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A review by brennalynne
Skyhunter by Marie Lu
2.0
Full Review on my blog: Devoured Reads
Now, I’m not usually the type to review a book I’ve decided to DNF, but at 213 of 371 pages, I can say that this book is not for me and I have some opinions.
I had a lot of interest and hope for this book. I read an extended excerpt of this before release and what I read had really interested me. The premise seemed intriguing and unique, but the more I read, the more I realized that this book lacks substance, development, and tension.
The best parts of this book are its moments talking about racism, the depiction of grief, and the books use of sign language with a main character who is mute - but even these could have... been more. I was always left wanting more with this book. There was great potential but... there was something missing for me.
The world is built up in an interesting way, and sounds really cool at the start, but you quickly realize as you read more that that’s it… what you get at the start is all you’re getting and it’s a lot more surface level than you thought.
While the characters seem interesting upon set-up, I quickly realized that these characters were not going to grow or develop in the interesting ways I know they could – rather they’ve been given tragic backstories and… that’s it. There’s little to no other personality or variance to be found here. I’m told they’re unique and have an interesting past and yet almost none of that comes through in their actions or dialogue and they come across as blank slates until it’s convenient for the plot that they react differently or have a different skill set.
This book is just chalk full of plot conveniences that remove any and all hope of tension and development for both plot and characters. Characters are being handed things on a silver platter, trust is being given too freely between them, and bonds just form out of nowhere with no actual work being done to form those bonds. How can I root for characters I’ve been told have lots of struggle and hardship and yet I’ve never witnessed it on the page. How can I root for a relationship where no effort went into it and there’s absolutely no chemistry...
I’m disappointed with this book and I can’t say I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a bit of tension, development or substance in their books. Newer/younger readers of the YA fantasy genre might enjoy this one as it does have an interesting premise, but anyone a bit more experienced and varied in their reading taste should probably steer clear.
Now, I’m not usually the type to review a book I’ve decided to DNF, but at 213 of 371 pages, I can say that this book is not for me and I have some opinions.
I had a lot of interest and hope for this book. I read an extended excerpt of this before release and what I read had really interested me. The premise seemed intriguing and unique, but the more I read, the more I realized that this book lacks substance, development, and tension.
The best parts of this book are its moments talking about racism, the depiction of grief, and the books use of sign language with a main character who is mute - but even these could have... been more. I was always left wanting more with this book. There was great potential but... there was something missing for me.
The world is built up in an interesting way, and sounds really cool at the start, but you quickly realize as you read more that that’s it… what you get at the start is all you’re getting and it’s a lot more surface level than you thought.
While the characters seem interesting upon set-up, I quickly realized that these characters were not going to grow or develop in the interesting ways I know they could – rather they’ve been given tragic backstories and… that’s it. There’s little to no other personality or variance to be found here. I’m told they’re unique and have an interesting past and yet almost none of that comes through in their actions or dialogue and they come across as blank slates until it’s convenient for the plot that they react differently or have a different skill set.
This book is just chalk full of plot conveniences that remove any and all hope of tension and development for both plot and characters. Characters are being handed things on a silver platter, trust is being given too freely between them, and bonds just form out of nowhere with no actual work being done to form those bonds. How can I root for characters I’ve been told have lots of struggle and hardship and yet I’ve never witnessed it on the page. How can I root for a relationship where no effort went into it and there’s absolutely no chemistry...
I’m disappointed with this book and I can’t say I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a bit of tension, development or substance in their books. Newer/younger readers of the YA fantasy genre might enjoy this one as it does have an interesting premise, but anyone a bit more experienced and varied in their reading taste should probably steer clear.