❝ Fallen angels were cast down to Earth and became demons. When Babel casts us out, it’s in fire and blood and steel. As the descent begins, I hold on to one truth: I am more than what they would make of me. ❞

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own!

My feelings about the second installment of the Nyxia Triad series were kind of mixed. Part of me wanted to enjoy the story, but part of me found it very difficult to push through the story.

Nyxia Unleashed doesn’t spend much time summarizing the events of the first book–which isn’t necessarily a bad thing on its own, but I always feel like a short summary can be helpful for people who have been waiting between books. I will say, however, that the people who died were brought up quite a bit, so at least I got that reminder.

Afterward, the story takes place on Eden. I was really interested in this part of the story because I wanted to learn more about the Adamites. Unfortunately, I don’t feel like the world building was done well. Most of the creatures on Eden were just briefly mentioned without giving much of a description and then not mentioned again (with a few exceptions). I would’ve liked to get a more in-depth description of the animals on Eden, even if it was only a select few animals that were focused on.

I had a similar issue with the settings of the story. It felt like we didn’t spend much time in each location. All the places in the story kind of bled into one big blob. I just never got a good grip on the setting, not even to be able to tell you concretely how one was different from another. I really felt like this book took a step back with the world building. I just couldn’t get a solid feel of the setting; it never felt concrete and made it hard to immerse myself in the story.

❝ “They’re the ones who changed the rules. Now that I know what game they’re playing, I’m going to make my own moves. I’m going to take what they took from me.” ❞

My other big issue with Nyxia was the number of characters. This was the same issue I had with the first book. With the competition element from the first book, I could understand this issue a little more and I let it slide, but I was hoping that the sequel would cut down the number of characters significantly. However, there were still way too many characters to keep track of. I was constantly asking myself who someone was and what they had done. It was almost impossible to keep track and see them as individuals when they didn’t have much dimension to them. In the end, I gave up trying to keep track of all the characters.

The plot felt like it moved very slow and it wasn’t clear until closer to the end what the end goal was. Despite this, I like the plot twists and reveals. It was something I wasn’t expecting and it definitely made the story more interesting. I just wish that it was more clear in the beginning so that it wouldn’t feel like the story was just stumbling around.

Overall, this book may still be enjoyable for those that liked the first book; however, at least for me, this is where the story ends. This series just doesn’t captivate me and I won’t be requesting the ARC for the final book, but I may just finish it on my own time since I’ve read this far already.

Nyxia Unleashed was released on July 17th!

We're finally off the ship and exploring the alien planet. Most of what these brave and complicated teenagers were told proves, of course, to be false. And the twists and turns just keep on coming! The author, Scott Reintgen, sure doesn't pull any punches.

I miss the competition aspect of the Book 1, but it's great to be back with these characters again. I honestly have no idea what will happen in Book 3, but I sure trust Reintgen to make it surprising and exciting. Odds are on hopeful, too, because no matter how bad things are looking for Emmett and the rest, there's an idea here that the best in human(oid) nature will prevail over the worst.

Nyxia ended on a cliffhanger and a big reveal, and Nyxia Unleashed not only rides that tension, but expands it. A wild story from start to finish, twist and turns, great characters, and imaginative world building. This is such a fun YA science fiction series, and really builds on important themes and issues.

This was okay. I wasn't blown away, but I did like it enough that I finished it. I think that there was just too many characters and I couldn't figure out who was who. I mean I like when there are a lot but it seemed that everyone was important and it made it hard for me to remember who was what. I did enjoy the world and everything and it was a solid science fiction novel, but sadly I didn't feel connected to it and just had issues picking it back up to read it. it kinda made me slumpy but I'm slowly getting back into reading afterwards.

I enjoyed the first one, but I loved this one! I'm not big on sci-fi, but if done right, I'll read almost anything. This one captured my attention, and I couldn't wait to read more!

I was so excited to get into <i>Nyxia Unleashed</i> because I absolutely loved <i>Nyxia</i> and was dying for a sequel. While <i>Nyxia Unleashed</i> had some phenomenal writing and exciting adventure in it, it still wasn’t quite as spectacular as its predecessor. I’m not saying that <i>Nyxia Unleashed</i> is bad by any means. I think it’s just suffering a bit from “middle book syndrome” in a trilogy.

<i>Nyxia Unleashed</i> picks up exactly where <i>Nyxia</i> left off as our protagonist, Emmett, finally lands on Eden. It’s a whole new ballgame once they reach the surface. We already knew Babel wasn’t to be trusted but the rabbit hole just seems to be getting deeper and deeper. Emmett and the rest of the Genesis crew have to navigate a hostile world and watch their backs for whatever Babel has up their sleeve. The whole story has an ominous vibe to it and you can literally feel the tension as you’re reading. If I have to be critical, I would say that the story meandered a bit through the middle where it was all about exploring the Imago’s world instead of really furthering the overarching plot with Babel.

The one thing I kept paying attention to was the character’s ages. These kids have been though a lot and it makes them wise beyond their years. However, these characters still don’t read as young as they are meant to be. For example (slight spoiler here) in Nyxia, Morning and Emmet supposedly have sex. In Nyxia Unleashed, Morning reveals she just turned 15. So she had sex at 14 and is also the leader of an interstellar mission. Seems a bit young to me. I could have bought 17 but not 14. The characters read like adults much more than they do young teens. So I would be reading along completely forget these characters weren’t actually adults and something would happen to remind me that these characters are all teens. It was just something that kept coming up for me.

Even though, <i>Nyxia Unleashed</i> does feel really bridge-y it’s not to say that the story itself wasn’t fun as is. The storytelling remains intriguingly complex and the psychological horror Scott Reintgen is able to produce is phenomenal. These kids have no one they can truly trust but each other and they keep getting killed off so to say that the stakes are quite high would be an understatement. The only issue here is that the story structure doesn’t necessarily work as a standalone. It’s incredibly dependent on the previous book and serves as set up for the conclusion. I know… middle novels are supposed to do exactly that. However, I’ve seen them done where they still feel like their own unique story rather than just a piece of the puzzle. However, in the end it doesn’t really matter whether or not it’s too bridge-y or not because it’s a bridge that I’m desperate to cross!

P.S. I wished I got more Anton chapters.

File under A for Amazing
Thanks Random House Children’s Books and Crown Books for the advance reader of Nyxia Unleashed by Scott Reintgen.
There’s no middle book slump here. If anything, Nyxia Unleashed is a stunning sequel and the perfect middle book in the Nyxia Triad.
What is it that made Nyxia Unleashed break through the middle book slump that seems to plague trilogies? Tone. What do I mean by that? It’s a phenomenal balance of somber themes and funny moments, of hard realities and hope. One thing that gets under my skin is that YA characters sometimes forget they are teenagers. *No, I am no longer a teenager and this may be completely wrong because I’m basing this off personal experience. * Sure; be the hero, save that day, but what about the inner struggle, the turmoil, the fact that there are very real transitions going on in that character’s personal life? I guess I feel like sometimes YA teenagers aren’t allowed to be awkward, or freaking out about life, or taking a moment to just be. This may be more relevant in contemporary, but in SFF this seems to almost never get addressed. That said, Nyxia Unleashed showed me that this notion can be dealt with in SFF YA. Maybe it’s just me, but I have never seen such an on-point cast of teenage characters struggling with identity and transition and balancing “saving the world” as I have while reading Nyxia Unleashed. I won’t spoil anything, but Scott Reintgen proves that teenagers can be teenagers in YA science fiction.
How Scott addresses the concepts of race and class is woven with delicate threads. The line between diversity and division are strong and relevant in Nyxia Unleashed with good reason. It’s provoking. I’d call it a major thread throughout the book and it’s beautiful to watch understanding take hold of these characters as they learn more about the world they’ve entered, the people they meet, and each other.
My favorite thing about Nyxia and Nyxia Unleashed is Emmett. I can’t name another character that comes close to Emmett and how he leaps off the page. How he addresses “Good and Evil”, the rationalizing of horrific events and finding a way to counter that. His use of “be good” doesn’t replace or diminished the bad things or forgive it. His entire concept of “do better next time” is the most realistic portrayal I’ve seen when handling topics of violence and war. It’s close to the notion of “forgive, but don’t forget” value of profoundness that sometimes gets lost in YA’s darker stories of revenge or retribution.
There are seriously no words to describe how intense and vibrant Nyxia Unleashed is, but I never once felt like it was too dark or too somber. The moments of hidden joy, the snatches of life that throw inhibition out the window are the things that make this book such a gem and treasure trove of relatable characters. And did I mention there’s an utterly fantastic food scene? You all know I’m a fool for food scenes, right?
I wouldn’t normally say a second book in a trilogy is my favorite, but Nyxia Unleashed is. While I’m sad to see the end of this entire cast of characters, I also am dying to know what happens next in Nyxia Uprising.

When I finished Nyxia, I was dying to get my hands on the second book to see what mysteries and challenges lay ahead. Where the first title focused on the competition and being chosen for the mission to mine nyxia, this title explores what happens when you've "won" that honor. Babel has been keeping secrets. Some of those secrets may get the crew killed if they're not careful.

I'm not got to reveal any spoilers, but I'll say that if you were hooked on the premise in the first title, this second book draws you even further down the rabbit hole. It's full of action, but it takes time to flesh out characters a little bit more. You feel like you're still uncovering things about each of the main players and often that comes through the interactions they have with others. I honestly cannot wait to see how the third title wraps up the series. That book can't be delivered quickly enough...

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was as good as the first! It started right where the first left off, which I loved! It's hard to find some good science fiction and these books definitely do it for me. Although I loved the first more, I expected that since sequels usually fall into that trap.

This book developed the characters a lot more than the first, which was a relief. The themes are great and the lack of romance was a breath a fresh air for me. I will buy this for my collection and wait for the next with bated breath!

I daresay I enjoyed this one even more than the first! This is such a great sci-fi series.

I loved the world of Magnia/Glacia with its two moons and the way the shift in moons dictated the name of the planet. So cool! The culture of the Imago and all of the creatures on the planet was awesome!

The best part of this series is hands down the diversity of the cast of characters. I love how Scott handles all of the cultural barriers and brings together this fabulous band of misfits! They’ve all had a rough past, but find family amongst themselves. Squad goals!!

-"We survive together. Shoulder to shoulder."

I loved the sense of family that the team had. Even though they had their differences, they had each other’s backs no matter what. And I loved the beautiful relationship that Emmett and Morning shared! Also, Emmett is such a great lead. He comes from a rough background and has faced hardship, which makes him so much more empathetic. I loved that he stood up for Axis and the Imago in the outer rings. He does what he has to in order to survive but deep down he is a genuinely good person.

If you haven’t read this series yet, you are missing out!

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!

I was so surprised about this book! I mean, I enjoyed the first book, Nyxia, but it didn't blow me out of the water by any means. This book though...I just devoured it! I loved the character development, the story, the ALIENS. Just so cool!

Learning more about this world was so much fun! I found the culture and history so fascinating. It felt so real that I could honestly imagine a world like this existing in some distant corner of space.

The only reason I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars is that it took me a few chapters to really get into the story (partially because I had a lot of trouble remembering what happened in the first book for some reason). But once I got into the book, I couldn't put it down!

I'm really interested in what learning what happens next! I can't wait for book three!

Thank you to NetGally and Crown Books for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review!

Received from NetGalley for my honest review.

Unleashed starts off right where Nyxia ends, so if you haven't read that, go do so, and don't pay attention to this review. Both books are worth your time, if you are a Sci-fi YA fan.

Despite its flaws, and there are flaws, this series remains HIGHLY enjoyable and entertaining to read. My decision to rate a 5 rather than a 4 is purely because this is an unable-to-put-down type book. You do have to look past some flaws and some "really, they didn't see THAT coming" moments, but overall it's just pure entertainment from characters to the setting to the plot to the conflict. It's all really really good.

I will say, that like the first, there are a few things I didn't like about this second book. Mainly some "dumbass" moments that if they were really the brilliant kids they think they are, and are supposed to be, that they wouldn't have had. Both are spoiler types: [ 1 - really?! They didn't know that both sides wanted them for breeding purposes? I knew that in the FIRST book when they automatically put the girls through. VERY clear there. Granted, the twist with that was unforseen, but for no one to realize? That wasn't how I grew to know these characters. 2 - Emmett leaving the balcony open? Nah, shouldn't have happened. He/they were concerned so much that she locked him in his room but he's careless enough to leave an open door/window? Nope, shouldn't have happened. I can see her still getting in, Nyxia is powerful, I'm sure there's something she could have done to cut the glass. But him leaving a wide open entrance? Didn't sit right with me. (hide spoiler)]

Despite these, and a few other little things, I really did like this book. It's just fun and crazy and different and everything I want in a book.

This is a great follow up in the series. The characters evolve nicely and the plot is fast paced. I'll be watching for more by this author.

This is book 2 in the series and it picks up right after Nyxia. Emmett and some of the Genesis teams have made it to Eden, but at a high cost. Now they have to navigate not only what Babel continues to throw at them, but also what the Adamites (the natives) want from them. We find out more about those motives and this one really gets the plot moving to the finale. There are fantastic characters in the series and the growth is impressive. If you enjoy fast moving sci-fi with a YA leanings, you will enjoy this book. I’m looking forward to the final book in the trilogy.

I. Need. More.

The way Scott Reintgenleaves things off in both this book and the last just kills me in the best way possible. Everything is going good, pace is awesome, I'm really into it, then I glance down and see I'm 95% of the way through the book! Then I'm just in disbelief. "How?! How will things end right here?! He can't leave me at this point!" But alas, I'm left craving the next in the series for so long.

Last time, the whole idea of nyxia and the training of these teens fascinated me. This time, you're given a whole alien world! It's just so great! It was interesting to see the character and relationship growth between everyone after what Babel has done to them, and how they decide to go from there. I also liked the different levels everything was working on, and the different points of view to get the full perspective of the picture as a whole.

I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next. I'd obviously recommend this one to anyone who read Nyxia. I don't think you'll be disappointed. I'd also recommend the series to anyone looking for something new in the sci-fi genre.

Book Reviews – “Nyxia Unleased” eBook was published in 2018 and was written by Scott Reintgen (https://itspronouncedrankin.com). Mr. Reintgen has published two novels, both in his “The Nyxia Triad” series. This is the second novel in that series.

I categorize this novel as ‘PG’ because it contains Mature Language and Mature Situations. The story is set in the far future. The primary character is Emmett Atwater.

Atwater and several other teens have been going through training and selection. Now the few that have survived are transported down to the surface of the planet Nyxia. They have a tight schedule they must adhere to for mining the valuable Nyxia. They are there instead of older humans because the local indigenous people, the Adamites, will not tolerate adult humans. For some reason, though they will tolerate teens.

They are forced to follow the rules set out by the Babel Corporation, but at the same time, they learn much about the local people. They also find themselves facing dangerous indigenous animal life, as well as a splinter group of Adamites. Will Atwater and his colleagues survive and make it back to Earth?

I thoroughly enjoyed the 8+ hours I spent reading this 400 page science fiction novel. Even though I recently read the first novel in the series, I found the beginning of this novel confusing. It jumps into the story without any real preparation. I would definitely say that this is not a good stand-alone read. You should read “Nyxia” first. The cover is OK but really does not relate to the story. I give this novel a 3.8 (rounded up to a 4) out of 5.

Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

I read the first book in this series as an ARC before it came out, and I was more or less blown away. I loved it, and I couldn’t wait for the release of the sequel. So, I was so happy when I got the opportunity to read the ARC of Nyxia Unleashed too, and I had been waiting for so long to see what happened to Emmet and all the other kids from Genesis 11 and 12.

Nyxia Unleashed takes us on a very different journey than what the first installment in the series did. Now we find ourselves on an alien planet full of dangers and our cast is scarred and hurt from all that Babel put them through. They struggle with through of what they’ve been forced to do, which getting back home and who to trust.

All in all, I truly enjoyed this story and the twists and turns this story takes are enjoyable. I love seeing the relationship between Morning and Emmet evolve despite these harsh conditions, and it’s a joy to once and awhile get a glimpse of the lightheartedness we saw in book one. This sequel though, is dark and heart wrenching, so many dilemmas, so many ways to take and the slightest mistake might end in disaster. There’s definitely nothing wrong with the tension and conflict here.

There are, however, a few things that does take down the rating a bit for me here. In particular, I find that it has introduced too many twisty obstacles, and yet still manages to have large sections without anything really happening. We get thrown here and there without really getting anything fully explained or fleshed out. In a way it felt a bit rushed, as if the author wanted to include so much detail of this world and the story that it all in the end turned into a confusing mush embedded in a slow meaningless bubble.

The second thing is that there was a whole lot of namedropping in the beginning, and for me (who’s incredibly awful at remembering names) it was so confusing. I had no idea who these people were and therefore I could not relate to a single thing that happened. So, for those like me, I strongly recommend rereading the first book in the series to freshen up the memory.

I also fail to really see the point of having the two other POV put in there when one only appeared once and the other like three times. I would have loved to either have none of it, or more of it. The way it is now feels like a middle-way that didn’t work.

Lastly, I want to add that by the time we go to the 70% mark of the book, things really took off, and I once again saw the fast-paced action that I loved so much in Nyxia. When the pieces start to fall into place it’s such an incredible feeling, and just like in the first book, Nyxia Unleashed really manages to both wrap up the plot in a great way and hook us to read the next one. And I’ll surely read the next book too, even though I’m dreading to find out that my hunch regarding one of the characters is correct.

So, did you like Nyxia? Don’t miss the sequel.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was so excited for this book coming out, especially with the first one ending like it did, so I was so happy to see an email saying I had been approved I let out a little squeal.
Unfortunately this book seemed to fall into the second book in a trilogy slump I always seem to hit, the setting up for the explosive ending third book. That’s not to say that I hated the book, I really enjoyed it, there was such little details that always seem to get glossed over in science fiction books that were explained.
“He explains that he was in charge of taking their system and converting everything into the one used on Earth.”
This doesn’t seem like much, but honestly, I thought that adding in something so small, something you don’t usually think about just explained the amount of care that Reintgen has put into creating such an immersive world, something that most authors wouldn’t think about adding in when describing another planet in kilometres.
The book answered enough questions from the first one, but still leaving enough for the third, plus adding a couple that guarantee that you will buy the third as soon as it comes out, just so that you can get those answers that you’ll be thinking about until the release.
The best thing about a slower paced book is the amount of time spent on the character development. Even a character like Isadora, who you don’t see too much of in the book becomes more fleshed-out and given an arc which, by the end makes her more relatable.
Honestly the character I was most interested in hearing a bit more about was Morning. With her introduction towards the end of the first book we didn’t know much about her as a person, but reading about her time spent with Genesis 11 crew, especially Emmett, has cemented her place in my heart as my favourite character. She’s strong, leading the crew in a way which was written so well that you can’t help but wish you had the opportunity to have her as a friend looking out for you.
Overall, the book wasn’t as fast paced, all action competition story like the first, but picked up where the first one left off and made you see the characters as people, not just names in a book.
5/5 stars

[I was given a free digital copy through NetGalley]

Returning to this fast-paced, sci-fi coming-of-age story was a little rocky for me at first. I hadn't been immersed in Reintgen's world for some time, but the characters I grew to know and love in the first novel quickly brought me back to ground level. I was excited to see our main character Emmett develop more, rising and falling with the evils thrown at him from all sides, including himself. My favorite part was getting a chance to see the sides of other characters who were more background in the previous novel. The group of kids that take centre place in this novel is a family, and Reintgen leaves the reader feeling the same. If readers of this sequel are looking for a couple of fun plot twists, they aren't likely to be disappointed. While some of the ending plot points fell a little flat for me, I feel as though Reintgen will right falls these in the following novel, or at least bring them to a more sensible level. Perhaps those points didn't hit with me because of my high expectations from the previous novel, but despite that, the ending is not a part to avoid or gloss through. In this book, no one is safe, and there's nothing like a little mortality-reminder to shock some kids (and a furthering plot) into high gear.