by Marie Lu
The NetGalley download for this book was just a few chapters. Thank goodness I started it a few days before publication because I didn’t want to put it down.
Talin is a refugee who has been given the chance to fight as a Striker, the elite warriors of her adopted country. When her partner dies in an ambush, she is given a new one. This partner is an escaped soldier from Karensa, the encroaching kingdom her country is fighting. She is determining whether or not to trust him when they are thrust into a fight and he reveals that he is more than meets the eye. And then they inexplicably bond telepathically.
The characters and their friendships is the strongest attraction of the book. It is easy to see that they care enough for each other that they will take on unwinnable odds against them. The world building is great but the distances and areas seem much smaller until they are actually in them. Once she is running towards something she sees and then is on a horse and it still takes her awhile to get there.
Kids will love this action-packed fantasy, especially fans of Marie Lu’s earlier books.
