Disclaimers: I was given a free ARC of Nyxia Unleashed through Netgalley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. Spoilers ahead!

I rarely prefer a sequel over the first book in a series, but Nyxia Unleashed deserves every one of those five stars. This book exceeded all of my expectations! I found myself craving the next installment in the series before I even reached the end. I particularly enjoyed learning more about the Imago's culture and history, as well as their motives for agreeing to Babel's deal in the first place. Neither side is innocent, which gives Genesis 11 and 12 a difficult choice to make. The only question left is...did they make the right one?

Nyxia Uprising, the third and final book in the series, is set to release on April 16th of next year.

Do I recommend this book? Yes.
Will I be reading the rest of this series? Yes.

“We’re weapons. They made us this way.
And we’re coming for them.”


I READ Nyxia Unleashed IN ONE SITTING. I started this book just yesterday, got invested again on page 2, and LOOKED UP FOUR HOURS LATER, on page 400, HAVING TURNED THE LAST PAGE, DONE WITH THIS MARVEL AND DESPERATELY WANTING MORE.

THIS BOOK WAS THE DEFINITION OF A PERFECT SEQUEL, WITH HIGH STAKES, A BRILLIANT, EVER-EVOLVING PLOT AND STELLAR WRITING. I am BLOWN AWAY by how Scott Reintgen’s ability to write and to keep changing the game and always keep me at the edge of my seat. Nyxia Unleashed was everything I hoped it would be and more, and I NEED the next book in my life.

ALL THE THINGS I LOVED:

1. The World-Building: This was SUCH a crucial element to me, because Nyxia, book one, ended with the winners of Babel’s ‘competition’ hurtling down towards a new planet. I LOVED the descriptions of the Adamites (or the Imago), the planet Eden itself, the Sevenset, the creatures (especially the Century) within and even the people and their customs. There was this particular scene in a restaurant in the Sixth Ring, with such vivid descriptions to the cuisine that I absolutely loved! It was all these small details that made me feel like I was learning about an alien planet like I was actually there and it was brilliant.

2. The Genesis: We learn later in the book that Imago call the humans the Genesis. I feel like I didn’t know enough about the crew on Genesis 12 during the last book, and I struggled to remember the names of the ten kids IN the original Genesis 11 before Genesis 12, but I loved how Scott Reintgen wrote them all as complex characters, each with a different storyline and I TRULY enjoyed getting to know each of them. I absolutely ADORE Anton, Parvin, Omar, Katsu, Longwei (strangely enough) and, of course, Morning and Emmett right now.

3. Morning, the Genius Leader and Plotter: I have some SERIOUS respect for Morning. I couldn’t like her because she was (sort of) the enemy in the previous book, but I TRULY TRULY grew to love her in Nyxia Unleashed. I loved her fierce loyalty, her cunning mind and her skill.

4. ALL THE TWISTS AND TURNS: I couldn’t attempt to predict this book and this series, even if I tried my level best. The game kept evolving, the stakes kept rising, there was so many bonds being made and broken, and so many truth coming to light that I found it IMPOSSIBLE to tear myself away from it all. It was truly a riveting read.

At the end of my review of Nyxia, I distinctly remember calling Scott Reintgen an ‘evil genius.’ After finishing Nyxia Unleashed, I’ll amend that statement and just call him a genius because THIS BOOK AND THIS SERIES AND THESE CHARACTERS AND ALL THEY GO THROUGH, FIGHTING BETWEEN TWO POWERFUL FORCES, AND THE STAKES AND THE PLANS AND THE PLOT TWISTS ARE JUST SO PERFECT, AND MIND BOGGLING THAT I’M IN AWE.

Basically, I’m obsessed. I will now return to my bookworm shell until book three is in my hands. Goodbye.

I received an eARC in return for an honest review.

Emmett and Morning are once again trying to get their crew out of Babel's grasp, and this installment is full of twists, turns, double-crosses, and danger as they fight their way through and hope to make it back to Earth.

A fantastic book two. Fans of the first one will be able to jump right in and get back to the story as it left off in book 1. The writing is consistent, and there is plenty of drama to keep the reader hooked.

This is the second book in the Nyxia Triad; the third book is scheduled to be released in April of 2019. I honestly don’t think this works well as a standalone, because you would miss too many details.

The story is mostly about a group teenagers, who lived on earth but accepted an opportunity to work for Babel so their families could be lifted from poverty and/or have badly needed healthcare. There are greedy people that run Babel and the Imago that make up the population of the planet the teenagers are working on. The author, Scott Reintgen, does a wonderful job of world building. The planet is described in such good detail that I could almost picture it in my mind. There is tension because the teenagers have been pitted against each other during training, and one of them is seeking revenge. The Imago also throw uncertainty in the mix, because I was not sure which ones were the good guys and which could possibly be the bad, and there are some very dangerous creatures on this planet.

This is labeled as a YA book—ages 12 to 18, but I feel people who are older will appreciate it. There is a pregnant, unmarried teen and a very brief mention of two boys who like each other, but there aren’t many details about this relationship.

Really loved this book more than the first one, if that is even possible. My favorite character of course is Emmett. The the ending was very interesting and can't wait to see what happens next to all of my favorite characters.
I also liked that the author wasn't afraid to kill people off. Even though some of the deaths were really sad.
If you want to know more about how I felt about the book, my blog is the following link that will take you straight to my review of this awesome and amazing book!!!!
http://lorimurray.booklikes.com/post/1779294/book-tour-for-nyxia-unleashed-for-rock-star-book-to

I have been waiting not so patiently for almost a whole year to read this book, so you can bet that as soon as it popped up on NetGalley, I requested it.

The first book more than exceeded my expectations, so I had much higher expectations when I started reading this book.

I almost forgot how much I ♥ ♥ ♥ these characters!!! Morning is EVERYTHING! She is a genius and a total badass, and I absolutely love Emmett!

The character development was great in the first book, and it just goes deeper and deeper with the characters we know (and some we love), as well as some new ones. The world building was amazing, yet again. In the first book, the author introduced us to Babel and their space travel capabilities and technology. In this book, he introduces us to a whole other world.

I promise I'm not going to gush over every character, but I also forgot how much I love Kitsu and how funny he is. I also gained a new appreciation for Anton in this book. I don't want to give away any spoilers, though.

My thoughts after finishing this book: HOLY CRAP!

Scott Reintgen certainly knows how to write a cliffhanger. I don't know why I was expecting anything different after the ending to book #1.

Again, I don't want to give away any spoilers, but I kept guessing at Babel's and the Adamites' true intentions for bringing a bunch of kids to the Eden. One of my guesses was pretty close, but there was a HUGE twist, actually several huge twists at the climax, that I never saw coming.

If you haven't read book # 1, I recommend do ing that now so that you can read this book ASAP!

I can't wait to see what happens in book # 3, Nyxia Uprising . I'm so sad that it's not scheduled to be released until April 2019! That is way too long!

I received a copy of this book from the publishers, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Emmett is now on Eden and the fun is about to start. When you have to figure out which side is the lesser of two evil Babel or the Adamites. What is really going on? Are they really there for Nyxia or something else? Will they make it back to earth? Pick up this action packed book to find out what happens to Emmett and the Genesis team.

I loved this book. It was action packed and full of surprises. The writing is great! This is the 2nd book in the series and you need to read the 1st one or you will be lost. I am looking forward to where book 3 is going to take us next and how this will all turn out. If you enjoy Science Fiction do yourself a favor and start this series if you haven't yet.

Nyxia Unleashed is the second book in The Nyxia Triad. Just like the first book, I absolutely loved this and gave it FIVE well-deserved stars. This is a YA science-fiction novel that is incredibly inclusive and has a strong undercurrent of social commentary which I thoroughly appreciated and enjoyed.

In this book, our MC, Emmett Atwater and the rest of the kids from Book One have now arrived on the planet they have previously known as Eden. Throughout their training, Babel, the corporation they work for, had taught and prepared them for meeting the "aliens", who they called Adamites, of this planet. Once on Eden, the kids are assigned local emissaries that ultimately end up teaching them in the true ways of their planet, which they call Magnia and refer to themselves as the Imago people. They travel through the various communities of this planet meeting with the peoples and learning their history, political structure and immediate societal issues. The kids, disenchanted with Babel Corporation, after their excruciating training period, begin to realize that Babel's goals are much more sinister than they had previously expressed. Without giving too much away, they must ultimately decide who and what they are willing to fight for.

"What happens next will change the fate of worlds. We are genesis."

This novel is much darker than the first as the subject matter settles down and becomes more serious. Throughout the book I had an incredible feeling of something ominous just at the edge of the horizon. As the storyline began to unfold, I had no clue as to where it was leading. I loved learning about the Imago and experiencing the wonder of learning about their society, past and future. This story is an excellent examination of colonizing powers, indigenous populations and how people choose to treat other people.

"Do we treat others with the dignity they deserve, regardless of where they come from?"

"There are some things a person should never stand by and watch...Pops taught me that much."

The above are thoughts of Emmett Atwater, our protagonist. Emmett is such a sweet, precious little cupcake. He is a great kid, raised but loving parents in the city of Detroit, where although poor, he never lacked for love or a strong kick in the backside, whichever he needed more. Seeing Emmett grapple with good versus evil, standing up for what he believes is right, overcoming adversity, is such an enjoyable thing to read. I loved watching him gaining strength and confidence throughout these two books and I am so excited to see where the third book takes him. He could lead a revolution, this one!

The other kids working with him are from all over the world - we really have everyone represented here - there are kids from Africa, Asia, the Middle East, South America, Europe, we have LGBTQ+ characters and we get to learn a bit about all of their perspectives; it's a great thing to see in a YA book. We learn the most about them in Book One but I thought it was important to bring up again here for people searching for diverse representation in their books.

"I'm an angel without wings. I'm a demon without fire."

The ending of this book was INCREDIBLE! I have no idea how I am going to make it until next April waiting for the last book in the series. (cue letter writing to publisher begging for early copy...) We are on the edge of a major precipice here - a battle of good versus evil - a battle where fates and worlds will indeed be changed. Are the kids on the right track? Have they made the right choices? Are they siding with the right people? I DON'T KNOW!!!! But I am incredibly ready to find out! If you like sci-fi, if you like diverse books, if you like books with a point, please, please, please pick up this series! It deserves all the love it can get!

Thank you so much to Crown Books for Young Readers for giving me the opportunity to read this book early. It was one of my most anticipated books of the year so I am very grateful!!!

Wow! Super smart and talented teens pitted against unknowable odds. What could possibly go wrong? ANd when it does, this is how they'll fix it!

Let me start by saying I liked this one. I don’t think I liked it more than the last book, my gut reaction is a 3.5. But I also DO think I liked it more than the last book because we aren’t in routine simulations anymore and there is so much more to see and learn. It was so great to finally get down to business on the planet surface, see some relationships grow and twist and burn and rage and...damn. Getting answers to the fallout of the final chapters was more painful than I imagined. But mix that with a new world to explore, lots a monsters and aliens, a healthy dash of shade and political intrigue, and this was pretty darn good for a centerpiece of a trilogy.

The next book is going to be the true test of how I feel about the whole series. I sort of wish it were here already. That next cover is glorious! And I think the author has such a great handle on the plot and all the twists and surprises that we will be in for a delicious finale. So 4 stars it is! Can’t wait for the next one!

I know. This review is coming super late and I am here-to-fore self proclaimed a slacker and a procrastinator.

This series continues to amaze me at how incredible it is. With the diverse cast of characters, to the character development, to the plot development, to the world building, to the twists and turns, I am left amazed and astounded. Scott is incredibly brilliant. That's all there is to it.

"We're weapons. They made us this way. And we're coming for them."

This line reminds me low-key of The Hunger Games series. As in, "remember who the real enemy is." While you begin to root for one team over another, one character to prevail over another, you are left to take a step back and realize...these kids are not the enemies. They are put in terrible situations, life or death situations, because of outside forces.

I am glad we got to meet the Adamites (Imago) and see their planet. I don't want to say anything other than that, however, for fear of giving too much away.

Thank you to the publishers and those over at NetGalley for giving me an eARC to review and I'm sorry that I couldn't get my brain together to write a review sooner.

I received my copy from NetGalley for an honest review. When I read the first book I was excited that there was gonna be another after reading Nyxia Unleashed I NEED the season book like since yesterday! All the action, betrayal, deaths! Man everything in this book blew my mind AWAY!! I can’t wait the last installment! Like really this book is amazing!

IMHO: Nyxia Unleashed
I really enjoyed Nyxia, but it wasn't without it's problems. Like convenient deaths and not so subtle twists. I wasn't convinced by the quick romance, but reminded myself adrenaline builds relationships.

With the MC left shuttling out to space and fading to black, I was very excited for the next book.

Nyxia Unleashed begins RIGHT where Nyxia left off. I didn't have problems keeping up but refreshing my memory with a character list would've been good. If you were bored of the repetitive tasks of the Babel training (which I was very surprised to read is a common enough complaint in negative reviews), there's no repetition here.

Everything is a new experience, new places, new people, new information.
Nyxia....I was not prepared for the reveals about it. At all.
The romance won me over
The Ice Queen melted.
Different people stood out
Love the leadership changes and portrayal
Love the character progression
Babel Vs. Imago feels like a real chess match fitting trillion dollar capitalist colonizers and an advanced alien civilization.
Imago and their culture are not perfect and are relatable
Fuck colonizers!!!!
FIGHT THE POWER!!!!

Of course, ends on a major OH SHIT twist that makes me want to read the next one right NOW.

I can't think of a single solitary thing to complain about. Well, I do think it's a pity how binary both cultures are, but that's a ubiquitous problem.



Fav Quotes from Nyxia Unleashed:

He never apologized for a single tear. Neither will I.

A little more research and we discover the worst: the Imago live in a world without chocolate.


I have not prayed for him up here in space, but I have threatened whichever gods are listening. Keep him safe, or I will come for you, too.


The kind of men who wear imaginary crowns always enjoy a stage.

Better than the first. You'll definitely want to read this series in order. Emmett and crew are all interesting characters that make missteps and have divided loyalties. The alien world they land on has a lot of surprises in store for them. I can't wait to read the conclusion!

Fast & Actiony
This is definitely a fast story. There are lots of action scenes to keep the reader on their toes and each one tries to shake up the story a bit more by either upping the stakes or offering new information, which gives the reader another chance to guess at what’s going on. There are also slower sections interspersed, which allows the reader a breather and a chance to absorb everything they’ve just read.

Safe & Un-Unique
Not sorry to be making this statement: the world where the Adamites live and their society is nothing new. Every piece of their world and their culture was clearly pulled from Earth. Nothing about them was even remotely unique, which meant that I really had no interest in getting to know them or their culture or society or anything. It was very bland. It was very safe. And I would have liked to see more cultural differences between the humans and Adamites to offer an interesting story and some fun twists, but it just wasn’t there.

Active vs Passive
Unfortunately, the characters in this sequel are not active in the slightest. A lot happens to them. A lot is out of their control and they spend a good portion of the book making decisions and trying to figure things out. Honestly, it read like a middle book of a trilogy (oh, the cliche!) Stuff did happen. Things were revealed, but the main characters just didn’t DO much. It was like they were along for the ride for 90% of the book and that makes it difficult to become invested in the story.

So many things could be written about Nyxia Unleashed! I am always afraid for the next installment to come along after I fall in love with the first book in a series. I couldn’t wait for Nyxia Unleashed to be released after reading Nyxia last year. I was on pins and needles with anticipation. As I said though, I am always worried that the next book will let me down, that the storyline will get confusing, or that the plot gets dropped and/or twisted in a direction that doesn’t feel right… Nyxia Unleashed didn’t let me down. It was, in my honest opinion, even better than the first book!! It ended with me wanting more, which is always a good sign, AND, I have no idea what direction the last book will take to finish off this trilogy. It’s a mystery as to what Mr. Reintgen has in store for the last part of the “Triad”. Again, I am left waiting, that’s a good thing!

With a book like the Nyxia Triad, you never want to give away any of the good stuff, but I can’t wait until whichever one of you, my dear readers, hits the pages where the Imago introduces Genesis to the different rings in their world. It was a most excellent adventure. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I really, truly, couldn’t put this book down.

Just a word about the imprint for this series, it may be published under the Young Readers/ Children’s section of Crown Books (an Imprint of Random House Publishing), however, it is not too young that it doesn’t interest all age groups. I am not sure that it’s actually for super young readers as it does have a teen feel to it. Like any other Sci-Fi/ Fantasy book, I would suggest reading it to your kids, then you can discuss some of the different themes in the book.

More about the book: The writing is descriptive and inventive, although there were a few times I thought I was reading a scene from Star Wars, just from a few of the lines though. That’s not a bad thing people, I am a Star Wars fanatic! Mr. Reintgen keeps the reader in suspense as to what the next scene will bring. Speaking of scenes, I truly believe, and I’ve said this before in my Nyxia review, that this series will be turned into one or more episodes of a movie. Don’t take my word for it though, you really do need to read Nyxia Unleashed if you liked Nyxia, and decide for yourself if you think it will be a near future movie, Fathom?

I gave this book my highest rating of 5 stars!! It is just out of this world. :)

I received this book from Random House Children’s via NetGalley in lieu of my honest opinion. This is that opinion.

This book took me way too long to pick up. Life got in the way and I also decided to reread the first book in the series to catch up on all that had happened. Despite how long it took for me to finally pick up this book, this series fascinates me because I am not the biggest sci-fi fan, but this series has truly made me read page after page. (As proven with me finishing this novel in a day after I decided to actually start reading.)

Emmett enters the world of the Adamites in this novel and goes through lots of adventure and even some romance! The relationships between the Genesis crew and Babel or with the crew and the Adamites is something that really builds in this novel. It also reveals a different kind of connection between Genesis and Babel and if you thought there were secrets in the first novel, be prepared to encounter even more!

​Death played a huge role in this series from the first novel, Nyxia, and again in this one, death pushes them apart or back together. Even though the deaths are tragic, they really push the plot and help develop the characters.

I loved the adventure, the emotion, the crazy dynamics, but I really loved the world building. One of the main reasons I prefer fantasy novels to sci-fi is because of the fascinating different worlds, but Nyxia Unleashed had it all! From the unique new foods, to the interesting social ranks, this was a part of the novel that really kept me reading.

Reading this sequel really reminded why I enjoyed the first novel so much and now I can't wait for the third book in this series!

**4.5 Stars**
Emmett made it through the competitions to be selected for the Eden mission, but his challenges are just starting. After learning some harsh truths about the Babel corporation that set everything in motion, as well as the fate of his friends, Emmett feels even more broken. But with new alliances and some known enemies, Emmett will do whatever he can to survive and discover the truth of Nyxia, Babel and Eden. But not everyone can survive...

I think I liked Nyxia Unleashed even better than the first book because I never knew what to expect! Every page and encounter held something new and potentially dangerous to battle, be it creatures on Eden, enemies among "friends", betrayals, to dangerous jobs. I never knew what would happen next and it kept me on my toes, making me just as anxious as Emmett was. The first book, Nyxia, helped create the futuristic world and set up what was to come, but Nyxia Unleashed completely destroyed what we thought we knew and instead it was a whole new world and game- if it ever was a game.

Can I just mention that Scott totally ripped apart any and all good will and hope that I felt at the end of book 1 within the first chapter of book 2? In case you needed more reassurance, this is not your happy bedtime story with unicorns and - unless your bedtime stories are the original Grimm tales full of death and horror, then yep you are on the right place. This series is like the best mix of the violence and competition of death reminiscent of The Hunger Games, the space politics and self discovery of Ender's Game and classic sci-fi space exploration with new technology and the most amazing of world building. The world that Scott created on Eden is fantastic and deadly, with new creatures and the most thought out of situations and dynamics. Hands down, this was the most complicated, dark, compelling book I have read recently that makes you questions everything as well as what is right and what is allowed when survival is on the line.

Emmett is a great character that I completely root for. He is by no means perfect, but instead a real person, with a past and flaws and all. He experiences self-doubt as well as anger and hurt, but through his family and his friends he knows he can make the best decisions and stay true to himself (or the himself he wants to be). In Nyxia we watch him grow from a boy into a man, learn leadership and how to forgive, making him pretty much unstoppable (at least to me, but whatever Babel). In Nyxia Unleashed, we watch him in a new light of romance which added another facet to his personality- but he is also a force to be reckoned with and that makes him dangerous. As a side note, there were a few chapters narrated by a pretty unknown character Anton, which I found interesting and I now need to know more (and maybe what makes all the kids tick!)

And yet again, the ending just ripped the floor right out from underneath me! I thought I knew what was happening, had a firm grasp on the future for Emmett and now I know nothing. This series has the most shocking of conclusions, making you count down the days until the next book is released- but it is totally worth it. I highly recommend this series for any one who likes dystopian, sci-fi, danger, and twists- make sure to start at the beginning so you don't miss out on a single stress filled intense moment.

I reviewed a advanced complimentary copy of this title. Come visit me at Smada's Book Smack for more bookish stuff

The first book was good, the second was better, I have hopes that book three will be AMAZING! So one thing that is so great about this series is the diversity of characters. I love that the cast is not all the same run-of-the-mill lost in space good boy from home. The Babel corp chose this crew of kids who they thought they could mold into strong adults, and who could overcome adversity and be strong on this new planet in the face of danger. The crew is supposed to be mining Nyxia on this new planet, all the while talks of colonization with the natives of the planet are tense. Under the events and actual storyline of the book are important topics and things to think about. This is a really great series and I hope that it gets the attention it deserves.

Emmett Atwater thought he knew Babels game, he had thought it was easy. Babels orders were simple enough, extract Nyxia, the most valuable and prized material in the universe. To do so, Emmett and his crew must play nice with the Adamites.
They soon realize they are caught between two powerful forces now, Babel and the Ada mites. With clashing desires, will the genesis team make it out alive? Emmett and the other survivors must really and forge their own path through a new world. Emmett already has a plan.

Exciting, action packed, and full of surprising great moments!! Loved it even more than the first