Skyhunter

The Karensa Federation has conquered a dozen kingdoms, leaving Mara as the only free nation left. Those who make it there escape a fate worse than death--enslavement as mutated war beasts known as Ghosts. The Strikers, a Maran elite force, are trained to stop them, but as the number of Ghosts grow, defeat becomes inevitable. Still, one Striker refuses to give up hope. Robbed of her voice and home, Talin knows the brutality of the Federation firsthand. Their cruelty forced her and her mother to seek asylum in a country that finds their people repugnant. After another vicious attack, Mara seems ready to fall, but when a mysterious prisoner is brought back from the warfront, Talin can sense there's more to him than meets the eye. Could he be the weapon that will save them all?