“A high-octane thriller . . . Nyxia grabs you from the first line and never lets go.” —Marie Lu, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Warcross
Every life has a price in this sci-fi thriller—the first in a trilogy—that has the nonstop action of The Maze Runner and the high-stakes space setting of Illuminae.
What would you be willing to risk for a lifetime of fortune?
Emmett Atwater isn’t just leaving Detroit; he’s leaving Earth. Why the Babel Corporation recruited him is a mystery, but the number of zeroes on their contract has him boarding their lightship and hoping to return to Earth with enough money to take care of his family.
Forever.
Before long, Emmett discovers that he is one of ten recruits, all of whom have troubled pasts and are a long way from home. Now each recruit must earn the right to travel down to the planet of Eden—a planet that Babel has kept hidden—where they will mine a substance called Nyxia that has quietly become the most valuable material in the universe.
But Babel’s ship is full of secrets. And Emmett will face the ultimate choice: win the fortune at any cost, or find a way to fight that won’t forever compromise what it means to be human.
“The 100 meets Illuminae in this high-octane sci-fi thriller.” —Bustle
This is an enthralling thriller with lots of twists and turns and likable characters. It was well-paced and hard to put down once I got past the first few pages. There were a few quirks that took me out of the story (calling the rest day "Sabbath", Emmett's tendency to file things under letters was "A for Annoying"), but on the whole I enjoyed the writing.
In terms of comparison to other books, I'd say this reminds me more of Divergent or Ender's Game than Illuminae. Honestly, there's very little that screams "space" and there's very little about the aliens. My other issue is with the romance. It came out of complete left field and felt completely unnecessary to me.
The book does end with a lot of questions left unanswered. I'll definitely be picking up the next in the series.
I received an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.
