Skin Hunter

I recieved an advanced copy if this book in exchange for an honest review of this book.

I just want to say wow. I was pulled in by the cover of this book. Skin Hunters was not exactly what I expected off the description, but it turned out to be better.

This book turned out to be a modern day Avatar with so much more detail this had me drawn it at the drama and pain at the start of the story with Milla and her desperation to make her own life tolerable just for the sake of her family. Twist of fate lands her on the most popular new competition to land herself a new Skin.

The pain and determination feels so real for this character and I couldn't stop reading. Their was enough information to keep me reading and enough left out that I will be anxiously awaiting to preorder the next. A little love and a little deception, a little war and possible allies. who knows what comes next.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes futuristic drama and likes a good story that leaves you in suspense through the whole ride.

4.5 stars for The best YA dystopian I've read in years.

The Hunger Games meets Avatar.

The world is divided into two livable over-populated sections. This first book focuses on the section called Triton which itself has two levels. The wealthy live in the upper levels and the poor live in the factory ridden lower levels. Milla, our heroine, is a lower level "stinker". A wild twist of fate along with some quick thinking and scrambling gives her an unheard of opportunity to enter an upper level contest with a 1st prize of five million credits.

I love the way Milla is presented to us. She is not some badass courageous beautiful character who steamrolls her way to fame and fortune. Instead, Milla is scared, worried, almost hopeless and just desperate enough to find the strength she needs to take a wild risk. There isn't anything beautiful about her other than maybe her soul.

The world building is done so well that you don't even notice it. You're exposed little by little to this futuristic dystopian society through Milla's hardships. The focus in this first book is wholly on her so that you don't realize how immersed you are in her world until the story is over and you have this perfect picture of the world she lives in.

I urge you to come see for yourself this world full of amazing technology including real life avatars, handheld devices controlled by thought alone and wristbands that wholly identify each person. You'll be treated to action, suspense, and a heart stopping physical contest that may determine the fate of this wild and weird world.

Milla has always lived the harsh life of a sinker. Now, she has the chance to steal a dead girl's identity, and win more than she could ever dream.

I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Milla lives in Old Triton, the dangerous, run-down city that squats in the dark foundation of their over-populated country. Milla and other "sinkers" have to fight for work, fight for food and safety. Theirs is a miserable existence, with no chance of improvement. Milla is already scarred from the poor working conditions, and things are never going to get better.

Above them, New Triton exists. A place of endless wealth and perfection, where people are always looking for the next popular trend, the next body mod or technological advancement.

Seeing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, when a New Triton girl dies in her arms, Milla steals her identity. Milla soon gets swept up into the mysterious Skin Hunter competition run by the Morelle Corporation.
It turns out that Skins are a leap forward in technological advancement, part machine and part animal, which accepts the users consciousness.

It was great to watch Milla get used to her skin, and quickly fall in love with how powerful and whole it makes her feel.
I loved how she never took anything for granted, and remained wary that any moment, everything would get ripped away. It was understandable that she was slow to trust those around her, having to fight years of survival instinct.

I loved the world that Skin Hunter was set, and how it was expertly laid out for the reader.
It always felt like there was a lot of depth and history going on, but the background builds slowly, when necessary, and never overwhelms the reader.

Likewise, the plot gradually builds on the foundation, and at the end you realise there is a much bigger story about to unfurl. Part of me expected to feel at least a little robbed, that the whole of Skin Hunter only brought us to the <i>beginning</i> of this story; but I was really enjoying following Milla, and how she was adapting to the new world.

I definitely recommend this, and I can't wait for the next book in the series.

Thank you NetGalley for providing this ARC for an honest review!

I think people have this spot on. It's Hunger Games meets Avatar (the good parts!).

I love sci-fi, and I was auotmaticallyp ulled in by the gorgeous, dark cover. Milla is a young, desperate girl looking forward to a better future out of the shelters and the factory work she has been pulled into. Set in a dystopian world where the rich are rich, and the poor are so poor, they're moved between factories and separated from their families.

I haven't read a lot of dystopian books since Divergent of the Hunger Games, but this was a refreshing sci-fi/dystopian take on a world where everything has turned to crap, and everyone is left to survive on their own.

There is a heavy focus on training, though cooler than some stunts perfromed in Avatar of the Hunger Games. Definitely excited to read the rest of this series!