Marie Lu is a truly incredible author. With all of her books leaving lasting impressions on their readers Steelstriker goes yet again to show why we’ll never miss an opportunity to pick up her work.
The second in her latest duology, fans will be delighted to know that Steelstriker picks up six months after the close of first book Skyhunter. Throwing us right back into the action and not forcing the reader to go through the awful imprisonment our main character was set to face at the end of Skyhunter.
Steelstriker is impeccably written, benefiting from all the world building that was laid out in the first book; this second novel brings this story in for a home run. A true read it in a day and then talk about it to everyone novel, we cannot explain how much we love this book.
From the blurb;
‘As a Striker, Talin was taught that loyalty is life.
Loyalty to the Shield who watches your back, to the Strikers who risk their lives on the battlefield, and most of all to Mara, which was once the last nation free from the Karensa Federation’s tyranny.
But Mara has fallen. And its destruction has unleashed Talin’s worst nightmare.
With her friend’s scattered by combat and her mother help captive by the Premier, Talin is forced to betray her fellow Strikers and her adopted homeland. She has no choice but to become the Federation’s most deadly war machine – a Skyhunter.
Red is no stranger to the cruelty of the Federation or the torture within its Skyhunter labs, but he knows this isn’t the end for Mara – or Talin. The link between them may be weak, but it could be their only hope to salvage their past and safeguard their future.
While the fate of a broken world hands in the balance, Talin and Red must reunite the Strikers and find their way back to each other.’
The messaging of this latest duology is of hope, survival, and found family. Be prepared to shed a few tears for the characters of this universe as Lu throws them into their most challenging time yet. A brilliant use of switching perspective through chapters ensures that all the main characters are at play thoughout this marvellous book, keeping us at the edge of our seat, and giving us a gripping view of the world as the main story plays out.
Do not miss out on this, or any other book by Marie Lu. P.S. Treat yourself to Steelstriker in hardback. It’s gorgeous.
We Give Steelstriker Five Stars. ISBN – 978-1-250-22172-8 Published by Roaring Brook Press