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linesuponapage's review against another edition
5.0
If you love a good Sci-fi, this book is for you! I can’t say enough about this book. It kept me engaged from cover to cover! The character development, (especially the protagonist, Emmett- fathom?), the storyline, the story telling was superb! My only problem with Scott Reintgen's book, Nxyia was that it left me wanting for more! The twists, the turns all the way to the end were pleasantly placed and non-expected. I can't wait for the next book. I want to see what Eden, itself looks like. Well done, Mr. Reintgen, you've drawn me in to your world. I think I'm going to have to add these books to my home library shelves! I know the most excellent teen who will love it!
fantasynonsense's review against another edition
4.0
“It’s just one day, I remind myself. My fight is one of decades and generations. One bad day won’t stop me from rising up. I won’t quit, not today, not ever.”
➣ Overall Story
3.75/5, rounding up. Upon intially finishing this book, I gave it 3, maybe 3.5 stars. But I kept coming back to it, and the world created in this story, and finding that the more I think about it the more I enjoy it. I was thrown by the "high-octane" buzzwords thrown around, because I found the first third feeling very slow and stagnant. Not that it wasn't interesting, but it felt like a heavy chunk of character definition, so we could get it out of the way in one part and move on to only action. Because the action and the character interaction once they were on the ship was really interesting.
It is definitely a quieter type of sci-fi that brings to mind the original Star Trek more than Firefly or Battlestar.
A brief overview of the kids:
Emmett - trying is best and we're all rooting for him.
Kaya - honestly such a great girl?? Deserved better.
Bilal - the Goodest Boy™ Honestly one of my favorie male characters in YA lit.
Katsu - he's always on your team, and we're glad.
Longwei - because everyone needs the unbeatable, emotionally-closed off rival.
Jaime - I forgot about Jaime for a while oops.
Azima - a good, strong girl. I want good things for her.
Jasmine - nice but bland.
Roathy - I honestly don't care about this kid.
Isadora - Not a fan. I'm hoping to get a better sense of her motivation in the next book.
➣ The Good
The characters were definitely the highlight of this story. I really loved Emmett, Kaya, and Bilal and looked forward to any scenes they had together. It was so easy to get invested in these kids and the challenge set before them. There were scenes with these kids that definitely made me tear up and even though some fates feel set in stone by the end of the book, I'm still holding out hope.
The mystery surrounding Babel is the other driving force behind my continuing the series. The ruthless way they pit the characters against each other in their challenges, the way they keep them in the dark make them feel so sinister in a way you can't even hate yet, because there's so much Emmett hasn't discovered.
➣ The Bad
As per usual, my main gripe is that with a cast this large and diverse, it would have been nice to see more LGBTQ representation. While romance is definitely not the main focus of this story, it's something I always search for in little comments and actions characters make. There are still two more books and who knows what could happen, so this isn't even a strong complaint for me.
➣ The Unclassifiable
The (other)world building. While we know that the kids are being kept in the dark about much of the planet where they're going to mine nyxia, I had a hard time keeping a clear visual of the planet in my mind. Same with Earth itself. While we know it's in the future, and the story doesn't take place there, it'd be nice to have a "recent history" summary of what has been happening and why, even in the future, technology is still far enough behind that Nyxia is a completely novel material. Nyxia itself feels a little bit like a deus ex machina and I would've liked to have known more about how it works, and why it works that way. We know it's exhausting to use, but why didn't we see more experimenting with the different uses of the nyxia rings in their free time. Why can it be used as a weapon, a tool, and a translator? Just having Babel say, "we don't know how it works yet," felt like a bit of a cop-out.
➣ Final Thoughts
Scifi is a deceptively difficult genre to get right in stories, just because a lot of modern scifi focuses so heavily on visuals to help tell the story, but this was definitely a contender. What it really needed was another 100 pages to flesh everything out, and a little bit more time spent worldbuilding. Half of the cast was very memorable and half faded into the background, but somehow the book still felt strong and had emotional weight. However frustrating the mystery surrounding Babel was, it was still compelling enough that I can't wait to pick up the next book!
arcadiap's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
This book was given to me by a friend to read, and I went into it mostly blind. The story is fast paced and engaging, I’m invested in the characters, and I will definitely pick up the next book. This one ends on a cliffhanger, so make sure you have the next one ready!
zu_reviews's review against another edition
5.0
I bought this book solely because it was a YA Sci-Fi and didn't quite understand I was getting the gauntlet competition trope with a corrupt power. I thought I was done with that kind of story but this surprised me. It felt fresh somehow and I enjoyed the morally Grey character of Emmett fight to become a better person. It had twists and gut punches and I'm excited to read the rest of the series.
vendea92's review against another edition
4.0
Kniha se mi libila...neni plna akce a napeti, ale i tak je čtivá a pribeh opravdu utika. Prijde mi to takova seznamovací kniha s celou serii. Jasne, jsou tam i zvraty, ale nic, co by cloveka posadilo na zidly. Urcite se mame na co tesit v dalsich dilech! Protoze ten konec...to nemuzes zustat jen tak! :D
lundos's review against another edition
2.0
Hmm. How to write this one. It's in no way Red Rising, though, there are times that it wants to be. Morning is clearly Mustang inspired. Babel is the evil empire. Rich people have no/different morals, etc
But the level of writing is not there. The depth of the characters are one or two characteristics, they become friends/enemies with barely any preamble, and there are some weird character responses. I know It's YA but still.
There are one big surprise. That was well done and well used.
But the level of writing is not there. The depth of the characters are one or two characteristics, they become friends/enemies with barely any preamble, and there are some weird character responses. I know It's YA but still.
There are one big surprise. That was well done and well used.
shinesalot's review against another edition
4.0
A perfect sci fi adventure! Excellent cast of characters, loads of competition and action packed, page turning plot twists galore. Going to run to my library and pick up the sequel!
starlightbooktales's review against another edition
4.0
Let me start by saying this is a Netgalley review, I received it for free for an honest review.
Also, I am so excited that FINALLY I got approved for a book that wasn’t horrible! I enjoyed this book so much. I love space and I always enjoy a competition so this was an extremely right fit for me. I officially have preordered this book that comes out in September!
This book is a good crossover between The Hunger Games and the 100. A group of kids/teens whatever you want to call them are chosen from all over the world to compete in a competition in space. The winners get to go to a planet called Eden. For competing, the kids will earn an income and healthcare for their families back home. But first, they must compete because not all 10 children are going to go Eden. Only 8 of them will be chosen. Their job on Eden will be mining Nyxia, a substance they are also trained to use. The entire book is compiled of their training and competition. We follow a guy named Emmett, one of the competitors and he desperately needs the money and the healthcare benefits the competition will provide. We watch the friendships and rivalries grow, but everyone has secrets.
The characters were all so different, some I grew attached too. They all had strengths and weaknesses and I cannot wait to explore more of that. The diversity regarding races was so refreshing to see. Not a whole lot of romance, but I like when a story doesn't revolve too much on the romance.
It is an incredibly interesting plot and it kept me wanting more. I am annoyed that I will probably have to wait an entire year for the next book and this book isn’t even out yet! The con of reviewing books I suppose.
But 4/5 stars, can’t wait for the next one. Preferably soon!.
Also, I am so excited that FINALLY I got approved for a book that wasn’t horrible! I enjoyed this book so much. I love space and I always enjoy a competition so this was an extremely right fit for me. I officially have preordered this book that comes out in September!
This book is a good crossover between The Hunger Games and the 100. A group of kids/teens whatever you want to call them are chosen from all over the world to compete in a competition in space. The winners get to go to a planet called Eden. For competing, the kids will earn an income and healthcare for their families back home. But first, they must compete because not all 10 children are going to go Eden. Only 8 of them will be chosen. Their job on Eden will be mining Nyxia, a substance they are also trained to use. The entire book is compiled of their training and competition. We follow a guy named Emmett, one of the competitors and he desperately needs the money and the healthcare benefits the competition will provide. We watch the friendships and rivalries grow, but everyone has secrets.
The characters were all so different, some I grew attached too. They all had strengths and weaknesses and I cannot wait to explore more of that. The diversity regarding races was so refreshing to see. Not a whole lot of romance, but I like when a story doesn't revolve too much on the romance.
It is an incredibly interesting plot and it kept me wanting more. I am annoyed that I will probably have to wait an entire year for the next book and this book isn’t even out yet! The con of reviewing books I suppose.
But 4/5 stars, can’t wait for the next one. Preferably soon!.