The Bibliophile's Bookshelf

Title: Skyhunter

Series: Skyhunter #1

Author: Marie Lu

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Dystopian, Science Fiction

Rating: 4 stars

Review:

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? – summary from Goodreads

Skyhunter was an interesting fantasy dystopian that I quite enjoyed!

This was an interesting book, and I really enjoyed it. There were a few things that I didn’t love, though.

One of those things was that sometimes there were things that were brought up and then never talked about again. Or something was brought up that didn’t have any lead up.

The world was also super intriguing. I really loved the story and how the different cultures affected the story. I do think that there needs to be a little more development for the different cultures in the future. Being a refugee is explored through this book. I am very intrigued by Mara. This is definitely the country we get the most information on, and it is very interesting. It has a rich culture and political system, that I am excited to dive further into. The Strikers are also super fascinating. They are an elite fighting force, that have their own rich culture. I loved how they were structured, especially the partnerships between the Strikers. I loved how the Striker partnerships were described and how that played into the story.

There were also some dark human experimentations that weren’t too graphically described but were still very sad. And it really got you thinking. There were Ghosts, which I struggle visualizing, and these creatures are really sad. I enjoy the way they were portrayed- something they needed to fight, but also as something that deserves to be mourned. Then there was the Skyhunter, which is very interesting and I am excited to explore this further.

I really enjoyed all the characters. The main character, Talin, is also mute and communicates through sign language. This was interesting, as I have never read a book with a mute character. It added a depth to the story and really colored her interactions with other characters. Talin also had a traumatic background, which really impacted the story. In the very first chapter, Talin’s partner dies, which I totally saw coming, but I wish it had happened a little later in the book. I also wish there was a little more focus on it throughout the book.

There was also such a strong friend group that I adored. I loved Jeran and Adena. They were strong characters, individually and within the group setting. I am very curious about Aramin, and the snippets we got from him were amazing. I am very excited to explore this character more in the next book.

Our other main character was Red, who is an enemy solider. There was a language barrier here, which I enjoyed. I also enjoyed how they didn’t solve this immediately. I mean a solution was there, but the language barrier was still an issue. It made the story feel very real. Getting to know this character was slow going. He also had a lot of trauma, which took some time to sift through. I really liked this character- he had depth and a solid backstory.

Marie Lu does a good job of showing trauma and providing representation. It was done really well in this book, where it felt realistic and it added to the story.

I will say that Talin and Red grew closer through the course of the book and had a unique connection. However, there is a part of me that struggles with how fast they started bonding. I enjoy them together, I just wish there was a little more set-up between the two.

Also, Talin’s mom is still alive and is a really nice character. I love how she is alive and actually helping her daughter when she can. I am very used to parents either being dead or horrible in fantasy books, so I enjoyed this character.

Skyhunter is a unique dystopian fantasy, with in-depth world-building, a mute FMC, a unique culture, and military representation!

Quotes:

“Because sometimes the things that cut closest to your heart deserve the weight of being last.”

“Can you be kind and a killer? Can you be gentle and a weapon of war?”

“My mother taught me, in spite of everything, I must choose goodness.”

“May there be future dawns.”