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thenovellush 's review for:
Nyxia Unleashed
by Scott Reintgen
I'm excited that Unleashed picked up right where Nyxia left off and was just as thrilling! One thing I love about this series is the twists and turns that keep you guessing. Some of the surprises are dark, but not overly much for YA which I appreciate. Next to the creativity of Nyxia and how I really enjoy that it's power lies in the power that the user gives it and it isn't a limitless substance, my favorite thing about this series remains the diverse cast of characters and how real they seem. From the characters you fall in love with to the ones you want to hate, all are multi-faceted and never just one thing.
I also really enjoy how the characters aren't silly or childish, just because they're young. The majority come from some pretty heavy backgrounds and that has shaped them. They may look and act like teenagers to some aspect, but there's also a jadedness to them that I relate very well to because of where I grew up. They don't look at the world with rose colored glasses and just because Babel has offered them the opportunity of a lifetime it doesn't mean they go into the situation with eyes wide shut. Babel picked them because they thought they would be easy to manipulate because of their backgrounds, but their backgrounds are what enable them to walk into the situation and see the truth for what it really is. These kids make some very serious and complex adult observations and decisions that they may not have been, had they been sheltered.
This leads me to another thing I was really excited about: How the matter of colonization and it's widespread effects were handled, as well as oppression, sexuality, PTSD, trauma, social diversity and social privilege, just to name a FEW, and it's all dressed up in this action packed, fast paced read through incredibly engaging narration.
That doesn't even include the romance, which I liked and believed a lot more in this book than in the first.
This is hands down my favorite YA SFF, without a doubt, and this author is definitely an auto-buy for me.
I also really enjoy how the characters aren't silly or childish, just because they're young. The majority come from some pretty heavy backgrounds and that has shaped them. They may look and act like teenagers to some aspect, but there's also a jadedness to them that I relate very well to because of where I grew up. They don't look at the world with rose colored glasses and just because Babel has offered them the opportunity of a lifetime it doesn't mean they go into the situation with eyes wide shut. Babel picked them because they thought they would be easy to manipulate because of their backgrounds, but their backgrounds are what enable them to walk into the situation and see the truth for what it really is. These kids make some very serious and complex adult observations and decisions that they may not have been, had they been sheltered.
This leads me to another thing I was really excited about: How the matter of colonization and it's widespread effects were handled, as well as oppression, sexuality, PTSD, trauma, social diversity and social privilege, just to name a FEW, and it's all dressed up in this action packed, fast paced read through incredibly engaging narration.
That doesn't even include the romance, which I liked and believed a lot more in this book than in the first.
This is hands down my favorite YA SFF, without a doubt, and this author is definitely an auto-buy for me.