This book takes place right after Nyxia, and it starts at a good place for a returning reader. There is good character development as they realize all the secrets that they did not know in the previous book and conflict is well-placed and consequentially, well-resolved. The plot is interesting and intriguing, with many unexpected twists. It is a book that draws you in the more you read it, and you get frustrated along with the characters because many of them are relatable. I especially love that aspect of the characters, it really lends a lot to the book. I would recommend this book and Nyxia to any sci-fi fan and I'm anxiously waiting for the next one!

I received an advance copy of this from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

okay, so much like my review of the first one, this is a BIT derivative and it's easy to see where the story is going at any given time but it's still interesting enough that you can't put it down and have to devour it in one sitting (while writing some irritated comments on it as your GoodReads update feed).

emmett's journey to the planet picks up exactly where the first left off and we are then treated to a lot of action and new characters on the planet as the teens traverse it learning more about the evil corp and the not so evil aliens. it still makes zero sense that anyone would WANT a handful of 16 year olds to help them do anything, but suffice it to say that is the whole plot here. also i had a lot of politically motivated feels as the book tried to provide some nice morals about a "good" society where people help each other and don't lock children up in cages, so that was sometimes very on point with our current horrible state of government in the US.

I'll read the 3rd one. I'm hooked.

Nyxia: Unleashed picks up right where Nyxia left off. Emmett has just escaped with his life after Babel made him fight one of his competitors for only one spot inside the pod heading to Eden. Now that he's reached the planet he has no idea what he's in for. 

Once Emmett meets up with the rest of his crew members at the first base they are contracted to mine, they finally meet the Adamite's. The crewmembers are broken up into three teams and will be placed with one Adamite who will help them navigate the area to the mining sites. During these days Emmett and his team learn about the history of the Adamite's and share their diverse histories with them as a way of getting to know this new race and the planet they will be mining over the next year. It is through this process that they realize what they've been told is way off base from what is actually going on. 

I love Emmett and Morning as a couple. At one point they are put in a situation where they have to trust each other more than anything in order to survive and during this scene they discover more about what the Nyxia can do. Together they discover a multitude of secrets Babel has kept from them and work as a leaders of the teams in order to come up with a plan to get off of Eden and back home. 

As each one of Babel's secrets become revealed Emmett is forced to look over his shoulder because one of the crewmembers has put a death warrant out against him. When she decides to leave and align herself with the female Adamite's things start to get really crazy. While all this is happening down on Eden another crewmember has made an escape back to Babel in order to get inside information on what is really going on from up on the space station. 

A war is coming. By the end of this second installment people will be dead, alliances will be made, and the truth behind all their training is revealed when they are forced to fight. The only question is who's team are they fighting on? 

"We're weapons. They made us this way."

**I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own**
After reading the first book, I knew this was a series that I would become attached to. I don't always read a ton of science fiction, but all the books I do pick up end up being pretty good. This book kinda reminds me a little bit of the Illuminae Files, so if you liked that series, you'd probably like this one too.
The characters develop more in this book as they begin their journey on the planet. They hit some snags in their plans, which ultimately leads to a change in plan. Emmett and Monday both have suspicions of Bable as well as the Adamites, but they kinda have the right to be. Babel twisted everything into a game that couldn't be won and the Adamites kinda tricked everyone (saying no more!) There are more secrets and twists in this book than I was ready for, but boy was it worth the surprise!
Also....that cliffhanger though....

Boy was I excited to read this second installment in the Nyxia Triad! I loved Nyxia when I read it last year, and I was so eager to find out what happened to Emmett and the other Genesis kids. I actually did a second read of Nyxia just before diving in to Nyxia Unleashed, and I’m glad I did, not because I forgot what happened so much as because I got to reacquaint myself with the characters and all the things I love (or hate!) about them. For me, these characters are what make this series so special. Scott has really taken the time to flesh out their personalities, to make them all so unique and yet so similar (i.e., poor and broken, as Roathy and Kaya point out in the first book).

I know some reviewers that I’ve read didn’t like the fact that the entirety of the first book was spent on board the spaceship and then the Tower Space Station; although I had no problem with it because there was so much to love about the characters and the story, I do understand the criticism. Rest assured, however, that this concern is wiped away in book two! When we left book one, Emmett and the remaining kids who “won” Babel’s competition launched from the station to head to Eden (a mild spoiler, but one that is given away by the book’s synopsis), and after the year-long wait we finally get to find out what happens to them! (That was a bit of a cliffhanger ending, wasn’t it?!) What awaits them on Eden? How will they interact with the Adamites? Heck, who even made it down to the planet’s surface?! You will find out all this and more, I promise :)

Since I like the characters so much, I loved getting reacquainted with them and, in the case of the Genesis 12 kids, of whom we didn’t know nearly as much as we did about our main crew on Genesis 11, getting to know them on more than a surface level. It was kind of amazing how quickly I was able to go from really, really disliking some characters in book one to doing a complete 180 in book two. And it was the kind of thing that snuck up on me, really; at some point I realized I had started to care about certain kids that I’d found it very difficult to like in the first book! It’s a teaching moment, actually, of the whole idea of not judging a book by its cover and walking a mile in another’s shoes. Getting to spend more time with the Genesis 12 kids (and some of the G11 kids!) allows us to know them in more depth, and once we have the fuller picture, we are able to empathize with them. Morning was a great character in the first book, but in this one…let me tell you, there will be no damsels in distress being saved by gallant young men in this book! No, sir! Morning can take care of herself AND her entire crew, and no one is ever going to forget that about her. She actually really rivaled Emmett for my affections in this second installment! I love her so much.

It was fun to be with the characters as they have first encounters with all kinds of awesome creatures unique to Eden, as well as when they meet the Adamites, who are thrilled to have them on planet. Based on what happened at the end of the first book, though, the kids realize that it’s not anywhere near as simple as just doing the job Babel sent them to do, i.e., mining nyxia. After all, we all learned in book one that Babel will change the rules whenever they feel like it, and there isn’t much of a concept of “fairness” when it comes to playing by their rules. Be prepared for twists and turns, betrayals and alliances, and, of course, any number of underhanded tricks from Babel. The kids may be on an alien planet that will not welcome Babel’s top officers, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re out of Babel’s reach! In fact, will they *ever* be out of Babel’s reach? Or will Babel be able to touch them wherever they go? And what about the Adamites–are they friend, or are they foe?

I loved this book almost as much as the first, even though, or perhaps because, it’s so different. I enjoyed seeing a new planet from the eyes of the kids of Genesis 11 and 12, now collectively referred to as “Genesis” by the Adamites. Sure, there were some questions I had and there was a fair bit of suspension of disbelief required, but this isn’t a hard sci-fi in most respects, so I tried to let those go and just enjoy the ride… and what a blast it was! Now, I just have the wee problem of needing to know what the final outcome will be and I don’t know how I can possibly wait another year to find out!!

I highly recommend Nyxia Unleashed, and if you haven’t yet read Nyxia, do it! These kids will work their way into your heart before long, I guarantee. I love knowing that Scott honored his students by creating characters that are representations of their personalities, their histories, their struggles, and their triumphs. I have a feeling he’s THE teacher in whose class all the kids want to end up! And he is now an author whose work I will always follow.

Rating: 5 shooting stars!

**Disclosure: Thanks so much to Crown BFYR, Scott Reintgen, and Rockstar Book Tours for the chance to take part in this blog tour. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher for purposes of the tour. This is my honest rating and review of the book, and it is voluntary on my part.

Shoulder to shoulder.

Nyxia Unleashed is a completely different book from its predecessor. Nyxia Unleashed follows the events following Nyxia just as the group is landing on the Adamites’ planet. In some ways, I found Nyxia Unleashed to be a lot more thrilling, with just as much action, but with higher stakes.

But, something that really set it apart this time, were the friendships between the group. As the plot progresses, and horrors are slowly being unfolded, the group of kids have to rely and depend on each other more than ever. Not just physically, but also mentally and emotionally as they try to remain normal and survive what they’ve been out through.

Another aspect that was mentioned more in Nyxia Unleashed than even in Nyxia was the distinction between social classes on both Earth and the Adamite’s planet. While on earth, people are discriminated against skin color and prosperity, on the Adamite’s planet, they were discriminated based off of what section they lived in. I wish their class system had been explained a little better, but in the grand scheme of things, it made a point without the explanation, and also without slowing the pacing down.

Overall, the cast of characters is well-done, the pacing is quick (but not too quick), and for a middle-of-the-trilogy Book, it still serves a purpose, while also being fun to read. I think I actually like it better than Nyxia?

I loved this sequel to Nyxia. This follows our main character Emmett a he lands on an alien planet after a Hunger Games style competition in space. Emmett and the other members that won their spots to land on Eden must work together to mine Nyxia, a rare but spectacular substance that really has no bounds in its application. Babel, the corporation that funded the mission and has contracts with the locals, is up to something and Emmett and his comrades know it. The Genisis crew doen’t know who to trust, they just know that Babel has betrayed them, and the Adamites aka the Imago are keeping something as well. The Imago, will only work with children as they are sacred to their culture, so Babel has sent teenagers to the planet to mine nyxia and forge relationships. The story shifts from a play to win game to that of an Avatar style game of political intrigue where the big corporation wants something from the planet, but the locals want something too. The Genesis crew is stuck in the middle not knowing who to trust.

Once on the planet the crew of teenagers keep up their end of the bargain, they mine the nyxia, make nice with the locals, and stay friendly with Babel. They also trying to figure out what is going on with Babel and the Imago. They know that there are holes on both sides of the story, they just don’t know which side is the worse ally. On top of the secrets being kept, within the ranks of the Imago, there is a rebel faction that wants to use the teenagers to get to Earth to start over. This causes the Imago to speed up the timeline for Emmett and his friends. They quickly come to learn about the Imago, their culture, and eventually their real plans. They also learn more about the promises Babel made on their behalf. In the meantime the Genesis crew has made some plans of their own in an attempt to get more information about what Babel is doing and what they have planned. We are left on kind of a cliffhanger, but there was a ton of action and quite few twists that I didn’t see coming. I’m anxious to read the next book in the trilogy to see what happens next and how everything play out.

I really like all of the characters and their development so far. We know the Genesis crew from book 1 already, but many of them continue to develop here in book 2. Relationships both romantic and platonic develop, and there are some characters that completely change their tune. The Imago are well described and each of them have a personality. The world building is great too. The creatures on the alien planet were described well as well as the surroundings and activities of the Imago culture.

Getting to Eden brought Emmett and his crewmates one step closer to their promised fortune. But surviving Eden may be the biggest reward of all. Discover book two in the trilogy Marie Lu called, “a high-octance thriller.”

Emmett Atwater thought Babel’s game sounded easy. Get points. Get paid. Go home. But it didn’t take long for him to learn that Babel’s competition was full of broken promises, none darker or more damaging than the last one.

Now Emmett and the rest of the Genesis survivors must rally and forge their own path through a new world. Their mission from Babel is simple: extract nyxia, the most valuable material in the universe, and play nice with the indigenous Adamite population.

But Emmett and the others quickly realize they are caught between two powerful forces—Babel and the Adamites—with clashing desires. Will the Genesis team make it out alive before it’s too late?

* * * * *

NYXIA UNLEASHED picks right back up where Nyxia ends which can be fantastic if you just finished the first book and want to dive into the second. Not quite so good when you have had to wait a few months to get your hands on it as all the tension has eased off quite a bit and you might have to get to know the characters again. You can read NYXIA UNLEASED as a stand alone but you will miss a lot of the nuances to the characters so I don't suggest it.

This book is all about what happens when you take a bunch of teenagers, train them to be a weapon and they find out just how much you have been lying to them. Sure there isn't much that a bunch of kids can do against a huge corporation, or is there? Emmett and the group continue to grow and form into a unit, a family. And it is a family that will stop at nothing to make things right.

NYXIA UNLEASHED is the middle book with all the associated issues of the middle child. It's not a new or fresh as the first born but it has to hold our interest enough that we will continue onto the final and hopefully spectacular conclusion of the final child. I feel that this book more then succeeded.

It took a few pages for my brain to bring me back up to speed on the characters but it didn't take them long for me to become entranced again. And we got to learn more about the other team that was introduced towards the end of Nyxia. And there are definitely some interesting characters in that bunch such as Morning who is a good match and compliment for Emmett. There were more then enough twists and turns to engage and hold my interest. And now I can't wait for the final book!

I do highly recommend this book to any of my readers who enjoy character driven science fiction. This is a young adult series but really it is one that would appeal to readers of all ages. Scott Reintgen is an author to keep an eye on and just click here to be taken to his website.

***I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own and not influenced by the publisher or author.

Nyxia Unleashed is an exciting continuation of the story began in Nyxia (click here and read my review of the original if you don't want any spoilers.)

Emmett and the others are now on the planet trying to make nice with the Adamites and do their job -- mining Nyxia -- so they can go home. But all is not as it seems.

There are a lot of surprises. They make some discoveries about Babel's true intentions, which are devastating. They've been lied to (saw that one coming, did you?) over an over again.

And, the Adamites have secrets of their own which will change everything for these kids. Almost nothing we learned from the first book (about the Adamites or Babel) is true.

While these secrets are startling and game-changing, I didn't feel the tension -- the nonstop fight for survival -- that I did in Nyxia. Although be prepared, because Reintgen isn't afraid to kill off characters. The plot is clever, the character growth is well done, and I definitely want the third book. Nyxia Unleashed is more about revelations than ultimate peril. But that is okay.

If you've read Nyxia, I highly recommend you continue with Nyxia Unleashed. If not, those fans of interplanetary science fiction should begin with Nyxia.

Nyxia was an unexpected gem of a space school exploration book, following Emmett and friends as their chosen by the diabolical Babel to undergo a mission to Eden to farm the titular magical substance. In Nyxia Unleashed, we follow our space age crew as they uncover the untruths of Babel and learn more about the planet from which nyxia comes from and the "Adamites" who lives there.

Reintgen has such a knack for world-building. He lets the reader experience the culture of the "Adamites" and captivating cityscapes alongside Emmett and crew. There is so much attention to detail to the ice berg of culture. The way Emmett interacts with it adds layers to his already mutlifaceted character development. I didn't think I could love him more. He cares so deeply about his crew, even those with less-than-favorable intentions. Because they're all kids who have been consistently lied to and the stakes don't get any lower as the story goes on.

One thing that had me on edge on the outset were the split POVs. I braced myself for terrible. Pleasantly surprised, the extra POV sections added much to fill the gaps of things Emmett could not have possibly seen. I love Anton so much and I cannot wait to see what he's up to in the next installment.

If you want really great world-building and a delightful ensemble cast of misfits, check out this good space times triad.

In the first book of this trilogy, we were introduced to Nyxia, a material from another planet that could be anything you could imagine. Need a universal translator? Need an iPod charger? Need a lighter? A spear? Just think it and no matter how complex, the material could become it.

Plot-wise, this series is basically Hunger Games in space. A bunch of kids from Earth have to try out, and then kill each other, for a chance to go into space. Any kid who gets wins gets millions of dollars for their family, and every kid who was picked to try out was poor, so that was a big goal for them.

Why does the company need kids to go into space? Because the aliens on the planet Nyxia comes from love children and would only celebrate them, as opposed to killing every adult that steps foot on the planet.

So in this book the kids are on the planet, and discover that Evil Company actually has worse plans for them -- the aliens like kids because the aliens are dying out, they have no women left, so they can't have anymore kids. To say more about this plot would be spoiler, so you'll have to read to find out more!

My biggest problem with this book series is that I didn't care about the characters. They're realistic enough, but I felt no connection with them. Most of them had no more personality than one element: "the funny one", for example.

If you enjoyed the first book, you'll enjoy this one!

What an absolutely stunning, phenomenal second installment to the incredible Nyxia Triad! There was literally nothing I didn't love about this book! Scott Reintgen has built an incredible world, both in terms of an actual alien planet with a well thought out ecosystem, politics, and history, and in terms of explaining how humanity has arrived to the point it is here. We get a ton of excellent character development from everyone introduced in Nyxia, with many interesting threads woven in for how they might act in book 3. The action and pacing are excellent, and there are so many insane twists. The ideas of injustice and family feel so close to home and relatable even when things are unfolding far from Earth. This is a book you absolutely can't predict, and ramps up everything that was so good about Nyxia.

In book 2 we finally get to Eden! I'm a sucker for the whole planetary exploration idea, so I was pretty sure I would enjoy this book, and I did. It picks up right where book 1 left off, and the world is interesting right from the start. We also see quite a lot of the alien inhabitants and culture, as well as a lot of Babel plans.

My favorite part (of course) was seeing the alien world and culture. This book didn't have the competitive aspect of book 1, but that was ok, because the interactions between the characters were solid, and in fact, I think I liked this way more.

This is a good YA (or adult) science fiction read. But I would recommend reading book 1 of the trilogy first.

Holy moly! What a great sequel. So many twists and turns and I didn’t expect any of them. A lot of work didn’t get done around the house because I took every opportunity to read. Lol. I enjoy this series a lot because it is so different from anything out there. Mr Reintgen does a great job of keeping up the tension in the story. My attention was held the whole time.
I assume there is another book coming in the series? I hope so because the ending was a huge cliffhanger! What happens to Emmett? To Anton? Please hurry!

Nyxia Unleashed is the second installment in author Scott Reintgen's The Nyxia Triad. This story picks up right where Nyxia left off. For those who haven't read the first book yet, I will try not to spoil anything, but I will say that you should definitely read the books back to back since the story continues from the first installment to the second installment and will conclude in the third installment in the Spring of 2019. Should be a fantastic ride!

Emmett Atwater is a sixteen-year-old African American from Detroit. He and other's from across the world spent the last year on board a spaceship owned by Babel Communications. Each of the 18 were lured in by Babel’s offer of immense wealth if they will travel to Eden and mine as much of the priceless mineral Nyxia as possible. As the story opens, Emmett lands on the Planet of Eden having survived one final test by the people behind Babel.

But, Emmett isn't the only one who experienced "additional testing" which has left the number of people on Eden at 14. One of the things readers will notice right out of the starting gate is that Emmett and Morning are on the same side and their feelings quickly move from competitors to more than friends. Morning has been told to monitor her team which becomes her slogan Shoulder to Shoulder, We Stand Together. Together they stand against Babel and against the Adamites who they will soon meet.

Nyxia, for those who haven't read the first book, refers to the substance the recruits will have to mine on the planet Eden—it has quietly become the most valuable material in the universe. One mine alone may rake in billions of dollars for Babel. You should know that this is a highly diverse cast. There are characters from all sorts of different nationalities that survived the brutal testing that Babel put them through before allowing them to touch down on Eden aka Magnia.

This is the book where readers will get to know the Adamites, or as they call themselves, Imago. Magnia is a planet with dual moons and deadly creatures. The Imago actually call the Humans Genesis which is pretty biblical like everything we've come to understand about the author's world building. Speaking of world building, I absolutely loved the way the author brought things to light, especially the different varieties of hostile species. Magnia is not a fun place. It is a dangerous place where one wrong step will be the last you ever take.

There is a bit of everything for every reader. There is plenty of action, adventure, suspense, mystery, shocking revelations, and a pretty heart warming romance between Emmett and Morning. One of the main story-lines of this series is that of corporate greed verses friendships made by a diverse cast who has come from nothing to hopefully make a fortune that has been promised to each of the members of the Genesis 1 and 2 crews if they survive the year that they agreed to on the planet.

In the end, Nyxia Unleashed really delivers with an action-packed plot and richly textured emotional undercurrents. Plus, the ending will leave you breathless with so much happening and very quickly. One of the more curious story-lines has to do with the Adamites’ demands that only human children or teens are allowed on the planet. The focus really is in trusting each other even though there is some bitter resentment left over from the additional testing that was given to certain characters. They can't be at each others throats and hope to stand united against Babel. And, what of the Imago? What exactly do they get out of the deal, and why are only children allowed on the planet?

From the moment Emmett Atwater accepted Babel's proposal, he knew his life would never be the same. In his mind, he was doing something good for his family in the hopes of changing their lives for the better. Reality, however, soon sets in, exposing him to Babel's sordid truths. Plunged into the heart of their mission, he and his friends realize that nothing is as it seems. With Nyxia at the heart of their troubles, they know they'll have to work together every step of the way if they're to thwart Babel's every plan.

Nyxia Unleashed picks up where book one left off, giving us an even broader view of the plight Emmett and his friends now find themselves in. They've been tasked with going down to Eden and mining as much of the Nyxia as possible. Babel needs the material to further broaden their horizons, as well as well their own pockets.

Further branching out the world he's created, Scott opens up our minds when it comes to Emmett and his friends, Nyxia, the Adamites, and Babel itself. Each of these aspects are complex, forming cohesive pieces of the puzzle. Granted, some of the pieces are immersed in darkness, prompting Emmett and his friends to push it aside in the hopes of making sense of everything going on around them.

We've been given such an immersive story. One that makes us question every aspect of this beautiful world. I often found myself imagining what the Adamites looked like. When it came to Emmett, I always saw him as a light-colored boy with dark hair and eyes. With a recent picture the author shared, I soon realized Emmett is far from what I thought he'd be. So much so, that I found myself wanting to know more about him and the family he left behind in the hopes of changing the world they lived in.

While Nyxia Unleashed tidied up several loose threads book one left behind, it also gave us a few things to mull over. I do wonder if Babel will ever have its comeuppance. They've wreaked havoc on Emmett and his friends. Countless lives have been lost in their search for something better. Looking forward to seeing what happens next once book three comes along.

Unfortunately, I found the second book in the Nyxia Triad to be boring. Which I loathe because I absolutely LOVED Nyxia. Although this book still had great writing and wonderful characters, it simply failed to hold my attention, and I often found my mind wandering while reading. It just lacked the intensity I found and loved in the first book. I still want to know what happens to Emmett and the crew and will most likely read book three to find out.

Overall, this was not a bad story. It filled in some gaps with the alien race from the first novel and added some layers to the corrupt organization known as Babble, but, in the end, I simply did not care. "(

I really loved the first book in this triad (see my review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2046514158?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1 .
After reading it, I thought this series totally filled a Y.A. sci-fi void with a diverse cast of characters, an intriguing plot, and though the 1st book had a lot of violence, there were a lot of good themes that were just plain wholesome. I couldn't wait to dive into this sequel, but honestly, it fell pretty flat compared to the first book (imo). It started out great, with the same terrific cast of characters, the suspense surrounding the Babel corporation, and the highly anticipated meeting with the Adamites (Imago), but then...I don't know...it just tanked. Everything started getting stale and I stopped caring about the characters as much. The unraveling of the mysteries surrounding Babel and the Imago was a total let down and felt unoriginal. There were a few twists, but I saw most of them coming. I also felt like the character development was much more flat this time around. In the first book the characters are complex with a rich tapestry of back story and conflicting feelings that brought up plot developments that had no easy answers. There was a lot of conflict that had such a deep mental element to it that made the story so worthwhile. The incidents in the first book made you THINK. This time around it felt like the author was just coasting off the first book character-wise. There wasn't much in the way of new growth or development. There were no "thinking" moments, for me anyway. It was all pablum and kumbaya. Even the action scenes had no tension or anything to them (imo). They were boring and just something to get through quickly in order to find out what happens via the main thread of the story.

I really didn't like how the Imago (Adamites/aliens) were handled. Here you have this alien race on an alien planet and they are all way too human. Their responses are human, their mannerisms are human, their cultures are human. I felt like there was a lack of imagination in the world building and everything was too pat and easy. The author had an opportunity to make something really interesting out of the Imago, but I found myself hardly caring at all about them or their weak interactions with the main characters. The big plot twist was a yawner. I won't share it, as I would spoil it for those of you who may actually enjoy the book, but I think part of the reason why it didn't have much of an impact on me was that I didn't really care about the Imago much because there was no development in their characters. I wasn't emotionally invested in them, so I didn't really feel the tension (or whatever I was supposed to feel) with their part of the plot twist. There is also this little side story about "slings" and nothing is done with it. There is no insight, no depth...just a little incident that feels like a waste of time to read because it has no drama, suspense, or anything else built into it. The way the teens interacted with the Imago also seemed forced and a bit ridiculous. Emmett talks to the Imago like they are "dudes" from his neighborhood. This is where the book really comes off as lazy Y.A. writing (to me). I believe the author has a lot of talent but everything surrounding the Imago felt rushed or shoved aside for other agendas and so it just didn't live up to its potential or what I would hope it could have been.

There is also something else that happens in the book where you get a glimpse into the Babel spacecraft...and again, it's boring, it's rushed, and all of the potential in that side story is wasted (at least in my opinion).

I'll interject a few parental thoughts in here as well while I'm on a roll (since I'm an adult who loves to read Y.A.)...the first book felt like it was for the younger teen crowd, but had a lot of depth for older Y.A. readers and even adults. My review for the 1st book talked about how it was "clean" with hardly any cursing, etc. This 2nd book took a dive in that area. There is a lot of swearing....to my eyes anyway. So much so that it was starting to become distracting. There is a teen pregnancy - which is fine and maybe something that needs to be written about...but there is no depth there (yet again with this book) and that sort of thing throws it more out of the young teen league. There is also the current trend to have a LGBT character. I say "trend" because I believe that's what it is (in the way it's being handled lately imo) and every Y.A. author out there seems to be scrambling to add some sort of character in his/her story that fits that mold. There was ZERO hint of that in the first book. Then all of the sudden you have it thrown into this one as if that box can now be checked off.

I hate to give this book 2 stars. I SO loved the first one, but this 2nd effort feels rushed and is lacking the depth in the first one. I still want to read the 3rd book and am hoping that it will go back to the roots of the 1st one (since the focus will probably be off planet). If you read the first one, you will probably want to read this one, and I do encourage you to do so - so that some of the mysteries in the first get wrapped up. I just can't say I'm enthusiastic about it for any other reason (except to know the answers to what you are probably wondering if you read the 1st). Here's hoping that the 3rd book will redeem the series.

Nyxia Unleashed has the Genesis crew on the planet of Eden aka Magnia, getting caught in a battle of wits and power between Babel and the Adamites Imago. This book did quite better than Nyxia, for me. For once, there was something more going on than a core storyline. There was Emmett being on Isadora's hitlist because she thinks he killed Roathy during the final trial. Plus, Babel is being shadier than usual when it came to their job. Their host, the Imago seem way to happy to see the Genesis crew, which means they need them desperately for some purpose other than what was told to them. Basically, they have to continually evaluate their circumstances, and see how they can ever get back to Earth.

The one thing the book did better is characterization and relationships. These kids from both Genesis crews have been through hell and more to get to Eden, and the realization that Babel maybe doesn't really care for their lives is a big blow to some. Also, now that they aren't in direct competition with one another, it paves the way for a survivor-bond, with the exception of Isadora thirsting for his blood. There are some initial clashes due to the fact that four were supposed to have died at the hands of others for them all to get down, and the motives behind Babel forcing their hands are not clear. Morning was already onto the conspiracy so she puts some plans into motion, but the fact is they are on the ground and Babel's ships are the only hope of them ever getting back to Earth. While they are interacting with the Imago, they learn more about their society and culture, leading them to decide which side to take, even if both seem dangerous. Also, this book has some chapters from perspectives other than Emmett's so it makes for good change and also lets us know what it going on.

The book has fewer plot problems, but it is not free of them. While I loved the introduction to Imago culture and the hierarchy they live by (the society is extremely classist), the fact that it isn't brought up again when they meet the rulers makes it just filler material. The only saving grace is that they didn't adhere to the social classes when it came to their evacuation plan, but it still left me wondering what was the point of that whole 'we'll take the Seventh Ring people for dinner too'. (It wasn't even presented as a thing that they were judging them by, soooo) The romance parts of the book did not interest me, even with the newer pairs being presented - somehow they didn't fit the flow. I had hoped the ending of the book would come about at the evacuation and them being in space, but the climax actually threw a wrench into that idea and gave us newer variables in the form of players in the Babel company structure. And looks like all that is going to be the next book, thanks to the minor cliffhanger dropped on the Tower Station.

Verdict: Good sequel - definitely better than the first. Liked the characterization this time around and felt like there was some connection for me to root for them. Still needs to better think out its plot.

(Recap of Book 1 in this paragraph; I've tried not to be spoilery) Emmett Atwater, a sixteen-year-old African American from Detroit, has spent the last year on board a spaceship owned by Babel Communications, lured in ― along with nineteen other disadvantaged teenagers from across the globe ― by Babel’s offer of immense wealth if he will travel to Eden and mine as much of the priceless mineral nyxia as possible on behalf of Babel for a year or so. Then he and the others can return home to a life of permanent ease. But Emmett and the other teenagers soon learn that the executives of Babel care only for their own power and wealth. During the year-long flight of the Genesis to Eden, the teens were pitted against each other in desperate competition for a place with the final group that would actually land on Eden. Manipulated by Babel, the competition became more and more ugly and deadly, until a final terrible twist just before the final group was dispatched to Eden in individual landing pods.

Nyxia Unleashed, the second book in Scott Reintgen’s NYXIA TRIAD series, picks up right where Nyxia left off, with Emmett soaring through the atmosphere of Eden and landing alone at night on an unfamiliar planet with two moons, and with no one else anywhere in sight. Emmett eventually is able to connect with a few of the other teens, and they make their cautious way cross-country to a supply center, where they meet up with the other teens from their spaceship, as well as a young corporal who’s been left in charge of Babel’s supply center (one of the Adamites’ demands is that the only humans allowed to stay on their planet must be children or teens). And they meet some representatives of the Adamites, who greet them with slightly unnerving good cheer. Soon the Genesis teens discover that, like Babel, the Adamites ― who actually call themselves the Imago ― have not been entirely forthcoming about their motives and plans.

"I’ve always understood Babel’s reasons. More money, more nyxia, more power. That makes all the sense in the world, but I never thought about what the Adamites got out of the deal. It always seemed like we were an entertaining sideshow. A permission granted to Babel so the Adamites could witness a miracle they’ve lost. For the first time, it feels like more than that. Thesis and the others are looking at us like we’ve come to save them. I file it away under D for Dig Deeper."

The teens haven’t trusted Babel for many months, but are the Imago going to be any better? And how will the teens ever be able to get back home to Earth?

Nyxia Unleashed shifts away from the life-and-death game competition that marked Nyxia, which I think was a wise move by Reintgen. The focus shifts now to the Genesis teens’ efforts to learn to trust each other again after the many months of often bitter and deadly competition on board Babel’s spaceship while it was flying to Eden (called “Magnia” by the Imago), and to their exploration of Magnia and the Imago people and their culture.

Nyxia Unleashed is an interesting, solid follow-up to Nyxia, with some unexpected twists to spice up the plot. Each faction has hidden plans that shed new light on the entire book. The planet Magnia and its natives have some creative aspects to them, though they could have been much more fundamentally alien for my money. The Imago are described more like an unusual country of humans than a world of non-human aliens, with much that is familiar about their culture and society. Conveniently, humans and Imago are able to not only talk to each other (thanks to one of nyxia’s odd properties) but also breathe the same atmosphere and eat the same foods. But I doubt the intended YA audience will mind that, and it does act as a mirror for how we as a human society often behave.

I’ve grown quite attached to the main character and narrator, Emmett, who tries to balance his justifiably vengeful thoughts against Babel and its executives with the desire, instilled by his loving family, to be a good person and find a better way. The racially, religiously, and sexually diverse group of teens that form the Genesis group can’t all be distinct and three-dimensional personalities, but enough of them are that their interactions and relationships feel realistic. There’s a clever but poignant moment where one of the teens uses an ancient, rather obscure Biblical story as inspiration for an unexpected change in direction.

Nyxia Unleashed has a bit of a cliffhanger ending, but not enough to put me off in any way. I’m definitely on board for the third book, Nyxia Uprising, slated for publication in April 2019.