"Natalie Naudus turns in a blockbuster performance of this riveting saga...Her performance demonstrates how a strong, consistent narrative voice can amplify the intricacies within a text. Fans of Marie Lu will not be disappointed." — AudioFile Magazine
This program includes a bonus conversation between the author and narrator.
A broken world.
An overwhelming evil.
A team of warriors ready to strike back.
#1 New York Times-bestselling author Marie Lu is back with an adrenaline-laced novel about the lengths one warrior will go to fight for freedom and those she loves.
Talin is a Striker, a member of an elite fighting force that stands as the last defense for the only free nation in the world: Mara.
A refugee, Talin knows firsthand the horrors of the Federation, a world-dominating war machine responsible for destroying nation after nation with its terrifying army of mutant beasts known only as Ghosts.
But when a mysterious prisoner is brought from the front to Mara's capital, Talin senses there's more to him than meets the eye. Is he a spy from the Federation? What secrets is he hiding?
Only one thing is clear: Talin is ready to fight to the death alongside her fellow Strikers for the only homeland she has left . . . with or without the boy who might just be the weapon to save—or destroy—them all.
Loyalty is life.
A Macmillan Audio production from Roaring Brook Press
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Creators
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Series
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Publisher
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Release date
September 29, 2020 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781250777485
- File size: 344935 KB
- Duration: 11:58:36
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Languages
- English
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Levels
- Lexile® Measure: 870
- Text Difficulty: 4-5
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Reviews
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September 7, 2020
When the Karensa Federation invaded Basea a decade ago, Talin Kanami and her mother fled north to Mara. Now 18 and using sign language due to emotional and vocal cord scarring from that night, Talin is a Striker, the sole refugee on an elite squadron deemed “the last defense Mara has against the Federation.” Strikers battle Ghosts, formerly human “monstrous war beasts” whose bites inflict transformation. Despite rampant xenophobia, Talin is determined to protect “the last free nation on this side of the sea.” But when Talin protests an execution order for Federation defector Redlen Arabes, her commander, the Firstblade Aramin Wen Calla, imposes a punishment: Talin must take Red as her Shield, a fighting partner bonded for life. As Talin gets to know Red, she learns he is the Federation’s greatest experiment: the Skyhunter, a “half-man, half-machine weapon.” Soon, Talin, Red, and fellow Strikers Rooke Min Ghanna and Jeran Min Terra devise a plan to destabilize the empire. Lu (The Kingdom of Back) creates a devastating, war-torn world, built upon the wreckage of a technologically advanced society. Readers will eagerly await a follow-up to this engrossing dystopian novel, which searingly interrogates traumas of war, immigration, and imperialism. Ages 12–up. Agent: Jodi Reamer, Writers House. -
Natalie Naudus turns in a blockbuster performance of this riveting saga. A far future world has risen from the ashes of the past, only to be crushed by its federation's monstrous war machine. Talin, an elite warrior, may be mute, but her rich inner monologue shines in Naudus's distinctive vocal choices. Naudus captures her ambivalence at feeling like an undesirable refugee while at the same time feeling compelled to defend her new home. Naudus's words are crisp and bright, laced with intuitive touches of personality that create a cast of compelling characters. Her performance demonstrates how a strong, consistent narrative voice can amplify the intricacies within a text. Fans of Marie Lu will not be disappointed. E.M.U. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
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