Reviews with content warning for Physical abuse - Skyhunter

This was really good! If you like Skyward (by Brandon Sanderson) and Attack on Titan then it’s a great mix of both? The setting is very interesting and I loved all of the characters including the big bad. There’s good diversity here with a mute protagonist, POC, and LGBT characters. I found the portrayal of an abused character as very realistic and respectful as a survivor myself. I appreciate how it showed the complicated feelings and friends’ reactions that come with it, even though it was a side character’s experiences. I totally recommend this and if you like audiobooks the narrator was awesome! She did a great job with all of the voices and accents which really brought it to life. I can’t wait for the next books.

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bookphile's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Skyhunter is an incredible book which showcases perfectly how far Marie Lu has come as a writer. She has created an incredible world, a futuristic dystopia, where a single country is making it's last, hopeless stand against a tyrant conquering the continent through brutality, murder, and by creating unstoppable monsters out of it's own people and enemies in order to win, no matter the cost.

The cast of characters is interesting and diverse, and you get to fall in love with every single one of them as the story progresses. I can honestly say that I loved every single one of them.

There's a lot of discussion about war, the affects of war on the people, the treatment of refugees - even when they are ready to lay down their life for a country that continually rejects them. The price of peace and the cost of conquest and bloodshed.

It is a dark book, but it's not without glimpses of true heroism, even in the bleakest moments. I highly recommend it and I honestly think it's one of Lu's best.

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dystopiceyre's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes

3.5

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plumpaperbacks's review

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Skyhunter is one of my favorite books of 2020, and of all time. I went in unsure exactly what to expect, as I’ve had varied opinions on Lu’s previous novels. I firmly believe this is her best book yet.

The prologue intrigued me, and there’s action and more intrigue immediately. I was emotionally invested before the first chapter ended. The whole book is intense and exciting, nerve-wracking and heartbreaking.

I loved the characters so much. Talin, Red, Adena, and Jeran are brilliant and complex, and I love the four of them. I especially love Talin and Red, who are both resilient and strong and in need of a hug. The former’s determination was admirable, and the latter is a warrior that’s soft on the inside, aka one of my favorite kinds of characters. I liked them individually and together, although there’s no romance; I’m referring to their friendship and how they work together.

Lu has always excelled at writing close-knit groups, and this was no exception. Talin, Adena, and Jeran have a great dynamic, and I enjoyed seeing Red slowly become part of their group despite everyone’s prejudices and doubts.

Lu is also phenomenal with world-building, as is evident in all three of her prior series and now this new one as well. Skyhunter’s story is set in a futuristic world full of ruins of the Early Ones’ civilization, now occupied mostly by the Federation, a cruel, power-hungry empire. The only free country on the continent is Mara, a small, struggling nation the Federation is eager to conquer. It was set up and explained so well, interesting and new and never confusing.

The world is intricate, full of things good and bad, and the worst is the Ghosts. The Federation poisons people with a substance that contorts and transforms them into unrecognizable beasts, then unleashes the feral creatures onto enemy territory. ~~Well, there’s one thing worse than the Ghosts, but you’ll have to read the book to find out what that is.~~

I had to read most of this quickly in order to finish it in time to return the ebook to the library, but I think I would’ve devoured it all the same even if I had all the time in the world. I was fascinated by the world and characters Lu created, and when I wasn’t reading, Talin and company were still on my mind.

I know for sure three things I’ll be doing:

buying my own copy of this book
recommending this book to everyone
waiting eagerly for news of the sequel, and reading it as soon as it comes out

I’m excited and scared for the sequel. I want my babies to be okay, but I don’t think they will be. Lastly, I really hope that the sequel is as brilliant as this book, because so far I haven’t read a series conclusion from Lu that I truly loved. Fingers crossed Skyhunter 2 will be different, whenever it releases. Now go read Skyhunter, y’all!!

Representation:

mute protagonist of color that communicates using sign language (I don’t think I’ve ever seen this in a book?!)
some side characters of color
two queer side characters (this isn’t evident until the last third of the book, and currently no romance has developed)

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Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Skyhunter by Marie Lu

soulpromise's review against another edition

achay91's review against another edition

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