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erinaraa's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I was a little wary of this duology at first, due to its uncanny similarities to Attack on Titan. (I enjoy Attack on Titan very much, but all the same.) Thankfully, the books both grew on me and the dynamic between each of the characters is so special.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Classism, and Colonisation
nytephoenyx's review
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Steelstriker was decent, but it wasn’t great. The end of the story felt rushed and wrapped up a bit too quickly, too neatly. I still really like the darkness of this duology and the world Lu built, but I think this story could have been grander and more complex. In that, this falls into a lot of common traps of Lu’s particular type of story.
The dystopian future remains interesting, but as we move from Mara into the Capital, we feel less of the complexity of this colonized world. In many ways, this mirrors the perspective of powerful white nations in our world. Important national symbols from countries taken in war serve as trophies, meaning stripped from them by ignorant invaders. There were many moments in Steelstriker where Red in particular could have expanded and grown and it would have enriched the story. Instead, Lu used minimal explanations and focused on her core plot and, as usual, her romantic subplot.
Please Marie Lu! Please, please, please. Write one book, one series with no romantic subplot. As soon as romance enters the picture, the characters’ motivations change, the shape of the world changes, and story flow falters. I promise – not every good story needs a love story. The romantic subplot fizzled – formulaically, Talin and Red are a couple but the chemistry is forced. Same as Warcross, same as Legend… as soon as Lu started to focus on Talin/Red, the sharp edges of the rest of the story dulled.
Constantine should be a formidable villain, but he is defeated far too easily. I wanted the dark manipulation of Wildcard‘s villains in this novel and we had that at first. Unfortunately, as the end of the novel neared, I was let down by Constantine’s reactions.Considering the character background and development, there should have been more preparedness for the ending, or at the very least, more explanation why things ended up going the way they did.
I think Lu wanted so badly to tie up this story with sparkles and a bow. Her dark writing is incredible, but she failed to completely break out of her usual storytelling mold and I am so disappointed. I loved Skyhunter and would still enthusiastically recommend is, but Steelstriker is a different story. I expected more. And I genuinely believe Lu could have delivered it based on some of her other books – but either by her own hesitation or her team’s insistence on not breaking a model that works, Steelstriker is too familiar and underwhelming.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Death, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Chronic illness and War
anaguana's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Colonisation, and Death
Moderate: Kidnapping, Miscarriage, and Torture
Minor: Cultural appropriation, Infidelity, and Slavery
betweentheshelves's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s for an advanced copy of this to review! I loved Skyhunter and was excited to get to the second book in this duology. AndI am happy to say that it definitely didn’t disappoint!
This book picks up pretty much where Skyhunter leaves off. At the beginning, it seems like all hope is lost. But in true Marie Lu fashion, we know that our two main characters are going to be good at beating the odds. Lu writes characters that have a tenacity to fight against oppressive governments, and Talin and Red are no different.
Not only are the characters great, but the world building also transports you to a new world. What I really enjoyed about this book was the fact that this is set in a dystopian kind of future, but there are issues that are parallel with what’s currently happening in our world. At one point, Red makes an observation about the fact that history is written by the conquerors, but it’s made to be less violent. It never happens how it’s written. And that point just struck home with me because it’s true about our world as well.
If you’re a fan of action in books, you’ll definitely get it in this book, too. Lu is great at writing action scenes, and there are some really great ones in here. This is the end of the duology, and I don’t think Lu fans will be disappointed with how it ends.
All in all, if you’re looking for your next dystopian series to pick up, definitely check into this one!
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As per usual, Marie Lu has delivered an action-packed conclusion to her duology. Stay tuned for a review later this week!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Blood and Body horror
Minor: War
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