Book Review: Skyhunter
Skyhunter by Marie Lu
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This novel is about Talin, a striker for Mara, the last free nation as she fights to keep the Karensa Federation away from her home. The Federation creates Ghosts by taking humans and changing the way they look and act. When a prisoner of war, Red, is captured, Talin saves him and they become striker and shield. Together with Adena and Jeran, they fight to keep hope alive in Mara.
The characters are AMAZING. They are probably one of my favorite parts. First of all, the main character Talin. She is extremely smart and is a true fighter. When escaping her home, Basea, she loses her voice to poisonous gas and has to use sign language as a result. She is treated as an outcast even though she is a striker, one of the highest ranking people. She rarely complains about her situation (I know I definitely would have). She was a great character to read from. Next is Red, the Skyhunter. I loved reading Red’s backstory about how he got his wings and how his story and Talin’s connected. Something I appreciated was how romance was never forced onto Talin and Red even though they were literally in each other’s’ minds (however, I predict that the next book will go into it further). Lastly, Adena and Jeran. Their dynamic is amazing. Adena is very smart and is the one that ends up finding a way to prevent Ghosts from attacking humans. Jeran is very loyal and has a great heart (I also totally ship Jeran and Aramin, the Firstblade). The four of them make a great team and almost succeeds in bringing down the Federation. Bonus character: Talin’s mom. Talin’s mom is so cool! She is supportive of Talin and understands the danger that comes with the job.
This book is also very action packed. So many things happened and there was not one moment where I was bored. The worldbuilding was great and everything was described well. It was cool to see the contrast between the Federation and Mara. There are also a lot of discussions about discrimination which I appreciated. One more thing: the cover is beautiful.
The one complaint I have is that it was sort of predictable. Sure there were some parts where I didn’t see something coming, but for the most part, the plot followed the basic fantasy formula. It was also slightly unrealistic. For example, Adena comes up with a way to defeat the Federation in almost a day, something people haven’t been able to do for a very long time. There were also a lot of conflicts that seemed to sway in favor of the group. There were many near death moments especially when the group went to the Federation but somehow made it out. The ending was also slightly flat in comparison to the rest of the book even though it ends on a (predictable) cliffhanger.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and flew through it. I would give this book a 4.5/5 stars, knocking off half a star for the predictability. If you want an action packed book with great characters then this book is for you!
-Review by Teen Advisory Board Member, 11/11/20