Author: Marie Lu
Series: Skyhunter #1
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Released: September 29^th, 2020
Received: BookishFirst
Warnings: Refugees, experimentation, abuse, gore

I received a copy of Skyhunter in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Once again Marie Lu is creating a new fantasy world worth diving into, Skyhunter. The first title of the series also happens to have the same name, and it comes alongside one of the most striking covers I’ve seen to date.

The world has been broken by war. Humans fight humans, tearing apart lives and cities for the sake of orders and greed. Refugees flee, only to find walls blocking their best chance of sanctuary. When in truth, everyone should be working together to have the best chance to survive.

Talin has lived through it all, and yet she still decided to become a Striker – an elite soldier specifically trained to take on the monstrosities that the enemies send out. These monsters are known as Ghosts, and they are as infectious as they are dangerous.

Unfortunately, that is far from the only problem that Talin has to deal with, as prejudice is abound, and the war is getting ever closer to the city she has made her home.

“Their faces are white as ash, their skin split with deep cracks that expose scarlet, rancid flesh underneath”

Warnings: As the description of this novel might have indicated, Skyhunter contains examples and themes surrounding abuse, gore, refugees, prejudice and racism.

Wow. Skyhunter is one of those rare whirlwinds of a read books. It’s intense and fast-paced, and is going to demand all of your attention. From the moment you start it, right up until the very end. It’s a captivating yet dark world.

What caught my attention right from the start had to be the Strikers – a force that works out on the edge, in the most dangerous circumstances. From there, I found myself enthralled in Talin’s voice, in all of the struggles she’s faced, and all the troubles waiting down the road.

There is a major surprise early on in the book, and then from there it really does feel like Skyhunter doesn’t take any time to breathe. To be clear, that is not a complaint. I love fast-paced novels such as this, even if I do fly right through them. It’s worth it, every time.

I lost count of how many surprises Marie Lu managed to weave into this book. It seemed like there was one after another, tearing apart any semblance of predictability. Again, that is not a bad thing. I love it when a novel keeps the promises made, and yet still keeps me on my toes.

The romantic subplots and tones added an extra touch as well, making everyone feel just a bit more human, in a world where it would have been so painfully easy to lose any semblance of humanity.

On that note, the conclusion to Skyhunter has me reeling – and counting down the days to the release of the next novel in the series (which doesn’t currently have a title, according to Goodreads). Time to play the patience game?