*Thank you Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for the eARC from Netgalley.

Skyhunter follows a group of people known as “Strikers” who must work together to save their nation. Talin is a striker whose purpose is to protect the last free nation of Mara. Her nation is under attack from a group of people, the Federation, who work to overtake other nations and destroy them. When an unexpected situation arises, Talin realizes that she may have the key to stop the Federation’s oncoming attack.

I love the presentation of this story. The beginning set up was so descriptive, suspenseful, and well-planned. The idea of the strikers and their purpose to protect their nation from the Federation is well set up. It is so fascinating to add a science-fiction-like element with the inclusion of experimentation of people used in an extremely sinister way.

The creation of the Ghosts was so intriguing to read and learn about. It was gruesome yet kept drawing my attention. I also love the use of sign language being used by characters to communicate. I love how we have disability representation with our main character. All characters were supportive of each other. We have such a powerful protagonist with Talin.

The topic of power played an important part in this plot. I always find it so interesting when stories include people who protect the more elite, while the elite people provide very little for others yet hold most of the power. I liked to see that power dynamic gradually shift over time. I hope this further transitions into book two.

I think that Marie Lu did something great with this story. The characters were well-detailed and enjoyable. I really enjoyed all the elements that came together to create such an impactful story. The way the title relates to the book was something that I really appreciated as well.

The Karensa Federation is taking over territories one by one. Unleashing their unstoppable army of Ghosts on all who dares to oppose them. Talin is a survivor from one of the battles waged against the Karensa Federation and is in the elite fighting force sworn to defend Mara. When Talin rises her life to defend an unknown prisoner, she may have stumbled upon their victory. Skyhunter is an epic adventure into the human condition and how war changes individuals.. Lu transports the reader into a time of war post apocalyptic America, one that could be the near future. The fast passed, character driven plot allows readers to fully understand each character through the eyes of Talin and the Skyhunter. Each character has a dual identity and adds to the depth of the storyline, creating a rich tapestry. Lu's world building will dazzle readers and make them want more.

A super well crafted dystopian world, but I expected nothing less. The descriptions of Jean in battle are so beautiful and vivid. It was a slow build in the beginning, but I was attached and am already counting down until book 2!

Skyhunter by Marie Lu is an amazing sci-fi YA novel. I'd recommend it. The cover is eye-catching. I enjoyed the story and Talin as a main character and the Strikers.

Wow this was such a good book! There was so much good action in it. The last third was hard to put down. I can’t wait for the second book!

Review Skyhunter was the pick me up that I needed.
Marie Lu has always been my comfort author. Back in 2011 I came across Legend on my Kindle and never looked back. I didn’t realize just how impactful she’d be on my life at that moment, but it’s stayed with me ever since. Every year I look forward to more books by Marie, and Skyhunter certainly was not a disappointment.
I highly recommend going into Skyhunter with little to no information. I definitely think fans of Legend and The Young Elites will enjoy this new series because it mixes numerous elements within those series. Obviously, we got a dystopia-like setting mixed with powerful technology. This world is super dark like TYE, but Talin is a wonderful main character. She’s the definition of strength and selflessness, filled with so much light. Everyone is going to fall for her- I already know it.
There’s no romance, at least in my opinion, for the main character, but we get hints about supporting characters feelings throughout the story. It’s nice to not have romance in every piece of literature, and I truly enjoyed getting to know both Talin and her Shield in a platonic manner.
Does this bring anything new to the genre of dystopia? No. Did I enjoy it anyway? Of course!
Moreover, this book is impactful too because it discusses heavier topics. There’s trigger warnings for: war, brutal human experimentation, maltreatment of refugees, PTSD, familial loss, and racism/ bias against one’s country. There may be more, but these are the one’s I came up with first.

Stories that are good but not great make for some of the most difficult reviews to write, don't you think? I always make this determination by my eagerness to write the review. If I love or hate a book, I can knock out the review of it within a few minutes. When I find a book to be okay, I avoid writing the review because I know it is going to be difficult to find the right words. This is my dilemma with Skyhunter by Marie Lu.

Don't get me wrong; there are plenty of things to like about Skyhunter. Talin is a fierce character, and Ms. Lu really allows her readers to get to know her in detail. She makes mistakes, hesitates when she should attack, and allows her feelings to dictate her decisions. In other words, Ms. Lu makes her a vulnerable teenage girl with more responsibility that is healthy.

At the same time, Ms. Lu once again succeeds in balancing the necessary world-building with maintaining intense plot pacing. We learn about Mara, Karensa, and the Strikers through Talin's memories, stories told to her, and through old-fashioned observation of current events. Through it all, at no point does the story falter. In fact, it remains action-packed from beginning to end with the right number of respite points for readers and characters to recover and prepare for the next battle.

Plus, Skyhunter may list as young adult fiction, but it is very much on the darker side of that spectrum. The Strikers do everything possible to kill their foes, and Ms. Lu does not hesitate to show that violence. In the hands of Talin and her friends, anything can become a weapon, and they shed a lot of blood to prove that point. Personally, I love a good, dark, and gory story, so I count this as a positive.

The thing is as much as I like Talin, my heart lies with Red. To me, he is a fascinating character with the potential for a backstory even more intriguing and heartbreaking than Talin. I really want to know what he thinks and feels. While Ms. Lu gives us enough of his story to understand his actions, I feel there are more depths she could plumb there. I would love the sequel to be from his point of view.

Skyhunter is not a bad novel. I did enjoy it when I read it, even if very little within the plot is much of a surprise. The thing is, I never felt that reader's rush when I finished it, the kind that makes you feel a little giddy as you agonize over the fact you have to wait to read more of the story, the kind that makes it next to impossible to pick up another book right away. I will read the sequel when it is available, but I guarantee that I will have to do some research to remember the plot of Skyhunter because the details fade more every day. All of these bits, when put together, are indicators of a novel that may be good but not outstanding, a category in which Skyhunter firmly falls.

Skyhunter, set in a world overtaken by the dictatorship regime of the Karensa Federation, has the same strikingly familiar and ever enticing world-building that Marie Lu is so well-known for. It promises a world filled with danger and excitement, and delivers on said promise by putting the focus not only on the warrior like Strikers who hunt down the enemy, but also presenting new science fiction and technology styled challenges as the book progresses. The characters are likable and form strong bonds that develop in sensible ways, along with several stand out side characters that add more to the plot than you might expect. I will say that I didn’t find this book to stand out from other works of Lu’s, nor did it stand out from the works of other YA sci-fi and fantasy authors, but it was still very well executed with the kind of pacing that makes you never want to stop reading. My main issue was the fact that the overarching plot of taking down the Karensa federation as a whole was rather predictable and even worse, had stakes that didn’t feel very high to me, especially as I kept waiting for a plot twist that never came, but this isn’t something so unforgivable that I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone. If you’re looking for your next quick sci-fi read with plenty of action scenes and character development, look no further than Skyhunter.

There was a lot I liked about this--the world was interesting, the characters were likeable, conflict was conflicty--all that being said, the book as a whole fell a little bit flat for me. The writing was solid--Marie Lu is reliably good at what she does--but everything felt just a little bit paint by numbers. There were no real surprises here, nothing that wowed me, overall nothing to make this book stand out. I don't expect to remember much about it a month from now.

I struggle to put into thoughts just how much I enjoyed *Skyhunter*.

Maybe it's because I was coming off a reading slump, and Lu's writing was like a breath of fresh air. But also, maybe it's because Marie Lu is a frankly masterful writer at crafting entertaining stories.

I have no delusions about painting *Skyhunter*—or any book, really—as the "next big thing." Not every story is for every reader, but all stories can find a special place in someone's heart.

For me, *Skyhunter* was like jumping into an adventure head-first, truly getting swept away into the action and drama of a story. No, you don't get all the nitty gritty details you might want. But it sucks you in nonetheless, taking you along with Talin and her story. It pulls you out of your head and instead places you into this brutal yet nuanced world that Marie Lu builds.

One of the reasons *Skyhunter* struck me so hard was the fact that Lu manages to craft an extremely emotional death in the first two chapters. I do admit that I was crying by Chapter 3. It's a huge loss for Talin, and it's something that comes up again and again in the novel, because grief doesn't just disappear.

Talin is a tough character. She's been through an extremely deep trauma after her nation was brutally taken over by the Karensa Federation, and she's committed herself for fighting for her new nation, Mara, that still looks down on her for being a Basean refugee. She's an extremely skilled fighter who is physically mute from the Karensan Federation's warfare when she was a child, but this is not treated as a hindrance or a negative quality, and most of the people she communicates with understand sign language. (More notes on this in my Goodreads review.)

*Skyhunter* takes Talin and her plethora of relatable themes and follows her as she fights for a country that does not want her or treats her well (outside of a select few).

The themes are especially striking, and although you can boil this down into "YA dystopia" and call it a day, letting yourself think about *Skyhunter* and how it integrates its themes leads to a lot more meaning to the story. *Skyhunter* is what you make of it.

I don't think I would fight for a country who didn't want me, and this was probably my favorite dynamic to explore in the story. It comes back to Talin again and again as she is doubted by Mara, and this is eventually exploited by the Federation.

If I did critique the themes, I would have liked to see more about the extent of the imperialism and harm the Federation had caused. I think brutal conquering of other nations is absolutely enough to understand the brutality, but I am looking forward to more development of the Federation and how it's exploitive and destructive in the next installment.

I definitely dived in knowing embarrassingly little about the story, but it's still an absolute blast to read, and everything you need to enjoy *Skyhunter* is in the text.

*Skyhunter* is excels at creating an entertaining story, with horrifying monsters, tinges of mystery, and characters that keep you hooked. It's action-packed and sweeps you along for its fight. The riveting story is full of mysterious men with mechanical enhancements, friends who fight by your side and commit treason with you, and the crumbling fall of a nation against colonial forces. I'm excited to see the revolution continue in the sequel.

I found this very disappointing, but I am still going to buy it for my library because the author has quite a following. I felt like the story was predictable and derivative and the characters were not compelling. I like this author, so I was excited for the book, but the best I can say is meh. I am so sorry.

Skyhunter, the first book in a new dystopian series, introduces Talin Kanami, a refugee turned soldier in war torn Mara, which is defending itself against the Karensa Federation. Her elite squadron of "strikers" battle the Federation's Ghosts, zombie-like monsters whose bites inflict transformation. When Talin protests the execution of a Federation defector, Redlen Arabes, her commander insists that she take Red as her fighting partner or shield. As Talin gets to know Red, she finds out he is a Skyhunter, a half-man half-machine weapon created by the Federation. Before the Federation can engineer his loyalty, like they have the Ghosts, he escapes, and becomes Mara's best hope for finding a way to defeat them. After a plan to destabilize the Federation backfires, Talin, Red, and their fellow strikers are at the mercy of the enemy. The first-person narration by Talin, who is mute, is facilitated by her signing and bonding with Red, who then communicates with her telepathically. This action-packed thriller explores the ideas of immigration and imperialism and its ending will leave readers clamoring for the sequel.

I was a little nervous going into this book because I was not a fan of Marie Lu's previous book published this year. I was, however, a huge Legend fan and I loved Warcross, so I thought I'd give it a try. Turns out I ended up loving it and was hooked after just a few pages! This was a classic YA dystopian that was not heavily focused on romance. I loved the characters, the world, the descriptions, everything! Talin was a fantastic main character and I thought it was really cool how she and her fellow strikers did sign language to communicate with each other. Talin's mom was also such a badass! I loved Red too and I found his Skyhunter abilities super interesting. I loved Talin and Red's bond! Jeran and Armin were fantastic and I would love to read more about them and their relationship. Adena was snarky and smart, and she knew about basically everything relating to science and weapons. Not the most realistic, but that's okay. I can't wait for the next installment of this book and to see what happens to everyone. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who has enjoyed Marie Lu's other dystopian books.

Marie Lu is a fantasy genius. Skyhunter is the first book in her new series and please may I have book 2 now? A great story about found family, loyalty and fierce warriors, Marie Lu hooked me again! The world was well crafted. Talin, the main character is a refugee fighting for the free nation in which she now lives. Talin is a badass fighter by the way. The enemy uses mutant beasts to attack and as they close in, Talin and her fellow fighters race to come up with a plan to stop them. The ending really ramped up with a lot of action and left me dying for more. This is definitely a series I will invest my time in and I think fans of Marie Lu’s Legend series will enjoy it too.

Thank you Fierce Reads for the gifted digital ARC.

If Marie Lu has written it I have read it and Skyhuter is her latest YA and the first in a new series. I have to say though this book is not my favorite, I like the characters but they are not grabbing all my attention, the story is good but not great and maybe it is my poor attitude but I just could not get into this story. I do hope the next story in the series is a bit more enthralling that I don't want to put it down but unfortunately this book is not that.

Talin leads the life of a Striker, stealthily battling the Ghosts which threaten her city’s perimeter. Strikers work in pairs, with their bond to each other only severed in death. When Talin risks her standing and membership with the Strikers to save an enemy soldier, her punishment is being paired with him. Red -- who just wants the sweet release of death -- is aggravated just to be alive. However, the two must work together to save themselves -- and the city of Mara -- from the dark, impending threat of the ever-expanding Federation.

I just didn’t find myself as taken with this book as I’ve been with some of Lu’s earlier work. The concept of being bonded/tethered to someone was already explored in The Young Elites trilogy, and seeing it again, it felt a little tired. Although the book was slow to start, there was some inherent creepiness (done masterfully) when Lu revealed how the Federation chose whom would be turned into Ghosts. The setting was supposed to be in the aftermath of some advanced scientific city, but this didn’t seem really captured through the structures and surroundings (although there were definite descriptions and nods to it . . . but it felt a bit incomplete).

The tension was a bit on the low side . . . things just seemed to be happening. Probably the most interesting part was the last 10 pages of the book. But even the ending was a touch predictable. Enjoyed the characters, enjoyed the premise . . . usually I devour Lu's writing, but Skyhunter just wasn't a fit for me. In recommending her books to readers, I would reach for Warcross and The Young Elites before pushing this one.

This new book by Marie Lu didn't disappoint. She built another awesome world with really cool characters. I love Talin and her Striker family. They are super cool and can wield weapons very well. I love Marie Lu's books and I'm very excited for the sequel!

Skyhunter is an amazing novel. I was immediately taken aback by the scope of the world-building and how EPIC the world felt. I was completely immersed in this book from the very beginning. I felt like I was dropped into this world on the very first page. It gave me such a clear mental image of the battle for the this world the characters were facing and the consequences if they lost. That is one thing about Marie Lu's writing style that I really adore.

The Game of Thrones series is the only other series I know that clearly depicts what it is like to be a poor refugee fleeing the war. Skyhunter did that so well, with Talin and her mother's journey. I also liked how even the supposed bad guys were given reasons as to why they acted this way. Marie Lu paints in shades of grey, no clear black or white moralities.

Marie Lu has proven once again why she is one of my favorite authors.

TW: abuse, inhumane scientific testing/experiments

Wow this book was a roller coaster, but I just want to say, for my first Marie Lu book, I was pretty impressed and satisfied. As most books go, I didn’t know much going into this one. I was immediately hooked from the beginning scene in which our main character Talin is facing a lot of grief and uncertainty within herself. I thought the atmosphere of war was captured really well. There was nothing too extreme that made me want to put down the book, but it 100 percent felt like a war novel.

I adored this world because even though many aspects of it reminded me of dystopia and The Hunger Games, it had it’s own unique twists and scientific spins (something I wish was explained a little in depth, but maybe this was the STEM major in me wanting a little more haha). The world building was done at a really steady pace so I didn’t feel overwhelmed with the information. The world itself wasn’t too intricate that it needed a lot of time to understand it fully so that was also nice.

The characters all had their own back stories and layers that were slowly revealed as the novel went forth. Talin was a solid main character, but I felt like her and the author just kept repeating certain memories and phrases in such similar ways that it got a little boring/annoying to read. I did enjoy the majority of this book, but there were definitely some moments where I was like “Again?” I also thought that the gradual connection that Talin should have been forming with Red almost happened abruptly. I understand that she had a lot of mixed emotions towards him and in that I think I was confused as to exactly how she did feel. I think Red was also a pretty solid character, just nothing special. Like all the characters he had a backstory that was brought up many many times (a bit too many for my liking). To be completely honest, I was more curious and invested in Jerad and his love interest, hehe (not a main plot point of this book, something on the down low that I just appreciated).

One thing that I probably enjoyed the most about this book was that even though it’s a science fiction/fantasy book, the world is very much like our own. There’s classism, racism, etc. especially towards the refugees who had to flee their own countries and homes for a place in Mara. Lu did a phenomenal job weaving this into the plot and through certain character’s actions.

This ending though. First, I thought this book was a standalone so when I finished I was like shut up, there’s no way it ended like this. I understand why it did now because it’s meant to be a series. However, personally, I wish it had been a standalone? I really disliked this ending. I didn’t hate it or anything. It was pretty realistic the way it ended, it’s just the choice that Talin made at the end seemed to contradict her character and values. It didn’t make sense to me.

Nonetheless, I still do recommend this book. Very atmospheric and full of action. It just came out a few days ago so you can definitely either buy a copy or borrow it from your library.

Characters: 7/10
Atmosphere: 7/10
Writing Style: 7/10
Plot: 7/10
Intrigue: 7/10
Logic: 6/10
Enjoyment: 8/10

Rating: 7.0 or 4 stars

Marie Lu is such a masterful storyteller and one of my favorite authors! Even though her stories might have some elements of YA tropes, she still finds ways to make them fresh. This was definitely one of those times! It is a dystopian world where a group of teens must save the city from an evil leader, but she adds plenty of twists I didn't see coming, heartbreak that I am still not over, and a diverse cast including the main protagonist who is a mute. Surprisingly (but honestly refreshing) there is no romance, and I must say I didn't miss it. Unfortunately, there were times when I felt it dragged a bit, but those times did build up the story. Thankfully, once things got moving it was thrilling enough to keep me on the edge of my seat!

All in all, this is another home run and will fly off my shelves. I can't wait for book two, and I would definitely recommend you get your hands on a copy!