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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
Nyxia was one of my favorite books from last year, and this second one is my favorite from this year! Second books aren’t always as good as the third, but this one was. It was creative, had beautiful descriptions, and was unpredictable. Can’t wait for the third book next year!
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Readers interested in this fast-paced TA sf series should know that this volume jets 0-60 moments after volume one came to its crashing climax. And there is no slowdown.
In this second installment, we move away from the by-now familiar gladiator teens pitted against each other by evil government trope (yay!) as those who survived volume one land on the planet below. They have been trained to mine nyxia, and to fight, and to manage tech via the weird substance called nyxia, which we learn more about as the story progresses.
We also meet the Imago, or "Adamites" (the name the Evil Corporation has imposed on the native people, rather like the Europeans imposed "Indians" on the North Americans who lived there first) and get some intriguing glimpses into their culture.
We also begin to discover that everyone is lying to the kids. Why are they really there? Why did the Imago made a treaty with Evil Babel, to let them mine the nyxia?
The kids, survivors all, are determined to figure out what's going on and take their fates into their own hands, but the only way to do that is to stick together.
Reintgen is wonderful at characterization as well as bloody, hard action. The girls and boys are individuals, survivors, but not all are cynics or nihilists. Hope and faith are all some of them have, as well as each other. Morning is a terrific captain--I love her ferocity. I also love the way that she and Emmet are able to trade off leadership as needed. Everyone's strength is valued.
Not that they all get along. There's a thread about a lethal rivalry in the first book that runs through this one, pumping up the tension even more.
We get another cinematic, high-intensity climax, and then . . . the last line whams us with yet another surprise.
This is one of those rare books where I think the now-fashionable-in-YA first person present tense works, because we don't get a lot of flashbacks. We land running and never stop, which the present tense underscores. Most chapters are narrated by Emmet, but we do take some sidesteps to one of my favorite characters, Anton (if Anton doesn't make it, I will reach through my screen and strangle you, Scott Reintgen!), and we get a single glimpse into the Babel side of the story.
Altogether a terrific read, leaving me eager for volume three.
Copy provided by NetGalley
In this second installment, we move away from the by-now familiar gladiator teens pitted against each other by evil government trope (yay!) as those who survived volume one land on the planet below. They have been trained to mine nyxia, and to fight, and to manage tech via the weird substance called nyxia, which we learn more about as the story progresses.
We also meet the Imago, or "Adamites" (the name the Evil Corporation has imposed on the native people, rather like the Europeans imposed "Indians" on the North Americans who lived there first) and get some intriguing glimpses into their culture.
We also begin to discover that everyone is lying to the kids. Why are they really there? Why did the Imago made a treaty with Evil Babel, to let them mine the nyxia?
The kids, survivors all, are determined to figure out what's going on and take their fates into their own hands, but the only way to do that is to stick together.
Reintgen is wonderful at characterization as well as bloody, hard action. The girls and boys are individuals, survivors, but not all are cynics or nihilists. Hope and faith are all some of them have, as well as each other. Morning is a terrific captain--I love her ferocity. I also love the way that she and Emmet are able to trade off leadership as needed. Everyone's strength is valued.
Not that they all get along. There's a thread about a lethal rivalry in the first book that runs through this one, pumping up the tension even more.
We get another cinematic, high-intensity climax, and then . . . the last line whams us with yet another surprise.
This is one of those rare books where I think the now-fashionable-in-YA first person present tense works, because we don't get a lot of flashbacks. We land running and never stop, which the present tense underscores. Most chapters are narrated by Emmet, but we do take some sidesteps to one of my favorite characters, Anton (if Anton doesn't make it, I will reach through my screen and strangle you, Scott Reintgen!), and we get a single glimpse into the Babel side of the story.
Altogether a terrific read, leaving me eager for volume three.
Copy provided by NetGalley
It was really the added POV that lowered it a star, like the guy had personality but he just didn’t sound like a teenager that’s stuck in his position. It fits what we already know about him, we just don’t know him that well before getting the second POV which doesn’t even start from a semi-status quo. Plot wise, it doesn’t fall too much into the middle book ditch. It could stand on its own, just shakily in my personal opinion.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
medium-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:
Yes
I fell in love with this series again! I read rhe first book as a 17 year old brand new to college. Now I'm a 22 year old going into grad school, and this book is an amazing way to get out of another reading slump!!! The characters feel so real, and the portrayal of societal structure really emphasizes how the world is set up today. I can't wait to start the third/final book!
slow-paced
This book was so bad! I'm so disappointed!
I enjoyed Nyxia, book one in the series. I liked the 'Hunger Games in space' vibes and the twists were entertaining. Nyxia Unleashed is such a let down and pretty much ruined any appreciation I had for this series.
The plot was boring. The characters aren't interesting; in fact, a 2D drawing of a stick figure has more intrigue than most of the characters here. The romance had no emotion - I could not care less about Morning. I was already annoyed by her perfection in book one. In Nyxia Unleashed Emmett became just as annoying. Both of them were so perfect and brave and smart and kind and amazing... they had no personality. There was no intrigue.
Initially I kept reading because I was hoping things would get more interesting.
They didn't.
Don't wait your time like I did. Such a disappointment.
I enjoyed Nyxia, book one in the series. I liked the 'Hunger Games in space' vibes and the twists were entertaining. Nyxia Unleashed is such a let down and pretty much ruined any appreciation I had for this series.
The plot was boring. The characters aren't interesting; in fact, a 2D drawing of a stick figure has more intrigue than most of the characters here. The romance had no emotion - I could not care less about Morning. I was already annoyed by her perfection in book one. In Nyxia Unleashed Emmett became just as annoying. Both of them were so perfect and brave and smart and kind and amazing... they had no personality. There was no intrigue.
Initially I kept reading because I was hoping things would get more interesting.
They didn't.
Don't wait your time like I did. Such a disappointment.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was so excited for this book coming out, especially with the first one ending like it did, so I was so happy to see an email saying I had been approved I let out a little squeal.
Unfortunately this book seemed to fall into the second book in a trilogy slump I always seem to hit, the setting up for the explosive ending third book. That’s not to say that I hated the book, I really enjoyed it, there was such little details that always seem to get glossed over in science fiction books that were explained.
“He explains that he was in charge of taking their system and converting everything into the one used on Earth.”
This doesn’t seem like much, but honestly, I thought that adding in something so small, something you don’t usually think about just explained the amount of care that Reintgen has put into creating such an immersive world, something that most authors wouldn’t think about adding in when describing another planet in kilometres.
The book answered enough questions from the first one, but still leaving enough for the third, plus adding a couple that guarantee that you will buy the third as soon as it comes out, just so that you can get those answers that you’ll be thinking about until the release.
The best thing about a slower paced book is the amount of time spent on the character development. Even a character like Isadora, who you don’t see too much of in the book becomes more fleshed-out and given an arc which, by the end makes her more relatable.
Honestly the character I was most interested in hearing a bit more about was Morning. With her introduction towards the end of the first book we didn’t know much about her as a person, but reading about her time spent with Genesis 11 crew, especially Emmett, has cemented her place in my heart as my favourite character. She’s strong, leading the crew in a way which was written so well that you can’t help but wish you had the opportunity to have her as a friend looking out for you.
Overall, the book wasn’t as fast paced, all action competition story like the first, but picked up where the first one left off and made you see the characters as people, not just names in a book.
5/5 stars
I was so excited for this book coming out, especially with the first one ending like it did, so I was so happy to see an email saying I had been approved I let out a little squeal.
Unfortunately this book seemed to fall into the second book in a trilogy slump I always seem to hit, the setting up for the explosive ending third book. That’s not to say that I hated the book, I really enjoyed it, there was such little details that always seem to get glossed over in science fiction books that were explained.
“He explains that he was in charge of taking their system and converting everything into the one used on Earth.”
This doesn’t seem like much, but honestly, I thought that adding in something so small, something you don’t usually think about just explained the amount of care that Reintgen has put into creating such an immersive world, something that most authors wouldn’t think about adding in when describing another planet in kilometres.
The book answered enough questions from the first one, but still leaving enough for the third, plus adding a couple that guarantee that you will buy the third as soon as it comes out, just so that you can get those answers that you’ll be thinking about until the release.
The best thing about a slower paced book is the amount of time spent on the character development. Even a character like Isadora, who you don’t see too much of in the book becomes more fleshed-out and given an arc which, by the end makes her more relatable.
Honestly the character I was most interested in hearing a bit more about was Morning. With her introduction towards the end of the first book we didn’t know much about her as a person, but reading about her time spent with Genesis 11 crew, especially Emmett, has cemented her place in my heart as my favourite character. She’s strong, leading the crew in a way which was written so well that you can’t help but wish you had the opportunity to have her as a friend looking out for you.
Overall, the book wasn’t as fast paced, all action competition story like the first, but picked up where the first one left off and made you see the characters as people, not just names in a book.
5/5 stars
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
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:
N/A
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-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