Hello! I’m here to talk about a book I claimed using points on BookishFirst, ended up loving, and am already looking forward to the sequel even though it has just released. **And as always, the work to support the Black community is not done, whether there is media coverage for it or not, so here is the link to click in order to support the Black Lives Matter movement in any way you can, and thank you to StarlahReads for compiling these resources.**
When I saw that Skyhunter, the newest book released by Marie Lu, was up for raffle on BookishFirst, I knew that it was going to be one of the most popular choices. So I used 2000 of my points to claim a copy almost immediately, which ended up being a good call because redeemable copies ran out extremely quickly, and I don’t have the best luck with entering the raffle. I wasn’t expecting a finished copy to wind up at my door just a week or two later, and, in my opinion, it’s physically stunning – beautiful cover design with a signal figure sillouette, “Skyhunter” on the edges, and even under the dust jacket the hardback is nicely textured with a dark colored ombre and the title printed in white. Thankfully, the inside was just as stunning, and I can’t wait to talk about it.
Talin and her mother fled from Basea, a country that was taken under Federation control, to Mara, the last remaining free country, when she was only eight years old. Now she is a Striker, a member of an elite fighting force that stands as Mara’s last line of defense. As a refugee, Talin knows first-hand the dangers if the country falls into Federation control, especially now that their scientists are engineering an army of beings known as “Ghosts.” A mysterious prisoner crosses into Mara’s borders, and on the day of his execution, Talin must decide if what he knows can lead Mara to victory, or will be the cause of its downfall.
I’m not really prone to pick up dystopian novels, besides The Hunger Games back in the day, and Station Eleven when everyone was talking about it, but something about this particular synopsis intrigued me. Who is the mysterious prisoner? Why does Talin feel inclined to save him? Does he yield the power to stop the intruding forces of the Federation? And what’s the deal with these “Ghosts?” Well, all of my questions may have been answered and explained, but the ending just gave me more questions that I will be patiently awaiting the answers to in the sequel, when it is released. I found the balance between description / backstory and action to be one of this book’s strengths – the reader got to experience the present while reliving / learning about the past with the main character. The stakes were always high – whenever the characters entered an action / battle scene, I was never sure if everyone would make it out alive or unharmed, which increased the suspense and kept me reading to find out. And while I’m not usually a fan of zombie books (which the “Ghosts” in this book essentially are), I did find some of the science behind them to be fascinating, especially in terms of their blood and how it behaves in certain situations (without giving too many spoilers). The book also provided commentary on attitudes towards minorities and people with diabilities, as well as classism and elitism in terms of job rank, which I found poignant. And a key theme throughout the novel is loyalty – loyalty to own’s country, own’s family, and own’s Shield. As the tagline states, “loyalty is life,” but will it cost someone theirs?
I was especially impressed with the level of character development for our main cast, and I will focus specifically on Talin, Adena, and Jeran. Each individual has stories from their past, which shaped their attitudes and way of thinking, and has affected the choices they make in the present.
-For Talin, she is a refugee Striker, the first of her kind. The only reason she was allowed on the force was because her former Shield, Corian, was able to convince leadership to let her join. Many fellow Strikers refuse to think of her as an equal, because she communicates only through sign language and people refer to her kind as “rats.” So why does she remain, to fight for Mara? Because her mother risked everything to get her to safety all those years ago, because Mara is not the enemy, the Federation is, and Mara is the only homeland she has left.
-Adena’s brother, Olden, brought her to Striker practice to take her mind off her mother’s death, and helped her train when she became interested in joining the force. They were each other’s Shield, and protected each other until Olden was captured at the warfront and was shot down by Federation soldiers before Adena could reach him. On the Striker compound she yields a weapons shop, where she is contantly trying new ideas to increase efficiency against the Ghost army. She continues this because she believes that using her random talents, the very things her brother encouraged, can help avenge his death.
-Jeran was taught at an early age by his father that the Senate was a place for esteemed young men. But when he struggled with his exams while his brother, Gabrien, passed with flying colors, he tried to prove himself amongst the Strikers to hopefully rival his brother and win back some of his father’s love. However, Jeran faces abuse at the hands of both his father and Gabrien, so part of the reason he joined the Strikers was to learn how to fight back, even if the abuse did not cease. Jeran chooses not to let other pity him, and makes it clear he wants people to respect his position because of his skills. Sometimes abuse will not cease, even if you outrank your abuser – in Jeran’s case it was never about rank, it was about making him feel utterly powerless. Adena, his Shield, reminds him those that hurt him are not family, they are monsters, and sometimes “your family can also be the poison in your life.”
In conclusion, I firmly believe that Skyhunter is a strong dystopian novel that will keep readers on their toes, flipping through every page to see what happens next. Marie Lu has expertly crafted a world where everyone thinks they are fighting for the greater good, but it may be their downfall. I can’t wait to see what everyone thinks about this novel. Skyhunter is released on September 29th, 2020 (which is the day this will be posted, if everything goes well), so if you’re at all intrigued, I highly recommend picking up a copy. Hopefully you won’t be disappointed. **Thank you to BookishFirst and the publisher, Roaring Brook Press, for the finished copy, all thoughts and feelings are my own.**
Places to find Skyhunter:
Amazon
Goodreads
Marie Lu’s Twitter page
Macmillan
Thoughts About Things 