Skyhunter by Marie Lu
Product Details
Web ID: 13393514This book will have your heart beating erratically
The action! The detail! The writing! Marie Lu never fails to impress me with the story she weaves. Skyhunter honestly had my heart pounding so hard that I swear it could have flown away. This book had amazing writing as well as characters which developed magnificently throughout the whole story. The action had me biting my nails - something I probably shouldn't do - and it had my nerves on EDGE. The plot had my pulse well...pulsing as it should. This book will have you enchanted from the very beginning! It's just that good with amazing writing that draws you into the world that Lu has created. This was just a magnificent read that really seemed to pull me out of a slump! You have got to read this book if you love dystopian / fantasy books and some little romance I guess? ALSO. DID YOU GUYS SEE THE COVER?!? Isn't it absolutely gorgeous as well?
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Pretty great book
My favorite part of this book is the plot. Unlike most Young Adult novels, the plot shown in this book is super creative and very mature. It is like nothing I have seen before and will not disappoint. Also, although Talin and Red were together most of the time and interacted in predictable ways when together, romance isn’t forced on them. They were able to get things done and the way it was written was amazing. The writing covered aspects of discrimination, not often shown in books. Marie Lu is really a powerful writer and the action packed story movement is wonderful. The journey was very interesting to learn about and backstory’s were clearly thought out as well. To add I think the cover of the book suits the overall goal’s of Talin and Red very well. Lastly, the only reason I am giving this book 4 stars is because of the unrealistic plot line at times. Though the book is not supposed to be entirely realistic, solutions to specific problems were highly unrealistic.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Bold and Immersive
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/skyhunter-marie-lu/1134231341
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Loved it! Needed book two right after I finished!
I was immediately sucked into Skyhunter by two details: the ghosts, warmongering beasts that were once people, and the fact that Talin was injured/traumatized as a child and cannot speak. I like that her silence is a strength as a Striker, an elite soldier at the warfront. Red, a prisoner that Talin senses is more than he appears, is an amazing character. His abilities, his backstory, his connection to Talin—it’s all fantastic! I didn’t want to put this book down because of the excellent story-telling. The action is vivid, the quiet moments of intrigue are suspenseful, and the characters are well-developed and complicated. The limited world history fed the mysterious dystopian setting without feeling like there wasn't enough world-building. This incredible book left me wanting to pick up the second half of the duology to see how the story ends. Grateful to have won a stunning paperback from a Bookish First raffle. I immediately ordered book 2!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great book
Skyhunter is a Sci-Fi fantasy novel that takes place in a war ravaged land. The Karensa Federation has taken over the majority of the land, using their mutant weapon, called Ghosts. Talin, a refugee in Mara, the only free land left, becomes part of the Strikers, who are specially trained to fight the Ghosts. Talin, her small group of friends, and a mysterious man, are all that stand between Mara and freedom. I absolutely adored this book. After reading it, I could not wait to read the second one. I loved the found family aspect of the book. Talin is seen as a rodent to most of the people of Mara and some of the other Strikers. However, she and her small group of friends would do anything for each other. I also loved how Red was introduced and eventually became apart of that family. The characters were great and the writing was wonderful. I also enjoyed reading a book that used sign language as a mode of communication.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Scifi Dystopian Fantasy Mashup
"Because right now, we are all just young souls in identical sapphire coats, fighting to hold back the darkness." Skyhunter by Marie Lu ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.25/5 Synopsis: Talin is a refugee who fled her country after the Federation invaded when she was 8 years old. Though it is unclear why, she has been unable to speak and now signs to communicate. When Talin's fighting abilities are noticed by a member of an elite fighting force, the Strikers, she becomes the first refugee permitted to join and fight. The primary weapon of the Federation are Ghosts, essentially zombies with super-human strength, speed, and bloodlust. The Strikers are the only things standing between the Federation and their country of Mara. This book was really great. While I see it shelved as Scifi, it had significant dystopian and fantasy elements as well. I loved the little bits and pieces we get about ruins of the highly technological society that existed previously and hope we get a lot more in the future. I did find it a bit difficult to believe how disparate Mara was compared to the Federation in technological advancements. Talin had no idea what a light bulb or a train was, yet Mara had pretty complex technology when it came to fighting. Talin is awesome. She's a badass fighter. But I read in an interview with Marie Lu that she thinks her biggest strength is her compassion, and I love had. We get a few scenes where Talin chooses compassion, even with people who have treated her poorly. I love that this is where her true strength lies. There is also something special about Talin as being disabled, and her inability to speak actually being a huge strength for her. The entire striker force communicates in signing because the ghosts have great hearing, and Talin is able to be the stealthiest among them. This book does contain one of the more popular tropes right now: the unbreakable bond. I often find this trope corny but really liked how Lu did it. There is a lot of commentary into the life of a refugee, racism/xenophobia, and colonialism. I think this was all handled beautifully. Talin really struggled with the idea of home and why she fights for Mara, a country that treats her and her people as second class citizens, forcing them to live in slums. Really a great read and I'm looking forward to the next book!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
You'll need to get the second book of the story
I will admit that I had some misgivings when I started this book. For one, I'm generally not a fan of YA since so much of that genre seem formulaic and derivative. Secondly, the book is in first person, which often feels weird to read and the narrative style is often clumsy. Finally, the book basically kills off a main character in the first chapter. The First Look had me very curious as to how Lu was going to be able to pull this off. Thankfully, Bookish sent me an ARC to review this book to quench my curiousity. Here's the deal: Steelstriker completely changed my disposition. For one, Lu freshens up the YA formula by not focusing on some convoluted love triangle, and doesn't hammer the "chosen one" ideal too much. Why there are certainly aspects of love and attraction, there isn't a "which one will she pick?" sort of contrivance throughout the book. And while the protagonist is a "last/first of her kind" sort of character, it tends to be more of a detriment to her plot journey, rather than an boon. Even the main love interest, who has his own "chosen one" moniker, doesn't hold up the tired trope all to common in YA lit. Second, The first person narrative wasn't nearly as annoying as I feared, and made for a great way to connect to a character that can't speak (and a character who speaks a different language.) Not to give too much away, but the main character is mute, so without speaking it may be hard to get much of insight. The first person narrative fills that in and doesn't feel nearly as clumsy as 1P usually does. Finally, by killing off the "golden child" supporting character in the opening scene, Lu opens up a space for the the main character to deal with her grief throughout the novel. So while the plot carries on, the protagonist must find a way to deal with her emotions while continuing her mission to save the world. (I will admit she's a bit super-human in this respect, and I wish the author had shown more fallibility, vulnerability, or overall weakness stemming from the grief and emotional turmoil, but all-in-all I think it was handled very well.) I'm very excited to read the second book of the duology. The first book does not end like you think it would or should, so the second book is a necessity to finish the story.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Very Good Book.
I Have Never Heard Of This Author, But Let Me Tell You This Book Has Definitely Hit All The Right Spots. The Cover Of This Book Is Very Amazing So Is The Title. I Love How Well Developed The Characters Of This Story Are Unraveling Their Back Stories And Being Able To Get To Know Them Better. I Honestly Will Tell You That I Am Very Addicted To This Book. The Details And Of Course The Imagery Of The World Building Is Absolutely Stunning And Definitely Astounding. This Book Truly Transported Me To Another Realm. I Really Recommend This Book. I Can Not Wait To See What Comes Next.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com