Review Skyhunter by Emma

Review Skyhunter by Marie Lu.

 “In a world broken by war, a team of young warriors is willing to sacrifice everything to save what they love”

Mara is one of the last free nations in the world, and is facing the threat of the Karensa Federation, who has conquered a dozen other countries. Refugees from all over the land flee into Mara to escape a fate worse than death, because falling into the hands of the Federation means being turned into a mutant war beast known as Ghosts.

Mara’s elite fighting force, the Strikers, are trained to put a stop to these attacks. But the Federation is closing in and the number of Ghosts is growing. Mara’s defeat seems inevitable.

But one Striker refuses to give up hope.

Talin Kanami is robbed from her home and her voice and knows the brutality of the Federation firsthand. Together with her mother she was forced to seek asylum in a country that considers their people repugnant. Talin joins the Strikers and finds comfort in only a handful of Strikers, who pledged their lives to one another and are determined to push back the Federation at all costs.

But then, a mysterious prisoner is brought in from the warfront. Talin senses there’s more to this prisoner than meets the eye. Has the Federation sent him as a spy? Or is he the only weapon that can save them all?

It's what I have trained my whole life to do. My name is Talin. I am a Striker for Mara, the last free nation on this side of the sea. We are legendary bringers of death, assassins of monsters. And the only thing standing between our home and annihilation. 

Skyhunter is the first book from Marie Lu I’ve read and it makes me want to buy her other books immediately. The book is so well written and is something extraordinary and it was just plain delightful to read it. The world building was phenomenal as were the characters. Marie Lu has taken the structure and tropes of a YA fantasy to another level. It feels refreshed and new. 

Fantasy, Sci-fi and post-apocalyptic all of these are blended into this amazing story. Talin is a very likeable character from the beginning. Talin is a mute and uses sign language and I loved the way it was represented in the story. 

Marie Lu did an amazing job and the story is action packed and fast paced. I also liked that it wasn’t an insta-love trope. Talin and Reds bond takes its time to develop, what I really appreciate. One of the subjects in the book is discrimination and the way of how Talin is treated as a refugee is really relevant and unfortunately very realistic.   

I’m usually not a big fan of sci-fi books but Marie Lu is going to be an exception for me. Skyhunter has definitely become one of my favorite reads this year and I can’t wait for the second book to come out next year. 

“Conquering people is easy. You break past their defenses, seize their cities, burn their world to the ground. To annihilate us, though, is impossible. A seed will survive….”

I give Skyhunter 5 crosses!