Skyhunter by Marie Lu

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Publication Date: September 29, 2020
Genres: Young Adult Fantasy
Amazon / Goodreads / Barnes & Noble / Google Books / Bookshop

Book Review

Skyhunter follows Talin, a striker, an elite fighter in the war against the Karensa Federation. The brutal Karensa Federation has conquered the entire continent, all but the small nation of Mara. Believing that they have the divine right to rule, the Federation uses technology to build dangerous weapons, known as Ghosts, humans that have been injected with poison and forced to mutate into dangerous predators. Talin and her fellow strikers are Mara’s last hope at freedom. When a mysterious prisoner arrives from the front, Talin chooses to risk everything, believing he is the secret to victory they have been hoping for.

I struggled to become invested in SkyHunter, at least at the beginning. The start is very dark. I found the first 30% of the story or so to be incredibly heavy. As the story progressed and the mystery started to unfold, I became increasingly invested in the story and could not put it down. The story ends on a cliffhanger and now I’m patiently awaiting the next book in the series.

I would recommend SkyHunter for fans of the Hunger Games series and other heavy dystopian novels. It’s not for the faint of heart.

---

Synopsis from Goodreads

In a world broken by war, a team of young warriors is willing to sacrifice everything to save what they love.

The Karensa Federation has conquered a dozen countries, leaving Mara as one of the last free nations in the world. Refugees flee to its borders to escape a fate worse than death—transformation into mutant war beasts known as Ghosts, creatures the Federation then sends to attack Mara.

The legendary Strikers, Mara’s elite fighting force, are trained to stop them. But as the number of Ghosts grows and Karensa closes in, defeat seems inevitable.

Still, one Striker refuses to give up hope.

Robbed of her voice and home, Talin Kanami knows firsthand the brutality of the Federation. Their cruelty forced her and her mother to seek asylum in a country that considers their people repugnant. She finds comfort only with a handful of fellow Strikers who have pledged their lives to one another and who are determined to push Karensa back at all costs.

When a mysterious prisoner is brought from the front, Talin senses there’s more to him than meets the eye. Is he a spy from the Federation? Or could he be the weapon that will save them all?

---

About the Author