Skyhunter

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
“My favorite YA of 2020.” ―Sabaa Tahir, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Ember in the Ashes series and National Book Award Winner All My Rage

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.

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 slanted 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.α(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

A New York Times and Publishers Weekly **bestseller

** “ My favorite YA of 2020.” ―Sabaa Tahir, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Ember in the Ashes series and National Book Award Winner All My Rage

"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 for the Center of Children's Books (BCCB)


• "The high-stakes action (including graceful, deadly combat) more than once has readers fearing for the characters’ lives...In addition, Lu brings in themes of disability and prejudice to this science fiction tale with many of the markers of traditional fantasy." - Hornbook
  

Marie Lu is the #1 New York Times –bestselling author of the Legend series, The Young Elites trilogy, the Warcross series, the Skyhunter series, Batman: Nightwalker , 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. A full-time writer, she spends her spare hours reading, drawing, playing games, and getting stuck in traffic. She lives in the traffic-jam capital, Los Angeles, with her illustrator/author husband, Primo Gallanosa, and their son.