Skyhunter

by Marie Lu

Overview

In Skyhunter, a novel laced with adrenaline and filled with nonstop action, #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu creates an immersive world broken by war where the only hope against overwhelming evil lies with a team of young warriors willing to sacrifice everything to save what they love.

The Karensa Federation has conquered a dozen countries, leaving Mara as one of the last free nations in the world. Refugees flee to its borders to escape a fate worse than death—transformation into mutant war beasts known as Ghosts, creatures the Federation then sends to attack Mara.

The legendary Strikers, Mara’s elite fighting force, are trained to stop them. But as the number of Ghosts grows and Karensa closes in, defeat seems inevitable.

Still, one Striker refuses to give up hope.

Robbed of her voice and home, Talin Kanami knows firsthand the brutality of the Federation. Their cruelty forced her and her mother to seek asylum in a country that considers their people repugnant. She finds comfort only with a handful of fellow Strikers who have pledged their lives to one another and who are determined to push Karensa back at all costs.

But when a mysterious prisoner is brought from the front, Talin senses there’s more to him than meets the eye. Is he a spy from the Federation? Or could he be the weapon that will save them all?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250221681
Publisher:	Roaring Brook Press
Publication date:	09/29/2020
Series:	Skyhunter Duology , #1
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.50(d)
Lexile:	870L (what's this?)
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

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

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

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