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A review by twstdtink
Nyxia by Scott Reintgen
5.0
They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. But, secretly, we all do. It's one of the reasons physical books aren't dead yet, despite the reduced cost of going digital. As far as looks go, Nyxia would be the prom queen of 2017. This book is slick, shiny, and textured. It's downright sexy. I took it to my son's music lesson and three people asked me what it was about. We've been going there for six months and no one has ever talked to me before. Apparently, I've been socializing all wrong. Thankfully, Nyxia's insides didn't disappoint either.
Nyxia by Scott Reintgen is everything that's great about young-adult dystopian novels. It's fast paced and gritty, with colorful characters that don't waste time on needless dialog. The main character is a young black man, something I rarely see in teen novels. Other reviewers have compared it to Maze Runner and Hunger Games. The only thing that unites those books, besides a common genre, is that they're all breakthrough novels of their time. Nyxia manages to be exciting without being formulaic - a common issue in today's growing YA market.
The story takes place in space, aboard a ship headed to a distant planet nicknamed Eden. Eden contains a strange resource that Babel Communications, a powerful Earth corporation, would like to get their hands on. The only issue is, Eden also contains alien beings who are hostile to Babel's agenda. Emmett and nine other impoverished teens have been recruited to train and travel to the alien planet, romanced by the prospect of money and security for their loved ones back on Earth. But, things aren't what they seem - not the corporation that hired them, not what they'll be required to do to get there, and certainly not the substance they're being trained to mine. Not everyone will make it to Eden alive.
Reintgen's sequel, Nyxia Unleased, comes out in July of 2018, and it's not soon enough!
Nyxia by Scott Reintgen is everything that's great about young-adult dystopian novels. It's fast paced and gritty, with colorful characters that don't waste time on needless dialog. The main character is a young black man, something I rarely see in teen novels. Other reviewers have compared it to Maze Runner and Hunger Games. The only thing that unites those books, besides a common genre, is that they're all breakthrough novels of their time. Nyxia manages to be exciting without being formulaic - a common issue in today's growing YA market.
The story takes place in space, aboard a ship headed to a distant planet nicknamed Eden. Eden contains a strange resource that Babel Communications, a powerful Earth corporation, would like to get their hands on. The only issue is, Eden also contains alien beings who are hostile to Babel's agenda. Emmett and nine other impoverished teens have been recruited to train and travel to the alien planet, romanced by the prospect of money and security for their loved ones back on Earth. But, things aren't what they seem - not the corporation that hired them, not what they'll be required to do to get there, and certainly not the substance they're being trained to mine. Not everyone will make it to Eden alive.
Reintgen's sequel, Nyxia Unleased, comes out in July of 2018, and it's not soon enough!