Talin is a daughter, friend, refugee, and Striker. She’s been trained since she was twelve years old to move like a ghost and to kill a Ghost. She fights for the free nation of Mara to keep them safe from the Karensa Federation.
Talin grieves for the lost of her closest friend and Shield, Corian. She feels as if his death was her fault, and that she wasn’t good enough to protect him. Then one day, a mysterious Karensa prisoner was taken in who reminded Talin of Corian. Just like Corian did, Talin stood up for the prisoner and spared his life. As punishment for the Firstblade’s humiliation for sparing the prisoner’s life, the prisoner was assigned as Talin’s Shield.
Annoyed and furious at being partnered with the prisoner, Talin has no choice but to learn about the prisoner. Who was he? Where did he come from? Was he a soldier? Why was he running away from the Federation? As she learns more about the prisoner and puts her trust in him, Talin builds an unspeakable bond with him and possibly the ruin of the Federation.
I am blown away. Marie Lu is a mastermind at world building. It’s detailed and believable. I admired how the world building was easy to understand as Lu explains each aspect while actions and events were happening. Lu identifying the struggles of refugees and the different classes in Mara perfectly is something we can relate to.
Talin is a strong-minded protagonist. She is looked up upon by her people because she is the only Basean who was ever allowed to become a Striker, yet also looked down upon by others for being a Basean refugee. Even with all of the judgments she receives, Talin is still determined to serve for Mara and is labeled as the best Striker on the force. Her personality is a bit bland, but Lu makes up for it with Talin’s unquestioning loyalty that sometimes brings chills up your spine.
The supporting characters in here are also incredible and Lu did a good work of character development on them. Talin’s mother, who was a huntress and a doctor, is so caring and resourceful. Adena is smart and outspoken. I love how she wants to learn about everything and anything for the sole purpose of keeping her loved ones safe. Jeran is sweet and vulnerable, but despite him being that, he is also named the Deathdancer for a reason! Red is a gentle hunk with amazingly dangerous wingspan – that’s all I’m going to say about him. 😉
Let’s talk about romance, because I am all about romance. I approve! Talin and Red’s relationship didn’t seem forced and was a slow-burn romance (my favorite). Even with their instant bond, it still took awhile for them to trust each other. We get small hints of their affection for one another, then it builds to something natural.
It was hard to imagine how they looked like since Lu didn’t provide a specific description on their physical appearance except for Talin, who I’ll assume looks like her mother. Otherwise, we know how Red’s wings look like, the color of Red’s eyes, and that his hair was once light brown, but now dark from the metallic strands.
The storyline was smooth, but Talin’s plan to infiltrate the Federation did not seem thought out. If they didn’t have the time to detail their mission thoroughly, then I probably would’ve understood because it seemed like something that they would wing at. But they did have time and they should’ve asked themselves more questions, because what were they going to do after they succeed infiltrating the Federation? It was only a small part of the book, but it was just something that bothered me.
Overall, I did enjoy the reading the book and I’m excited to see that Lu has in store for us in the next book! A solid 4.5/5 for me!
Talin grieves for the lost of her closest friend and Shield, Corian. She feels as if his death was her fault, and that she wasn’t good enough to protect him. Then one day, a mysterious Karensa prisoner was taken in who reminded Talin of Corian. Just like Corian did, Talin stood up for the prisoner and spared his life. As punishment for the Firstblade’s humiliation for sparing the prisoner’s life, the prisoner was assigned as Talin’s Shield.
Annoyed and furious at being partnered with the prisoner, Talin has no choice but to learn about the prisoner. Who was he? Where did he come from? Was he a soldier? Why was he running away from the Federation? As she learns more about the prisoner and puts her trust in him, Talin builds an unspeakable bond with him and possibly the ruin of the Federation.
I am blown away. Marie Lu is a mastermind at world building. It’s detailed and believable. I admired how the world building was easy to understand as Lu explains each aspect while actions and events were happening. Lu identifying the struggles of refugees and the different classes in Mara perfectly is something we can relate to.
Talin is a strong-minded protagonist. She is looked up upon by her people because she is the only Basean who was ever allowed to become a Striker, yet also looked down upon by others for being a Basean refugee. Even with all of the judgments she receives, Talin is still determined to serve for Mara and is labeled as the best Striker on the force. Her personality is a bit bland, but Lu makes up for it with Talin’s unquestioning loyalty that sometimes brings chills up your spine.
The supporting characters in here are also incredible and Lu did a good work of character development on them. Talin’s mother, who was a huntress and a doctor, is so caring and resourceful. Adena is smart and outspoken. I love how she wants to learn about everything and anything for the sole purpose of keeping her loved ones safe. Jeran is sweet and vulnerable, but despite him being that, he is also named the Deathdancer for a reason! Red is a gentle hunk with amazingly dangerous wingspan – that’s all I’m going to say about him. 😉
Let’s talk about romance, because I am all about romance. I approve! Talin and Red’s relationship didn’t seem forced and was a slow-burn romance (my favorite). Even with their instant bond, it still took awhile for them to trust each other. We get small hints of their affection for one another, then it builds to something natural.
It was hard to imagine how they looked like since Lu didn’t provide a specific description on their physical appearance except for Talin, who I’ll assume looks like her mother. Otherwise, we know how Red’s wings look like, the color of Red’s eyes, and that his hair was once light brown, but now dark from the metallic strands.
The storyline was smooth, but Talin’s plan to infiltrate the Federation did not seem thought out. If they didn’t have the time to detail their mission thoroughly, then I probably would’ve understood because it seemed like something that they would wing at. But they did have time and they should’ve asked themselves more questions, because what were they going to do after they succeed infiltrating the Federation? It was only a small part of the book, but it was just something that bothered me.
Overall, I did enjoy the reading the book and I’m excited to see that Lu has in store for us in the next book! A solid 4.5/5 for me!