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bookcheshirecat's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
3.5
“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 am not done. I will not forget.”
➽ Skyhunter is an interesting dystopian (somewhat post-apocalyptic) story! It follows Talin, a Striker who defeats the vicious Ghosts - humans that have been experimented on and transformed into monsters. She serves Mara, the last free nation that stands against the ever-expanding Karensa Federation which creates the Ghosts and conquers every other nation one by one. I really liked the premise, as it was intriguing and had many great themes such as colonization and the treatment of refugees. Talin is a refugee herself who fled the Federation's conquest with her mother. Ever since she's mute, but the Striker force communicates in sign language as the Ghosts they hunt hear the slightest sounds. I liked how sign language was incorporated into this book and utilized within the Strikers!
➽ It was easy to empathise with Talin, who risks her life for Mara while many people discriminate against refugees. Without the help of her partner - her Shield - she wouldn't have even been allowed to become a Striker. Even though she's confronted with daily microaggressions and suspicion from her own people, Talin still takes pride in her crucial work of keeping Mara safe. I liked her determination and bravery, as she's not giving up, no matter how harshly others try to put her down. The story touches upon the lingering trauma of her escape into Mara and the treatment of most refugees as second-class citizens who are forced to live in the outer region of the country. When Talin saves a captured soldier from the Federation, it seems like he might hold the key to staving off the looming invasion!
➽ In the end, the book missed a certain spark that I've come to expect from Marie Lu's books. Skyhunter had a lot of potential and I enjoyed the disability representation and discussions about refugees and war. However, I needed more from the story, as the world of Mara and the Federation still didn't feel fleshed out. Unfortunately, there were no interesting twists and turns, no shocking revelations that Marie Lu has pulled off in her other books. Skyhunter was a bit too straightforward for me and I wish the story had dug deeper into the people from before, why they were wiped out and how exactly the Federation rose to so much power. I also didn't feel invested in any of the characters apart from Talin. Her Striker friends faded into the background for me and Red, the Federation soldier was ultimately a forgettable character. I actually had high hopes for Red, but I feel like he lacked depth and I didn't connect to him. Maybe a dual POV would have helped with that. I don't think I'll read the sequel as I can already tell the direction it'll go, and I'm not invested enough into the story to continue!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Violence, Murder, and War
Minor: Ableism, Torture, and Xenophobia
asahome's review
4.5
TL;DR: A young woman saves the life of a prisoner of war and is assigned to be his partner. As they learn to fight together, their bonds are tested by an inability to communicate and old prejudices.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Police brutality, and Classism
achay91's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and War
Moderate: Physical abuse, Torture, and Death of parent
Minor: Grief
ashylibrarian's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I would love to see this book turned into a visual creation. I think the concept of the Skyhunter, the war machine, would be so interesting to see brought to life in a visual format.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and War
Moderate: Child abuse, Racism, and Blood
Minor: Torture and Death of parent
daretodream03's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Violence, Blood, and War
Moderate: Confinement, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death of parent
Minor: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Xenophobia, and Vomit
steffandbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I think I've just found my favourite read of the year. This book is utterly amazing and I don't understand why this is not talked about more. If you like dystopian and/or sci/fi books, please go read it.
The book had me hooked from chapter one and it actually already made me cry. How good is an author with words if characters can already make you cry only after a few pages, when you didn't have long interactions with them and the chance to build up a relationship with them? I say, absolutely amazing. Marie Lu may have become one of my new favourite authors and, naturally, I have to go read her other books now as well.
Although this series is a duology, I immediately wanted to go back to the start and read this book all over again.
I am in love with the characters, with the setting, with the world, with the plot. It's everything. This book also made me want to learn sign language.
How the characters are all part of an elite soldiers group made me think of special forces like SEALs and I do enjoy TV shows about special forces as well, so I was intrigued to see how the "war" setting can be put into words. But Marie did not have any problems with that. I was able to follow every single scene and was able to let it play out in my head.
And what I found even more amazing is that the FMC wasn’t the center of attention, wasn’t the overpowered girl that needed to save the rest of the country. While Talin is a very, very good soldier and also very likeable character with many obstacles to overcome, her other friends and main focus in the books were also equally amazing at something particular and haunted by their own demons. And then we got Red. He is the overpowered character, the hope of everyone to save the world. But we did not get his POV, so everything was told from Talin‘s POV, which is why this whole thing was so refreshing. I know this might change due to how the book ends, but I am sure Marie will be able to find a perfect way to unpack it in the second one.
It also didn't feel like YA to me at all. The character are all 18 years old and older, Red even 22 years old and just the content did not scream YA to me. Although the romance was rather an undercurrent and we focused more on the plot, the interaction between the love interests was described in a more adult way, I would say - but don't get me wrong, there was no explicit content, but it also wasn't fade to black or like "oh my god he touched me, what am I going to do now" kind of thing.
All in all, this book is just amazing and I hope the second one can live up to the first's standards.
The book had me hooked from chapter one and it actually already made me cry. How good is an author with words if characters can already make you cry only after a few pages, when you didn't have long interactions with them and the chance to build up a relationship with them? I say, absolutely amazing. Marie Lu may have become one of my new favourite authors and, naturally, I have to go read her other books now as well.
Although this series is a duology, I immediately wanted to go back to the start and read this book all over again.
I am in love with the characters, with the setting, with the world, with the plot. It's everything. This book also made me want to learn sign language.
How the characters are all part of an elite soldiers group made me think of special forces like SEALs and I do enjoy TV shows about special forces as well, so I was intrigued to see how the "war" setting can be put into words. But Marie did not have any problems with that. I was able to follow every single scene and was able to let it play out in my head.
And what I found even more amazing is that the FMC wasn’t the center of attention, wasn’t the overpowered girl that needed to save the rest of the country. While Talin is a very, very good soldier and also very likeable character with many obstacles to overcome, her other friends and main focus in the books were also equally amazing at something particular and haunted by their own demons. And then we got Red. He is the overpowered character, the hope of everyone to save the world. But we did not get his POV, so everything was told from Talin‘s POV, which is why this whole thing was so refreshing. I know this might change due to how the book ends, but I am sure Marie will be able to find a perfect way to unpack it in the second one.
It also didn't feel like YA to me at all. The character are all 18 years old and older, Red even 22 years old and just the content did not scream YA to me. Although the romance was rather an undercurrent and we focused more on the plot, the interaction between the love interests was described in a more adult way, I would say - but don't get me wrong, there was no explicit content, but it also wasn't fade to black or like "oh my god he touched me, what am I going to do now" kind of thing.
All in all, this book is just amazing and I hope the second one can live up to the first's standards.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Torture, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and War
Moderate: Racism
leahjanespeare's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I’m a longtime fan of Marie Lu. She’s great at writing complicated, antihero characters and is a talented world builder. I’m not sure why I waited so long to pick this one up by her, but I’m now glad I waited until the sequel was out— there’s a cliffhanger! The big premise is pretty textbook dystopian/futuristic, but Marie Lu makes it all more interesting than the average YAs usually turn out to be. The main character is mute so sign language is used and the use of that sign language is normalized (she’s never left out of anything/conversations due to her different abilities). There are some plot developments (I wouldn’t say twists) that took me by surprise and I found myself totally invested in the world and these characters. I hope the second part to this duology holds up just as well!
Content Warnings
Minor: Torture
gabykyu's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I had never heard of this book until I went into this little bookstore in the Denver airport while I waited to go back home to Florida. I walked around and read quite a few summaries of the books there, and then walked around again but something about this book kept pulling me back to it so I bought it and only this book did I buy.
I… was NOT prepared for the utter SUSPENSE and the great emotional rollercoaster this book put me through. I won’t put any spoilers because honestly, it’s worth you reading it yourself and discovering it all. I’ve never noted down quotes and scenes of a book but I noted down a good amount from this one that either made my weak-to-shipping-canon-lovers heart cry or made goosebumps rise on my arms at the magnitude of meaning behind the words on the pages.
I’m so glad I bought the second book knowing I was loving the first one so now I can just continue on with the story. I’m also going to look up more by this author because holy crap I love her ;-; Please read this book, it’s my first 5 star read of the year and it’s like my fourth book.
I… was NOT prepared for the utter SUSPENSE and the great emotional rollercoaster this book put me through. I won’t put any spoilers because honestly, it’s worth you reading it yourself and discovering it all. I’ve never noted down quotes and scenes of a book but I noted down a good amount from this one that either made my weak-to-shipping-canon-lovers heart cry or made goosebumps rise on my arms at the magnitude of meaning behind the words on the pages.
I’m so glad I bought the second book knowing I was loving the first one so now I can just continue on with the story. I’m also going to look up more by this author because holy crap I love her ;-; Please read this book, it’s my first 5 star read of the year and it’s like my fourth book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Violence, and War
Moderate: Child abuse, Genocide, and Blood
Minor: Body horror and Torture
queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
4 ⭐ CW: violence, descriptions of blood and gore, torture, public execution mention, family abuse (physical and emotional), death of a parent, medical horror
"My name Talin. I am a Striker of Mara, the last free nation on this side of the sea. We are legendary bringers of death, assassins of monsters."
Skyhunter by Marie Lu is the first book in the Skyhunter duology. I loved this book! It had been a while since reading any scifi, and this one didn't disappoint. This is also my first Marie Lu book, and I am firmly in love with her writing now.
We follow Talin, a Basean refugee in Mara, who can't speak and uses sign language. She is a Striker, fighters in am elite force tasked with killing Ghosts, people who have been turned into monsters in a lab by the enemy Federation. The Federation is trying to take over the whole continent, and only Mara is left to conquer, but Talin and her Striker friends, Adena and Jaren, are determined to stop them. When a runaway from the Federation makes it to Mara, he becomes bound to Talin.
This was a fast paced story that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time! Talk about tension and raising the stakes! The descriptions of the battles and fight scenes were so exquisite, it made me want to see them on tv. The world building was interesting as well. We learn about the Old Ones, the civilization that came before and left ruins all along the continent. The Old Ones were more technically advanced than the people we follow, but destroyed themselves. I'm hoping we learn more about this next book.
The characters in this were wonderful! I loved Talin's friendship with Adena and Jeran. We must protect Jeran, my abused baby. Red and Talin's relationship is definitely of the slow burn variety and I'm here for it. I love that she was finally able to fully communicate with someone. Their bond is very intimate. Also Red has a pet mouse who just chills in his shirt pocket and makes it through many intense situations.
We get themes on the cruelty that refugees face, the cost of imperialism and tyranny, and how the cowards in power will be the death of freedom. I can not wait to read Steel Striker!
"My name Talin. I am a Striker of Mara, the last free nation on this side of the sea. We are legendary bringers of death, assassins of monsters."
Skyhunter by Marie Lu is the first book in the Skyhunter duology. I loved this book! It had been a while since reading any scifi, and this one didn't disappoint. This is also my first Marie Lu book, and I am firmly in love with her writing now.
We follow Talin, a Basean refugee in Mara, who can't speak and uses sign language. She is a Striker, fighters in am elite force tasked with killing Ghosts, people who have been turned into monsters in a lab by the enemy Federation. The Federation is trying to take over the whole continent, and only Mara is left to conquer, but Talin and her Striker friends, Adena and Jaren, are determined to stop them. When a runaway from the Federation makes it to Mara, he becomes bound to Talin.
This was a fast paced story that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time! Talk about tension and raising the stakes! The descriptions of the battles and fight scenes were so exquisite, it made me want to see them on tv. The world building was interesting as well. We learn about the Old Ones, the civilization that came before and left ruins all along the continent. The Old Ones were more technically advanced than the people we follow, but destroyed themselves. I'm hoping we learn more about this next book.
The characters in this were wonderful! I loved Talin's friendship with Adena and Jeran. We must protect Jeran, my abused baby. Red and Talin's relationship is definitely of the slow burn variety and I'm here for it. I love that she was finally able to fully communicate with someone. Their bond is very intimate. Also Red has a pet mouse who just chills in his shirt pocket and makes it through many intense situations.
We get themes on the cruelty that refugees face, the cost of imperialism and tyranny, and how the cowards in power will be the death of freedom. I can not wait to read Steel Striker!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Torture, Blood, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Violence and Death of parent
malomegh's review against another edition
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Colonisation, and War