“A high-octane thriller . . . Nyxia grabs you from the first line and never lets go.” —Marie Lu, #1 New York Times bestselling author of WarcrossEvery 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 … 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
AND DON’T MISS NYXIA UNLEASHED!
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“What would you be willing to risk for a lifetime of fortune?” Emmett Atwater, the hero of this book finds his answer to this question in Scott Reintgen’s Nyxia. I read this book shortly after this release and I’m just getting around to reviewing it. Nyxia is sort of a space opera meets The Hunger Games or The Maze Runner. This book, with its diverse cast, and staller plot will pull you in from the beginning and won’t let you go until its stunning conclusion. The author is a master at believable plot twists that leave you wondering how he pulled that one over on you. Fans of Star Wars will love this book! I certainly did. Can’t wait to read book 2.
Excellent YA sci-fi read. The characters are well-rounded and diverse. I really enjoyed discovering Emmett’s motivation through memories and his relationship with his father. It flowed naturally with the story and had me invested in the outcome. The alien life was the perfect dangled carrot and the competition between the the characters never had a dull scene.
Passing along to my teenager asap.
Nyxia
By: Scott Reintgen
Narrated by: Sullivan Jones, Dominic Hoffman
A very original sci-fi teen/YA book that takes 10 teens to outer space to meet aliens and mine a new element that is remarkable! The teens and their families are offered a fortune for going. As the story unfolds the reader finds out many truths about the mission that the teens didn’t know at the beginning! Pretty awesome!
Narration is fantastic!
Being honest I didn’t want to read this at first. The start confused me and was strange. But by the third chapter I knew this book couldn’t go unfinished. It was amazing and I have never read anything like it to this day. I definitely suggest this book. What I learned; Don’t judge a book by its cover. 😉
Nyxia, by author Scott Reintgen, is the first installment in the author’s The Nyxia Trilogy. Emmett is the main storyteller of this series. Emmett is an African-American from Detroit who is given an extraordinary opportunity. Emmett is also one of Ten contestants chosen by Babel Communications to travel to the planet of Eden, and mine a substance called Nyxia. Nyxia refers to the substance the recruits will have to mine on the planet Eden. A substance that has quietly become the most valuable material in the universe. To say that Nyxia is valuable, would be undercutting the real truth behind what the substance can be used for.
But, there is a catch. There is always a catch. Only 8 of the 10 contestants will get the opportunity to actually go to the planet of Eden. What’s even more fascinating & entertaining, is that each contestant is tested in many ways in order to win the most points. Points that are tabulated on a daily basis so that each contestant knows where they stand and what they need to do in order to survive and advance. Each contestant must survive and advance. Emmett must rub shoulders with nine others with similar backgrounds. Each of the 10 are from poor families and the money that they could each make from successfully landing on Eden, would set their families up for life and ensure that they each are able to have a stable future.
People have been crying out for diversity, and this book is stacked with diverse characters. Don’t believe me? Check it out for yourself: Kaya is Japanese. Bilal is Palestinian. Jazzy is American. Longwei is Asian. Azima is Kenyan. Isadora is Brazilian. Katsu is Japanese. Jaime is Swedish. If you ask me who my favorite characters are and why, I would offer up Kaya as my first. Kaya is a special character who brightens up the story. She is extremely intelligent, and with her on your side, you will end up doing well. My second character is Bilal who becomes Emmett’s only true friend. Bilal is kind, generous and the boy you would love to be best friends with.
The story is set in a dog eat dog environment, and then the author piles on so many other surprises, that you really have to ask yourself if anyone will actually survive this competition and actually walk away with the huge prize they can each earn by making it to the surface of Eden. I loved Emmett’s relationship with his parents. His mother is struggling mightily with health issues, and his father works his fingers to the bones in order to pay the bills in hopes of getting her better. But, his father never pushed the theory of giving up on your dreams because they are too hard.
He never demanded anything from anyone. Just to do the right thing all the time. Their connection is really amazing, especially the fact that Emmett is named after one of my favorite Florida Gators. Can you guess who it is? As for the fact that this book is the first in a 3 book trilogy, you know the author is going to toss in some strange and curious situations which makes the story both heart breaking and entertaining. This series opener stands out due to its fusing of an adrenaline rush of a plot with richly textured emotional undercurrents. If you are a fan of such books as Illuminae, Carve the Mark, & The Diabolic, you’ll really enjoy this story.
This book is definitely, hands down one the best books I’ve read this year. When you ask me what a perfect science fiction book looks like I will point to this.
I’m absolutely obsessed with this author. I think in the hands of any other author Nyxia could have easily flopped, but Scott Reintgen literally breathed life into these characters and this plot.
There was diversity, there was action, there was mystery, there was amazing characters, there was danger… should I go on?
I literally felt the pain and indecisiveness of the characters, and I love that they were all from different origins, that they all held their own traits and personalities and were incredibly distinct.
But characters aside, the plot held its own as well. Nyxia is still such a mystery to me that I’m dying to know what other powers it holds. I’m dying to know what other skeletons are held at Babel Communications.
Although this story was a competition, it had what a lot of other YA novels lack, an actual fear for the characters’ outcomes. No one is safe. You find out week one on that ship that absolutely no one is safe. When shit goes down, you actually fear for characters because you are shown early on just what’s at stake and just what the twisted rules are on the ship. It definitely gives you a game-of-thrones-don’t-get-attached-to-anyone-feeling.
Nyxia definitely just set a bar for science fiction stories that I feel like is going to be very hard to beat. Rarely do authors incorporate a well versed plot, lovable characters, and real sense of danger so seamlessly.
This is a must read, and I can’t wait to read more of Reintgen’s work… honestly guys just pick this book up ASAP okay?
A well written, engrossing YA novel.
Really liked this book. Starting on the second of the trilogy.
This YA book is in the class of books like Hunger Games, Ender’s Game and Red Rising. It is full of action with great characters to love and hate. The science aspect is clever and unique. I loved it and look forward to reading Nyxia Unleashed.
Great for fans of Across the Universe and those who love “training school” stories
Great very clean book until the very end
I liked this book a lot! It is a great story but I think it could work on its imagery. It skipped a lot of things and could have been more detailed. 😀
Amazing. This book just crashed into the ranks of one of my favorite books of all time. Such an amazing concept with absolutely flawless execution. My mind is still reeling and I am absolutely certain I will be having a SERIOUS book hangover from this beauty! Well done, Mr. Reintgen. Nyxia is an absolute masterpiece.
Definitely not the best (the stereotypes made me cringe a bit), but the characters are alright. I can’t believe it, but I actually laughed at some jokes in the book. Who knows, I may just have terrible taste, but I do recommend Nyxia, just because I loved the competition and relationships between characters. 🙂 I mean, it made me feel things, so props to this book!
Young people in a tragic dangerous situation in a space tale with th e possibility of winning money that would help their families out of poverty
The concept behind Nyxia was what initially attracted me – a substance found in space that has “quietly” become the most valuable material in existence? Danger, fortunes and secrets? Yes, please!
I love that not everything in Nyxia is as straightforward as it initially seems. Sometimes the recruits make me want to scream at them, but that just makes their characters seem so much more realistic. Babel Communications is cold, heartless and sometimes bloodthirsty – which embodies what we often imagine huge corporations to be like.
Favorite Characters:
My favorite characters were Kaya and Morning, ironically enough. (Read Nyxia to discover what the irony actually is!) Morning was the strong, capable leader makes you want to be just like her, and Kaya was sweet and kind, someone you could easily be friends with. I found them similar in many ways, which is probably why they both made my favorite character list. Oh, and I loved Vandeemer. He was insightful, caring – he needs to make a reappearance if there is another book! Vandeemer would go beyond his required responsibilities, and it always felt like he actually cared about his charges, not just the money. As an example, when Emmett does something he shouldn’t (no spoilers here!) instead of yelling:
“Vandeemer doesn’t come down too hard on me. Instead, he makes me do yoga. I inhale, stretch, roll shoulders, and find the anger fading to the distant corners of my brain.”
pg. 242
That quote displays Vandeemer’s personality so well, I think.
Minor Aggravations:
What was especially aggravating, though, is the lack of answers at the end of the book. Of course Babel has secrets, and although we find a few along the way we never really learn what they mean. I would definitely appreciate more answers.
The ending was an unexpected twist, and I haven’t decided how I feel about it yet. Overall, I’d give this book four stars. It was an enjoyable read that I recommend to anyone who loves sci-fi.
Disclaimer: I received this book for free from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.