A refreshing YA fantasy with dystopian vibes. There's action, monsters and interesting characters! I'm interested in reading more in this series!

I couldn't put down "Nightbreaker" by Coco Ma! This urban fantasy had me hooked from the very first page. The world-building is so vivid and immersive, it felt like I was right there in post-apocalyptic New York, fighting alongside Rei against the terrifying Deathlings.
Rei is such a fantastic protagonist—she's smart, snarky, and totally badass. I loved following her journey as she competed in the Tournament to become a legendary Deathling hunter. The action scenes were pulse-pounding, and the twists and turns kept me guessing until the very end.

A spellbinding novel about a world underground of demons and the world above ground adjusting to a new normal. A tournament to win the right to be a special guard and train with the best. The issue was that there were way too many characters and the guard system hierarchy was quite muddled

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for sending me an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Honestly I loved this so much. I had such a great time with Rei, dystopian Manhattan, and the Hunger Games-esque competition for her to reach her dream of becoming a Maverick--the warriors that keep the city safe from Deathlings.

Rei was smart and sharp and entertaining, PUPPY!!! (if you know you know), and her relationships with her fellow competitors was kind of refreshing for this kind of competition plot.

I can't wait for a book two, I had a great time and I can't wait to see what happens next!

This was a really unique and interesting YA novel, with a good plot!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Coco Ma has a way of writing compulsively readable stories with fascinating characters and plot twists that I truly never see coming. i hope dearly that there is a sequel!

This one had enough action in it for me. I would say go read it and let’s discuss it because there were some moments in there that I would really like to have a conversation about.

I've enjoyed all of Coco Ma's books since I read Shadow Frost, and I am happy to report that Ma continues her excellent work with Nightbreaker. The book hooked me and reeled me in instantaneously; it was perfectly paced.

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. I enjoyed this book a lot more than I first thought. It kind of came out of shadows and smacked me in the head. I enjoyed Rei and the main character. A little bit of second chance romance feel for me. It was fun that I got to see the two side of her personality and what she wants out of her life. That is getting back at the monsters who took her parents for her, but also competing against her ex for the dream.

Fifteen years before the Deathlings became part of the normal life for those who live in Manhattan, a “mysterious chimney orange steam with fluorescent white stripes rises out of the intersection.” It is followed by blowing up which causes a crater where steam is gushing out people disappear never to be seen again. Rei. who is on the way to school finds her uncovered skin burning from the steam. Then suddenly the light disappear from the steam that becomes like a fog. Later people continue to live their lives but it’s different. No one can be out when it is dark. There is a warning of bells clanging warning people that nightfall is shortly going to occur. Rei goes to a bakery just before the warning.and goes with her baked goods to a subway. Subways are off limits as that is where the Darklings live. They eat people. Rei goes into the subway to bait a Darkling with the sweet and hides behind her hiding spot. When a Darkling comes to eat it, she realizes it looks wrong but then realizes it must be a pup. A large Darkling appears attacking Rei. While it tears at Rei, she suddenly finds iRoland saving her from certain death. Roland laughs when she tells him that she is practicing killing the Deathling to win the tournament so she can become a Maverick like Roland slaying Darlings. He laughs at that. It is the Syndicate who is in charge of the tournament besides just control of Manhattan. When other cities were attacked it was figured out that the Darklings were coming from Manhattan as they had discovered that it was where the nest of Darklings was there. The government decided no one could leave Manhattan. When barricades didn’t work, they decided to blow up the bridges so no one could leave. It was definitely not something the Manhattan people wanted. So this became the way people survived by following the rules given with the manor one was to be home by nightfall. When Rei got back to the dormitory of her school, she was scolded by the dean. Rei was worried about tomorrow as she was to meet with one of the Syndicate’s master tomorrow. What will happen to Rei?

The novel is gripping and grim. It was a page turner to read. If found that I enjoyed reading the novel and didn’t want it to end. I hope there will be a sequel to it. This urban fantasy is action packed and never boring.

- thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc to review!

- a solid debut to a series but felt a bit flat when reading. it's not much of an issue for me, since i assume Coco Ma will elaborate the overarching story in the later installments.

Manhattan is now cut off from the rest of the world after the Vanishing occurred and monsters have taken over the night. New Yorkers walk the streets by day and act as though all is normal, but are terrified after dark—with the exception of a select bunch known as the Mavericks. Rei and many other students, including her ex boyfriend Kieran, have worked tirelessly for the opportunity to join the elite team and are willing to put their lives on the line in the Tournament in order to get there.

This totally gave me 2000 teens dystopian novel vibes and I was so excited to revisit that kind of story. Think Hunger Games or Divergent. I loved this story and can’t wait for the second! Filled with tons of action, I was never bored and couldn’t stop turning pages.

4.5 ⭐️s rounded to 5

My star rating is based on the quality of the material of this book and not my overall enjoyment.

I found this to be actually a very good dystopian sci-fi, that was generic in the way dystopian stories play out...
- Apocalypse of some kind (in this case monsters have taken over Manhattan, and the people in Manhattan have been quarantined from the people without)
- War games for purposes of training soldiers

But it was also very unique in the writing imagery. It felt like the reading equivalent of watching anime. Very good anime. The descriptions were over exaggered interns of physical descriptions and emotional reactions. It was had not to picture it as a Studio Ghibli film.

I however wasn't very invested in the characters or storyline. I don't blame the author or the writing for this. It was probably just a case of the wrong book at the wrong time. I do think that this is worth the time if you want to take a chance on it.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a complimentary advanced copy of this book. All the opinions are my own.

This book gave me Hunger Games tournament meets urban apocalyptic monsters and hunters. I devoured this book in less than 2 days. Once I was hooked, it went so fast.

Rei has spent her life hunting monsters that appeared after The Vanishing. This was her goal, and she strived for the best to qualify for The Tournament which would allow her to join the ranks of the Mavericks, those with the skills and knowledge to fight these monsters. As she participates in the Trials, she learns more about this world than she thought. Then, everything goes to hell in a handbasket. Long thought theories and established ways begin to unravel faster than Rei can grasp them. Everything she thought she knew and had been taught has been turned upside down and sideways. As she struggles to get her footing, she discovers so many secrets that were hidden from her and the public along with new friends that come from the most unexpected of places.

This book hooked me from the beginning. The plot, secrets, intrigue, teenage angst....it was *chef's kiss*. Rei is the typical teenager with complaints, stubborn determination, and opinions of any girl her age. In the beginning, she denies her past trauma, but eventually works through it and uses it to rise above adversity. The characters are varied and bring varying perspectives and opinions about what has been established. Plus, there is the hate to love relationship with the ex. Secrets are still yet to be revealed, but hopefully that will happen in book 2?!

I absolutely love this book. A school for monster hunters? Yes please! Deathlings that are unique to this world and not like other creatures I've read about? Sign me up! Add in a competition with only one winner, high stakes and a rival that used to be an ex and it makes for the perfect tournament fantasy book!
If you liked Mortal instruments, divergent and even fourth wing then you'll enjoy this book!

I've never read anything by this author before, but the cover and blurb caught my attention. I did like Rei, and she was easy to root for. There's a lot of action, but it was a bit hard to follow everything on occasion. It felt like the author was trying to do a bit too much, which made it confusing. The characters were okay, but I'd expected more depth. The book was just okay overall, though the storyline, in general, seemed to mainly be setting things up for a future book.

Have you ever read a book and been left wishing/wanting/hoping it’ll become the next big thing?

Well I would like to nominate Nightbreaker to become the next big thing. This book was OUTSTANDING!

It’s so incredibly written that you get sucked into every single word and punctuation and letter and everything. You become consumed by this world and every character we meet. When I had to put the book down, it was all I could think about until I was able to pick it up again.

If I could scream from the mountain tops to get you all to read this, I would. Read it and thank me later.

I’m so excited for the sequel to this fantastic dystopian story.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel. 4/5 stars.

Overall, I really enjoyed the concepts and the main character Rei in this. I liked how it was dystopian in a sense where NYC is cut off from the rest of the world and is faced by Deathlings. I like the influence of NYC culture in creating artifacts. There were so many good elements that kept me turning the page and consumed by the story (which, surprisingly, was also semi-gory and incredibly violent?).

I didn't realize this was the first one in a series though (?) and SO much gets revealed in the last 1/3 of the book and the plot twists and 60000 other things where I was almost....upset? Because it didn't really flesh out a lot of it and didn't solve previous plot points or gaps...but also now I want to read the next one ASAP to learn more...

While the characters bear some resemblance to previous, hero and villian, the story line and actions are unique, at least to me and I read a lot. With good intentions and incentives, the competition will allow the winner to act on their own and set their own goals. But they first have to best their competitors. This was a very good start to what looks like a series. My tweens and teens enjoyed it and for the two groups to agree, it's almost a miracle.