I am so excited about Skyhunter! I am a big fan of Marie Lu and her books, and this excerpt proved that her next book is going to be of the same high caliber. Talin seems like a protagonist that anyone could root for: an excellent fighter, friend, and daughter who is doing the best she can to protect her country from the Federation, a ruthless world power intent on calling the shots for everyone. My library has ordered a copy of this book already and I am very much looking forward to reading it!

This is my first time reading Marie Lu, and this excerpt immediately convinced me to check out her earlier work.

Set in a post-apocalyptic world, we follow Talin, a refugee living in the last free country, Mara. She’s part of the Strike, an elite force trained to stop the Ghosts, mutant soldiers created by the Federation.

The story starts off strong, with an action-packed first chapter that immediately hooked me in. The writing style is immersive and atmospheric and really helps to set the tone for this world and to develop a connection with the characters.
Something I especially liked was how sign-language is included - Talin can not speak after her vocal cords were damaged in a Federation attack, and the Strike use sign language to communicate in the field.

I really loved reading these first few chapters, and I’m very excited to read the rest of Talin’s story!

How can this excerpt be so small, when i am already fully sucked in into this story?
I am livid to keep reading now!

I received just an excerpt of the first chapters of Skyhunter, so here's my impression of that!

Marie Lu skillfully crafts the setting and the main character right away. The writing style draws you in with descriptions and an instant hook of action to keep you engaged throughout the first chapters. Chapters end on a cliffhanger, making you want to keep going and enjoy the book. I'm not always into sci-fi/fantasy but this kept me intrigued enough to want to keep going!

I wouldn't have gone with a chapter sampler for something this fresh, it feels like I was just getting around to the book by the time it was over. What I read was really good and intriguing, and gave me more Horizon Zero Dawn meets Star Wars vibes. Which is not something I thought I'd say.

Excerpt review

Oh my word, I only got to read 52 pages but that's all I needed to know that I need this book in my life right now.
All it took was 52 pages to rip out my heart and stomp all over it.
I need more asap.

Talin is a refugee, run out of her homeland by the Federation, a world-dominating war machine determined to destroy nation after nation with its army of mutant beasts known as Ghosts.

The Federation has already taken everything from Talin: her father, her voice, and her Shield/partner Corian, and now it’s coming for her new home.

When a mysterious prisoner faces Mara’s capital, Talin senses a familiarity with him, and stands up for him, making him her new Shield. His name is Red, and he is a Skyhunter. Talin, Red, and other Strikers/warriors, prepare to fight to the death to save Mara, the only nation that hasn’t been taken over by the Federation.

This YA dystopian fantasy was fast paced and action packed. The relationships between characters and the diversity represented within those characters made a great cast of heroes and enemies alike. I especially appreciated the commentary on Talin’s treatment as a refugee, it really stood out and spoke to the unfortunate reality in modern society.

My only note was that there was so much potential to go into more detail in the world-building. I had so many questions! I wanted to know more about the world they were losing; I felt like I didn’t get a full picture of what was at stake, or the full threat of the Federation. That said, the sequel is said to release next year and I will definitely look forward to picking it up to delve back into this unique world.

Huge thank you to Macmillan Children’s and Bookish First for the GORGEOUS finished gifted copy NetGalley for the e-copy and Macmillan Audio and Libro.fm for the ALC

When I saw a Marie Lu book open to download as a free read on Netgalley, I was a bit skeptical. I was right to be skeptical because I realized only after I downloaded it that it was only an extended excerpt and not the full book. Sigh! A little note would’ve helped and I would still have downloaded it to read and review the excerpt. Anyway, onto the review of the excerpt.

In the first few chapters of Skyhunter, we are introduced to the Karensa Foundation, the Ghosts, and the Strikers who fight them in the nation of Mara. Our main character Talin Kanami is a refugee from Basea and is a victim of the Foundation like many others. The world building is seen in the first few pages as Marie Lu effectively paints the picture of this dystopian world. The trope is similar to those seen earlier where a young and weak (she thinks she is weak) main character rises up from dust to fight injustice. I have read other books by Marie Lu and have full confidence that she will do justice to Talin’s story as well. The excerpt left off with a cliffhanger and I do want to know what and how everything unfolds in this world. I’d prefer to give it a proper rating after reading the full book, but since I read the except and am writing this review, I will add a rating of 3.5. I will adjust the rating after I read the full book.

This excerpt certainly whet my appetite. True to her style, Marie Lu has set the stage for a fantastical, action-packed adventure led by a badass main character. We’re introduced to our heroine, Talin, who belongs to a highly-skilled group of fighters call the Strikers. Their mission? To protect the last free nation in the world from the Federation and their army of ghosts. Looking forward to following Talin’s adventure when the full book is released.

Note: I initially downloaded this assuming it was the full ARC—it would be helpful to clearly label extended excerpts.

A huge thank you to Netgalley for this ARC of Skyhunter - easily my favorite read of September '20!! 4.5/5!
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I became a fan of Marie Lu three years ago when I read Warcross. I love her writing and her stories! Admittedly, I chose Skyhunter as my next listen because of the 1. Cover and 2. Familiarity with Lu. But I totally went into this story blind! And to be honest, I rec going in blind because the story felt like one surprise after another!
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Read this book if you're a fan of:
- Dystopian fiction
- The Hunger Games
- Action-packed plot lines
- Strong female characters
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EEEK! I cannot wait for Book 2! (This one ends on a major cliff hanger that had me like WHAAA?)

From only the first few chapters I can tell that this book will be amazing. The main character Talin is so interesting and I am really excited to learn more about her. And I think the world building so far has been great. The set up of what the plot is leading to was well done and I can’t wait to see what is going to happen.

I still need to keep this one on my Goodreads TBR shelf, as it's only a four-chapter sampler, but count the following as my honest review in exchange for Netgalley's wonderful gift:

I NEED THIS BOOK!

Seriously, I am completely hooked already. I desperately need to know what the deal is with this mystery POW and see how the characters and worldbuilding will evolve. *grabby hands*

Actually, I didn't know it was only an excerpt, and I kinda disappointing about it. But it's okay then. And my opionion about this excerpt is that it successfully got me hooked and wanting more!

Excerpt Review:

I only got to read the first couple chapters and that was more than enough for me to realise how much I love this book.

Within the first chapter, Marie Lu is doing what she does best: throwing our hearts on the floor and stomping on them. Of course, this is a good thing because being emotionally involved in the characters so early on means the writing and character-building was done fantastically.

We are introduced into this intriguing world, where a nation is constantly fighting to make sure it stays free from the Karensa Federation and its mutant soldiers. Our main character, Talin, is introduced as one of the Strikers. Part of the fighters that protect the free nation of Mara. I love the concept of the shield and striker basically being each other’s shadows. They are so in tune with each other and this creates some amazing relationships between the characters. The concept and the introduction we got to the world were great.

Talin is a fantastic and strong-willed character. She has determination and heart that made me adore her from the first page. She fights with everything she has and even though a lot is going against her, she keeps pushing.

Within the first chapter, we get to know and love some of the side characters too. And the action starts almost immediately. The first chapter was gripping and the way that Marie Lu started with an action scene adds a lot of tension and excitement from the get-go. By the end of the excerpt, I was really intriguing. I can’t wait to read more. I was especially interested in the new mysterious character. I’m not sure where the book will go but I am definitely hoping some of my favourite tropes might appear. I can see a couple of possibilities but knowing Marie Lu, I will definitely be surprised a couple of times in this story.

Since I only got the first couple of chapters, there is a lot for me to still figure out about Skyhunter. So far I am very excited about the story and I can’t wait to get a hold of the full book and devour this already-amazing story.

Favourite Quote:
"I’m going to find a way to walk through life with courage seared into my bones." (Chapter 3)

Happy Reading !

Gizelle ✨

Very interesting excerpt!

I really got into the writing and the characters. The descriptions were vivid and got me into the story quick. I'm definitely interested in finding out more about the main character and see where the story is going. Marie Lu is one of my favourite authors and I'm sure this series will be a great one as well.

My only issue was that I didn't know we were being provided an extended excerpt instead of a complete ARC. Nowhere in the description was this mentioned. I was disappointed because I set aside the time to read and enjoy this book and found that it cut off shortly. Providing only an excerpt under the guise of an ARC is a bad move.

This book is for anyone who loves to read dystopian novels, likes strong female characters, and some seriously action packed fight scenes. You definitely cannot be squeamish, because Marie Lu is amazingly descriptive and detailed in the fight scene in which Talin and Corian battle ghosts. And these aren’t your everyday ghosts, these are “monstrous war beasts” that used to be human before the Karensa Federation poisoned them. Talin and Corian are Strikers that are trying to protect the last free nation, Mara, from being overthrown by the Federation. If you loved Hunger Games or Divergent, you will love Skyhunter. Years ago, I read Marie Lu’s Warcross and became a fan. NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group / Roaring Book Press provided the chapter sample in exchange for a honest review. I cannot wait to get my hands on this book when it is published tomorrow 9/29/20!
#SkyhunterCHAPTERSAMPLER #NetGalley

I loved every bit of this sample and was disappointed when it ended. I'm looking forward to reading the full novel.

I read the first 3 chapters of Skyhunter in this excerpt and was hooked by the end of the first page. The representation is great, with plenty of diversity of skin tone and culture, as well as a mute main character named Talin. The world building is fantastic and I already have a good understanding of the setting and stakes of the book without it taking me away from the story at all. The action dragged me in and had my heart in my throat, and it stayed there for emotional scenes. In only 3 chapters, I'm already deeply invested in the story and characters and want nothing more than to keep following them on their journey.

I am going to start my review off by saying:

Thank you to Netgalley and the the Publisher for my copy of this book to review. All of the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I originally wanted this book because I knew people who had read this author before and they loved them.

I am not disappointed! I would recommend this book.

What to say... Marie does it again! Main character you can't but love and identify with, struggle, human nature, perseverance...

World in problems, people divided, you cannot but get sucked into this oasis called Mara, while learning more about Talin and world she lives in.