Skyhunter
Marie Lu
4/5
I've read a couple of Marie Lu's series, but not since I was in high school. This one is different but still brings the same level of quality. Talin has been training to fight the Federation, a conquering nation that stole her homeland and voice, since she was twelve years old. When her partner is killed in battle, she feels lost. When she sees a mutinous soldier of the Federation being executed for the crime of silence, she can't help but protest. It sets up a chain of events that puts her on the true front lines of the fight.
I got major Attack on Titan vibes from this, if that helps you make your decision. It's marketed as sci-fi but it feels kind of more fantasy-like, though it definitely could be dystopian and it's too soon to tell. I really enjoyed the build up and their separate character arcs. I have beef with side characters being killed for main character growth, but you know it happened before she tried to get us attached with a half-assed attempt at like banter or something. But yeah, characters battling with trauma and just her muteness are always great to see in YA because it adds another level of depth to the writing.
The only problem that I had with it would have had to be how straightforward a lot of the conflict was. People were racist people were ableist and that was that. I also really hope that her disability isn't explained through her own ability to conquer it. I don't think that anyone is looking for a character who has to grow to be worthy of her power. I don't want her to be fixed, I like the way she is and I'll be upset if that becomes part of her arc.
I'm excited though, I think that the world has a lot of potential and she set it up to be really cool in a lot of different ways. The ending especially, it opens a lot of possibilities up for the complexity of the sequel. I'm not all that surprised that Marie Lu is bringing another great book to the table but I'm happy to be a part of it yet again.
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