her fantasy/sci-fi settings in ways that reveal certain truths and hidden understandings. And, also, she writes a wicked good thrilling story and characters who I love and would die for. So, even though I knew I would like this book, I had no idea how much I was going to LOVE this book. As much as I enjoy the Warcross duology, I think Skyhunter is going to overtake those two and fall squarely behind the Legend series on the list! (Nothing can ever quite beat Legend for me, but Skyhunter came so incredibly close!)
In Skyhunter, we meet Talin, a Basean refugee in Mara, the only country free from the Federation's rule and the place they could go, even if they aren't welcome. Talin is a Striker, a position she earned through her hard work and talent, but one that comes at the cost of discrimination and scrutiny both my other Marans who don't trust Baseans, and the Baseans who don't trust Talin for becoming one of their oppressors. The Strikers exist to fight against the Federation's army and its' Ghosts, monstrous creations that seek to kill its enemies in the fight to overtake Mara. During one of these battles, Mara takes in a mysterious prisoner - a boy without the will to live, sentenced for execution. Until Talin sees something in him that sparks her to spare his life, and suddenly the two are thrust together, tied to a bond that is stronger than either could have ever predicted.
This novel is an amazing piece of work. It's seamless to dive into this world, and Marie - as always - does a wonderful job setting up the world and its boundaries without every feeling like the reader is overwhelmed by exposition. Talin is a fierce, inspiring character and a wonderful voice. She's courageous and strong, as are all of Marie's heroines, but something about Talin rings especially brave, and I felt really inspired by her drive. For those looking for representation, Talin is also mute (and, according to Marie, is permanently mute, meaning this won't be a bait-and-switch where that representation disappears later), and many of the characters in this novel are otherwise BIPOC, along with two LGBTQ+ characters (a minor part of the story here, but I hope to see that grow in the sequel!)
The most compelling part of this book, for me, is not so much the richly imagined world, but instead the compelling tensions of life in war. Marie does an excellent job exploring the trauma that comes with war and becoming a refugee; the trauma of loss and grief; the trauma of trying to be good against evil, of good people being forced to do bad things, and the complications that arise when war is in the picture. It's a dark, difficult thing to assess, and Marie best shows us this using the bond between Talin and Red, one that I won't spoil but one which is full of complications from surface to deep and trauma-bound levels. The story also grapples a bit with power and the consequence of imperialism, colonialism, and the concept and motivations of conquering and having an empire. We get glimpses of that especially towards the end of this book, so I'm interested in seeing how Marie explores that further in the sequel.
I also appreciated the ways Marie acknowledges romance in this story, but doesn't push it into the forefront as so many stories like this do (i.e. we're very close to dystopia in this story, so imagine the romances mixed in other popular YA dystopia from our past, and you'll understand what I mean!) While those feelings are there for multiple characters, the war - and the circumstances these characters find themselves in - don't leave room for those things. That being said, the emotional connection between Talin and Red is something fierce, and I do look forward to seeing how - and if - that will play out in the sequel.
Also, completely unrelated to the book, but knowing that Legend and Warcross are connected (Warcross is a very distant future version of the world we see in Legend), I was briefly curious at the end of this book, as they begin to explain how the Federation came to be, if the world of Skyhunter is *also* connected to those worlds?! I'm not certain it is, but I felt like I could see room for that, if Marie were interested in doing that and showing that progression.
All in all, I knew I'd love this book. But I had no idea how much! As always, Marie writes a damn good book, and though I never quite forget that, she always manages to remind me when she puts out another winner like this one. Definitely recommend picking this up, but especially if you're a big Legend fan because I think this one is the closest to capturing those feelings in me that I felt reading (and rereading!) that series. Can't wait to have this in my hands!
I received a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan/Roaring Book Press for providing me with a copy!
For those of you who don't know, Marie is absolutely one of my favorite authors, if not my favorite author, completely singular. Everything she's written so far is totally my style. I think she writes some of the strongest voices I've ever read, and I think she takes the issues we see in our society and reimagines them in compelling, fascinating ways and manifests them into her fantasy/sci-fi settings in ways that reveal certain truths and hidden understandings. And, also, she writes a wicked good thrilling story and characters who I love and would die for. So, even though I knew I would like this book, I had no idea how much I was going to LOVE this book. As much as I enjoy the Warcross duology, I think Skyhunter is going to overtake those two and fall squarely behind the Legend series on the list! (Nothing can ever quite beat Legend for me, but Skyhunter came so incredibly close!)
In Skyhunter, we meet Talin, a Basean refugee in Mara, the only country free from the Federation's rule and the place they could go, even if they aren't welcome. Talin is a Striker, a position she earned through her hard work and talent, but one that comes at the cost of discrimination and scrutiny both my other Marans who don't trust Baseans, and the Baseans who don't trust Talin for becoming one of their oppressors. The Strikers exist to fight against the Federation's army and its' Ghosts, monstrous creations that seek to kill its enemies in the fight to overtake Mara. During one of these battles, Mara takes in a mysterious prisoner - a boy without the will to live, sentenced for execution. Until Talin sees something in him that sparks her to spare his life, and suddenly the two are thrust together, tied to a bond that is stronger than either could have ever predicted.
This novel is an amazing piece of work. It's seamless to dive into this world, and Marie - as always - does a wonderful job setting up the world and its boundaries without every feeling like the reader is overwhelmed by exposition. Talin is a fierce, inspiring character and a wonderful voice. She's courageous and strong, as are all of Marie's heroines, but something about Talin rings especially brave, and I felt really inspired by her drive. For those looking for representation, Talin is also mute (and, according to Marie, is permanently mute, meaning this won't be a bait-and-switch where that representation disappears later), and many of the characters in this novel are otherwise BIPOC, along with two LGBTQ+ characters (a minor part of the story here, but I hope to see that grow in the sequel!)
The most compelling part of this book, for me, is not so much the richly imagined world, but instead the compelling tensions of life in war. Marie does an excellent job exploring the trauma that comes with war and becoming a refugee; the trauma of loss and grief; the trauma of trying to be good against evil, of good people being forced to do bad things, and the complications that arise when war is in the picture. It's a dark, difficult thing to assess, and Marie best shows us this using the bond between Talin and Red, one that I won't spoil but one which is full of complications from surface to deep and trauma-bound levels. The story also grapples a bit with power and the consequence of imperialism, colonialism, and the concept and motivations of conquering and having an empire. We get glimpses of that especially towards the end of this book, so I'm interested in seeing how Marie explores that further in the sequel.
I also appreciated the ways Marie acknowledges romance in this story, but doesn't push it into the forefront as so many stories like this do (i.e. we're very close to dystopia in this story, so imagine the romances mixed in other popular YA dystopia from our past, and you'll understand what I mean!) While those feelings are there for multiple characters, the war - and the circumstances these characters find themselves in - don't leave room for those things. That being said, the emotional connection between Talin and Red is something fierce, and I do look forward to seeing how - and if - that will play out in the sequel.
Also, completely unrelated to the book, but knowing that Legend and Warcross are connected (Warcross is a very distant future version of the world we see in Legend), I was briefly curious at the end of this book, as they begin to explain how the Federation came to be, if the world of Skyhunter is *also* connected to those worlds?! I'm not certain it is, but I felt like I could see room for that, if Marie were interested in doing that and showing that progression.
All in all, I knew I'd love this book. But I had no idea how much! As always, Marie writes a damn good book, and though I never quite forget that, she always manages to remind me when she puts out another winner like this one. Definitely recommend picking this up, but especially if you're a big Legend fan because I think this one is the closest to capturing those feelings in me that I felt reading (and rereading!) that series. Can't wait to have this in my hands!
I received a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan/Roaring Book Press for providing me with a copy!
mishmashedme's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
3.5
This ya dystopian fantasy was pretty good. I enjoyed parts of it and the world built. I liked the fmc, Talin, and how badass she was and loved her strange connection to Red.
I’m not sure exactly why but I wasn’t fully invested in the story or the world building. It could’ve just been my mood but it just felt like I was waiting for something that never came.
There wasn’t too much world building being as it seemed like it was a future built off our world. Almost like a reset of our world back to basics (no electricity etc ). Yet advanced in terms of experiments on people.
I think the second book will really bring it together because it felt like this book was the building block of the duology and the next will bring it home.
This ya dystopian fantasy was pretty good. I enjoyed parts of it and the world built. I liked the fmc, Talin, and how badass she was and loved her strange connection to Red.
I’m not sure exactly why but I wasn’t fully invested in the story or the world building. It could’ve just been my mood but it just felt like I was waiting for something that never came.
There wasn’t too much world building being as it seemed like it was a future built off our world. Almost like a reset of our world back to basics (no electricity etc ). Yet advanced in terms of experiments on people.
I think the second book will really bring it together because it felt like this book was the building block of the duology and the next will bring it home.
sherigodmother's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
wherethewidlies's review against another edition
4.0
*4 stars*
this is heartbreaking. i love talin sm one of my fav female mcs now. and i need book 2 like NOW
this is heartbreaking. i love talin sm one of my fav female mcs now. and i need book 2 like NOW
byeolbun's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0