An interstellar journey sounds like a terrific premise. Secrets, training, all sorts of things before this team of teenagers can make it to another world and harvest something only they, as young people revered by the inhabitants of the planet, can get.

In actually, what I found was a rather dense book with an overabundance of details portrayed in a painstakingly slow manner that became a burden at 48%.

The story is told from Emmett's perspective and about a quarter of the way through, I started feeling like Nyxia wasted an opportunity. Emmett's views of his fellow travelers started feeling flat ten days into their space journey of a year. Repetitive observations made for a boring reading experience; I wondered what it would be like if we'd had multiple points of view. That is a method that can be confusing if the voices aren't unique enough, but the writing so far was decent enough to make me think that Reintgen could've made a good example of multiple p.o.v.s. done right.

There were a lot of details drawn out through the book. Things about how they had to train and then those instances broken down even further; time spent going over nyxia, the resource the company Babel is over that can be manipulated into anything; "romantic" relationships that never felt real; and so on. There was too much focus on what felt like minutiae to be exciting. It felt like reading a textbook with some brief moments of human connection.

Emmett's battle with his moral compass versus the amazing financial opportunity that Babel offers because he's willing to travel to a new planet (Eden) was interesting. There were flashbacks to his childhood when his grandmother taught him how to control his anger with a mental filing system. His father and mother, though we barely hear from them in the book, are guideposts for him during horrible tests that pit him against the other teens of Genesis I and, eventually, Genesis II. This wavering between right, wrong, and what that means to him was one of the facets of the story that remained relatively intriguing throughout.

If you like details and having battles happen over and over again in a spaceship to see who gets to go planet-side, then I think Nyxia will be a good match for you. I didn't care for it as an overall work because I don't think the writing made up for lackluster plot elements and I got bored.

Nyxia is a solid work of YA sci-fi. It’s reminiscent of Ender’s Game, in that it features a group of teens who are competing for a set of military style games. Even as the teens fight for spots on a mission to a new planet (and correspondingly, a wealth of riches), the company that sponsors them conceals information about what the true nature of the competition is, and what really waits for them on the planet.
The competition takes up much of the book. On the one hand this is a good thing, it lets the reader get to know the large, and refreshingly diverse, cast of contestants and their friendships and grudges. On the other hand, “teens compete in competitions where more is at stake than they know” has been done a lot before. I didn’t think any of the twists that pop up were all that original, and wished in a lot of ways that this book was only the first half of the story. Nyxia sets up a lot of interesting world building for the sequel, but I wanted to get to that sequel in this book.
I also wish the characters had had more room to grow and change. Emmett changes somewhat slowly into a leader, but thinking back, I’m not totally sure what the impetus for that was. There was also a romance in the book that came completely out of nowhere.
Overall, Nyxia will appeal to younger readers of YA and people who really appreciate books that work through technical strategy and action on page. It has an interesting premise, and I hope that premise will have room to pay off in the second book of the series.

I read a good deal of YA fiction (I'm a high school English teacher) and was pleasantly surprised by this book. I initially thought this was a middle-grade reader based on the publisher's note at the front, but it clearly is a YA book considering the violence and sporadic use of language (more Marie Lu than John Green on the latter). The storyline is a bit "Ender'sGame meets The Hunger Games" and the religious references are curious for non-faith fiction novel, making one wonder what will transpire in the sequel. The action and pacing were good, with the appropriate twists and turns, The author also leaves you aching for more at the end of the book, which is a definite sign of a good tale.

Looking for the next fast-paced, exciting from start to finish, need-to-read the next book immediately series? This is it. Nyxia is action-packed, diverse, unique, and very well-written. For a plot filled with science fiction elements, it is actually quite easy to read and understand what is going on. And let me go ahead and applaud the author, Mr. Reintgen for his excellent writing and a fantastic debut!
This is truly a story that will have you hooked from the first page. It is essentially about ten teens from all around the world chosen to be sent to a new planet, Eden, and mine Nyxia, a substance that has proven quite valuable. There is a species there. And there is much the kids need to be prepared for when they arrive.
The majority of our story takes place on the ship where the teens are put through intense training and daily missions to ensure they are prepared for what’s to come on Eden. The mission means more to each of the teens than one could imagine. It is deeply personal making it easy to connect to each of the characters.
There are secrets being kept by the very corporation sending the teens. There are plenty of twists among the non-stop action. The point system throughout the training ups the ante. There is a romance and plenty of young adult drama.
Think Hunger Games in space. It’s such an awesome start to a series. Prepare for your next favorite read!

<i>ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. </i>

*2,5 STARS*
I expected a bit more of this book. It makes me so sad that I didn't end up liking it as much as I really wanted to.

WHAT I LIKED:
- The friendship between Emmett and Kaya.
- The diversity of the characters.
- How the book touches on real life problems such as Americans health care system.

WHAT I DID NOT LIKE:
- I was missing the actual 'space' element.
- Reminded me a bit of Hunger Games.
- At first it was really interesting and exciting but as the story went on it got kinda boring.
- The romance between Emmett and Morning. How did that happen out of nowhere? No chemistry between them.

I highly enjoyed reading this whole book and can not wait for the rest of the series. This book has a lot of similarity to other books but there was enough differences to make it so good. I was so entranced in the book and didn't want to set the book down till I finished. One of my favorite parts of this book is the way Emmett question everything that was going on around him instead of being naive and going in blind like a lot of other book characters do. There was instalove in the book but thankfully it wasn't with the main character so it didn't bother me at all. It is extremely hard for me to pick just one favorite character in this book. Kaya and Balil are definitely my top two though. Emmett and Morning are the next two on my list of favorites. I loved the aspect of Nyxia. It is a material that you can bend and control to your will but it can also do the same to you as we see happen with Emmett in the book. I loved how detailed the challenges were I really felt like I was there in the challenges with them. Oh and I can't forget to mention the diverse amount of characters in this book is refreshing. I am just in awe of this author and the story his wrote.

Wowow I really enjoyed this book. Nyxia by Scott Reintgen is set on a spaceship with 10 kids fighting for a spot on the newly discovered planet, Eden. Only 8 are allowed to go down to Eden to mine for a material called Nyxia. They are put through challenges and games that determine who will make it and who won't.

First things first, the characters were soo diverse. They all come from different places, but all of them had a background of poverty. I love the fact that our main character, Emmett, is black from Detroit. I love that the women weren't put in a place where they were seen as weaker than the men. Reintgen does an amazing job of giving depth to these characters and developing relationships between them.

The plot itself is very intriguing. The concept of Nyxia is so fascinating. I love how the story builds up slowly and once it gets going, it doesn't stop until the end. There's so much tension between the characters, but that doesn't some of them from joking around or being kind to each other. There are so many twists and turns and secrets, but is generally easy to follow. I'm looking forward to the next book in this series.

It's never a good sign when you read book and it reminds you of other books. That was the case here, while reading Nyxia I was reminded of scenes from Harry Potter, Divergent, the Hunger Games, and basically any YA book out there.

Emmett is among other teenagers who were recruited by a rich tech corporation to be sent on another planet and harvest a new element called Nyxia, which is pretty much a substance that can transform into anything the person holding it can think of, pretty powerful stuff to have teens handle you'd think.

That's the extent of the sci-fi element of the book, the rest is YA with random space mentions to remind us that they are indeed in space even though they can be trained anywhere, I suppose.

Nyxia is in an already inhabited planet by aliens who, surprise, don't want humans coming in and harvesting their stuff but surprisingly they treat children with kindness which is why the story needs teenagers to go and get as much Nyxia as possible. In return the kids and their family get a life's worth of medical care and money, but of course most of them will have to die in the process.

And that's pretty much it, they train, they transform Nyxia and they are in space, with a wtf insta-love thrown in because after all this is YA, it pains me to say that other than a black MC, a very interest 1/3 of the book and Bilal, this book had very little new to offer.

I LOVED this book! It’s coming out September 12th and I highly recommend it to everyone who’s interested in diverse science fiction ! A motley group of kids with complicated pasts get sent into space to learn how to master the new wonder-element, Nyxia on their way to mine the element on a hostile planet. But the trip turns into a competition where only the high-scorers will get a chance at the rewards of a lifetime.

What I liked:

-There are kids from all over the world with different priorities and cultures and languages. I love the obvious diversity and how they all have to learn to work together and compete with each other at the same time.

-Also, along with the diversity in languages, I love that even after they had super advanced translators, there were still moments of miscommunication and things lost in translation. And like typical human beings (especially teenagers), they ended up creating their own words and meanings. I love the evolution of language.

-Emmett is the perfect example of a complicated and morally (light) gray character. He wants to do the right thing but he also wants to get ahead. I love that he is a genuine and real black young man that is allowed to show emotion. We see him learn about himself and relate everything to his present and to his past. We see his interactions with his father and his friends. He still makes bad decisions and makes mistakes, but he grows from them. He’s a fighter (literally) but he doesn’t get boxed into those stereotypes.

-Speaking of, I love that even though this is science fiction and the distant future, he still talks about racism and slavery and oppression. These are all very real things that affect people today and we talk about them as if they were still in the distant past. They’re not.

-The world-building is super fascinating! I get that they’re on a space ship on their way to a new planet, but I had a good time imagining what it actually would be like.

What I didn’t like:

-I was so super super excited about the fact that there was NO ROMANCE throughout the book. It was honestly a huge plus. AND THEN **SPOILER ALERT** there was romance. It felt super rushed and underdeveloped and super insta-crush (bleh). I actually do think that the characters are a good mach and pairing them up is definitely a great source of conflict. But I would have liked to see more of a friendship and have the feelings develop natural. I guess that wouldn’t have worked. Or I would have even taken it if the crush was there but nothing really happened. I just think it distracted (literally) from the actual narrative.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Emmett Atwater isn't just leaving Detroit; he's leaving Earth. Why the Babel Corporation recruited him is a mystery, but the number of zeroes on their contract has him boarding their lightship and hoping to return to Earth with enough money to take care of his family.

Forever.

Before long, Emmett discovers that he is one of ten recruits, all of whom have troubled pasts and are a long way from home. Now each recruit must earn the right to travel down to the planet of Eden--a planet that Babel has kept hidden--where they will mine a substance called Nyxia that has quietly become the most valuable material in the universe.

But Babel's ship is full of 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. (via Goodreads)
I received an eARC of Nyxia via Netgalley, courtesy of Crown Books for Young Readers, in exchange for an honest review.

This needs a content warning for character death, torture and evil corporate overlords.

I really wanted to like this book, but it needed more worldbuilding for me to fall in love with it. Nyxia is very character driven, which I usually love, but I really just needed more of the world to actually care about what was going on with the characters.

I was really curious about what was actually going on with our corporate overlords, Babel. I think a POV chapter, or an included news article would have been helpful for really understanding what was going on. Who was Babel? Why did they want to go to Eden? What made them choose these kids? Why the point system?

I loved Bilal as a character. It's nice to see a Palestinian character be, and be treated as literally the best character in a story - something I haven't seen of late. I feel like Emmett should have known what the West Bank was, though. Us poor kids know more about non-US countries than you might think.

I did love that the cast was diverse. Not a single one of these kids had the same background, and they talked about it. It did feel very heteronormative when all of the hinted pairings in the novel are allocishet pairings.

I didn't feel the tension at all in this book. While Emmett worried about not making it to Eden, I never did. Maybe it was because I knew it was a trilogy? I'm not sure, but I never worried about Emmett making it.

Overall, Nyxia had some good elements, but the lackluster worldbuilding really made this a flop for me. I really just needed more, as an avid science fiction reader.

If this sounds like more your thing, you can pick up a copy on Amazon.



Disclaimer: All links to Indiebound and Amazon are affiliate links, which means that if you buy through those links, I will make a small amount of money off of it.

Waiting for the Cliche
I'll admit it, I'm severely critical of YA fiction nowadays. I constantly am looking for the next cliche, the next poor choice, whatever and I spent about half of this story doing the same thing... until I realized it wasn't going to deliver. Nyxia does not follow the stereoytypes commonly found in YA fiction. It doesn't utilize the same typical plot directions. It's a unique story with unique ideas and characters and I honestly fell in love with it. (Seriously, I'm excited for book two!)

Delve into the Psyche
What I really love about this story is that it's not just face-value entertainment. Yes, it's entertaining. Yes, it's fun, exciting, and full of action, but it's also so much more than that. The characters are challenged physically, mentally, and emotionally, which allows the story to delve deep into the psyche, morality, and drive of the characters. It challenges them in a way that tests the very fabric of their souls, and not every character in this story is an innocent bubble of bliss.

Characters
Speaking of characters, I absolutely love the characters. There was such a diversity of personalities, ethnicities, backgrounds, traumas, joys, etc. Granted, there may have been a little too much variety in such a small group of people (because people often share certain personality characteristics with others), but I thoroughly enjoyed the cast in Nyxia and the dynamic created between the characters. For this reason, I think the story was more character-driven than plot-driven, which I can get behind. :D

The Twists!
Either I am really bad at reading this book and telling when 'X' was going to happen or this story had some really amazing twists in it. I kept finding myself surprised by the newest event. I kept reacting in the same manner that the characters did: shock, disbelief, etc, and when it was revealed, it was like I should've known that twist was coming, but I was too invested, too into the story already that I wasn't looking for the next gimmick because they didn't feel like gimmicks. They felt like good story-telling reveals!

I will have a full review posted closer to the release date.

My review is now posted here!! https://conjuringbooks.org/2017/09/08/nyxia-scott-reintgen/

But wow, this book was so incredible. It made me laugh, cry, it made my heart race. I can't wait for people to read this gem and I definitely can't wait to find out what happens in the next book!

I really liked the cover of this book when I saw it and it made me stop and read the blurb. It sounded like it could be a fun book to read. I was disappointed. The story is about 15 year old Emmett who is mysteriously recruited, along with 9 other kids, to go to a far off planet. All of the kids have one thing in common: they are all dirt poor and broken. The lure of money, lots of it, and free health care for ailing parents is just too great. All the kids are just too eager to jump on board and leave their families behind. When they get on board they find out that they will need to compete against other for a spot to Eden. The entire book is from Emmett's point of view. Endless pages of Emmett describing each game they compete in and how it went down and who won and how many points he has. Every once in a while Emmett (and a few other players) question why they are there and what is the Babel Corporation trying to turn them into and what secrets are they keeping. Then every one forgets and goes back to the game and each one is determined to get to this planet. 384 pages later, Emmett is still describing all the games they compete in and the book ends with winners leaving for the planet. There was a lost opportunity to have the kids investigate what's going and finding answers, and for some suspense. Something else was needed to keep this book interesting. I kept waiting and it didn't happen.

Nyxia delivers a very diverse cast of well-rounded and relatable characters and a gripping and truly unpredictable plot. I was honestly moved to laughter and tears and could not stop reading. This book is begging to become a movie with its vivid setting, costumes, characters and rollercoaster plot. I truly think it could be the next big YA Thing.



Summary:

Nyxia is basically the Hunger Games in space. 10 teens from impoverished, impossible lives are given the chance to earn millions as well as health care for their families. All they have to do is survive the yearlong trip to another planet, all the while battling their fellow crew members for the top spots.

Review:



Finally a likable main character! Emmett was a joy to read. His voice was real and entertaining. Reintgen did an amazing job of incorporating modern slang and mannerisms without it seeming forced or needless. Emmett was flawed but heroic, growing at a realistic but rapid pace and never made the same mistake twice. I loved watching his relationships grow and change as we learned more about Emmett and about the other characters. He was witty and brave and compassionate and honestly everything you want from someone you’re rooting for.



I truly cared about the characters and was interested in learning about them as the story unfolded. They all had rich pasts and personalities from cultures around the world and I loved how the author created a world in which they could speak to each other across language barriers. They formed a sort of family that I grew to love.



A story about training and competing could easily have become repetitive or boring but Nyxia was was surprising, full of twists and turns. The tasks were rarely repeated and always changing and didn’t feel episodic but rather and organic and necessary part of the characters’ growth and development.



The one thing that kind of annoyed me was that Kaya–strategic, wonder-filled Kaya–became obsessed with Babel’s secrets. Nothing in her character pointed to cynicism or rule breaking so it was a little jarring and I can’t help but wonder if that subplot was added for shock value.



Nevertheless, Kaya was one of my favorite characters. I loved that Emmett had such a strong friendship with her and was so glad it didn’t devolve into betrayal or competition. I loved that Emmett wasn’t always the best at everything.



In the end, I was left wanting more more more! I cannot wait for the sequel. There’s so much of this world left to explore.







Similar Vibes:



The Hunger Games (Collins), The Selection (Cass), The 100 (tv show), Red Rising (Brown)





Disclaimer:

I received this ebook for free from NetGalley in exchange for honest feedback.

Received an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you thought Red Rising needed a more diverse cast for a young adult voice, look no further. Nyxia tells the story of Emmett, a boy from Detroit who gets chosen to go on an expedition for the namesake element which has some pretty magical properties. The tale is full of heart, friendship, and definitely hits the right emotional notes. The technology is well-executed and Babel is such a great evil counterpart to today's Google.

The cast is so well-rounded. It's a great balance of the stand-offish jerk, the clever strategist, the heart of gold, and more. In such a relatively short space, you really got to know the crew of Genesis 11 and really rooted for most of them. The way the relationships evolve throughout their training was compelling and I couldn't wait to see what happens next.

While there was much technology. the space age aspect tended to get a little lost. Most of the time, the story could have taken place on a bunker on Eden and neither the cast nor the reader might have been able to tell the difference. That being said, the environment would appeal to all manner of sci-fi nerd.

I had a lot of fun with Nyxia. It's great character-driven story with sleek, futuristic technology that keeps you on your toes to the end.

I received this ARC copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. So thank you Netgalley and Publishers!

I will be buying this book when it comes out so i can not only have for my own collection but eventually pass down to my daughter for her to enjoy! With that being said, I enjoyed reading this and recommend it to anyone who enjoys a fast paced, and action packed book! Let me start off by saying I typically do not read sci-fi, but I did really enjoy this and now will broaden my reading category. Nyxia's main character is Emmett Atwater and it is about his journey into space. Emmet Atwater is selected by the Babel Corporation but the amount of money and benefits they're offering has him signing their contract like yesterday!  Emmet along with 9 other people have to fight for their spot on Eden. The writer did an excellent job on creating this world! I felt like I was there! It did have a Hunger Games or Enders Game type vibe going on and I loved that!! The only thing I hate is being left at a cliffhanger!!!! Lol I am beyond ready for the next book!!! :-D

I was only starting to read it and I already loved it. For you to have an idea of how much I loved it, I automatically pre-ordered it, which I never do…

I am not a sci-fi person, although I’m trying to get into it, it’s definitely not my favorite genre. But I absolutely loved this one! Imagine The Hunger Games in space, it’s a bit like that. Sounds awesome right? Well, it really is.

Our main character Emmett is a very normal person, he isn’t either great or awful. Just common. Which I was really happy about! He struggled, he suffered, he got better, he pushed himself to the limit, to get what he wanted, what he needed. Another thing I liked is that he really cared about his family and more often than not he was doing everything for them, to make their life easier and to make sure his mom would get well.

Another character I really liked was Kaya! She was such a strong and uplifting person! I loved how intelligent and amicable she was! I also really enjoyed Bilal, it’s just the type of character no one can say anything bad about. There’s a lot of characters I liked in this book and a lot I would like to strangle… There were some really tense moments, some unfair ones and even some heartbreaking ones. But one of the cool things is that there’s a LOT of diversity, we have characters from all over the world! Emmett is American, Bilal from Palestine and Kaya from Japan. We have also Azima from Kenya, Jaime from Sweden, Isadora from Brasil, etc. It was really interesting to get to know them, see a bit about their lives, and see friendship appearing amongst them.

It was overall a very emotional book, which I was not expecting in a sci-fi. All the kids in the book had some tough pasts and that’s also a thing that unites them. I cried, I got angry, I felt lucky, I felt betrayed, … Everything you guys can imagine! There’s a lot of action but we also have a lot of the characters and that was the main part of this book.

And of course, we have Nyxia. I loved the idea! Nyxia is such an intriguing and fantastic element! It’s powerful and it can be used in many ways by manipulating it! I have no words. It’s just WOW. We got to know who is behind the Nyxia “project” and I have many mixed feelings about both the corporation and the characters we already know from there. They are both so cool and so scary at the same time! Power makes them scary. But I think the next book will be more focused on them and on Nyxia so I’m really excited to know more!

I really enjoyed the writing. It got me gripped and I mesmerized throughout the book. I felt that it was very realistic and yet fantastic. It created tension enough to make you addicted but it also had some soft moments that made my heart melt. I think this is going to get very messy and even more exciting!

There’s also a character towards the end that I loved and I can’t wait to read about in the next book! I would definitely recommend this one if you enjoy some tense sci-fi books with a dystopian-ish feeling.

FAST, very fast paced, like a high speed car-chase film, but Sci-Fi. I do love good Sci-Fi. I love that the Babel Corporation has that name. It's not quite Christian, but it's close and has good parallels for Christians. I really enjoyed this book.

My copy came from Net Galley. My thoughts and opinions are my own. This review is left of my own free volition.

Solid space adventure by a debut author. A group of teens is selected for a space flight to a new planet to mine a magical mystery substance called Nyxia. During the flight, the teens compete for top ranking, and more financial payoff, so there's a bit of Hunger Games meets Ender's Game to the setup. But the world-building is solid, the teens' diverse backstories are compelling, and there's plenty of kids to root for (and against). Really enjoyed this!

NYXIA was such an awesome read! I should just say “GO READ THIS!’ but I want to tell you why I loved it so much first. This story has space, adventure, danger, a cool substance called nyxia, romance, alliances and betrayals. I have to admit I really love science fiction. I think up until reading this book, ENDER’S GAME was my favorite science fiction book of all time. I even read the whole follow up series (which dulled in comparison) just to spend more time with Ender. NYXIA is my new favorite science fiction.

NYXIA is something really unique. Emmett and his friends were hand chosen for a chance to be the first people to travel to the alien planet Eden. Emmett finds himself fighting with a team of nine other competitors in daily trials to be on top because the bottom two won’t be going to the planet. The technology is advanced beyond anything they have ever encountered and the company taking him there, Babel, isn’t telling them everything. Emmett and his team are working with a substance called Nyxia that can only be found on a planet called Eden. There they will work not only to mine Nyxia, but they will encounter an alien race that reveres children above all else.

Emmett, our hero, comes from a poor family. His mother is battling cancer and his father works two jobs just to support the family. Emmett’s mother stands at the end of a long list for new kidney. The company, Babel, offers Emmett the chance to travel to Eden, offers to pay him an enormous sum of money so he will be rich when he returns to earth, and offers to take care of his mother’s health problems by giving her the best medical care. It’s an offer Emmett could not refuse, but everything As Emmett gets to know his teammates, he finds he is not the only one poor or desperate enough to put everything into the competition.

All of the characters in this story bring their own flavor to the competition. Emmett may be poor, but he has a solid family backing him up. I loved how he uses gems of wisdom from his family to morally navigate through the competition.

“When you look back, it won’t be mercy you regret.”

They is also a diverse cast from different parts of the world and different strengths. Babel supplies the diverse cast for the competition with masks that allow them to be hear in a common language. It doesn’t sound plausible, but it works in this story.

My favorite characters from this story were many but two really stand out for me. Kaya (Emmett’s roommate)- a girl from Japan who is brilliant when it comes to strategy. She makes Emmett an early alliance and shows Emmett how everyone there is broken. I really loved her. Bilal– a Palestinian boy who always sees the good in everything. His smile and enthusiasm bring Emmett up so many times when he gets down. I wanted so much for Bilal and Kaya. I am just going to leave it at that.

The substance Nyxia bares mentioning here. Nyxia is such a huge part of the story and it is also so fucking brilliant. Nyxia is this substance that can transform into almost anything with just a thought. It is also the main reason why Babel wants to get their hands on more of it. Of course, wielding it takes practice which is part of the competition.

This story was so well written. It was fast paced with a lot of emphasis on the competition. Details are expertly woven into the story so that it felt like I was right there. I could see and feel every detail Emmett encountered in his journey. The whole story takes place on a spaceship in route to Eden. It was fun exploring the ship and trying to uncover the secrets of Babel while in the middle of this race for points.

I tried really hard to think of something negative about this book, and the only thing that came up for me was the sort of rushed romance that appears at the end of the story. I am sure it will develop nicely in the next book. We didn’t even get to the actually planet but that didn’t even bother me. This story stayed with my long after I read the last page. It gave me a book hangover in the best kind of way. I will file this under E for Excellent. This has been my favorite read so far this year.