Marie Lu is an author who has written a multitude of five-star series and short stories, and the latest addition to her portfolio, “Skyhunter,” delivers. It features the main character, Talin, in a futuristic world in which society has broken down and rebuilt. 

Talin faces a ruthless dictator set on conquering her homeland and the rest of the continent. Powered by technology left by those before him, the dictator rages war, forcing Talin to make hard decisions about family, friends, and the fate of her country. 

I really enjoyed this book, and I recommend it to anyone who will listen. While this is a dystopian novel, it takes a much different approach and avoids many of the overused writing tropes that are abundant in this genre. The characters’ actions have real consequences. Their emotions play an important role in the story and run in turn with the plot, rather than as a parallel side note. 

Overall, Lu did an incredible job, as she has with other series of this genre. The story is well made, the characters and setting are vivid, and the ending was complete and satisfying. I rate this series a five out of five cardinal heads.