Marie Lu
Skyhunter (Skyhunter #1) by Marie Lu
Released: September 29, 2020
Pages: 371
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Overall: 3/5
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 3/5
Setting & World-building: 3/5
Emotional Investment: 3/5
"When you're fighting a losing war, you are always on edge."
The goddess, Marie Lu, herself, has come out with a gorgeous new book. Like seriously, look at that cover, it's so freaking beautiful.
Quick Summary: The Karensa Federation, has conquered nations and far wide, leaving Mara the only remaining nation standing. The only life of defense Mara has are Strikers, esteemed warriors whose sole purpose is to fight against the Karensa Federation's abominations called Ghosts. Talin, a refugee who found asylum in Mara is a talented Striker still holding out hope. Despite having lost her voice, by the Federation and being despised by Mara citizens she still fights. But when a prisoner is taken in, she finds him to be a mysterious creature that she's meant to hate but doesn't. Is he the one meant to end the war or just another spy trying to take over Mara?
So, Marie Lu is my no-matter-what read. I trust her writing and her books so much. Her Legend series has monumentally changed my life and I owe like half my personality to her. So, when I saw this book I was actually pretty excited to see what it's about.
Talin is an interesting protagonist. She can't speak and I thought that would have made a very slow story but it was actually alright. She has so much grit and never backed down which I thought was honorable. Now Jeron might be my favorite though. He's sweet and such a great friend. I really hope something happens between him and Armin. They deserve so much happiness. Adena is Jeron's partner and she is our neighborhood mechanic. Adena has very black and white morals which I thought would go violently against Talin's morals, but it actually provided a perspective contrast. Lastly, Red, the mysterious prisoner, was probably the most interesting person to read. He has so much trauma and pain that he carries and I just felt bad the entire time. But he is so loyal to Talin, Jeron, and Adena despite them being from his "enemy" country. My favorite scene was when Talin signed her name, then his name, and then friend. It was the first direct communication they had and what helped Red calm down after his little rage-fest during the battle. It wasn't actually a rage fest but I can't say anything without it being spoilers.
The only reason I wouldn't give full stars for the characters is that they were very war-focused. Also, they all seemed to have one personality trait that they ran with. Same with the world-building. It has very basic elements and I wanted something wowing.
The plot also isn't anything crazy. Like it's a pretty normal dystopian kind of idea and while I wasn't bored, I wasn't captivated either. I'm probably still going to read the next one, hoping that the romance between Talin and Red picks up. This book was very action-filled, and I require banter, and romance to truly enjoy a book.
I'm still going to read every single Marie Lu book out there, but this wasn't my favorite of her books (that would have to be Legend). I would still recommend it though, for an easy, quick read.
Quotes
"But conquering people is easy. You break past their defenses, seize their cities, burn their world to the ground. To annihilate us, though, is impossible. A seed will survive."
"Because my mother taught me that, in spite of everything, I must choose goodness."
"Our pasts matter because they created us, helped mold us into who we are."