Review: Nyxia Unleashed by Scott Reintgen

Nyxia Unleashed
(The Nyxia Triad #2)
by Scott Reintgen
Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers
Publication date: July 17, 2018
Genre: Young Adult SciFi
Rating:

Getting to Eden brought Emmett and his crewmates one step closer to their promised fortune. But surviving Eden may be the biggest reward of all. Discover book two in the trilogy Marie Lu called, “a high-octance thriller.”

Emmett Atwater thought Babel’s game sounded easy. Get points. Get paid. Go home. But it didn’t take long for him to learn that Babel’s competition was full of broken promises, none darker or more damaging than the last one.

Now Emmett and the rest of the Genesis survivors must rally and forge their own path through a new world. Their mission from Babel is simple: extract nyxia, the most valuable material in the universe, and play nice with the indigenous Adamite population.

But Emmett and the others quickly realize they are caught between two powerful forces—Babel and the Adamites—with clashing desires. Will the Genesis team make it out alive before it’s too late?

I loved the first book. The world building, the character development, the twist and turns that pop up along the way, and let’s not forget the action of it all. I remember finishing Nyxia last year and thinking, “Wow. I can’t wait to see what happens next.” However, this story didn’t give me that same feeling. I still enjoyed the story, but I felt like it went a bit slower than its predecessor. The crew is finally on Eden and get to meet the Adamites, but they know that something isn’t right. They know that Babel (the people who sent them to Eden to mine Nyxia) isn’t what they claim to be and can’t be trusted. However, what about the Adamites? Pretty soon this group is left wondering not only what the game is, but how they will manage to survive and get home back to earth.

The beginning was a bit slow for me. Maybe because it had been so long since I read the first book. It took a little bit to get my memory up to speed as to what happened and who was who. Once the team makes contact with the Adamite/Imago people, things start to pick up a bit more. You get the sense that they are putting up a front, and playing a role. You don’t know what they are hiding and whether or not the characters should trust them. It wasn’t until the last third of the book that I found myself glued to the pages because the story started to get a bit crazy (in a good way) and you were left scrambling trying to fit all the pieces together.

In this book we not only follow the main character Emmett, but we also follow Anton as he tries to help all the kids of Genesis make it off of Eden alive. During the first book these kids were pitted against each other every step of the way in order to make it to Eden, once they realize the truth about Babel and that they are on their own, they start to trust and rely on each other. So it was really great seeing them all work together towards their common enemy.

While I had a rough start with this story, it did pick up pace for me. Again, maybe my disconnect is because it’s been so long since I was in that mindset of being on the ship. Maybe it’s the fact that I tend to be a stand-alone kinda girl and lose interest in a series quickly. I’m still interested to know what happens with these characters. Do they make it off of the alien planet? What of the Imago people? There’s all just so much on the table and it’s down to the finish line for these teenagers who have been stranded up on an alien planet. I wonder how it will all end for them.

Favorite quote…

“I am more than what you will make of me.”

Previous reviews from Nyxia
Nyxia