Skyhunter by Marie Lu is a fast-paced, action-packed dystopian novel with plenty of heart and suspense. Set in a war-torn world, the story follows Talin, a fierce warrior who fights against a ruthless enemy to protect her people. The world-building is immersive, and the stakes are high, with intense battles and complex relationships that keep you hooked. Talin is a strong, compelling protagonist, and her journey of loyalty, courage, and self-discovery makes the book more than just a typical action story. While it’s a bit on the darker side, it’s an exciting read for fans of dystopian fiction. A solid start to a new series!

Marie Lu’s Skyhunter is a gripping dystopian novel that masterfully blends action, emotion, and political intrigue. Set in a war-ravaged world where the oppressive Karensa Federation turns its enemies into monstrous Ghosts, the story follows Talin Kanami, a fierce but voiceless Striker fighting to protect the last free nation, Mara.

Talin’s journey is both heart-wrenching and inspiring as she grapples with her status as an outsider and the weight of survival. When a mysterious prisoner arrives, she must decide whether he is an enemy or a key to Mara’s salvation. Lu’s writing is vivid and immersive, with pulse-pounding battle scenes and deeply emotional moments. The novel explores themes of resilience, loyalty, and the power of the voiceless, making it a standout in the genre.

Perfect for fans of action-packed dystopian stories, Skyhunter delivers a thrilling, character-driven tale that keeps readers hooked until the last page.

Oh my gosh, Skyhunter by Marie Lu is such an amazing book! It’s like a rollercoaster of emotions, packed with adventure and heart.
Imagine a world where heroes come from the most unexpected places, and friendships shine brighter than the stars. Talin, our brave protagonist, is a fierce warrior with a heart of gold, fighting against the shadows of tyranny. The world-building in Skyhunter is absolutely captivating. The story is set in a dystopian world where the Karensa Federation has conquered numerous countries, leaving Mara as one of the last free nations. This creates a tense backdrop of constant threat and resistance. The Karensa Federation uses advanced technology to create monstrous beings called Ghosts, transformed humans used as weapons to attack and subjugate other nations. Mara, as one of the last free nations, is a place of refuge but also under siege, constantly defending itself against the Federation's attacks. The elite warriors of Mara, known as Strikers, are trained to combat the Ghosts, and they share a deep bond formed through a sacred act that connects them for life.
The story flutters like a butterfly, with each page bringing a new, magical discovery. Marie Lu’s writing is like a sprinkle of fairy dust, making the characters come alive in the most delightful way.
From the first chapter, you’ll be swept off your feet into a whirlwind of action, bravery, and a touch of romance that will make your heart dance.
If you’re looking for a book that feels like a warm hug on a rainy day, Skyhunter is perfect. It’s a tale of hope, resilience, and the power of standing together against all odds.

Skyhunter is a solid read but didn’t blow me away. The world-building is pretty cool, with a mix of dystopian and fantasy vibes that keeps things interesting. Talin is a strong lead, and the action moves fast, but I felt like the plot was a little predictable at times. The twists were decent, but nothing that really shocked me. It’s an enjoyable book, but not one I’d say is a must-read. Still, good for fans of action-packed adventures and strong heroines.

When I first started listening I had completely forgotten what I had read about it previously so I had little clue what it was about.

The story follows Talin, a striker for a nation at war with the Federation, aka a colonising force that plans on “uniting” the world under one power. Talin is a refugee in the nation she fights for and she’s regarded as a second-class citizen, only joining the strikers because of her unlikely friendship with a boy from a powerful family. Together they become striker and shield.

When he is injured during a battle with a group of enemy ghosts, she has to kill him to stop him from becoming one. After returning home, she witness the trial of a captured enemy and asks for mercy on his behalf. As punishment for it, she’s paired with him, as a replacement for her previous shield.

I love the ethnic diversity and lgbt+ and mute rep. It is a completely different experience reading a book from the perspective of a mute character.

This story was action packed but a bit predictable which is why I lowered my rating.

Nevertheless, it was a great read with lots of dark themes and a great cast of characters!

Thanks to the publisher for these little sample that makes clear that: Marie Lu knows how to write a story and capture the readers since the very beginning. Now I'm super curious to know more about the setting, the character's background and, most of all, I have to continue the story!
I'm not a super fan of receiving just few chapters of a book, but this could be defined as an "amazing appetizer", and now I'm ready for the main dish.

This is your typical YA dystopian novel packaged in a new and interesting setting. As usual, the adults in the book are untrustworthy and it is up to the teenagers to save the day. I liked the book.

In a post-apocalyptic, science-fiction-esque fantasy world, the nation of Mara is the only free country still resisting the tyrannical spread of the Karensa Federation. Our FMC, Talin, is one of the warriors who fights to keep the country free, watching the border for the monstrous Ghosts: humans turned into monsters for the Federation’s forces. Talin has it rougher than most because she’s a refugee from a neighboring country, and she’s been mute ever since her and her mother had to flee. Although the rest of her nation looks down on her, the Striker forces are the one place where her disability becomes a weapon, since the Ghosts hunt by sound. But she still has to be better than everyone else to stay a Striker, which is why it stuns everyone - even her - when she disrupts the public execution of a prisoner of war. But she knows something’s different about him - something that could finally change the tides of the war in their favor.

This series!!!!! Guys, I put off reading Skyhunter for ages, even though I knew I would love it. I finally got over myself and started it, and I was HOOKED. These have all the book-drugs of the early YA era, and I am an ADDICT. There’s action, a bit of romantic tension, rebellion. Talin is an absolutely bada** main character, and I love the relationship she develops with the prisoner of war (I will avoid saying more for spoilers). Her mutism is handled so amazingly, and Marie Lu uses it in a way that honors her experiences as someone who is mute and who is a refugee in a nation that’s hostile to her people. This series has depth and complexity along with its various tropes, and I am obsessed. GAH I don’t know what else to say, but I loved this duology. If you like Hunger Games-esque fantasy-sci-fi, look no further!

Thank you NetGalley


I couldn't connect with the story. I love Marie Lu in Legend and Kingdom of the back but there0s just so much sci fi and dystopian that is not my type of genre anymore.

Big fan of this Author. Have not been able to put this book down. If you want something that’s well written, adventurous, funny and has fantasy, this is your book. Would thoroughly recommend!!!

Talin has lived many lives in her short time in the world, but has grown to be a legendary Striker, fighting for a country she might not love, but they did shelter her and her mother when they fled their homeland. When a new type of fighter no one has ever seen is captured, a bond forms between Red, the Skyhunter, and Talin. A deadly quest finds them in enemy territory, and Talin, Red, and their best friends must try to find a way to save their nation.

Marie Lu is such an engrossing and fantastic author. She brings this world to life with great storybuilding, and then with great character development, sucks in in to the story. While the story could be considered to some a bit formulaic, I found the emotion captured in the characters was enough to overlook that. I can't wait to continue on with this series.

This book! I love the world of Skyhunter so much. The story hooked me immediately and I can't wait to read the sequel.

Absolutely loved this book. Picked it up and didn't want to put it down. It's definitely responsible for some late night reading sessions

"But conquering people is easy. You break past their defenses, seize their cities, burn their world to the ground. To annihilate us, though, is impossible. A seed will survive."

I remember reading about this book shortly after I had finished reading [book:Warcross|41014903] and [book:Wildcard|29386918]. I was immediately hooked by author [author:Marie Lu|4342215] but also the beautiful cover of this book. I didn't know anything about the story but I immediately requested an arc. In true Danielle fashion, I made no effort to read this book and when I found out it was a duology, I decided to wait until both books were out before I started this story. I'm glad I did that because it was nice to read a duology back to back so the characters and plot were fresh in my mind. I will say, science fiction has always been a challenging genre for me where I find I either love the story and the characters or I have a difficult time connecting with them. Unfortunately, Skyhunter falls in the latter category and I found myself struggling to get through this book, especially as the story wore on.

In this world, there is an evil government called the Karensa Federation. They have conquered country after country in their reign. For Talin, she and her mother were forced from her childhood country and relocated to the country of Mara. Talin has lost the ability to speak so she is forced to communicate through sign language. Now Mara is about to be taken over by the Karensa Federation and it's all hands on deck to ensure Mara stays a free country. The Federation also has these creatures called Ghosts that are mutant war beasts and known as being worse than death. For those willing to stand up to the Federation, there is a growing number of Strikers, who fight Ghosts and the Federation. When the Federation's new weapon, a human with steel wings, lands in Mara, it is up to Talin and her friends to figure out if Red can be trusted or not.

I found this book and world difficult to follow. If I'm going to spend time reading sci-fi, dystopian, or fantasy, I need the worldbuilding to be very clear and done well. I didn't feel like that was done in this book and I was expected to fill in some of the gaps in how this world worked. I didn't appreciate that and it actually made the book more difficult for me to follow. I didn't really connect with any of the characters and I found that I wasn't overly invested in the plot. There's nothing wrong with this book, but it's clear this book was not the book for me.

TW: Violence (including knife and gun violence), death (including child death and death of a parent), racism, blood, war, torture, medical experimentation, murder, refugee experiences & displacement, grief, suicidal thoughts

**Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, and Roaring Brook Press for the advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Such a great book! I enjoyed reading this one so much! I highly recommend this book. Side note: the cover!!!! Also: the audiobook is great!!!

Based on the excerpt this seems like a solid YA book. An interesting world but the main character seems very similar to lots of other YA main characters.

Omg wow this book is amazing it's full of twists and turns it will keep you up all night I really enjoyed this book

I enjoyed this YA fantasy and look forward to reading its sequel.

Talin is a refugee forced to flee her home with her mother as the Federation destroyed it. Even though she’s an outsider, she becomes a talented member of the elite Striker military force in her new homeland of Mara and fights to keep it safe. Red is a prisoner from the Federation who was engineered to be a weapon of war against Mara along with “ghosts” (humans turned into monsters similar to zombies). Red and Talin are able to forge a mind bond and become Striker partners in the war to save Mara.

There’s great world building here, strong, likable characters and enough action and evil to keep things interesting. Also, a lot to be said about racial and social discrimination, power-mongering, war-waging in general and exploitation/manipulation of the masses. Ends on a cliffhanger so I’m looking forward to the conclusion.

This book was really refreshing compared to the onslaught of other YA fantasy/sci-fi I've been reading. The flow was easy to follow and the writing was simple enough for anyone to understand. The worst thing is when worldbuilding does too much all at once but this book integrated it really well! I also loved to see the disability representation! Can't wait to read the next one.

Reminded me of a mix between Dark Angel and Walking Dead. The premise and setting intrigued me, the world drew me in and I stayed for the romance between Red and Talin.

Firm 4 star review for me. The signing, the characters, the intrigue and the tech were on point. However, some of the world building and some of the character development caused it to fall short of a 5 star read.

I am unsure when this ARC hit my kindle. I read this in January of 2021. Thank you for the electronic copy!