Excellent book

Action packed read

A bit Golden Compass-y mixed with traditional dystopian YA gladiator combat. An interesting twist on the genre and I'm looking forward to the rest of the trilogy

4.5 stars for The best YA dystopian I've read in years.

The Hunger Games meets Avatar.

The world is divided into two livable over-populated sections. This first book focuses on the section called Triton which itself has two levels. The wealthy live in the upper levels and the poor live in the factory ridden lower levels. Milla, our heroine, is a lower level "stinker". A wild twist of fate along with some quick thinking and scrambling gives her an unheard of opportunity to enter an upper level contest with a 1st prize of five million credits.

I love the way Milla is presented to us. She is not some badass courageous beautiful character who steamrolls her way to fame and fortune. Instead, Milla is scared, worried, almost hopeless and just desperate enough to find the strength she needs to take a wild risk. There isn't anything beautiful about her other than maybe her soul.

The world building is done so well that you don't even notice it. You're exposed little by little to this futuristic dystopian society through Milla's hardships. The focus in this first book is wholly on her so that you don't realize how immersed you are in her world until the story is over and you have this perfect picture of the world she lives in.

I urge you to come see for yourself this world full of amazing technology including real life avatars, handheld devices controlled by thought alone and wristbands that wholly identify each person. You'll be treated to action, suspense, and a heart stopping physical contest that may determine the fate of this wild and weird world.


Review ARC graciously provided by the publisher via NetGalley

An enjoyable sci-fi read with some interesting world building from the author. I would definitely recommend it.

I enjoyed following Milla as she struggled in a world that wasn't her own to win the ultimate prize freedom for her family

Milla has always lived the harsh life of a sinker. Now, she has the chance to steal a dead girl's identity, and win more than she could ever dream.

I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Milla lives in Old Triton, the dangerous, run-down city that squats in the dark foundation of their over-populated country. Milla and other "sinkers" have to fight for work, fight for food and safety. Theirs is a miserable existence, with no chance of improvement. Milla is already scarred from the poor working conditions, and things are never going to get better.

Above them, New Triton exists. A place of endless wealth and perfection, where people are always looking for the next popular trend, the next body mod or technological advancement.

Seeing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, when a New Triton girl dies in her arms, Milla steals her identity. Milla soon gets swept up into the mysterious Skin Hunter competition run by the Morelle Corporation.
It turns out that Skins are a leap forward in technological advancement, part machine and part animal, which accepts the users consciousness.

It was great to watch Milla get used to her skin, and quickly fall in love with how powerful and whole it makes her feel.
I loved how she never took anything for granted, and remained wary that any moment, everything would get ripped away. It was understandable that she was slow to trust those around her, having to fight years of survival instinct.

I loved the world that Skin Hunter was set, and how it was expertly laid out for the reader.
It always felt like there was a lot of depth and history going on, but the background builds slowly, when necessary, and never overwhelms the reader.

Likewise, the plot gradually builds on the foundation, and at the end you realise there is a much bigger story about to unfurl. Part of me expected to feel at least a little robbed, that the whole of Skin Hunter only brought us to the beginning of this story; but I was really enjoying following Milla, and how she was adapting to the new world.

I definitely recommend this, and I can't wait for the next book in the series.

This was such a great read. Action packed dystopian book. Tania Hutley thank you for the opportunity to read your awesome book. I look forward to getting my hands on the sequel.

Wow. Just Wow. Hands down 5.stars.

Watch out Director Morelle, Milla is coming back.
For you, for her skin.