I absolutely loved this!
Talin, our MC, is a voiceless Basean refugee who was run out of her home by the Karensa Federation. She is considered an outsider and a "rat", but she is also a Striker and part of the elite fighting force protecting Mara, the last remaining free nation, from the Federation and the mutant beasts they've created known as Ghosts.
With elements of sci-fi, fantasy and dystopian, Marie Lu includes a bit of everything with incredible world-building and an action-packed plot. Yes, there were a lot of coincidences and some where you had to suspend belief a bit — all things that you've seen in YA novels. But, I didn't mind it and actually loved every bit of it. The world-building is slow but purposeful, rich but intricate. Lu is a master world-builder and storyteller. She starts our world small and focused with Talin, and as Talin expands her world, we slowly learn more about the deep history beyond Mara and the Federation as well as about her past and how she became to be voiceless. The parallel path of world-building and Talin's character development was one of my favorite parts about this book. With such a strong MC, I expected the supporting cast to be lackluster, but to my surprise they also felt complete and only waiting to be discovered. I cannot wait to see more of them as the series develops.
I will definitely continue to read this series because "loyalty is life". And I recommend this for anyone who enjoy fantasy with a dystopian twist, or dystopian with a fantasy flare. Really, I think this is for anyone who, like me, are needing a bit of escapism.
Talin, our MC, is a voiceless Basean refugee who was run out of her home by the Karensa Federation. She is considered an outsider and a "rat", but she is also a Striker and part of the elite fighting force protecting Mara, the last remaining free nation, from the Federation and the mutant beasts they've created known as Ghosts.
With elements of sci-fi, fantasy and dystopian, Marie Lu includes a bit of everything with incredible world-building and an action-packed plot. Yes, there were a lot of coincidences and some where you had to suspend belief a bit — all things that you've seen in YA novels. But, I didn't mind it and actually loved every bit of it. The world-building is slow but purposeful, rich but intricate. Lu is a master world-builder and storyteller. She starts our world small and focused with Talin, and as Talin expands her world, we slowly learn more about the deep history beyond Mara and the Federation as well as about her past and how she became to be voiceless. The parallel path of world-building and Talin's character development was one of my favorite parts about this book. With such a strong MC, I expected the supporting cast to be lackluster, but to my surprise they also felt complete and only waiting to be discovered. I cannot wait to see more of them as the series develops.
I will definitely continue to read this series because "loyalty is life". And I recommend this for anyone who enjoy fantasy with a dystopian twist, or dystopian with a fantasy flare. Really, I think this is for anyone who, like me, are needing a bit of escapism.