NYXIA is the first book in an epic space adventure. Emmett Atwater is one of ten poor kids from Earth who are given the chance to compete for a place on the team that will be going to Eden. He's black and from Detroit where he lives with his factory worker dad and sick mother who is in need of a kidney transplant. Winning a place on the team that goes down to the planet to mine nyxia will make his family financially set for life and will cure his mother. He has every incentive to do well. But so do all the other candidates...

The book tells of the many competitions that the kids need to win and tells about the rivalries and alliances that form between them. They are taught to fight and taught to manipulate nyxia. Emmett's best friend is Kaya who is a strategic genius. She encourages him to explore the spaceship with her because both kids are sure that secrets are being kept about the goals of the mission and other things too. When tragedy strikes, Emmett has to focus even more on making the team and getting down to Eden. The competitions all seem to be manipulating the kids to mold them into what the corporation wants and Emmett struggles to maintain his own values.

The competition gets even more tense when they learn that there is another team also competing for a place on the trip down to Eden and that only fifteen of the 20 kids will get to go. Because Emmett had been sidelined with an injury for a while and hasn't found a way to make up the points, he is on the bubble. He knows that in order for him to win a place a good friend and good person on his team will have to lose.

This was an entertaining story that was filled with action and lots of moral dilemmas too. I am eager to read the next books to find out what happens when the teams reach Eden.

What would you do if you had to compete with other teens your age for the change of freedom, independence, and hope – all of which could be handed with money? Emmett, the main character in NYXIA, struggles with this questions as readers follow his first person POV aboard the Genesis 11, a ship set towards the planet Eden, full of hostile aliens and a mysterious, powerful element that Babel Communications will stop nothing at to take. While I thought that the world was not as expanded upon as most science fiction books set in space, the plot focuses more on the competition that Emmett aims to win and the character development that happens. I adored Emmett and many other characters, but with the inclusion of so many, I felt like at times some of them came off as more two-dimensional than others. Be it as it may, I have high hopes for the sequel in learning more about not only these particular characters, but where the mysterious setting will lead us readers.

Set in the distant future,NYXIA begins when ten participants are gathered to compete and travel to Eden, an inhabitable planet with the brilliant yet mysterious element nyxia. Their goal is to be the best of the best through a series of competition and the end result: land on Eden to smuggle the coveted element from the species that resides there, the Adamites. While negotiations turned out less than peaceful on the adult end, Adamites revere the young due to their lack thereof and with that, the teens in the group can safely land on their planet to sneak away nyxia for Babel Communications. Their reward? Lots of money. And as NASA’s motto says: failure is not an option. With this kind of set-up, the competition begins from the very first page.

"When Babel recruited me, they said all of this was a game. I like playing games, but I like winning games even more.”

While both enemies and friends are made, there is a steady progression in relationships that I found very down-to-earth and heartfelt. The plot is constantly focused on beating the competition and following the scoreboards, since only eight of the ten people are allowed to continue on to Eden to mine for the nyxia. However, the largest part of this book that made me feel such emotions is the character interactions. Emmett is not a perfect character: he is curious and loyal yet can be cold on the outside and cutthroat. I love the character development he had in this book so much, from his initial distrust to certain characters to the burgeoning friendships that stem despite competition and rivalry. I thought the author did a great job in demonstrating the amalgam of feelings and phases that come out of putting teens against each other during a long time: distrust and alliances, a feeling of camaraderie, and friendships that form even among competition while enemies grow and grow.

The only setback to this wonderful development was that some characters didn’t have as much page time and exploration as others. We learn a lot about certain characters’ backgrounds, but others are not expounded upon (which goes hand in hand with their personalities). Babil is the sweet and kind guy that you could never hate. Kaya is strategic and resourceful. Katsu likes to smack talk and has a jovial nature. And yet, the characters with more animosity don’t get explored as much. Readers have a definite bias of where these characters stand due to having their actions presented from Emmett’s POV, but I do see a missing exploration of certain characters. However, I don’t believe this is the last we have seen of them and will be eagerly hoping for more of them in the sequel.

“I turn the key in my hands and realize I can write my own story. Not about lost dreams, but about a future bright as any golden shore."

Since the focus was a lot more on characters and the way their interactions more than anything else, the world is not expounded upon as much as I would like. We know that Babel Communications has a mission, and they can be ruthless and deadly when it comes to the participants they’ve selected, but there are things that remain not only a mystery, but not explained. The diplomatic proceedings (however un-diplomatic they seemed) between Earth and Eden is raised to a very simplistic degree. The element nyxia itself, although with its limitations, is a bit overpowered and handy to really give it a slight believability – especially with the careless way Babel Communications allows the characters to handle them with. I was unsatisfied with the way these aspects of the story were (or lack thereof), but it didn’t hinder my reading at all because there was enough action and plot and character growth to keep me interested. I also think that this lack of technical babble and simplification of political proceedings keeps this book not only quick and easy to read, but accessible to a large audience. Want a quick, action-filled sci-fi with characters from across the world? This is the book. Need a spicy sci-fi adventure with fun and relatable characters to gift to your curious nephew/niece that won’t bore them? This is the book. Honestly, the characters and their actions are written with such heart and depth in this story that the limited view of the world is a moot point for me.

The plot isn’t all competition and characters, though. There is a slow-developing mystery about the plans of Babel Communications that Emmett and others slowly discover. Of course, the corporation has hidden depths that aren’t fully explored in this particular part of the series, but the pacing of these discoveries keeps readers guessing.

“Babel might have all the keys, but they don’t know what they’re keeping in the cage. Not yet, but I’ll teach them soon enough.”

There is an insta-attraction bit of romance that happened very quick that I’m haven’t quite jumped on the ship with. There just wasn’t enough in-depth interaction and page-time to really make it pop out. No matter for me, because the friendships and rivalries that come out of the story were the highlights. The characters are also from all over the world, so there are POC’s all over. Emmett is black and from Detroit, Kaya and Katsu are Japanese, Longwei is Chinese, Azima is Kenyan (omg I love her), Babil is Palestinian, Isadora from Brazil... the list goes on and on. Emmett’s voice is so clear and relatable that I felt so many emotions while reading. His betrayal and his desperation, his loyalty and his doubts. He’s far from the Chosen One and has to overcome many obstacles to continue on. I love how his character FIGHTS to win – nothing is given to him easily. His flaws made him even more lovable as a character as readers will really connect to his voice.

NYXIA is only a part of the adventure that Emmett has, as beyond the competition is a new world to discover and more characters to meet. But it was a fantastic start to a science-fiction competition set across the stars as both readers and characters cry, rage, and feel. I can’t wait to see where Reintgen takes us in both plot and world in the sequel. I will definitely be onboard to see how Emmett’s story will progress, and the growth that will come from it.

Actual rating: 2.5 stars

The premise of this book sounded so amazing, a group of ten teenagers being hand-picked to on the first crew to the planet Eden. Only 8 get their ticket to Eden. Emmett is one of the ones who's chosen to go on Genesis 11, and chaos and competition ensues. On the spaceship where they are training, they make friends and enemies, bad blood is mixed, and family bonds are created. I was absolutely intrigued and sold by that description, yet this book disappointed me so much in many ways. One thing that I could really appreciate and I feel like we don't get enough of in YA lit, is that our main character is an African American boy who comes from the suburbs of Detroit.

First of all, as a fan of sci-fi, I was expected the setting of the world to be really descriptive in how everything works specifically in the spaceship because for example they've managed to maintain gravity and do all of these crazy experiments. However, the places seemed to narrow, like they're out in the middle of space, yet there are no big/new words to describe everything that is going on. Babel had many secrets, and throughout the novel you always get the sense that something lurk is lurking underneath. However, again I would have liked there to be way more description of the setting itself, or the little details of how they actually survived every day.

Also the plot points are very repetitive that I was tempted to start yawning is the daily routine that Emmett went through repeatedly. He wakes up, has a hard training session, checks the scoreboard to see if he’s in first place or not, eat the food, and on and on and on.

My favorite character was the charismatic leader, Kaya who seemed to hold the group together. I also thought that the group dynamics were extremely realistic, there were friends, enemies, and family that they had to navigate with socially. I just wish that the side characters would have been more developed and wasn’t there only to serve and benefit our main character’s growth.

One of the things that was done well was that the character has many flaws and weaknesses, and that the character doesn’t magically get be better at his physical strength in one moment of training. When authors fall into that trap that is extremely annoying, but I sometimes felt like this book went the other way, like it had too much personal development/growth all focused and condensed on him.

**Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.**

Nyxia had me hooked from the start! There was no down time where I just couldn't get into it. The concept of the material nyxia and a bunch of kids competing in space for a spot to go to a different planet kept me intrigued. It was just good from start to finish. I didn't have any expectations going into this, and just thought the cover was cool and the blurb sounded interesting. Now, I'm so ready for what comes next!

The characters were great, and had a steady growth both from learning more about them and their past, and seeing how they change through the story. The main character, Emmett, was very likable and relatable as he struggled to stay true to himself and help those he cares about.

This book was a great addition to my lucky streak of good books. I would actually like to see this turned into a movie and see how they would do the training and use of nyxia. I absolutely recommend this book to any YA science fiction fan!

Thanks, NetGalley, for sharing this ARC with me! It was a welcome reprieve from Hunger Games copycats. Yes, there are several teens fighting to reach the end goal of reaching Eden, a hospitable planet housing a beyond valuable new-to-humans substance called Nyxia, but the competition between the teens is the only major similarity to HG. This takes place in the near future, on a space ship, traveling what would have taken others 20 years only around 6 months. The teens have to learn to overtake their weaknesses, make partnerships or alliances they weren't expecting to make, become friends with those they had not foreseen. I absolutely loved Emmet and Kaya's brotherly friendship. Will definitely add the next installment to my TBR list!

Will be leaving reviews on Goodreads and Amazon.

I really adored this novel. I'm not usually one to go for pure sci-fi books, but this one changed my mind. The whole competition aspect is a little over-done in YA, yet Scott Reintgen did a really good job of keeping things interesting. This novel was futuristic, but still very relatable. The characters were dynamic; they had flaws and strengths, they made mistakes, and their relationships had ups and downs. Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen, a new twist was thrown at me! I found myself never wanting to put the book down. I would highly recommend this book, even if science fiction isn't your usual go-to genre.

Let me start by saying this is a Netgalley review, I received it for free for an honest review.

Also, I am so excited that FINALLY I got approved for a book that wasn’t horrible! I enjoyed this book so much. I love space and I always enjoy a completion so this was an extremely right fit for me. I officially have preordered this book that comes out in September!

This book is a good crossover between The Hunger Games and the 100. A group of kids/teens whatever you want to call them are chosen from all over the world to compete in a competition in space. The winners get to go to a planet called Eden. For competing, the kids will earn an income and healthcare for their families back home. But first, they must compete because not all 10 children are going to go Eden. Only 8 of them will be chosen. Their job on Eden will be mining Nyxia, a substance they are also trained to use. The entire book is compiled of their training and competition. Emmett one of the competitors and he desperately needs the money and the healthcare benefits the competition will provide. We watch the friendships and rivalries grow, but everyone has secrets.

The characters were all so different, some I grew attached too. They all had strengths and weaknesses and I cannot wait to explore more of that.

It is an incredibly interesting plot and it kept me wanting more. I am annoyed that I will probably have to wait an entire year for the next book and this book isn’t even out yet! The con of reviewing books I suppose.

But 4/5 stars, can’t wait for the next one. Preferably soon!.

Are you a fan of Ender's Game? Read this book.
Are you a fan of YA Science Fiction? Read this book.
Are you a fantasy fan who is willing to try a book that happens to take place in space? Read this book.

I've been reading a lot of YA science fiction lately and am in awe of how excellent the field is right now. Nyxia is the perfect example of that. It's a story at once both familiar and new. It's also a perfect blending of fantasy and science fiction that I think will appeal to both audiences.

When I first started reading, I was struck by the similarities to Ender's Game (which just happens to be one of my favorite childhood books/series). However, Nyxia took the good parts - namely the competitions, the lovable characters, and the aliens- and then proceeded to add an additional layer of diversity and depth to everything. There's cool advanced technology without the technobabble that I know is incomprehensible or intimidating to some readers. Of course, that could partially be due to the fact that the advanced tech is based on nyxia, a substance that seems as if it would be more at home in a fantasy novel.

Most of the plot takes place on Babel's spaceship, centered around the competition to determine who will descend to Eden. The challenges continually change and it was fascinating to see how the characters adapted to them and dealt with the pressure. The space limitations due to the spaceship setting allowed the authors to really develop the characters and their relationships as well as explore what effects the competition had on them. There were brief sections featuring scenes that took place elsewhere that served to increase the sense of mystery and danger surrounding Babel. The plot was relatively straightforward but certainly compelling.

The true strength of this novel lay in the characters. From Emmett, the flawed but relatable protagonist, to Bilal, the eternal optimist, to Kaya, the brilliant mastermind, you will fall in love with all of them. I did have my favorites (namely the three above) but each character was so unique, I know that other readers will have their own favorites. All of the characters were incredibly realistic and I have rarely seen a more diverse cast of characters in YA science fiction. Even if I didn't love the storyline, I'd have read this book only for the characters.

Nyxia also has a significant amount of social commentary. The backstory of each character reveals the injustices and inequalities that currently exist in their world (and ours as well). While all of them were thought-provoking, Emmett's story nearly broke my heart. His family has worked themselves to the bone and have no hope of advancing beyond a paycheck to paycheck existence. His mother desperately needs better medical care than they have access to, which led to Emmett signing up with Babel in exchange for money and guaranteed care for her. Most YA books suffer from missing parent syndrome so it was nice to see one where the parents were so present and had such a strong and loving bond with their son.

Even though Nyxia isn't out yet, I'm already anticipating the sequel. Nyxia is the perfect combination of science fiction and fantasy with characters that will make you fall in love. Definitely one of the best science fiction books I've read lately.

Simply one of the best Sci-fis I’ve ever read!

Set in a not-so-distant future, we follow Emmett, a troubled kid from Detroit, and 9 other teenagers, picked by Earth’s largest corporation from all around the world. They only have one thing in common - they are desperate and will sign any contract for the promised wealth. And now they are all dispatched on a mission they never could have imagined.

Besides my obvious love for Sci-fi and dystopian novels, the concept behind this book really surprised me. I can’t say that it is something we’ve never seen before, because there are a lot of movies and maybe even books revolving around “life outside of Earth”, but since I’ve never read anything similar, I was pleasantly surprised and delighted by the story.

I enjoyed the spirit of competition and the competition itself! It gave a slight vibe of «The Hunger Games», definitely far from the bloodthirstiness and survival of the games, but very exciting nonetheless.

There was not a single thing that I disliked about «Nyxia» by Scott Reintgen and I am beyond excited for the next book in the series.

From the first page, this book had me. In the tradition of classic sci-fi, you are thrown into the middle of the story and accept everything you are being told without question. This enhanced the overall mystery surrounding Babel and Nyxia that Emmett and we the readers feel. I am already for book 2 to be in my hands!

When I first started reading Nyxia, I definitely felt there were similarities to Ender's Game in regards the circumstances that led to Emmett and the rest of the members of Genesis 11 employment with Babel. Emmett however has his own flaws as a character and defies the typical hero/golden boy archetypes often set up for main characters. I also appreciated that Mr. Reintgen didn't hold punches while writing. Nothing is out of the realm of possibility in this book and it makes it an exciting and unpredictable read that you can't put down.

Could turn down an offer of immense wealth and free healthcare for your mother with cancer? What if that offer would send you to the far end of the universe? Emmett and nine other teens are given the opportunity to join a team to mine Nyxia from a far planet. We accompany Emmett as he fights for a spot on the team, faces the bait-and-switch tactics of the company running the mining operation, and strives to find friendship amidst the cut-throat competition he’s been thrown into.

Nyxia is action-packed and fast paced. I enjoyed the creative competitions these kids had fight their way through for spots on the team and well as the fabulous properties of Nyxia, the valuable substance they'll be mining. I found myself rooting for Emmett and even sympathizing with some of his less ethical competitors as the grueling contest drew to a close and the stakes got higher. Each character had something to lose if they didn't make the team. I also found myself wondering exactly what the young miners would find when they reach their Eden, the destination planet. Nyxia is a fun read, great for lovers of sci fi and action-adventure.

The review will post on thewingedpen.com on August 8th.

Review to be posted August 29th.

Oh my god. I cannot believe how good this book is. For real, if this isn’t made into a movie I will cry.

Nyxia follows Emmett, one of ten teenagers selected by the Babel Corporation to go to the planet Eden. They’ll all make the trip but only eight will be chosen to continue on to the planet and received the prize, an absurd amount of money. The competitions focus around using nyxia, the substance Earth is mining from Eden, the reason for the trip. But a lot about this trip doesn’t make sense. Why was Emmett selected? He sure didn’t apply for this. What do him and the other recruits have in common? How much do we really understand Nyxia? And how much of what Babel says can be trusted?

There’s so much mystery in this book. It has a very Hunger Games/Divergent feel to it. There’s competition but there’s also great friendships. The competitors are fighting for Babel while at the same time wondering if Babel’s actually trustworthy. I enjoyed this book immensely and don’t know how I’m going to make it until the sequel.

Despite some minor flaws, it was a page-turner that kept me hooked from the beginning to the end.
I'll surely keep this author on my radar and read the next instalment(s).

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Welcome to the future, or at least I think it's the future, I do not know about the situation on Earth, but a new planet named Eden was found, an with it a new race the Adamites, but especially a new substance called Nyxia. The latter interacts with humans who can control it and adapt it to their wills. Of course, this substance is already an economic challenge on Earth and a group of teenagers is selected for a special mission on Eden, but places are expensive and competition is tough.

What I find amazing about this book is that there is very little context, the majority of the book takes place on the ship where the ten teenagers compete, the economic, ecological or political situation of Earth is unknown for the reader, just like the situation of Eden, we know that the Adamites are rather hostile, but the discovery of the planet remains a mystery and I loved it. I am therefore extremely curious to read the next book, because I hope to find answers on all this, but the author has also introduced big questions about the Nyxia and the company that exploits it, so I am even more curious.

As for the plot of this first volume, I find it a little classic, teenagers who compete is a theme often seen in YA, I appreciated Emmet, but I was not dazzled by what I read because of that even if it was still fun and actionpack. The book universe has a lot of potential, I have a billion questions and I think this first volume is a solid introduction to the universe of the trilogy. So I'm looking forward to reading and finding out more with the sequel.

Overall,I recommand this book for fan of YA and scifi .

*review will be published on Stellar Kitten Book Reviews on August 29th

❝ Babel might have all the keys, but they don't know what they're keeping in the cage. Not yet, but I'll teach them soon enough.❞

I had a lot of fun reading this book. One of my favorite aspects had to be the concept of nyxia as this malleable substance. It can be changed into just about anything, even fuel. I think it was incredibly cool the different ways Babel applied it to the ship itself.

As for Babel itself, I couldn't shake the feeling that they were up to something shifty. Babel promises Emmett and the rest of the recruits an incredible amount of money for going to Eden, but it's only until they sign their contract and are up in space that Babel drops the bomb: they will only be taking eight out of the ten. While the other two will still get some money for their participation, it is significantly less than if they won a spot to Eden.

Throughout the trip, Babel sets up different tasks and activities meant to ready the participants for their stay on Eden. It includes everything from learning to manipulate nyxia to mining to fighting. Everything is scored and displayed throughout the ship. It's hard not to constantly check your score or think of things (and people) in terms of points, and this eventually weighs on Emmett. One of his main concerns is that his drive to win will consume him and turn him into something he's not (like some of the other participants), but he's also worried that if he can't be tough enough he'll lose. 

Each of the participants has had a rough life and this money could change everything for them. They're all desperate for money and can't afford to lose. If he can't want this bad enough, there are plenty of others who do.

❝ The only good thing about being a black hole is that other black holes recognize you.❞

I really enjoyed the scenes between Emmett and Kaya. Their friendship was one of the biggest reasons, I think, that Emmett was able to resist Babel's negative influence. She put things in perspective for him and reminded him that there were always choices. She was also a great strategist and helped him climb up in ranks.

And although I didn't necessarily approve of the things that Isadora and Roathy did, I liked how loyal they were to one another. 

The biggest weakness of this book was probably the number of characters. It was hard to remember them all, and not all of them stood out as much as others. Although, I guess that problem will be fixed in the next book since there won't be as many. 

Babel also gave some background for Eden and their people, but I was still left wanting to know more. I think the book gave us just enough to make us curious and I'm sure we'll find out a lot more in the next book once everyone reaches Eden. 

All in all, I think this book made for a really solid first book to a series. I liked the character development and plot, and I'm dying to know the fate of both the ones who made it to Eden and the ones who didn't. 

Nyxia comes out on September 12th so be sure to check it out!

Wonderful book. Very interesting plot. I loved the different take on the sci fi genre.

Holy Toledo! So many twists and turns! Formal review to follow on my website and book outlets. I mean, Damn!!!! So good!

I enjoyed the characters. Ten down-on-their-luck teenagers competing for enough money to change their families' lives forever. There's a good mix of nationalities and ethnicities. Although, the characterization walked the very edge of stereotyping. Possibly crossed it at times.

The story focuses on Emmett, our MC. He's a young, POC teenage boy whose Mom is deathly ill. The money and benefits from this challenge are the only things that will save her life. We only really get to know him. The other children and side characters are props for his growth and self-realization. He struggles to retain his humanity while focused on providing what his family desperately needs.

"The props" and the setting is where the story left me scratching my head in confusion. This book tried to emulate the greats, Ender's Game, The Hunger Games, Red Rising. The plot has merit, but there were too many things left unexplained. Too many devices that the reader is expected to accept as given. Too many instances of "how, why, what" left me feeling strangely detached.

Have you ever read a sci-fi without the sci? I have, now.

I needed more. Obviously, a lot more pseudo science. But also, a little more development of the side-characters. The character development was almost there. Almost pulled me in. I only needed a little more tension, a little more punch during the peaks of the plot.

I thought the ending was epic. Perfect. This is the way to end a first book in a series. It leaves us satisfied with a conclusion yet anxious to find out what's next.

Maybe if you're not as much of a sci-fi fan as I am this book will work well for you.

2.5 stars

I file this book under M for meh.

This book was fun, to say the least. It could be easily read in one sitting. Competition –at least for me- is always entertaining to read about and I don’t think I’ll ever get bored of this trope. However, fun isn’t enough.

When the Babel Corporation chooses Emmet to go to a new planet, he doesn’t think twice about accepting their offer. After all, the 50 000$ each month for the rest of his life isn’t something he can refuse, especially that he’s family is very poor. They have to get Nyxia, a very expensive substance not available on Earth, from Eden.

Emmet soon discovers that he’s competing with 9 other people and only 8 can go to the new planet. Thus, he’ll do everything in his power to win although he feels like Babel is hiding some dangerous secrets.


Let’s start by the few things I liked. The book is easy to read and keeping up with the new information doesn’t take any effort at all. It’s also entertaining. I liked that our 10 characters have to challenge each other, alone and in teams. I didn’t get bored while reading it and that’s something. I also like the diversity in this book. The contestants are from different countries from all around the Globe.


Babel Corporation is named as such because it removes the language barrier. People can have their own translators attached to their jaw. That’s my first problem. As someone who isn’t an English native speaker, I always struggle with translation. I’m fluent and all but when someone asks me what does this English word mean in Arabic? If it is a bit complicated, I struggle to find its translation. Sure I can explain it in a sentence but not in a word. Anyway, so yeah we also have these words that have many meanings. Let’s say spring. It can mean different things in different contexts. One of the hardest things to do is translating a book. Many expressions will sound . You can’t say "a piece of cake" in Arabic, you’ll sound silly. So it’ll need work on how to get your reader understand what the author meant without translating word for word. Which brings us to my problem in this book.

As creative as it sounds I refuse to believe that there’s something that easily translates everything while not changing any of the contexts. Yes, the author spoke about expressions relative to each language. But you know? It would’ve been fine if it wasn’t for the word “cool”. You see, the Nyxia translator got it wrong. It translated it ironically, to Arabic, as cold. However, if you GOOGLE TRANSLATE IT (worst translator ever), you’ll see that it can mean “very good” as well. Later, we have someone reading in Japanese and Emmet understanding what she’s reading in English. WHATTTTTTTTT. Has any of you read manga? Do you notice the infinitely many mistakes that translators make? (I’m not criticizing them because God bless them for doing it for free) What I mean is that they’re translators and they can translate incorrectly only a few words from Jap to English (took this example because the Jap contestant reads to Emmet). Can you imagine the whole book? So after the word cool, do you want me to believe that a book can be translated correctly?


We know so little about Earth. Yes, it’s the future and we still have the same countries but surely not everything is still the same, yet we barely know anything about it. With all the advanced technology, can’t all the kids make a conversation is English?? I mean most of us can do it in 2017. Shouldn’t the future be more common? What’s happening right now?? Surely we don’t have the same political systems. Of course, many things changed. More developed technology and such but we don’t even know what the year is!!!!!!! We only know that Babel is very advanced and that’s only because of the Nyxia substance!!! Lack of world-building? Oh yes, very much. Therefore, I didn’t see much sci-fi. No wowzy stuff men made or anything “science”. Believe me, I’d know because I’m not the biggest fan of this genre.


This book screams diversity. Different races, different languages, different cultures, different everything. Emmet is PoC and I really liked this aspect. However, the population on Earth must be over 10 billion at the time. YET, of course, 3 will be Americans. Sorry, 2 Americans and 1 from Detroit. Hey, are from the States Emmet? I’m from Detroit. R U KIDDING ME??????????? Not even Texas. Not even a State. But a damn city. Yes, yes, it’s known but not to everyone. Since we don’t know anything about schools systems and programs, at least to know if they study about the United States cities and villages, it’s so absurd to say I’m from Detroit. Believe me, a foreigner might know many states. However, can you guarantee that the person you’re speaking to knows a city in your country? *sigh*Americans.


The other characters go something like this
Jazzy: nice
Isabel: loves Roathy, always angry
Roathy: there’s something dark about him
Longwei: mean and wants to be on top
Katsu: big with a (ridiculous) sense of humor
Kaya: strategic and kind
Jamie: pretty boy (although he doesn’t act like it)
Bilal: too good
Azuma: strong and wants to marry


Yes, Emmet’s adjective vocabulary is only limited to this. Always repeating the same stuff about them. Always. I couldn’t relate to any of them and they all felt flat. Just nothing impressive at all. I also wasn’t impressed by Emmet. I mean yes, I didn’t hate him but he wasn’t the kind of character I’d root for. So yeah, the characters weren’t the best. You don’t even hate them. Only feel nothing. I had some problems with how some characters were portrayed. The one on top is American, the Russian guy is very mean, and from all the population, we have most people from the US. Nope sorry doesn’t work with me.


Now to the ending. Or rather, the romance. IT WAS PLAIN BAD. I thought I’ve read bad romance in the past but this was something else. It was so anti-climactic, rushed, and out of nowhere. Since it happens at the end, I can’t say much without revealing any spoiler. It made cringe. There was no chemistry, no attraction, it was just forced and unbelievable. I was honestly considering giving it 3 stars before the romance started.


I think that this book is good if you’re looking for a mindless read set in space. Don’t expect anything complicated, just a quick fun read.


arc provided via publishers