Received from NetGalley
Completed 8/31/18
384 page ebook

I love this book so much I have read it twice now. I'm glad I re-read it before I read the 2nd one. I remembered the broader strokes of the story but forgot all the little nuances like Fathom, how did I forget Fathom? I love this book. I only disliked one thing about this book (an insta-love that happened near the end), otherwise this book is pretty perfect.

The characters are real and flawed. They aren't perfect cookie cutters. They have their own personalities and are unique even for the ones you don't see that much of. Emmett is likable but isn't without a dark side. They all have been stomped on in life and are all fighting against each other for the opportunities given.

The first 70% of this book is 5 stars, easily. I'm NOT a fan of the direction that it took for the last 30. I'd be fine with it, if it weren't for the random romance part. But I didn't care for that. Other than that, love it all and can't wait for the 3rd book.

Recommend to science fiction fans and fans who like a competition type book. Quite enjoyable!


Setting = A
Plot = A+
Conflict = A
Characters = A+
Theme = A+

I first received this book as an ARC which has no way impacted my opinion. When I first started reading it I quickly DNF the book after the first few pages. I did not return to the book however, until recently. Now that I have read the book I am completely dismayed with myself for not giving it a fair chance the first time. I must say that I throughly enjoyed this book. I would have to give the book 3 out of 5 stars. Although I liked they book there are things I did not care for hints the rating.

“Why’s they choose us?’ We’re all broken. They picked us because we’re broken.”

Strong words for this book because if you have read the book that statement sums up the book nicely. Everyone is battling for a better like then the one they already have. The question you have to truly ask yourself is what are you willing to do for it?

The book is an easy read but it moves slowly. Scott really took his time to set the foundation of everything that unfolds. For a clearer picture of what to expect I would have to say think Hunger Games but in space. Everything is explained so throughly that at times it is a bit boring but you really have too much through the story.
We follow ten teenagers as they battle for a chance of a lifetime. They have to fight each other in order for them to travel to another planet to mine for a resource called Nyxia. Babble is a telecommunications company that is founding this expedition. The reward if you win is money for your family and medical attention. Sounds like a sweet deal but Babbel has secrets that they do not want anyone to know about. Our main character Emmett learns the hard way that asking questions and digging to deep into business that is not your own can have its unfortunate consequences. Also, when you put teenagers in common space together things happen like they create a bond with each other. The friendships they make are unfortunate because not everyone gets to go to the new planet Eden. Just as easily as we make friends we also make enemies. Everyone has a story to tell and everyone wants to win.

“It’s hard to tell the difference between rich and wrong.”

As you read the book it is easy to fall in love with certain characters like Emmett our main character and whom the story is told through, Bilal our kind heart, and Kaya our curious and strategic wonder woman. Emmett loves his family are would do anything for them which is why he was on the ship and willing to stop at nothing to get to Eden. His mom has cancer and being one of the people that get to travel to Eden would help her get the medical treatment she needs. Kaya was way to curious for her own good. She must have missed the lesson about curiosity and the cat. With that aside Kaya was a great strategist . She helped Emmett and the team be better. She saw people for who they are and loved how she and Emmett were broken together. Bilal was the guy who wore his heart on his sleeve. You could not help but like him. He was nice to everyone and believed that everyone had good in them. You can really appreciate the dynamics of each character. It’s noice to read about a plethora of multicultural kids from almost similar backgrounds.

The ending of the book is very cliff hangery and leaves you wanting more.

Nyxia was a fast paced, non-stop action read that I enjoyed immensely! It is set on a space ship taking a group of kids out to Eden — they are competing for a limited number of spots to go there and mine nyxia – a substance only found on this other planet. Their family gets compensated handsomely by this company in charge but Babel may not be all they appear.

Emmett is our main character but all the other supporting characters are great. I loved getting to know each of them and see them form relationships despite the situation they were in to compete against one another. The plot gave me major Red Rising feels, but in a more YA vein.

I really enjoyed the interesting tech introduced in Nyxia and the substance nyxia itself was fascinating and there’s definitely more to it than what we initially see. We are also introduced to the aliens that live on Eden and there’s definitely a lot of information that Babel is not telling these kids. What else are they planning??

My favorite part of this book was really the connections the characters forged with each other. They are thrown into a variety of difficult situations and the choices they make will affect and define them and their futures. I loved the moral questions posed and seeing what they grapple with. It was action packed and kept me riveted from beginning to end!

In Short…
For those that are fans of sci-fi, action packed adventure, and strong characters!

I received a copy via Netgalley from the publisher for an honest review.

This novel is an interesting mix of Ender's Game, Divergent (a little) and Hunger Games.

The Babel Corporation recruited various teenagers from Earth, including Emmett Atwater, for unknown reasons and they are offering them all a lot of money. Emmett and nine other recruits, are a long way from Earth and heading to the new planet of Eden. The planet Eden has been hidden from many people because Babel Corporation has found a new material that is fast becoming the most valuable in the universe, Nyxia, and Emmett and the others have been recruited to mine it. However, not all of them will be heading down to the planet, they must earn their place to work for the mining company. As Emmett and the recruits work through their own trials and tribulations they are all finding out slowly that Babel and this ship has a lot of secrets and they don't know what it will cost them in the end to get this ultimate opportunity.

This novel was interesting and kept a good pace going. The only thing that felt a bit disappointing was it was so very similar to Ender's Game (the competitiveness amongst the teens, the space story, and really the unknown alien bit that still has more to play out) and I was not really a fan of Ender's Game. The novel wasn't bad though and I hated and loved the ending because it keeps you on your toes and I am excited to read the next novel.

An amazing, heart-felt, action packed book that had me gasping for breath from page one. NYXIA was an amazing start to an amazing series.

Rollercoaster ride of a science fiction story. This was the first time I had read anything from Scott Reintgen and it won't be the last! If you love science fiction, definitely check this out! Thank you to the publisher for giving me an advanced copy.

I loved this book! The full review will be posted soon at kaitgoodwin.com/books! Thank you very much for this wonderful opportunity to connect books to their readers!

Nyxia was a fast paced, exciting read! It gave me strong hunger games vibes which is why I loved it so much. Though there were many characters, each one was fleshed out and had a crucial role to play. I got invested and interested in each characters well-being and outcome of the competition. I was listening to some of it in an audiobook so I was taken aback when it ended so unexpectedly on such a cliffhanger. All in all, I enjoyed the intense plot, complex characters (Bilal is adorable) and thrilling action. The reason for my 4 star rating is some spots where I felt the story dragged a little before a huge twist or action sequence, and also because the cliffhanger was just mean!!

I wish I hadn't waited this long to read this because I really enjoyed it. I loved that there was always this mysterious air about the Babel company and their true intentions I didn't see the fact that there was another group in competition coming and I thought that was a great plot twist. I was so sad when Kaya died and the fact that Babel really didn't care and lied about what actually happened made me really mad. I am not sure about the relationship between Morning and Emmett, it just didn't feel right and it all happened insanely fast. Also, the cliffhanger ending had me requesting the sequel from my library to read right away. I can't wait to see what happens in the next book.

Let me just say. I LOVE sci-fi thrillers. SO MUCH!!!
And Nyxia gave me that. It pulled me from page one and I couldn't help but flipping through as fast as I could to see what was going to happen to Emmett at every turn. I was on the edge of my seat most of the time. And went a few sleepless nights during this one trying to push myself to the end as quickly as I could haha.

It is such a fast paced story. And Scott did such an amazing job of spinning this fantastical cosmic world while giving us these incredible characters that had so many layers.

I cannot tell you how much you should pick this one up if you want a fast paced and high energy thriller.

A 5 star read for sure!

This book wasn’t for me. I decided not to review it on my site or any of the major retailers/Goodreads.

I heard such great things about this book that I was really excited to read it, but right before it released, I tried picking it up and couldn't get into it. Somehow I accidentally left it on the back burner for several months post-release, which I am so incredibly sorry for - this is certainly not the way I typically treat my ARCs or something I make a habit of. That said, I have tried again with this book, and I just do not enjoy it. I find it a tremendously boring storyline, and while the writing voice itself is fine and Emmett is an enjoyable narrator, I can't seem to get past the fact that, despite this being a sci-fi book, nothing is being explained with any semblance of science. Everything that happens is simply chalked up to, "Well, it's because of the nyxia!" and it's incredibly frustrating and very "deus ex machina". I probably would not continue this series, but I might check out a future series from this author as, like I said, the writing voice itself is fine.

This is book 1 in the Nyxia Triad. Book 2 has just been released, and hopefully book 3 is in the works. The original description I read compared this to The Maze Runner, which I really wasn’t all that crazy about. With so many books that had similar plots, some I liked, I thought I’d give this series a chance.

The main character, Emmett, was not a person I cared for in the beginning of the book. At times, he came across as mean and intolerant of the other people in the spaceship traveling to Eden with him. As the book progressed, Emmett had opportunities for growth and changed in ways that made him a more likeable character. There was definitely a mix of personalities in the book ranging from extremely kind to the original highest achiever who kept his distance from everyone else. Some of the characters held grudges that they took to an over the top extreme, and the leaders of the expedition withheld information that was vital; as time goes on I’m sure more of these hidden difficulties will be uncovered.

The mix of events and personalities make this book one that is easy to get caught in, and I am looking forward to finding out what will happen next.

Very reminiscent of Illuminae. Thrilling sci-fi with a touch of fantasy. I liked this a lot and found it to be a quick summer read that I really enjoyed. I will be looking for more from the author.

Wow. Great idea with excellent execution. This will be the first book I hand to my sci fi readers when I get back to school. It's so hard to find books with little to no romance but with decent character development. Not everyone likes romance, contrary to what publishers believe. Thanks publisher for not forcing it into this story (though there is a tiny bit at the end).

NYXIA by Scott Reintgen focuses on a group of teens desperate to gain Babel’s unlimited resources and funds to one day live a rich and stable life. The cost? Infiltrate an alien planet called Eden and help them extract the valuable new fuel called Nyxia. In the book, you experience Babel’s extreme training sessions and the boundaries of what it means to be human. The competition is tough as there are 10 candidates but only 8 will advance for the real space exploration. The tests will stretch these teens limits to the max and make them realize that maybe things are way too good to be true.

I think this book is perfect for fans of Red Rising and The Hunger Games. It includes a diverse, complex cast of characters, a lot of action scenes, and romance that will make you really root them on. This book is easily accessible and a quick read because of the way it's written. I think this is a really solid addition to young adult SFF. I will definitely pick up the next book in the series.

My thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC of this book.

It was a fun read, but I don't think I will continue with the series. It felt too much like Hunger Games in space, and there was not enough to keep my attention to keep wanting to read what happens to them next.

An interesting book! I greatly enjoyed this one from beginning to end. Full review coming soon on my blog.

Taking place in a near-future where mankind discovered a habitable planet, a corporation creates a challenge to send young-adults who will mine a mysterious new element known as Nyxia. Ten teenagers are recruited into the program, though only eight will make it through.

Scott Reintgen’s debut is a wonderfully introspective story that puts great twists on tropes made popular by the Hunger-Games-esque dystopians that surged a few years ago. It’s an awesome start to a series, and I need the next book now!

An interesting story, for sure. Nyxia is an alien substance and it must be mined by humans, but more specifically, children. So, there is a Hunger Games/Divergent type competition on the space station to choose who will be selected to go to the planet and mine -- plus who will be given untold riches.