Marie Lu can do no wrong. This book sets up the foundation for another great series. Lu has great character development, nice chemistry, good friends, wonderful backstories, and a nice juicy cliff-hanger. This definitely felt like a book 1 in-so-far-as the reader knew from the onset that nothing would really be resolved and most of the book was rising action. The action, though, was good. For readers who are looking for a video game battle experience, this book does not disappoint where explosions are concerned. And there are "Ghosts" which are pretty much zombies with a different name...so what more could an action-lover want?!?

Wow! I have read almost all of Marie Lu's books (I haven't read The Kingdom of Back yet.). And, I have to say that this one is the best one. That's saying a lot because I loved Legend and Wildcard.

While reading Skyhunter, almost every chapter I was thinking, "Wow! What?!?!" This book is so twisty and action-packed and good! My only complaint is that the book ends on a cliffhanger, and since I read an e-arc, it's going to be a long time before I get the next one. If you're the kind of person that needs a series to be don before you read this, you may want to wait a bit.

Marie Lu is a master at the action packed science fiction dystopian novels that teen readers love. Skyhunter is the exciting beginning of a new series. The characters made me think of the child soldiers in Africa. This novel would be a good springboard to also discussing refugees and Human Rights.

I loved this book.. In typical Marie Lu fashion, readers are given a fierce protagonist, imperfect yet relatable characters, and action that will keep everyone on edge. Some things I really enjoyed from the book:

The Ghosts in the story are something new to me and learning how they were created was disturbing.

Talin is a great protagonist. She has a physical disability, but it works to make her one of the best protectors. Though she holds a position of honor, fighting to keep her people out of enemy hands, she is a refugee and gets treated like she is scum. This is disturbing because it happens in the real world.

The bond between the main characters teaches us that we can disagree with each other and still be friends and protect each other.

Having read her other books, I should have been prepared for this to essentially be a prose answer to the action movie archetype. Alas, I was not. The violence, while elegant, is...something I'm kind of over.

As #Skyhunter will not be released until September, I will not yet post a full review. However, Marie Lu fans will not be disappointed with this story. It is every bit as an excellent of a read as the Legend series. It has strong characters that are well sketched out, descriptive settings, and engaging action scenes. I look forward to sharing this one with students in the fall! Thank you to the publishers and #NetGalley for this advanced copy.

Book Review for “Skyhunter” by Marie Lu. Thank you to NetGalley and Roaring Brook Press for an ARC copy of this book.

This was my first book by Marie Lu. Somehow I’d never read any of her books before? Weird! But I can now say that I have, and my goodness was this quite a wild ride! This book is fast paced, and the action starts in from the first chapter. The reader follows Talin Kanami in a post - apocalyptic future country called Mara. Mara is at war with the much stronger country of the Karensa Federation. Talin is an elite soldier in the Maran army, and she is also a mute refugee who has to communicate through sign language. She faces discrimination where ever she goes due to her status as a refugee, but she doesn’t let that deter her from fighting for her new homeland.

This book has a mix of pre and post industrialization mixed with sci-fi. Mara doesn’t have electricity or trains, but other countries do. It’s really interesting how technology and innovation play a role in this book to help countries grab power. This book also has some serious friendships, pride of country, and some very subtle romance vibes that will hopefully be flushed out more in the next book. I loved this book, and it ends with such a cliffhanger! I cannot WAIT until the next book comes out, and this one isn’t even out yet! I give it 5 out of 5 stars. I highly recommend this book if you like action packed stories of underdogs and strong female leads. Seriously, read this book. Also, did you see the cover? It’s glorious!

I am not surprised that I loved this book. This author is an amazing writer and all of her books are so original! Plus that cover is popping!

arie Lu is quickly becoming one of my go-to authors that always produces quality literature. I really need to go back and re-read some of her earlier books.

Skyhunter is the beginning of a dystopian series. This book focuses on Talin. Against all odds, she has become a Striker - a league of fighters whose sole mission is to keep the county of Mara safe from the Federation (also known as Karensa, which is fascinating to me for reasons I'll get into later in this review. I'm about to go all philosophical and allegorical on you all). Talin herself is a refugee from Basea (I hope I have that right), and is looked down upon by the very people she protects due to her refugee status. However, circumstances conspire as they must do in a dystopian story, and she meets Red, a Federation deserter. Together they with , along with Talin's two friends, begin to hatch a plan that could save their home.

This book. Y'all, this was a two day read for me only because of the pesky need for sleep. Marie Lu is very gifted in creating vivid sci-fi worlds that you feel you can reach out and touch. I honestly felt immersed in the world Lu crafted here. The characters were fantastic and real - every single one of them acted as a normal human being would.

There's just so much here I want to discuss (and I really hope my RL reader friends pick this up), but because the book doesn't come out until September, I'm trying to limit my spoilers. But I do want to touch upon the philosophical-ness I mentioned about. It's interesting to me, in this time of social unrest, that the antagonist in this story is the county of Karensa. The main type of solder produced in Karensa? Ghosts. Pale, inhuman creatures with only one mind, and that mind is controlled by the government. These Ghosts are vicious creatures that's sole purpose is to kill those who oppose Karensa. Our protagonists all seem to be of Asian decent and are desperate to protect their lands and their culture. Which, believe me, I am here and present for all things mentioned about. I just hope others pick up on what Lu is putting down.

All and all, this is a solid, wonderful read. Knocked it down a star because I did honestly feel like this and the next book could have been combined into one standalone book. Do yourself a favor and read this one when it is released later this year.

Skyhunter, the newest novel from Marie Lu, immerses the reader in the land of Mara. From the moment this book started, I felt like I was part of this nation - the world building was impeccable. The plot is action packed. There are twists to keep the reader guessing what will happen next. The characters believe that they are flawed, but they are all so likeable. Our heroine, Talin, is one who readers will root for. Then, there is the cliffhanger. I can't wait for the next book. I have so many questions that I can't wait to find the answers to.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for a copy of this text in exchange for an honest review.