Ten recruits have been chosen by Babel to go into space to mine a substance called Nyxia. On the way journey Emmett must train and fight for his place to be allowed to go down onto Eden. To create a new life for himself and earn the money to help his family back home. But Babel have their secrets, and Emmett will face the ultimate choice: win the fortune at any cost, or find a way to fight that won’t forever compromise what it means to be human.

Nyxia was so gripping I just couldn't bring myself to put it down. For me it had a bit of a Hunger Games vibe because the 10 contestants are fighting against one another. There is also a mentor assigned per two contestants. But the actual plot line isn't really similar at all. 


The 10 contestants were taken from all over the world so there was a lot of diversity. I enjoyed that each of these characters were also given individual personalities and backstories. They were all written really well and Reintgen was able to make me feel for all of them. I also routed for different characters to do better within the competitions.

There's also the Babel Corporation, which has secrets and is clouded in mystery. They play with both the contestants and the employees helping them like chess pieces. Emmett points out within the book that things only don't work when Babel wants them to not work.  So they have a lot of power, money and technology at their disposal. I'm excited to see what information we get from the second book about the corporation. 

As the book is based solely in the ship, there's not much world building needed. We learn a lot about Earth as it is now, and the new planet Eden through the characters. With the backstories we find out a lot about the negative aspects of Earth in the future. We also have the information on Eden which is only from Babel. This makes Eden feel mysterious as we only find out what Babel wants to tell, and you're unsure as to whether this is truthful.

I'm really excited to see how these characters grow and evolve throughout the second book. The world of Eden also intrigues me and I want to understand more about the Adamits who are native to the planet. Hopefully it wont be too long a wait for the next installment

I received Nyxia* by Scott Reintgen as an e-book from the publisher via Netgalley. This is an unbiased and honest review.

I would have to file this book under S for suprising. I was unsure of this book at first but once I started reading it I couldn't put it down. Emmett discovers that he is one of ten recruits, all of whom have been recruited by a company named Babel to go into space and work on the planet Eden. Each recruit must earn the right to travel to Eden where they will mine a substance called Nyxia that we learn is one of the most valuable material in the universe. All 10 recruits are pitted against each other to secure their spot. At every turn Babel is throwing some new twist or turn at them. How far are you willing to go for money and are you willing to take a life?

This book is great for anyone who is a fan of the Hunger Games or Maze Runner series. I cannot wait to find out what comes next!! This is a very well written book that you won't be able to put down.

4.5 stars.

A group of teenagers, engaged in a deadly serious game-like competition. Life-changing fortunes are at stake, if not life itself. An ominously secretive corporation pulling the strings.

Many of the elements in Nyxia are familiar, but Scott Reintgen combines them with some more unusual plot features ― a worldwide cast that is primarily of minority races and nationalities, an appealing urban black young man as a protagonist, and a trip through space to a distant planet, rather misleadingly called Eden, that is clothed in secrecy. The result is an adventurous page-turner of a YA book.

The mysterious Babel Communications has gathered ten teenagers for a trip to the planet of Eden. As they begin their trip to Eden on the spaceship Genesis, Marcus Defoe, an executive of Babel, explains to the teens that wealth beyond their imagining will be offered them ― fifty thousand dollars a month for life, free top-grade medical care for their families, and more ― if the teens sign on the dotted line and, by the way, agree to a gag order on the secrets they’ll be learning. All sign.

Defoe explains to the group that they are traveling to Eden to work there for Babel for a few years, mining a near-magical, incredibly valuable mineral called nyxia found only on Eden that responds to your mental commands and morphs into (almost) anything you mentally ask of it. Why teens? There are dangerous natives living on Eden who are deadly enemies of humans, but culturally they reverence children and young people, putting them in a safe zone. So Babel has picked teens in desperate circumstances and offered them incredible boatloads of money to go to Eden and do the nyxia mining for them. Apparently non-interference with alien races is non-existent as a guiding principle for Babel Communications.

During the year-long trip to Eden, Babel puts the teens through brutal training, turning it into a competition: points are awarded and scores are kept and cumulated, and the bottom two teens will be sent home, missing out on most of the incredible financial benefits. But Babel has much more up its sleeve than its personnel are saying, and you can’t believe everything you hear from them.

Emmett, the main character and narrator of the novel, is complex, bright, and sympathetic enough to be an engaging protagonist. He struggles with anger and resentment against injustice, but diligently strives to follow the moral guideposts that his loving parents and others have helped him to form. Emmett habitually works to control his anger, channeling it into mental filing cabinets (“I file the thought away under P for Power”). There are also several very strong, intelligent and capable female characters. The multi-ethnic cast of the group is a plus, particularly since the diversity is handled in a way that it makes complete sense for the storyline.

Scott Reintgen, a debut author, has created a gripping and compelling read in Nyxia, the first in a planned trilogy. There are a few minor inconsistencies in tone and characterization. Nyxia itself is a fantastical, near-magical substance that has so many diverse, amazing uses that it veers close to fantasy, requiring some suspension of disbelief. Additionally, the competition-driven plot may strike some readers as overfamiliar. Nyxia distinctly reminded me of both The Hunger Games and Ender's Game. Still, I think fans of those books will find Nyxia hugely appealing. Not just a paler imitation, Nyxia is a book that adds to the genre. I highly recommend it if you like young adult science fiction adventures, and I’ll be anxious to pounce on the next book in this series.

Nxyia is the new "gold." A corporation is giving an opportunity to earn more than enough money for his family to leave poverty and get his mom the medical attention she needs. Emmett Atwater and nine other teens from other countries are selected to go to an earthlike planet called Eden. It is home to humanoid beings called Adamites. At Eden the teens will mine for a substance called nxyia which can transform itself into just about anything. However Emmett finds out that only eight teens will be able to go to Eden. While on the spaceship, the teens will have to fight and win to be one of the eight to go on the planet. Winning becomes harder with each competition. Emmett finds himself starting to care about the competitors even though he shouldn't. Will he win?

This is a fast action-packed novel. It is a thrilling ride. The plot gripped me. The characters in the book are multiethnic and misfits. When I got to the end of the story, I wanted the next book! This is excellent science fiction! Read it!

I was so excited after reading this book. Finally publishing has caught on to the concept of diversity. There are characters of all different races and the main character is an African American boy named Emmett.

Reintgen has written a fabulous book. I was drawn in immediately. This book starts out strong and gets stronger and stronger. I couldn't put it down and the ending! Omg. When Emmett and the others are recruited by Babel Corp to go to Eden they had no idea what they were in for. Babel Corp is not all that it seems and is definitely hiding things.

Emmett and the others are pitted against each other in a form of the Hunger Games and the strangeness of Nyxia. They are trained to fight, to mine and control Nyxia. They learn about Eden and the people who live there but all for what purpose? The unknown motives of Babel corp remind me of the movie Avatar. Is Nyxia special to the people of Eden? What is Babel really doing on Eden? What are the people of Eden like? So many questions! I hope book 2 doesn't take too long to come out.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.

All the Stars!!!!

I finished this book earlier this week, and I can’t stop thinking about it. I NEED to read the next book in the series, but it doesn’t even have a name yet, much less a release date. Everyone comparing Nyxia to Ender’s Game mixed with The Hunger Games is dead on. If you loved those books then I beg you to pick this one up, but be prepared to stay up late trying to read “just one more chapter”.

The characters in Nyxia are a racially diverse bunch with one common thread that weaves them all together. While we don’t get immersed in any one culture (aside from American) we do get to see bits and pieces of other cultures that I felt added quite a bit of flavor to the book. The twists in this book are completely unexpected and I was left gaping nearly every time. Scott Reintgen has written a spellbinding book full of hope, darkness, and competition. You need to read this.

This isn't my typical book to read, but found it interesting nonetheless. I highly recommend this book to people that enjoy sci-fi books.

The premise of the story is unique: a super-rich and powerful company, called Babel Communications, which "swallowed Google back in 2038," selects a group of teenagers to go into space. At first, they have no idea why they were chosen and have no idea why or where they are going. The, they learn that they are competing for a chance to travel to a planet called Eden to mine a substance called Nyxia.

Let's talk about Nyxia a little... I want to say so much about it. It's basically the new most valuable substance in the world and can seemingly be used for pretty much anything. Seriously, like anything - from weapons to healthcare. However, it has been kept a secret from the public, and the crew of Genesis 11 only learns about it once they board the ship bound for Eden.

We learn quite a bit about Nyxia throughout the book, but there are still unanswered questions and mysteries. I have a few theories, but again, I don't want to give too must away. You'll just have to read the book yourself and let me know what you think!

This book was awesome! It had twists and turns that I never saw coming! It sucked me in almost immediately, and I got really into it. It made me laugh, it made me cry, and at times, it made me angry, plus just about every other emotion in between.

The author did a great job of character development in this book! The characters are so diverse, and we get to learn more and more about them as the book progresses. The author gives us a glimpses into the lives of most of the characters. Knowing more about their background and motivations helps readers understand them and their actions better.

I think the author did a good job with the ending, as well. He picked a good stopping place, but I'm still upset that I have to wait so long to see what happens next! I have so many questions!

That's the downside to reading books in a series before or right when they come out; you have to wait even longer than everyone else to read the next books. #FirstWorldProblems #TheStruggleIsReal

I definitely recommend this book! It certainly exceeded my expectations, and I will be waiting not so patiently for the next book in the series, which as of right now does not have a projected release date or cover art on GoodReads.

I received a copy of this book from the publishers, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Nyxia. And yes, it should be compared to Ender's Game, which I love too, but it also stands on its own.

The Babel Corporation has recruited some teens from all over the earth to go to a distant planet and mine for (and steal) a substance called Nyxia. This substance can be reformed into anything, can cure you of illness and injury, can make you stronger, and as you will find out, can do even more. There are ten kids recruited, and no one knows why they have been chosen, but they all have issues.

Success on this three-year commitment means they will be rich beyond their wildest dreams. And even while they are travelling, their families on Earth are benefitting. The first chink in this perfect scenario that our recruits discover is that only 8 of the 10 get to actually go to the planet. They must compete relentlessly during their one-year trip to the planet. And they will discover some other "chinks" too.

Emmett is our narrator. His issue is that his mother has kidney disease and needs a transplant. And also, he's got a temper and can be violent. One of the first tests is for the recruits to learn how to manipulate Nyxia. They also learn about the inhabitants of the planet, who only like children, since they can't have them anymore. They are hostile to adults. Hence the need for teens on this mission.

Each test gets more and more difficult, and the recruits get to know each other better -- at least some of them. The story really clips along and the tension builds nicely. There are ups and downs, not all will survive, and some big twists at the end. As expected in all science fiction, there are some plot holes, and you have to suspend some disbelief.

The story isn't finished at the end of Nyxia, so of course, the sequel can't come soon enough. Sci-fi fans should definitely get their hands on this one. I can already see it on the big screen...

This book had that rare perfect ending - so many of the major plot points were wrapped up, but there was still plenty of cliff-hanger material to keep us interested in the rest of the triad! Plenty of action, just the right hint of romance, and suspense to round it out.

Nyxia, by author Scott Reintgen, is the first installment in the author's The Nyxia Trilogy. Emmett is the main storyteller of this series. Emmett is an African-American from Detroit who is given an extraordinary opportunity. Emmett is also one of Ten contestants chosen by Babel Communications to travel to the planet of Eden, and mine a substance called Nyxia. Nyxia refers to the substance the recruits will have to mine on the planet Eden. A substance that has quietly become the most valuable material in the universe. To say that Nyxia is valuable, would be undercutting the real truth behind what the substance can be used for. 

But, there is a catch. There is always a catch. Only 8 of the 10 contestants will get the opportunity to actually go to the planet of Eden. What's even more fascinating & entertaining, is that each contestant is tested in many ways in order to win the most points. Points that are tabulated on a daily basis so that each contestant knows where they stand and what they need to do in order to survive and advance. Each contestant must survive and advance. Emmett must rub shoulders with nine others with similar backgrounds. Each of the 10 are from poor families and the money that they could each make from successfully landing on Eden, would set their families up for life and ensure that they each are able to have a stable future.

People have been crying out for diversity, and this book is stacked with diverse characters. Don't believe me? Check it out for yourself: Kaya is Japanese. Bilal is Palestinian. Jazzy is American. Longwei is Asian. Azima is Kenyan. Isadora is Brazilian. Katsu is Japanese. Jaime is Swedish. If you ask me who my favorite characters are and why, I would offer up Kaya as my first. Kaya is a special character who brightens up the story. She is extremely intelligent, and with her on your side, you will end up doing well. My second character is Bilal who becomes Emmett's only true friend. Bilal is kind, generous and the boy you would love to be best friends with.

The story is set in a dog eat dog environment, and then the author piles on so many other surprises, that you really have to ask yourself if anyone will actually survive this competition and actually walk away with the huge prize they can each earn by making it to the surface of Eden. I loved Emmett's relationship with his parents. His mother is struggling mightily with health issues, and his father works his fingers to the bones in order to pay the bills in hopes of getting her better. But, his father never pushed the theory of giving up on your dreams because they are too hard.

He never demanded anything from anyone. Just to do the right thing all the time. Their connection is really amazing, especially the fact that Emmett is named after one of my favorite Florida Gators. Can you guess who it is? As for the fact that this book is the first in a 3 book trilogy, you know the author is going to toss in some strange and curious situations which makes the story both heart breaking and entertaining. This series opener stands out due to its fusing of an adrenaline rush of a plot with richly textured emotional undercurrents. If you are a fan of such books as Illuminae,
Carve the Mark, & The Diabolic, you'll really enjoy this story.

This book was HUNGER GAMES in outer space with eight out of ten winners instead of one. Emmett is from Detroit, poor, pops is working himself to an early grave & his mom has cancer. All of the participants are poor with nothing to lose and lots to gain. The competition is competitive and dangerous at times but he's determined to win for his family.

I liked Emmett, Bilal, Kaya & most of the other characters. When the book ended I wasn't ready! I wanted it to continue to the next part. I wasn't prepared to like this book as much as I did. I haven't read a book like this in a long time. I'm happy I gave this book a chance. I will be on the lookout for the second part of the Nyxia Triad.

I received a copy from NetGalley for an honest review.

Nyxia was a really unique book. When I started reading it, I thought a little of hunger games with all the competition. But I soon realized this was its own story and a pretty intense one at times too. Emmett is the main character, and I grew to really like him. He is such a good kid. He came from a good family, and has good values. It is this that makes him outstanding amongst the other kids.

You see Emmett, like the others, was recruited by the Babel Corporation to enter the spaceship going to Eden. Once on the ship they were to compete. There were 10 of them, but only 8 would go to Eden. The competition was designed to prepare them for what they would, or could, go through on Eden. They had technology never seen before to learn to use. The competition got pretty intense. But the rewards of going to Eden meant everything to these kids!!

Some of the kids were ruthless. Some were skilled. Some were plain desperate. And some became like family to each other.

I LOVED reading this book!! It left on a cliffhanger, so I'm hoping it won't be too long before the next book comes out!!

But, I really do recommend this!! If you like science fiction, with some action/adventure, a bit of a thriller....you LOVE Nyxia!!!!

I think this book was wonderful but my only issue was that I felt like I had already before. I recently read Dare Might Things and it was eerily similar. I loved both of them. Full Review to come

I really loved this. It was action packed for sure, and it has some serious plot twists. It had alot of themes of other YA dystopian novels I've read in the past, but it was also distinctly different. It gave me Hunger Games in space vibes, but without all the killing. I mean that as a sincere compliment to the author. I loved Hunger Games as well. I also don't think this was specifically dystopian, I don't think it was ever said that there had been an apocalypse or anything of that nature it was just in the future. Nyxia is a mysterious but valuable substance that has been found on another planet. Nyxia can be manipulated, but it is also sentient and kind of has a mind of its own. Those aboard the spacecraft Genesis 11 must learn to manipulate Nyxia as well as mine it from the planet Eden. While on the journey through space to Eden, the 10 teens onboard Genesis 11 are vying for 8 spots to actually go to Eden and meet the native Adamites. The story is told from the perspective of Emmett, a poor teen who's mother is in desperate need of a kidney transplant. In swoops the Babel Corporation with their mission to Eden with endless funds and miracle medicine. If Emmett competes and wins a spot to Eden he and his parents are set for life, and while he competes his mother gets all the medical care she needs. Sounds pretty good right? You quickly guess that Babel is not the righteous company and that they've got something up their sleeves. It turns out Babel has angered the natives on Eden, so they are using teenagers to mine Nyxia from the planet. Adamites revere children, so Babel is using them as they feel the Adamites won't hurt them. Eden is a wild place and the kids don't exactly know what they are getting themselves into as Babel doesn't always give them the whole story. Each of the kids on board Genesis 11 has something they are fighting for, and going to Eden would mean each of them and their families would be set for life. Losing isn't really an option for any of them. Determined to win one of the 8 spots, Emmett sees each of his shipmates as enemies, but along the way he builds some friendships he never saw coming. In the same vein, he makes some enemies that won't let up.

As the journey comes to a halt and the scoreboard is tight for the last spot, Babel throws everyone a plot twist. There is another ship full of 10 more contestants, and there are only 15 spots total heading to Eden. The crew of Genesis 12 is lead by Morning, and they prove to be quite the adversaries. Genesis 11 never learned to work as a team, while Morning has the crew of Genesis 12 working like a well oiled machine. Emmett desperately tries to gain every point he can to earn his spot to Eden. At every turn he has to fight to keep his score up and a knife out of his back.

I hesitate to say more to keep spoilers out of the review. I can't wait to see where the next book goes. I really loved this first one and think it was a great lead off to the series.

I just finished Scott Reintgren's Nyxia this afternoon on the bus ride home from work, and it was so good that I almost missed my stop! Nyxia is set in the not too distant future where a corporation, Babel, has colonized a planet named Eden. To extract resources off of Eden, Babel will need a group of mentally and physically strong teens capable of surviving on an entirely new planet. Babel has recruited 10 teens from planet Earth to compete for a spot to Eden. Babel has specifically sought out teens who have very little left to lose on planet Earth, and have created a series of unique challenges to determine the teens' fitness to survive Eden.

The lead of the story is Emmett, an African American teen from Detroit, Michigan (in the U.S.). He's joined Babel's crew as a competitor because his mother has cancer, and his dad has spent most of his life toiling to make ends meet. Emmett wants his mother's cancer cured and wants his father to have an easier life. Joining Babel means not only freedom for his family, but freedom from a generational legacy of poverty and enslavement. As Emmett describes, "In every branch of our family tree, someone's brushed shoulders with real freedom. But there's always a catch in life. There's always been some fine print that snatched dreams just before they were real enough to hold in our hands." Emmett is a fierce competitor; however, through his experiences with Babel he learns that what makes him unique is not his mental or physical strength but rather his ability to be a good person and friend when placed in the worst of circumstances.

There is so much to love about this book. The author is a master at depicting and detailing scenes so that they play in the reader's head like a movie. There is a lot of action in the book, which is often hard to write and therefore envision as a reader. The author has no trouble communicating and etching out every single environment no matter how unusual, action-filled, and outer-worldly.

As a parent, I appreciated how the author emphasized the intimate, close friendships that young teens and adults forge. The author avoids tiresome relationship tropes often found in young adult fiction, such as unrequited love or jealously and competition. While the lead character was intent on winning his ticket to Eden, he cared about many of his competitors even when they were cruel to him. Emmett has a solid moral compass, one that we all hope our children emulate even in the worst of circumstances. He develops deep, caring relationships with both girls and boys his age, demonstrating that friendship is what makes us human. When Emmett feels tempted to compromise his values to gain a spot to Eden, his close, tender friendship with Bilal grounds him: "A branch can be cut away, but roots run deep and dark. What I wanted didn't matter. When someone treats you like a friend, that's what you become. His words have made a brother out of me. My words have carved him into the same."

The recent proliferation of dystopian young adult books (e.g. The Hunger Games trilogy; the Divergent trilogy; and The Maze Runner series) may make some hesitant to read yet another YA dystopian book, but Nyxia's rich plot, writing, world, and characters will not disappoint. I can't wait for the second book in this series!

Thank you to the author, Scott Reintgren, and Random House Children's for an advanced reader copy of Nyxia.

Nyxia (The Nyxia Triad, #1) by Scott Reintgen

Wow! This book was out of this world! Excellent writing and a thought provoking read with amazing characters. Nyxia is truly a screen worthy read and would make a great movie.
The story is told through Emmett's point of view. I loved Emmett and his courage. His setbacks only makes him stronger, wiser and more kind.
I am so looking forward to the next book and I'm grateful to have had access to this authors novel which has become one of my favorites.

I give Nyxia 5 stars for its fast paced adventure into the unknown.
I would recommend this book to everyone.

After seeing some nice reviews of this book on goodreads, I decided I should give it a go. Apparently if you tell me a book is a SciFi set in space with a diverse cast of characters, I’m in!

I can say that I understand why people love this book, I had a good time reading it. Mostly, I wasn’t disappointed because I knew what to expect from the reviews I read: mostly a story of trials and competition in a Hunger Games/Ender’s Game fashion. It is one of these books that I could see becoming an Ender-style blockbuster movie. One I’d like to see succeed because of its very good cast of characters and some clever bits.

The novel had a bunch of very cool moments, but it was still a bit predicable at times and ended up being repetitive.
Its strengh definitely lies with the characters, who all quickly gain a distinctive voice. It is one of those cast where everyone will have a favourite character! I personally loved Bilal, the nicest of all, and all the girls were awesome. I also love that the author made sure to describe each character early one through his main character eyes, each of them from a different part of the world (from the top of my head: Nigeria, Brazil, Switzerland, Japan…!), different ethnicities and skin colours. The main character is a black teen from Detroit in the US and I really liked to read about the complexity of his thoughts, his introspection and struggle, as well as his lovely family that we only have glimpses of.

[Mild spoilers for this paragraph]
There are some characters death that happen late into the book, I was sad and disappointed about it because they were character who I feel could have been really interesting to follow for a bit longer in the next book. At one point I also felt like it was at the verge of the “woman dies to further the male main character’s struggle” trope but it is also kind of addressed so?? I wish no one had had to die, but I guess I can’t always have what I want!

The romance also came very late in the novel, which I think was good. There wasn’t time for a romance earlier. But once it was there it went too fast for my taste, but it is still understandable. While the diversity in ethnicities is grand, there didn’t seem to be any LGBTA+ character (yet?), or at least it wasn’t mentionned at all. There were only f/m relationships that I could see. I’m only mentionning this because I saw a lot of reviews talking about the “diversity”, and I don’t want anyone to be going into this expecting LGBTA+ rep when there isn’t (as of yet.)

A thing that made me wince was how the psychiatrist was written, mostly the old cliche “And how did it make you feel?” question he serves the main character who then shut down completely, which can be understandable. This character grows to be important and not as badly written but that’s really something that made me uncomfortable at first.

Overall this is a nice Young Adult science fiction novel set in a spaceship, not groundbreaking since it resembles some other books greatly, but still manages to grip the reader with a litte bit of mystery and hints at something bigger, and make us care for the characters a lot. I’m really looking forward to the next book to finally set foot on the mysterious planet and have a better look at those aliens.

Thanks to Random House Children's/Crown Books for providing this ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

"We can be kings and queens, sure, but only if we bow first."

How far would you go for a chance at financial freedom and the perks associated with a secured lifestyle? What lines would you cross if it meant free health care and access to the best and most advanced treatments -- in perpetuity -- for you and your family? That's the question our MC, Emmett Atwater, and his fellow Babel recruits competitors must answer before arriving at Tower Space Station and the newly discovered planet Eden.

Hailing from every nook and cranny on Earth, the recruits aboard Genesis 11 are quickly pitted against one another after discovering that only 8 of them will actually win the prize and earn the chance to see Eden. As such, much of the book is devoted to their competition. From physical trials in the Rabbit Room (a techie's dream; think VR on steroids) and endurance drills to mental tests and Nyxia-manipulation sessions our cast of characters are constantly pushing their limits. And although it might sound repetitive, Reintgen keeps the intensity high with a constant slew of twists and a connection to the diverse characters -- and their stress levels -- every time we're exposed to the scoreboard.

"...your shared humanity is the most precious commodity of all."

My favorite part of this book -- beyond the tech gadgetry of course (I'm talking to you, Nyxian language converter) -- was Emmett's narrative and his relationship with his family -- especially his father. It was truly refreshing to see a positive paternal presence complete with uplifting guidance throughout this YA thriller.

"You get in there and fight, Emmett. Be worthy. Not in their eyes, but in yours. Break the rules {if} you need to, but never forget who you are and where you come from."

Through the eyes and mind of Emmett, a black teen from Detroit, the book is able to eloquently toggle between its' sci-fi components to real-world insights on everything from systematic poverty and empathy to mercy and hope.

"Where I come from, low expectations are generational."

"My fight is one of decades and generations. One bad day won't stop me from rising up."

These sneak peeks into Emmett's psyche add a level of realism that is often missing in the sci-fi genre. And it's truly a testament to Reintgen's words that a book set in the future -- and in space -- is able to pack those heavy hits. Because let me tell you, there are a handful of quotes and scenes tucked away in this novel that hit you harder than one of our southpaw's jabs.

Overall:

The first installment had me hooked from takeoff and I can't wait to see how this sci-fi saga plays out. If you're a fan of The Hunger Games/Divergent, and are looking for a fast and addictive read, Nyxia is definitely the book for you! Fathom?

Let me just get this out of the way. This is a full blown diverse cast of characters!

Our MC Emmett is black.

Kaya is Japanese.

Bilal is Palestinian.

Jazzy is American.

Longwei is Asian.

Azima is Kenyan.

Isadora is Brazilian.

Katsu is Japanese.

Jaime is Swedish.

10 candidates are chosen to go to space and work for a corporation known as Babel, to mine the extremely rare material Nyxia. Only 8 of the 10 will be able to go to Eden to mine the material. A lot of training takes place during this book, and it can get a bit repetitive, which makes the book drag a bit. There are team building challenges, Nyxia manipulation challenges, strength, endurance and mental challenges also. At the end of each day the candidates are scored. By the time they reach the Tower Space Station, only the top 8 will continue on.

I found the challenges with the Nyxia itself to be interesting, since it can be manipulated with just thought. It seems though that it does have some strange side effects of use. Emmett has nightmares of Black Holes, either being enveloped by one, or being the black hole himself and enveloping others. He is also becoming more and more aggressive during the one on one fights that use Nyxia based weapons, but it seems that it’s not just Emett being affected by this.

As you read the book, you can tell that Babel is hiding things from the candidates, and only giving them half-truths when confronted with questions. It feels like “tell them what they want to know to keep them focused.” At one point Emmett and Kaya get their hands on an access card that allows them to explore more of the ship, and does their curiosity get the best of them. They do find out that secrets are being kept from them. Despite knowing what they know, nothing is ever said and Emmet and Kaya need to continue on with the training, keeping this secret between them.

About 2/3 of the way throughout the book, they reach the space station, with an added surprise that was never mentioned. There is another team of candidates are fighting for the same spots. The competitions are more demanding, and draining on the teams and the candidates as individuals. They are all competing against each other up to the minute they leave the space station and land on Eden.

I enjoyed that the majority of this was in outer space, and the chapters kept track of that for you. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens in the next book. The way this one ended you know that Babel and the men running the program may be more evil than good.