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jessread_s
Review: I remember reading this book for the first time right before the motion picture was released. I really was not sure to expect. I had already been broken down by [a:John Green|1406384|John Green|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1353452301p2/1406384.jpg]’s [b:The Fault in Our Stars|11870085|The Fault in Our Stars|John Green|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1360206420l/11870085._SY75_.jpg|16827462] and immediately found myself wanting to compare the two (on the emotional scale) before I read the first chapter. I was in tears by the end. I found [b:If I Stay|4374400|If I Stay (If I Stay, #1)|Gayle Forman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347462970l/4374400._SX50_.jpg|4422413] to be a beautiful novel that really tugs on the heartstrings. The writing made the characters seem real and for a time, I felt that Mia was someone I knew. I couldn’t bear the thought of her choosing to go as i watched her painful decision making process unfold. If you have not already read this book, please do! You are sure to sob.
Jess Approved?: ✓
Review originally posted to: Booklr | Bookstagram
Jess Approved?: ✓
Review originally posted to: Booklr | Bookstagram
Review: I don't often read historical fiction, but this story made me want to dive further into the genre because I LOVED the message behind this book.
"The Kingdom of Back" tells the story of Nannerl Mozart, the sister of the famous composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Going into the story, I had no idea who Nannerl even was. I was not aware that Wolfgang had a sister. But that is the point Lu tries to make. In her author’s note, she writes, “What legacy could Nannerl have left if she’d been given the kind of attention and access that her brother enjoyed? What beautiful creations were lost to us forever because Nannerl was a woman? How many other countless talents have been silenced by history, whether for their gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic circumstances?” I was absolutely devastated by this story and that is what made it all the more impactful. I felt inspired and left wanting more after falling for the artful description of the music produced by Nannerl.
This book pushed me to do more outside research, where I learned that the "Kingdom of Back" was an actual fantastical world created by the two siblings. The dark, fantasy elements were beautifully woven into the historical fiction and i was blown away by the world building. Lu made it feel as though the Kingdom of Back were actually real.
The ya genre needs more books like these, books that can serve as a call to action. I encourage everyone to pick up this book if given the chance, so the story of Nannerl Mozart can be spread.
Jess Approved?: ✓
"The Kingdom of Back" tells the story of Nannerl Mozart, the sister of the famous composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Going into the story, I had no idea who Nannerl even was. I was not aware that Wolfgang had a sister. But that is the point Lu tries to make. In her author’s note, she writes, “What legacy could Nannerl have left if she’d been given the kind of attention and access that her brother enjoyed? What beautiful creations were lost to us forever because Nannerl was a woman? How many other countless talents have been silenced by history, whether for their gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic circumstances?” I was absolutely devastated by this story and that is what made it all the more impactful. I felt inspired and left wanting more after falling for the artful description of the music produced by Nannerl.
This book pushed me to do more outside research, where I learned that the "Kingdom of Back" was an actual fantastical world created by the two siblings. The dark, fantasy elements were beautifully woven into the historical fiction and i was blown away by the world building. Lu made it feel as though the Kingdom of Back were actually real.
The ya genre needs more books like these, books that can serve as a call to action. I encourage everyone to pick up this book if given the chance, so the story of Nannerl Mozart can be spread.
Jess Approved?: ✓
Review: As a HUGE fan of the Legend series, I thought I would investigate Marie Lu’s other ya novels to see how they compare. I was not expecting to completely fall head over heels for another series. Legend is a dystopian novel, which differs greatly from the fantastical world captured in The Young Elites, but the writing is absolutely beautiful. No matter what genre, Marie Lu is able to work her magic and create an addicting storyline.
What Worked:
01. The main character. I was absolutely blown away by Lu’s main character Adelina Amouteru. She’s an incredibly dark, passionate, bitter, and ruthless antihero who will do anything it takes to get revenge on those who have wronged her. She is the opposite of perfect and that’s something that I truly appreciate about her. Rather than take the time to establish how beautiful Adelina is as a character, Lu focuses on Adelina’s flaws. Stricken by the plague, Adelina lost an eye to infection, making her extremely self conscious about her scars. She suffers abuse from a father who makes her feel unloved and worthless. Her fears are exposed to the reader, appearing in the form of nightmares. The weight of her own guilt is on full display throughout the whole book, as Adelina tries to cope with the darkness lurking within her conscience. Adelina is truly a strong, independent female who is not afraid to get dirty with her hands. She is also in no way a hero. It was a thrilling experience to be able to look through the eyes of a very dark, flawed individual who I may even consider to be a villain. Though I do not share many of Adelina’s viewpoints and certainly don’t condone her violent behavior, I couldn’t help but root her on as she carried out her revenge plan.
02. The platonic relationship between Adeline and Raffaele. It was refreshing to read a story including a friendship between a male and female character without the complexities of romance. Raffaele is described as beautiful, which goes hand in hand with his ability to soothe the soul. Despite his beauty, Adelina did not sway or fall madly in love with him. Instead, she was invested in developing a platonic relationship that she could fall back on.
03. The villain. I really liked Lu’s idea of incorporating the perspective of Teren, the story’s antagonist, every few chapters. Though his point of view was written in the third person, I was given a lot of insight as to why Teren behaves the way he does. He is incredibly complex and I admire that. His past is shrouded in darkness. As readers, we learn through Enzo that Teren was mistreated by his father. A lot of pressure was placed upon his shoulders as the individual next in line for the Lead Inquisitor role. When Teren was infected by the blood fever, he believed the unique abilities he was gifted made him an abomination. Teren’s past is only mentioned from the perspectives of other characters, making things all the more mysterious. I hope that in upcoming books, we can learn more about Teren and his cruel ways.
04. The setting in which the story takes place. I found Lu’s Renaissance type world to be very interesting! From the tales of the gods and their role in the realm to the Fortunata Court and clothing such as Tamouran head wraps, I relished in the world created by Lu. I really was taken aback by the beautiful imagery and description. Each character was unique and distinct in my mind. Adelina’s illusions were described such an artful way, that I felt as if I could possess her power myself. I couldn’t stop imagining the strings Adelina tugged on to conjure her illusions.
05. The character development. Many of the character’s in The Young Elites are very complex. It is hard to view them at a surface level, as Lu goes into so much depth when painting each character’s history on the page. No one is fully innocent. I don’t want to dive too much into it in fear of potentially spoiling the contents of the book, but I will say that there are no hands that are clean.
06. The diversity. I am very pleased by the diversity within this book. Characters of all different ethnicities, skin tones, genders, and sexualities appear front and center. I applaud Lu for her inclusivity.
07. The romance. Something I really loved about the Legend series was the romance between June and Day. It was a ship I could get behind. I almost always look for books with a little bit of romance, because romance makes things interesting. I was expecting a huge ship readers were rooting for in this book. To my surprise, there actually wasn’t much romance in this book. Even more surprising, I didn’t seem to mind. I was too invested in Adelina’s relationship with the darkness inside of her. I actually enjoyed focusing more on Adelina and her thirst for revenge.
08. The ending. Something that really had me itching to get my hands on the next book was Lu’s method of introducing a new character in the last chapter. It is written in the third person from princess Maeve’s perspective, who hails from Beldain. Including Maeve’s perspective deepened my curiosity. I cannot wait to see her role in the next installment!
What Didn’t Work:
01. The world-building. Something I would have liked to explore more is the blood fever. It is referenced only at the beginning of the book when Adelina is reminiscing on her tales of woe. We learn that when adults fall ill to the fever, they die, whilst children survive with scarring, some emerging with special abilities. I wanted to know more about the cause of the fever, the symptoms, where it may have come from. Another thing I noticed is that I relied heavily on the map at the front of the novel. Every time a new city was mentioned, I found myself thumbing back to the beginning because I had no idea where it was placed. The only two places I was familiar with were Dalia and Estonia. I would have liked perhaps more description regarding the differentiation between cities within Kenettra.
02. Some of the perspectives. Adelina’s point-of-view was the only one written in the first person. While I certainly see why Lu chose to do this, I wish we could get more of a glimpse of Enzo, Teren, and Raffaele’s thoughts. Each chapter written from their perspective lasted only a mere two or three pages in comparison to Adelina’s twenty page chapters. I would have liked to see more from them, though I must admit the small snippets of their lives made me curious about their characters.
Jess Approved?: ✓
What Worked:
01. The main character. I was absolutely blown away by Lu’s main character Adelina Amouteru. She’s an incredibly dark, passionate, bitter, and ruthless antihero who will do anything it takes to get revenge on those who have wronged her. She is the opposite of perfect and that’s something that I truly appreciate about her. Rather than take the time to establish how beautiful Adelina is as a character, Lu focuses on Adelina’s flaws. Stricken by the plague, Adelina lost an eye to infection, making her extremely self conscious about her scars. She suffers abuse from a father who makes her feel unloved and worthless. Her fears are exposed to the reader, appearing in the form of nightmares. The weight of her own guilt is on full display throughout the whole book, as Adelina tries to cope with the darkness lurking within her conscience. Adelina is truly a strong, independent female who is not afraid to get dirty with her hands. She is also in no way a hero. It was a thrilling experience to be able to look through the eyes of a very dark, flawed individual who I may even consider to be a villain. Though I do not share many of Adelina’s viewpoints and certainly don’t condone her violent behavior, I couldn’t help but root her on as she carried out her revenge plan.
02. The platonic relationship between Adeline and Raffaele. It was refreshing to read a story including a friendship between a male and female character without the complexities of romance. Raffaele is described as beautiful, which goes hand in hand with his ability to soothe the soul. Despite his beauty, Adelina did not sway or fall madly in love with him. Instead, she was invested in developing a platonic relationship that she could fall back on.
03. The villain. I really liked Lu’s idea of incorporating the perspective of Teren, the story’s antagonist, every few chapters. Though his point of view was written in the third person, I was given a lot of insight as to why Teren behaves the way he does. He is incredibly complex and I admire that. His past is shrouded in darkness. As readers, we learn through Enzo that Teren was mistreated by his father. A lot of pressure was placed upon his shoulders as the individual next in line for the Lead Inquisitor role. When Teren was infected by the blood fever, he believed the unique abilities he was gifted made him an abomination. Teren’s past is only mentioned from the perspectives of other characters, making things all the more mysterious. I hope that in upcoming books, we can learn more about Teren and his cruel ways.
04. The setting in which the story takes place. I found Lu’s Renaissance type world to be very interesting! From the tales of the gods and their role in the realm to the Fortunata Court and clothing such as Tamouran head wraps, I relished in the world created by Lu. I really was taken aback by the beautiful imagery and description. Each character was unique and distinct in my mind. Adelina’s illusions were described such an artful way, that I felt as if I could possess her power myself. I couldn’t stop imagining the strings Adelina tugged on to conjure her illusions.
05. The character development. Many of the character’s in The Young Elites are very complex. It is hard to view them at a surface level, as Lu goes into so much depth when painting each character’s history on the page. No one is fully innocent. I don’t want to dive too much into it in fear of potentially spoiling the contents of the book, but I will say that there are no hands that are clean.
06. The diversity. I am very pleased by the diversity within this book. Characters of all different ethnicities, skin tones, genders, and sexualities appear front and center. I applaud Lu for her inclusivity.
07. The romance. Something I really loved about the Legend series was the romance between June and Day. It was a ship I could get behind. I almost always look for books with a little bit of romance, because romance makes things interesting. I was expecting a huge ship readers were rooting for in this book. To my surprise, there actually wasn’t much romance in this book. Even more surprising, I didn’t seem to mind. I was too invested in Adelina’s relationship with the darkness inside of her. I actually enjoyed focusing more on Adelina and her thirst for revenge.
08. The ending. Something that really had me itching to get my hands on the next book was Lu’s method of introducing a new character in the last chapter. It is written in the third person from princess Maeve’s perspective, who hails from Beldain. Including Maeve’s perspective deepened my curiosity. I cannot wait to see her role in the next installment!
What Didn’t Work:
01. The world-building. Something I would have liked to explore more is the blood fever. It is referenced only at the beginning of the book when Adelina is reminiscing on her tales of woe. We learn that when adults fall ill to the fever, they die, whilst children survive with scarring, some emerging with special abilities. I wanted to know more about the cause of the fever, the symptoms, where it may have come from. Another thing I noticed is that I relied heavily on the map at the front of the novel. Every time a new city was mentioned, I found myself thumbing back to the beginning because I had no idea where it was placed. The only two places I was familiar with were Dalia and Estonia. I would have liked perhaps more description regarding the differentiation between cities within Kenettra.
02. Some of the perspectives. Adelina’s point-of-view was the only one written in the first person. While I certainly see why Lu chose to do this, I wish we could get more of a glimpse of Enzo, Teren, and Raffaele’s thoughts. Each chapter written from their perspective lasted only a mere two or three pages in comparison to Adelina’s twenty page chapters. I would have liked to see more from them, though I must admit the small snippets of their lives made me curious about their characters.
Jess Approved?: ✓
Review: After finishing The Young Elites, I just HAD to pick up The Rose Society. Maeve was mysteriously introduced at the end of The Young Elites, where her perspective written in the third person occupied the last chapter. I was not sure of her role or connection to Adelina, but I knew that thing were going to get wild seeing as The Daggers cast Adelina aside.
What Worked:
01. The new perspectives. As always, I have enjoyed reading from the perspectives of Adelina, Raffaele, and Teren, but it was nice to get a glimpse of Maeve’s life as the Queen of Beldain. Her additional perspective helped me to understand the lengths of her powers, the tension between Maeve and Lucent, and her familial situation, especially the loyalty displayed by her brothers and the motives behind her mother’s actions.
02. Adelina. Wow. I am not even sure where to begin. In The Young Elites, Adelina was a scared, abused little girl that her father sold to the highest bidder. She was flawed, worthless, and fated to die by burning until she developed her ability to create illusions. A lot of things change in The Rose Society. For one, Adelina embraces the darkness inside of her. She no longer is the frightened, worthless little girl from the first novel. Adelina is ruthless, determined to destroy all who have betrayed her. But the more Adelina calls on her power, the harder it is for her to distinguish what is real and what is an illusion. It was extremely interesting to see Adelina’s own power betray her, making it clear that Adelina maybe isn’t the most reliable of narrators. It was also heartbreaking to see how much she relied on her ability to create illusions, how her fears and paranoia made her believe that without her powers she would be nothing. It truly goes to show how much her own past has made an impact on her life. She doesn’t know how to love because her father never loved her. She doesn’t know how to trust anyone because of the countless betrayal she has experienced by her own family and the dagger society. Her greatest fear is to be cast aside by all the people she holds dearest in her life. So rather than developing relationships with others, Adelina chooses to destroy all who encounter her. It is easier to abuse power than control it. What really saddened me were those moments when Lu allowed us to see the care-free Adelina. The Adelina who would smile or even laugh on occasion. The Adelina that just wanted to be loved.
03. The cliffhanger at the end. Though we did not receive a new perspective like we did in The Young Elites, I was still completely blown away by the way Lu chose to end this novel. Adelina went through a huge transformation throughout The Rose Society, so the ending was very fitting. I will leave it at that.
04. The sisterly bond. For a majority of The Young Elites, Adelina’s sister Violetta was held captive by Teren and the Inquisition, so we didn’t get to see much of their relationship. With Violetta at Adelina’s side in The Rose Society, it was interesting how things played out. Though we never receive Violetta’s perspective, we learn more about her through Adelina, like the extent of her powers and why she acted the way she did in the past. Lu makes Violetta out to be as the light combatting Adelina’s darkness and it was refreshing to see the two rely on each other.
05. The darkness. I never expected Lu to completely plunge into the darkness but I am living for it. Rather than continue on with Adelina being a character that falls into a “grey” area like in The Young Elites, I enjoyed watching her completely embrace the fear and fury within her. She let revenge consume her and did not hesitate to kill anyone in her way. Reading from the perspective of a mad, ruthless villain is a breath of fresh air and I love that Adelina does not apologize for who she truly is inside.
06. The pacing. I could NOT put The Rose Society down. Each chapter pulled me further and further into the madness within Adelina and I could not wait to see how her story would unravel. I also enjoyed the viewpoints from new characters who were featured within the book and their stories were equally as compelling as Adelina’s. I was constantly on the edge of my seat as I sped through the pages feeling a surge of adrenaline as I waited to see how things would play out.
07. Magiano. Perhaps one of my favorite things about The Rose Society is the addition of Magiano and his relationship with Adelina. In The Young Elites, Raffaele only briefly mentioned Magiano. He was made out to be a character from folklore almost. I was unsure about whether he would be included later in the storyline, but ultimately I am glad Lu placed him in the second novel of the series. It was so interesting to see this character idolized in the first book laid out as a flawed individual like every other character I had encountered thus far. I loved getting to know more about his backstory and his ability which I found incredibly fascinating. What I love most about Magiano is the joy he possesses. Lu created Magiano to be the light in Adelina’s life and I can’t stop thinking about how he is the one who can save her from her own darkness.
08. The complexity of the characters. I have always been impressed with Lu’s writing abilities, but The Rose Society blew me away. So many characters have been introduced- Adelina, Violetta, Enzo, Raffaele, Teren, Lucent, Gemma, Michel, Maeve, Sergio, Magiano- and each one was completely fleshed out. I was never left confused as to which character was which or how they came to exist with their powers. Each of their separate storylines were compelling and interesting to follow. It was extremely satisfying to see each character fit with one another almost like puzzle pieces. With each new additional perspective, I was able to see the bigger picture. Marie Lu did a phenomenal job capturing the characters’ relationships with one another as well as their morality.
09. The diversity. Once again, I applaud Lu for creating such diverse characters. Characters of all different ethnicities, skin tones, genders, and sexualities appear front and center. Adelina and her sister Violetta are both women of color, fairing from Tamoura. To take a step further, Adelina is visually impaired. Magiano, Lu’s newest character, identifies as a black man, who later serves as Adelina’s love interest. We also learn that Raffaele is bisexual and one of the other character’s within the dagger society is involved in a same sex relationship. I greatly appreciated Lu’s efforts to include diverse representations.
What Didn’t Work:
01. The world-building. In my review of The Young Elites, I took issue with the absence of how the blood fever came to be and had a hard time placing the different cities mentioned without referencing the map. We spent a great deal examining Adelina’s present rather than venturing into the land’s history. I thought that these issues would be resolved as I made my way through the series, however The Rose Society failed to answer my questions regarding the outbreak of the blood fever and how Lu’s world came to be. The map at the beginning of the book details three separate “lands”: The Sealands, The Skylands, and The Sunlands. For a majority of the time, the story presides within The Sealands only making small references to The Skylands through Maeve’s character with little detail surrounding The Sunlands. I began to question why such regions were even included. Hopefully, Lu will allow me to explore these lands further in The Midnight Star.
Jess Approved?: ✓
What Worked:
01. The new perspectives. As always, I have enjoyed reading from the perspectives of Adelina, Raffaele, and Teren, but it was nice to get a glimpse of Maeve’s life as the Queen of Beldain. Her additional perspective helped me to understand the lengths of her powers, the tension between Maeve and Lucent, and her familial situation, especially the loyalty displayed by her brothers and the motives behind her mother’s actions.
02. Adelina. Wow. I am not even sure where to begin. In The Young Elites, Adelina was a scared, abused little girl that her father sold to the highest bidder. She was flawed, worthless, and fated to die by burning until she developed her ability to create illusions. A lot of things change in The Rose Society. For one, Adelina embraces the darkness inside of her. She no longer is the frightened, worthless little girl from the first novel. Adelina is ruthless, determined to destroy all who have betrayed her. But the more Adelina calls on her power, the harder it is for her to distinguish what is real and what is an illusion. It was extremely interesting to see Adelina’s own power betray her, making it clear that Adelina maybe isn’t the most reliable of narrators. It was also heartbreaking to see how much she relied on her ability to create illusions, how her fears and paranoia made her believe that without her powers she would be nothing. It truly goes to show how much her own past has made an impact on her life. She doesn’t know how to love because her father never loved her. She doesn’t know how to trust anyone because of the countless betrayal she has experienced by her own family and the dagger society. Her greatest fear is to be cast aside by all the people she holds dearest in her life. So rather than developing relationships with others, Adelina chooses to destroy all who encounter her. It is easier to abuse power than control it. What really saddened me were those moments when Lu allowed us to see the care-free Adelina. The Adelina who would smile or even laugh on occasion. The Adelina that just wanted to be loved.
03. The cliffhanger at the end. Though we did not receive a new perspective like we did in The Young Elites, I was still completely blown away by the way Lu chose to end this novel. Adelina went through a huge transformation throughout The Rose Society, so the ending was very fitting. I will leave it at that.
04. The sisterly bond. For a majority of The Young Elites, Adelina’s sister Violetta was held captive by Teren and the Inquisition, so we didn’t get to see much of their relationship. With Violetta at Adelina’s side in The Rose Society, it was interesting how things played out. Though we never receive Violetta’s perspective, we learn more about her through Adelina, like the extent of her powers and why she acted the way she did in the past. Lu makes Violetta out to be as the light combatting Adelina’s darkness and it was refreshing to see the two rely on each other.
05. The darkness. I never expected Lu to completely plunge into the darkness but I am living for it. Rather than continue on with Adelina being a character that falls into a “grey” area like in The Young Elites, I enjoyed watching her completely embrace the fear and fury within her. She let revenge consume her and did not hesitate to kill anyone in her way. Reading from the perspective of a mad, ruthless villain is a breath of fresh air and I love that Adelina does not apologize for who she truly is inside.
06. The pacing. I could NOT put The Rose Society down. Each chapter pulled me further and further into the madness within Adelina and I could not wait to see how her story would unravel. I also enjoyed the viewpoints from new characters who were featured within the book and their stories were equally as compelling as Adelina’s. I was constantly on the edge of my seat as I sped through the pages feeling a surge of adrenaline as I waited to see how things would play out.
07. Magiano. Perhaps one of my favorite things about The Rose Society is the addition of Magiano and his relationship with Adelina. In The Young Elites, Raffaele only briefly mentioned Magiano. He was made out to be a character from folklore almost. I was unsure about whether he would be included later in the storyline, but ultimately I am glad Lu placed him in the second novel of the series. It was so interesting to see this character idolized in the first book laid out as a flawed individual like every other character I had encountered thus far. I loved getting to know more about his backstory and his ability which I found incredibly fascinating. What I love most about Magiano is the joy he possesses. Lu created Magiano to be the light in Adelina’s life and I can’t stop thinking about how he is the one who can save her from her own darkness.
08. The complexity of the characters. I have always been impressed with Lu’s writing abilities, but The Rose Society blew me away. So many characters have been introduced- Adelina, Violetta, Enzo, Raffaele, Teren, Lucent, Gemma, Michel, Maeve, Sergio, Magiano- and each one was completely fleshed out. I was never left confused as to which character was which or how they came to exist with their powers. Each of their separate storylines were compelling and interesting to follow. It was extremely satisfying to see each character fit with one another almost like puzzle pieces. With each new additional perspective, I was able to see the bigger picture. Marie Lu did a phenomenal job capturing the characters’ relationships with one another as well as their morality.
09. The diversity. Once again, I applaud Lu for creating such diverse characters. Characters of all different ethnicities, skin tones, genders, and sexualities appear front and center. Adelina and her sister Violetta are both women of color, fairing from Tamoura. To take a step further, Adelina is visually impaired. Magiano, Lu’s newest character, identifies as a black man, who later serves as Adelina’s love interest. We also learn that Raffaele is bisexual and one of the other character’s within the dagger society is involved in a same sex relationship. I greatly appreciated Lu’s efforts to include diverse representations.
What Didn’t Work:
01. The world-building. In my review of The Young Elites, I took issue with the absence of how the blood fever came to be and had a hard time placing the different cities mentioned without referencing the map. We spent a great deal examining Adelina’s present rather than venturing into the land’s history. I thought that these issues would be resolved as I made my way through the series, however The Rose Society failed to answer my questions regarding the outbreak of the blood fever and how Lu’s world came to be. The map at the beginning of the book details three separate “lands”: The Sealands, The Skylands, and The Sunlands. For a majority of the time, the story presides within The Sealands only making small references to The Skylands through Maeve’s character with little detail surrounding The Sunlands. I began to question why such regions were even included. Hopefully, Lu will allow me to explore these lands further in The Midnight Star.
Jess Approved?: ✓
Review: At this point i’ll read anything Marie Lu writes because her young adult novels are THAT good. She has never disappointed and "Skyhunter" might be my favorite work of hers yet! I nearly read the whole book in one sitting because of the wonderfully crafted world building and how attached I became to the characters.
I think what I appreciated most is that the main character Talin relies upon sign language to communicate, which provides representation for people who may identify as having the same dis/ability. She did not let her lack of physical voice prevent her from serving as a striker for Mara. In addition, Talin faces a lot of hardships for being a part of a minority group and a refugee. She was looked down upon because of her skin color which made her all the more real. I love that Marie Lu found a way to touch upon racial prejudice in her sci-fi / dystopian novel because it is important to start generating discussions about these issues in our current society.
The slow burn, enemies to lovers trope worked well in this fast-paced, action packed story. As a person who typically looks for romance in their books, I did not mind that the romance was subtle.
The well-developed, diverse characters and the addicting storyline made "Skyhunter" one of my favorite reads of 2020 and I CANNOT wait for the second book in this duology to come out this year! I already made sure to preorder a copy because that cliffhanger at the end left me begging for more. PLEASE read this one if you haven’t already!
Jess Approved?: ✓