Excerpt Review

My heart was captured by this story in the first page. The main character is hearing impaired, and that is her strong point in this tale. My soul was ripped out of my body in the first few chapters, and I am devastated that This was just an excerpt. I am extremely excited to find out what happens with Mara. I highly recommend this book and am eagerly awaiting this release!

Synopsis (from Amazon)


The Karensa Federation has conquered a dozen countries, leaving Mara as one of the last free nations in the world. Refugees flee to its borders to escape a fate worse than death―transformation into mutant war beasts known as Ghosts, creatures the Federation then sends to attack Mara.

The legendary Strikers, Mara’s elite fighting force, are trained to stop them. But as the number of Ghosts grows and Karensa closes in, defeat seems inevitable.

Still, one Striker refuses to give up hope.

Robbed of her voice and home, Talin Kanami knows firsthand the brutality of the Federation. Their cruelty forced her and her mother to seek asylum in a country that considers their people repugnant. She finds comfort only with a handful of fellow Strikers who have pledged their lives to one another and who are determined to push Karensa back at all costs.

But when a mysterious prisoner is brought from the front, Talin senses there’s more to him than meets the eye. Is he a spy from the Federation? Or could he be the weapon that will save them all?

Marie Lu does it again! She's one of just a small handful of authors who I will read whatever they put out and I am never disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley for my preview of this book. I can't wait to read more!!

I just can't seem to get into this despite it only being an excerpt. I find that Marie Lu tends to be hit or miss for me, and I haven't fallen in love with any of her novels since the Legend trilogy. I don't think I would pick up this book again once it's published to read the rest.

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan for the chance to read a sample of this book! This excerpt covered the first three chapters.

First of all: How could anyone resist clicking on that GORGEOUS cover?

I was delighted to find that the book lived up to the enthralling promise of the cover, though no clues yet on the significance of the phrase "Skyhunter" or the bird icon. Our heroine Talin is a hunter, a soldier fighting mutated humans called Ghosts, but she's been earth-bound thus far.

Everything about this book was so good. There's a map in the front - I usually skip maps because they mean nothing to me, but here you can clearly see the nation of Mara is the last little outcrop on the entire continent that hasn't been conquered by the Karensa Federation. We learn about the Ghosts in the brief prologue, and the facts that they have very good hearing and usually travel in groups of six plus both are woven into the story rather than being a collection of random facts. I love that Talin's inability to speak is an asset in her career as Striker, where everyone must learn to sign because of the enhanced hearing by the Ghosts. I love that we get some gender-flipped characteristics, where Talin's male partner Corian stops to show compassion for something and Talin is the one who must make the hard choices. I love meeting her friend Adena, who is constantly tinkering with weapons like Q from James Bond. And I'm intrigued to learn more about the character introduced at the end of the excerpt, who promises to be a crucial character based on the cover copy.

There was a few things that bugged me -- there's a flashback, which I usually hate, but it is illuminating. There's an over-the-top scene where Talin sits on the floor all night because she can't compute when something doesn't go according to custom. And we have our YA trope of an army made up of teenagers (Talin is 18 and started training at 12). This one makes a little more sense, I don't think they're *all* teenagers especially as you move up the ranks, and she mentions that the head guy is pretty young but they're in a pretty bleak situation where food is scarce and the work is dangerous, so life expectancy isn't great.

But overall, I thought this sample was amazing and all the world-building was woven in so elegantly (there's an aside about how the terrain of the nation makes for great defense against invasions but also is not very fertile, which then flows into talking about the food shortage) and the descriptions were beautiful and I'm very excited to read more.

[ESP]
*Esta es la reseña de la versión extendida de un extracto del arc*
Ni siquiera pasé de la primera página y ya amo mucho a Talin. Esto es tan Marie Lu, poético y estupendo. No puedo esperar para leer Skyhunter por completo.

[ENG]
*This review is for the first three chapters of Skyhunter by Marie Lu*
The first page and I'm already in love with Talin. This is so Marie Lu, so poetic and stunning. I can't wait to read the whole book.

Skyhunter follows the journey of Talin Kanami, a mute Striker (fighter) who works by fighting formerly human monsters called Ghosts, sent by the Karensa Federation, an evil empire who wants to take over her currently-free nation of Mara. As this is just a short excerpt, there's not much else to say without summarizing the whole plot, except for the fact that it ends just as the inciting incident--a new prisoner of war being brought in--starts. The whole thing feels a lot like an anime, which is a good thing here. The opening section in particular is quite good: you really feel the menace of the ghosts, even before you see them in person in the first proper chapter.
Character-wise, Talin is fine. She's determined to fight back the Ghosts, even if part of her knows it's hopeless and they're probably going to fall in a couple of weeks. Her vocal cords were permanently damaged in the past, so she communicates via sign language. Fortunately, since Ghosts have amazing hearing, Strikers are trained in sign language as well, so she communicates with her teammates with that. She's a Basean, a people the Marans consider inferior, but was able to join the Strikers with the help of a wealthy boy who saw potential in her. I liked that you can really feel her position. Other Strikers make jokes at her expense, and when she sees her own people looking up to her from the streets, she says it hurts that she can't save them despite her rank.
The world is probably the most interesting part of the excerpt. Mara is covered in ruins from the Early Ones, implied to be humans who left Earth via space travel hundreds of years before. (Or they might just be aliens. It could be anyone this early on.) The Karensa Federation believes these ruins are their birthright to claim due to cryptic phrases the Early Ones left discussing those who will inherit their tech. It's interesting, and I'm curious on how the Federation conquered the rest of the world and learned how to make monsters. There's also the aforementioned divide between Mara and its refugees.
The writing is pretty good for the most part. There's a few unnatural-sounding dialogue bits, but otherwise it's fine. I wish there was some sort of distinction in the text between the sign language and spoken parts besides the occasional dialogue marker, though. Both spoken dialogue and signing are represented with quotation marks, and I had a hard time visualizing conversations when how the characters were communicating wasn't clearly defined.
Finally, there was no romance subplot in the excerpt. I hope this will carry on through the rest of the book, but given how most YA goes I'm not getting my hopes up.

So, overall, an intriguing excerpt. Worth looking at yourself to see if you like it. I'll try and pick the full book up from the my library when it comes out.

Wow! What a fantastic excerpt! I loved the world-building and the characters. Talin sounds like an amazing protagonist and I'm excited to read more about her adventures. I will definitely check out the full novel once it is released.

In only fifty pages, Marie Lu sets the premise for what I am certain will be yet another fantastic novel of hers. As always, her rich world-building is phenomenal and the character of Talin is vibrant and exciting. I was particularly pleased with the novel's inclusion of sign language which is a first for me! I will be eagerly anticipating the rest of the novel.

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillian for this extended excerpt!

Thank you to the publisher for giving me an extended excerpt in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked the extended excerpt. I think it's a really good story so far and I am in love with the characters. Nobody is annoying just yet and I'm happy about that. I can't wait for the book to fully come out since I'l probably pick it up when the time comes!

Upon reading the first few pages of Skyhunter, I was immediately enveloped in Marie Lu’s magnificent world-building. I felt fascinated by this brief glimpse into a dangerous dystopian world. One of my favorite things about Marie Lu’s writing is the instant bond she creates between reader and character. In only a few pages, I already felt connected to Talin and excited to see what happens next! The inclusion of sign language was great, I loved how it is an integral part of survival in this world. I look forward to seeing how Talin finds her way in a world that seems determined to break her! Skyhunter releases on September 29, 2020. Thank you to Marie Lu, Roaring Press, and Netgalley for a free extended excerpt in exchange for honest feedback.

So thrilled to have gotten a sneak-peek at Marie Lu’s next work. She is back at it with a fascinating science fiction premise and a newly interesting cast of characters, concomitant with Lu’s trademark, concise writing style. This is just enough to whet my appetite for more and keep my eyes glued on the release date. Can’t wait!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan’s for providing an excerpt in exchange for an honest review.

It’s amazing how an except can suck you right in. This starts out jumping right into the world. We learn about the people and the humanoid ghosts they are fighting. The excerpt gives enough details to really bring you into the world and connect with the characters. I love Marie Lu and already planned to read this book and now I cannot wait! It’s going to be so good!

Thank you Netgalley, Marie Lu and McMillains for the extended excerpt in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an excerpt!

I haven't read one of Marie Lu's books in a while, but now I'm really wondering why! The writing really flows even in such a short except and I'm eagerly awaiting the rest of the book. The beginning cuts straight to the chase with Talin losing someone close to her to the Ghosts, humanoid monsters sent by the Karensa Empire. I absolutely loved both Talin and her Shield, both characters were very well fleshed out and intriguing.

I definitely see a LOT of influence from Attack on Titan, and I think that would be glaringly obvious to anyone who has ever watched the anime or read the manga. While this isn't a bad thing, it was definitely a little jarring since it wasn't marketed as such and was an unexpected surprise.

This is a really well done extended excerpt. It was long enough to allow for some great world building and give readers a sense of the setting and its culture. The main character is interesting and I really want to know more of her story and her past. I enjoyed the overall concept, was completely unnerved by the Ghosts, and was all around left wanting to read more.

Absolutely amazing. Another gem from Queen Marie Lu. I will definitely purchase a copy upon release.

If you like Marie Lu’s previous work, you’re going to love Skyhunter. I was lucky enough to receive and extended excerpt from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review, and I’m so glad I did! The world-building is fantastic and pulls you in from the very first page. I was completely immersed in Talin’s story. She’s a Striker, which is an elite warrior and is paired with her closest friend. When something goes terribly wrong during a routine sweep for Ghosts, savage beasts that the Federation created to use as weapons, Talin reels from her loss.

As Talin deals with her grief, the reader learns more about Talin’s world where xenophobia, social inequality, and racism is rampant. We meet some of Talin’s friends and a mysterious prisoner that I suspect will have a large roll in the rest of the book.

This is a fabulous start to Skyhunter, and I can’t wait to read the rest of Talin’s story!

Oh my god. This is the first Marie Lu book I've read and I am hooked! The words such as refugee, asylum, conquered, and war made me think Mara, Basea, and The Karensa Federation are based off of a certain part of our world history. Maybe it's not right for me to compare this to other YA dystopian novels that have come before it, but it certainly seems similar to some.

The novel's heroine, Talin Kanami is a refugee from Basea. She becomes part of Mara's elite fighting force called the Strikers, who are trained to fight off the federation's war beasts and save Mara from being conquered. At the end of the excerpt we meet a mysterious prisoner. And that is why I'm hooked. I want to know about that prisoner. There's a significant part of the novel I left out because spoilers, but god, I was utterly devastated by what happened. If you're curious, you better read it.

I'll admit to not wanting to read anymore YA novels, especially dystopian ones, but Skyhunter certainly has my attention.

Really interesting world, gorgeous cover, and I like the main character so far. Marie Lu is a great writer and I can't wait for the full edition to come out! Thanks Netgalley for letting me read a sneak peek!

I didn’t realize this was an excerpt when I requested it. It was definitely intriguing though. I’ve read most of Marie Lu’s work and enjoyed it. The excerpt definitely convinced me to give this book a try as well.!!

Marie Lu never ceases to impress me with her writing and her books! It is honestly really refreshing to see the main character be someone who uses sign language, and it definitely adds a new twist to the protagonist of this book. I was hooked since page 1 and I hope I get the opportunity to read the rest of the book.

Thanks Netgalley, the author and publisher for letting me read this book!