Hullmetal Girls

May 1, 2018

Gr 7 Up-For 300 years, seven tiers of starships have unceasingly searched space for a habitable planet. Earth is no longer an option. Religious Aisha Un-Haad, 17, born on a lower ranking tier and Key Tanaka, 18, from the highest tier, both undergo surgery to become Scela-soldiers infused with powerful metal- and fiber-laced exos. Parentless Aisha chooses to have the procedure to help save her plague-infected baby brother and prevent her little sister from slaving away in the dangerous dyeworks. Key awakens from the irreversible surgery with holes in her memory and haunted by a blond boy she can't remember. Woojin Lih, another member of the squad, chose to become Scela over jail, but his exo's experiencing glitches and Praava Ganes needs the Scela salary to help fund her scientist sister's important medical research. The four teens work for the ruling General Body who is trying to keep the rebel Fractionists from taking over. When Aisha discovers a shocking truth about her aunt, who's taking care of Aisha's siblings, she's forced to keep quiet to ensure their safety. Told in alternating chapters by Aisha and Key, this exciting standalone is full of shifting allegiances; but the world-building and characters, especially the secondary ones, aren't well developed. VERDICT Despite being action-packed and having ethnically diverse main characters with a range of sexual identities, this sci-fi never fulfills its promise.-Sharon Rawlins, New Jersey State Library, Trenton

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2018
As the last remnants of humanity search for a new home, two very different women become cybernetic weapons to protect the Fleet from rising rebellion.In the Seventh District of a highly stratified Fleet, 17-year-old Aisha Un-Haad cannot provide for her two younger siblings, one deathly ill, without taking drastic measures. She has no choice but to be transformed into a Scela, a mechanically enhanced, networked weapon. Eighteen-year-old Key Tanaka awakens from Scela modification surgery with no recollection of why she would abandon her previous life of luxury in the First District and is determined to excel, for her own sake and in hopes of recovering her memory. But as Aisha and Key, along with fellow trainees Woojin Lih and Praava Ganes, uncover more about the Fleet and the rebel Fractionists, they find themselves entangled in the conflict and must balance loyalty to the Fleet with the survival of humanity. Skrutskie (Edge of the Abyss, 2017, etc.) presents a space odyssey of diverse representation told in dual perspectives between Aisha and Key, two women of color, with clarity and precision. Aisha identifies as aromantic and asexual, and her Ledic religion appears to be derived from Islam, with some similar rituals and symbols, which affects her worldview and how she is treated. Woojin is pansexual.An engaging narrative with a complex cast that intersects race, sexual identity, religion, and class. (Science fiction. 12-17)

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May 28, 2018
In this spacefaring adventure, mankind’s fate rests in the hands of people who’ve traded their humanity for cybernetic enhancements to become Scela—cyborg soldiers who serve the colonization fleet housing Earth’s refugees. Seventeen-year-old Aisha Un-Haad undergoes the change to provide for her brother, who dwells in one of the fleet’s most impoverished lower-class ships; 18-year-old Key Tanaka comes from their society’s highest tier but has no memory of why she underwent the brutal process. Mentally linked with the rest of their new squad, the two girls become reluctant allies, even friends. As they work to protect the fleet as it searches for a habitable planet, they’re forced to make consequential choices that could save or doom everyone. Skrutskie’s (The Edge of the Abyss) tale is packed with diverse characters: Aisha identifies as aromantic and asexual, and adheres to a Muslim-like faith, while her squadmate Woojin Lih is pansexual; other characters are coded as Asian or Indian, and much of the story’s conflict stems from class-based tension. Skrutskie’s examination of what defines humanity, family, and free will makes this an engaging, satisfying story. Agent: Thao Le, Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency. Ages 12–up.

May 1, 2018
Grades 8-11 Key has no idea why she is now Scela, a supersoldier who shares her body and mind with an exoskeleton, but Aisha enlisted for the money to support her orphaned siblings. Together with their squad mates, the two young women try to adapt to their new reality, but they find themselves caught between the governing body ruling over the generation ships and the Fractionists, who are tired of waiting to find a habitable planet. Though Skrutskie's novel sounds like yet another teen dystopian tale, its strengths lift it above the crowd. She's created a fully realized world that's different enough to seem unique but understandable enough to keep readers from getting lost. Loyalty to family and friends is of a higher importance than romance, which rings true for characters in a life-and-death struggle. And the diversity of ethnicities, sexualities, genders, and religions is seamlessly integrated into the story, influencing the characters' actions but never overwhelming the main tale. Definitely recommended for readers looking for a fresh take on classic sf tropes.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)