Great second book to the Nyxia trilogy! The pacing was great, I loved learning more about the characters, and can't wait to read the third and final book!

When I reviewed Nyxia I was uncertain how I felt about the story continuing on the surface of Eden because the environment was totally different and the competition element wasn’t there. Having finished Nyxia Unleashed I have to admit that after less than stellar start, this book did manage to pick up the pace and dynamics of book one and pack it into a whole world of double crossing and hidden agenda’s.

The arrival on Eden is far from seamless, with the horror of Emmett and the others’ final acts weighing heavily, the group are dispersed on arrival and so find themselves alone on a strange planet with little concept of the dangers that may lurk. Babel’s presence on the surface was strangely larger than I thought it would be though which actually was a relief as that allowed for more of a feeling of being back on Genesis to develop. Some of the old divisions remain but being on the surface allows unlikely friendships to develop and I actually enjoyed how much more depth that allowed to bring to more of the characters. Even the Adamites took me by surprise as a race, especially given what we knew of them they came across in some ways gentle, steeped in their own history but actually quite savvy in many ways, again i’m not sure why I felt that they would be so primitive.

There is a large amount of social commentary here that brings a new depth to the series, whilst on Genesis, poverty was the driving force for the teams, the hierachial structure of the rings and the throwaway nature of how it treats it’s members of society seems horrific, but then you think that actually our veterans form large proportions of the homeless community so it’s really not to far a throw to think that it would happen on an alien world. This did allow me to form much more of a bond with the story and its from the time that they visit the Sixth Ring that the story comes into its own. As Babel’s secrets are uncovered as well as plenty of Eden’s own, the characters situation goes flat out and we jump from planetary exploration to all out action. I just could not put the book down at this point, battles and revelations coming in wave after relentless wave, I hardly had time to catch a breath. The situation on Eden running a parallel with those above the planets surface it really does make for a cataclysmic finale with one hell of sweetener for book 3 to boot.

The few downsides were that the different POV’s didn’t exactly work well, the story is still 95% from Emmetts perspective and I thought that there would be more of a flip and especially for one of the characters it felt almost an unnecessary addition. The start was very slow too and whilst we were thankfully saved from too much mining the move to the surface took a long time to bed in with the group dynamics.

This is still a great continuation of the series though and I will definitely be picking up with book 3!

3.5 rounded up. This was a solid continuation of the story. Pacing overall was good, although the action towards the end was a bit rushed for my taste. Now onto the final book. Who will win? The double crossing Babel or the Imago?!

I loved this book just as much as I loved the first. You never know where Reintgen is going with his plot, which, as someone who often picks up on plot signposts pretty early on, is very enjoyable. The diversity of the characters is so refreshing, especially for sci-fi, but you never feel like any of the characters are token. It's nice to get to hear some different voices in this book as well. Reintgen also touches on key issues such as colonialism, racism and homosexuality with dexterity. I can't wait for the final installment!

This is Book 2 in the Nyxia Triad Series. I reviewed Book 1 (Nyxia) from Netgalley as well and you can read that review HERE. Nyxia Unleashed is a continuation of that book and we pick up where we left off with our lead character Emmet and the rest of the team reeling from the cruelty of the corporate babel’s games. They have landed on Eden and continue their adventures. I won’t say much more than that as I don’t want to give away spoilers for either Nyxia or Nyxia Unleashed.
This followed the same intensity as the previous book with a well thought out plot. My main criticism was that the relationships felt shoehorned in a bit rather than naturally developing. Overall the world was well developed, and I think the universe that is being created could be full of wonderful stories.
This was a solid 3/5* for me! I’m looking forward to Book 3!

IN SUMMARY: NYXIA UNLEASHED's awesome premise is drowned in slow pace, an over-reliance on sci-fi tropes as description and a depthless cast until the end. This book is not nearly as enjoyable as it could be.

MY THOUGHTS:

I'm disappointed. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed NYXIA UNLEASHED. But it could've been so much better. So much more.

The pacing is the killer. Absolutely NOTHING happens for the first 70% of the book. Emmett and co. land on the alien planet, Magnia, and hike their way to the closest base. There, they meet the alien Imago species and then... mine nyxia. There are instances where drama is built up only for it to defuse without consequences; for example one of the characters is endangered in the mines and is rescued and... that's it. What's the point of throwing your characters into danger if it doesn't ultimately affect them?

Emmett and co.'s travels are dotted with odd Babel activity but only until they entirely leave their grasp does the plot propel forwards as the real plan comes to light. It's a shame that the majority of the book is dedicated to setting up the pieces rather than checkmating the king.

Likewise this book never described ANYTHING in detail. What does a century look like? What does Grimgarden look like? What does Sevenset look like? What do nyxian ships look like? Heck, what do Emmett's travelling companions look like? I have no idea! The book decides not to refresh you on any of the returning characters' appearance, or even who any of them were, so I had no clue who Jaime or Anton were, let alone any of the Genesis 12 crew.

Then to add the Imago on, an alien species who... guess what? I have no idea what they looked like! Did they have purple skin, blue spots, enormous eyes and a gaping mouth yawning open from their bellies? Were they sentient blobs? Starfish? It was increasingly frustrating as more and more characters were introduced. In the end I imagined the Imago as humans because... that's all I really have to go off.

(And you know, when three Imago get introduced at once, with all of their different nyxia tattoos being described in great detail and then never mentioned again... how am I supposed to remember them? Distinguish them?)

The interesting premise is immediately squandered when I had trouble picturing everything, from the characters to the setting to the buildings and tech.

Equally as frustrating is that save for two, every character was one-dimensional. Every. Single. One. Parvin's the composed one. Holly's the Irish redhead. Katsu's the jokester. The only ones saved from this fate is of course Emmett, being the POV, and Morning. There are so many characters that none of them get their time to shine. All of them blend together. You're telling me Jaime, Anton and Alex weren't the same person? What's the difference between them? Their country of origin? I didn't care when people were killed, or captured, or injured.

Thankfully I can say that Emmett still has one of the best voices I've read in a long time. It's written in 1POV with clear-cut, distinct focus, and echoes his forthright, righteous nature. I enjoyed being in his head. Like NYXIA, the repetitive thoughts return, this time pinned on 'Babel betrayed me, rawr', but once you understand how deeply it's affected his outlook it makes sense that it drives him forwards.

The twist nearer the end was brilliant too, and it single-handedly recaptured my interest and then some. From then I didn't want to put the book down.

I wanted NYXIA UNLEASHED to be so good. The first book was mediocre but had potential, but this has me worried that the third book will show no improvement from mistakes that have prevailed since the first page of the beginning of the series.

WILL I READ ON? For closure purposes I do, but I'd have to turn off my inner critic, unless NYXIA UPRISING can pull something awesome out of the bag.

This is an amazing underrated sci-fi series that deserves so much more love! I love the characters and the superb writing and would recommend this to all YA sci-fi lovers. Can't wait to read the final instalment in the series. Good thing that it is already released!

I really loved book one and was so looking forward to the next book.I would say that you will struggle to follow this book if you haven't read the first one, plus it is a great book to read.For me this one didn't quite hit the mark in the same way, having said that ,it was still a good book, and I am glad I read it..There was certainly plenty going on and the author has a great imagination.There is obviously another book to come,and I look forward to that.Thanks to the publishers and netgalley for an ARC.

Firstly, this is book two in a trilogy. This means that you really need to read book one, Nyxia, first and also that you need to subscribe to the fact that there will be (at least) one more book after this one to complete the story. Finally, as this is a review of book two, it may contain spoilers for book one so, if you haven’t already read it, please don’t read on...
Traditionally, in my experience anyway, the second, or middle, book in a trilogy is the weakest. Book one sets it all up, book three concludes the story, but the middle book usually just tends to kill time between the two. This does not happen here. This book is a decent episode in itself and, not only moves the story and characters along but takes it all in a completely different direction, twice!
So, what’s left of our two crews (Genesis 11&12) are now on the planet and meet the Adamites who are to be their guides whilst they mine the Nyxia for Babel. But, what happened just before they launched has affected certain of the members and there are repercussions both within the group and also with their changing attitude to Babel and their part in the whole. They have a few decisions to make and plans to form and action. More than this, I can’t tell you as it would spoil things. But I will say that it is just as exciting and action packed as book one. The returning characters continue to develop well and the new ones we meet in this episode are just as well crafted. The Genesis crew have their work cut out for them both with surviving this new alien territory, mining the Nyxia, and - most of all - working out the truth of what exactly is going on.
There are a few lighter moments which mostly speak to character development but which are also quite poignant and also occasionally bring light relief, which is welcome as some of what is included herein is a little dark in places.
As with book one, this book ends at an appropriate time with just a hint of cliffhanger which left me hankering for the concluding part all the more rather than being hacked off. I know I now have to be patient and wait for book three but, to be honest, I just want it now!
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

In this epic continuation to «Nyxia», following the events of the first book, Emmett Atwater and his crew have landed on the planet of Eden. But not under the circumstances they were hoping for. Their instructions were simple – play nice and extract Nyxia in great quantities, something they were trained to do on Genesis 11 spaceship.

Lies, intrigues, secrets, and betrayals continue in this sequel, as the crew tries to figure out their new alliances and set their allegiances.

"5 Cool Things to Use Nyxia for!" @ www.whimsypages.wordpress.com