Skyhunter

by Marie Lu

Overview

Praise for the instant New York Times bestseller Skyhunter
“Riveting.” —POPSUGAR
“Action-packed.” —BuzzFeed
“Fresh.” —Los Angeles Times
“Exhilarating…a rollercoaster of a reading experience.” —The Nerd Daily

A Quiet Place meets Attack on Titan in this unputdownable, adrenaline-laced novel.

Strikers are loyal. With unparalleled, deadly fighting skills. With a willingness to do anything—including sacrifice their own lives—to defend Mara, the world’s last free nation. But to the very people she protects, Talin is seen as an outcast first and a Striker second.

No matter what others think, Talin lets nothing distract her from keeping the evil Federation and its army of haunting, mutant beasts at bay. Until a mysterious prisoner shows up and disrupts Talin’s entire world. Is he a spy? A product of the Federation’s sinister experiments? The clock is ticking for Talin to unravel the prisoner’s secrets and discover whether he’s the weapon that will save—or destroy—them all.

Explore the chilling realities of war and the power of hope in Skyhunter, with slow burn romance and nonstop action that will have you racing to the end.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250802699
Publisher:	Square Fish
Publication date:	08/31/2021
Series:	Skyhunter Duology , #1
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	47,148
Product dimensions:	8.20(w) x 5.30(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Marie Lu is the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of the Legend series, the Young Elites trilogy, Batman: Nightwalker, the Warcross series, and The Kingdom of Back. She graduated from the University of Southern California and jumped into the video game industry, where she worked as an artist. Now a full-time writer, she spends her spare hours reading, drawing, and playing games. She lives in Los Angeles with her illustrator/author husband, Primo Gallanosa, and their son.

Editorial Reviews

A New York Times and Publishers Weekly bestseller

"Cinematically imagined... An exciting, layered, action-filled tale." —Kirkus Reviews

"Paradoxes abound and readers will glory in them all." —Booklist

"Suspense and high-action fights make this plot-driven story both fast-paced and brutal." —School Library Journal

"Lu (The Kingdom of Back and Legend) creates a devastating, war-torn world, built upon the wreckage of a technologically advanced society. Readers will eagerly await a follow-up to this engrossing dystopian novel, which searingly interrogates traumas of war, immigration, and imperialism." —Publishers Weekly

"Lu ably balances lightning-fast action and stirring battles with romance, weaving in enough bits of cultural history to give the story some grounding... This hearty but small group of Talin, Red, and a few more allies face formidable odds in the next outing, and readers will likely eagerly await news on how they fare." — The Bulletin

"This tale of intrigue, alliances, and love will draw Legend fans and new readers into a fascinating world whose combined layers of privilege and surveillance draw comparisons to many present-day social ills." —Publishers Weekly

"Lu opts for a high simmer of intrigue in her sequel to Legend . . . taut and insightful.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“The well-drawn worlds, political undercurrents and the believability of the characters make it all feel fresh.” —Los Angeles Times

“Clear your calendar to allow yourself the luxury of reading this book in one or two sittings. You will be shaken.” —New York Journal of Books

“[Lu] has given this beautifully crafted series the ending it deserved.” —Booklist

From the Publisher

09/07/2020

When the Karensa Federation invaded Basea a decade ago, Talin Kanami and her mother fled north to Mara. Now 18 and using sign language due to emotional and vocal cord scarring from that night, Talin is a Striker, the sole refugee on an elite squadron deemed “the last defense Mara has against the Federation.” Strikers battle Ghosts, formerly human “monstrous war beasts” whose bites inflict transformation. Despite rampant xenophobia, Talin is determined to protect “the last free nation on this side of the sea.” But when Talin protests an execution order for Federation defector Redlen Arabes, her commander, the Firstblade Aramin Wen Calla, imposes a punishment: Talin must take Red as her Shield, a fighting partner bonded for life. As Talin gets to know Red, she learns he is the Federation’s greatest experiment: the Skyhunter, a “half-man, half-machine weapon.” Soon, Talin, Red, and fellow Strikers Rooke Min Ghanna and Jeran Min Terra devise a plan to destabilize the empire. Lu (The Kingdom of Back) creates a devastating, war-torn world, built upon the wreckage of a technologically advanced society. Readers will eagerly await a follow-up to this engrossing dystopian novel, which searingly interrogates traumas of war, immigration, and imperialism. Ages 12–up. Agent: Jodi Reamer, Writers House. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

10/01/2020

Gr 9 Up—The nation of Mara is fighting a losing war against the Karensa Federation and its superior technology harnessed from the Early Ones—a fallen civilization readers will recognize as our own. Mara was supposed to be a safe haven for Talin and her mother; instead, refugees are kept outside the city walls. Talin is proud of the features that signal her as Basean—light brown skin, "eyes green and slender and long lashed," black hair that shines blue—though many Marans refer to refugees like her as rats. As a Striker on the warfront, Talin fights Ghosts—humans who have been horrifically re-engineered by the Federation to become monsters intent only on killing. When Talin saves a mysterious prisoner of war she may have also found the key to beating the Federation—but first she has to decide if the prisoner is a potential weapon or an ally. This post-apocalyptic sci-fi adventure is a visceral exploration of the emotional and physical costs of war. Poison gas scarred Talin's vocal chords leaving her unable to speak; she instead communicates with the sign language used by Strikers. Talin's narration is caustic as questions of allegiance and loyalty move the plot forward, with Talin and her friends struggling to save a country that offered refuge while withholding common decency. At the cliffhanger end of this book Mara's fate is far from secure, leaving readers to wait for answers in the conclusion to this duology. VERDICT Suspense and high-action fights make this plot-driven story both fast-paced and brutal.—Emma Carbone, Brooklyn P.L.

School Library Journal

Natalie Naudus turns in a blockbuster performance of this riveting saga. A far future world has risen from the ashes of the past, only to be crushed by its federation’s monstrous war machine. Talin, an elite warrior, may be mute, but her rich inner monologue shines in Naudus’s distinctive vocal choices. Naudus captures her ambivalence at feeling like an undesirable refugee while at the same time feeling compelled to defend her new home. Naudus’s words are crisp and bright, laced with intuitive touches of personality that create a cast of compelling characters. Her performance demonstrates how a strong, consistent narrative voice can amplify the intricacies within a text. Fans of Marie Lu will not be disappointed. E.M.U. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

NOVEMBER 2020 - AudioFile

2020-07-27
A group of young soldiers defend their home against the evil Karensa Federation.

Talin is a Basean refugee in Mara, treated with xenophobic cruelty by many but recognized for her skill by her battle partner, Corian, and friends Rooke and Jeran. The capture of a former Federation fighter named Redlen with magnificent, strange abilities forces her into new territory and life-altering decisions. Redlen exposes details about the Federation’s genetically engineered army of Ghosts, zombielike creatures, leading Talin and the rest to hatch a desperate scheme to infiltrate their stronghold and sabotage their production—against explicit orders. Their mission and its aftermath help Talin understand more about her role in Mara and her reasons for defending a nation where she is often persecuted. In this cinematically imagined dystopia, Talin uses sign language to communicate since early trauma in her homeland at the hands of the Federation resulted in the cessation of her speech. In a deftly plotted first-person narrative that is both expansive and detailed in its depiction of the setting and includes quick-moving battle sequences, Talin’s trajectory is convincing. In a few instances, her earnest realizations about her own motivations can feel a bit pat, but this is a mostly nuanced and poignant story that is left wide open for a welcome sequel. Characters have a range of skin tones; one male character is in love with another man.

An exciting, layered, action-filled tale with a cast of sympathetic characters. (map) (Fantasy. 13-18)

Kirkus Reviews