Thank you netgalley for providing this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was not the target audience for this one, so it’s hard to make an accurate review. I quickly learned this was not for me, so I stopped.

I liked the cover and description of this book. I have gotten a little over halfway through the book but honestly finding it a bit difficult to understand the story and decipher terminology. I will keep reading to make it to the end of the book but it might take some time as it is geared towards a younger target audience I really like the environment activism and hope it inspires future readers to protect our planet :)

This is a very interesting book. Sometimes I got lost with the terminology, but nothing that could permanently stop me from moving on with my reading. It wasn't really my kind of reading, but my little niece enjoyed it quite a bit when I told her this story for bed time. She made me promise to buy her the book, and I will do so.

This is an excellent book for people upto age 18-19. If I have to be critical about it, the white (seemingly so) protagonist appropriating Inuit culture was not very seamless. However, a child is unlikely to notice that. The author has respected the indigenous cultures as much as she could. The MC goes on a believable adventure, with an advanced robot to assist her. There is a lot of representation. The best part is the environmental activism which is gently woven in, through the eyes of a child. I think this is a must-read for kids.

This book was so adorable, I loved everything about it, the illustrations were so well done, they suited the book perfectly, the story was amazing as well, even thought is very short I could really connect with the characters. I’m sure the kids are going to be just as enthralled with this amazing book as I was. I will definitely recommend! Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this early copy

This would be a concept that I would have loved as a young kid. It does a great job in creating a fun fantasy element and the characters worked well overall in this novel. Susan B. Wile has a great writing style and left me wanting more.

Extinction Warrior has a solid foundation that could be a great story for teachers to enrich their curriculum, or for homeschool students as a base for further research. The author cleverly weaves a story that intertwines current environmental issues with native culture and technology. There are several endangered species, diverse environments across the globe including accurate maps, and a great cast of characters. At times, however, the author is moving too quickly through the locations and species. With the missed opportunities to develop conflict and tension, the journey sometimes has the energy of a collection of species rather than a rescue mission. Luki, Tuk, and friends model the importance of youth taking action to protect our planet. Hopefully, they will take more adventures together!

Pros: I love the cover art. It's gorgeous. I like that there are some graphics in the book. The premise for the book is interesting and has potential. I loved the inclusion of other cultures and their native language with translations incorporated into the dialogue. Tuk was fun. I liked the androids of the future aspect. The VR was fun. Korave was a good friend. I liked that there were discussion questions included at the end of the book.

Cons:
• Lengthy descriptions
• Difficult words for the intended audience
• Vivid medical instances
• Dismembered lifelike android parts
• Too many time jumps
• White Wolf is predatory and trauma triggering
• Heavy human shaming
• Heavy on climate change and endangered species theme
• Too much information about too many animals in too many places, hard to keep straight
• Inappropriate for intended audience content: use of the word *nus in a derogatory way, an Inupiaq curse word repeated several times in succession, inbreeding, and s**cidal monkeys (with descriptions of how they unalive themselves)


Recommendations:
• Narrow down most important locations, animals, and information. These would be better stretched out over a series of books.
• Having Korave along for the adventure would help the story flow better.
• Simplify larger words
• Include a pronunciation guide for Russian and Inupiaq words
• Simplify medical descriptions to audience appropriate parameters
• Climate Change, Endangered Species, and Humans = Bad subplot: This theme would be more impactful if it was handled with more finesse and in a more hopeful way (as in what can we do now to make it better for the future vs. all humans are evil). For me personally, shame based "motivation" is not the road to lasting improvement or significant change.


Would I recommend it to a middle grade reader? No.

Would I recommend it to an adult or 14+ yr old who was passionate about saving endangered species and preventing climate change? Yes.