The Bibliophile's Bookshelf

Title: Skyward

Series: Skyward #1

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy

Rating: 5 stars

Review:

Defeated, crushed, and driven almost to extinction, the remnants of the human race are trapped on a planet that is constantly attacked by mysterious alien starfighters. Spensa, a teenage girl living among them, longs to be a pilot. When she discovers the wreckage of an ancient ship, she realizes this dream might be possible—assuming she can repair the ship, navigate flight school, and (perhaps most importantly) persuade the strange machine to help her. Because this ship, uniquely, appears to have a soul. – summary from Goodreads

Skyward was absolutely phenomenal and I adored every minute of it!

I can’t believe it has taken me this long to read this incredible book! I’m now debating on whether or not to cancel all my reading plans and just read all of Brandon Sanderson’s stuff.

I adored Spensa so, so much! She was so persistent and dedicated to what she was doing and I really admired that. She was also funny while not trying to be. Spensa was trying to embody the “traditional warrior” and would say the weirdest things, which I thought really added to the story and had me laughing at many points.

I loved all the other characters! Sanderson did a wonderful job of having a big cast of characters and giving each of them their own personality and moment to shine. I especially loved all the members of Skyward flight and Cobb. They were all amazing. Jorgen and Kimmalyn were some of my favorite members of the Skyward flight. They were both so unique and felt like real people. I am very excited to see more of these characters, and I am super excited to see more of the Skyward flight together in the next book.

One thing I’ll also praise is the fact that some of the characters who Spensa didn’t spend a lot of time with, we still got a good sense of who they were. We also got some really great moments between these characters and Spensa, that really showed their friendship.

I was kept guessing throughout this book. Usually, I catch on really fast, but not this book. I was engrossed and glued to the page. It was such a good, engaging story!

The world is also fascinating! If you’ve followed me for a while, then you know that I really struggle with settings and descriptions. There was a little of that, as I struggled picturing some of the main features. But it wasn’t too overwhelming for me to understand. I loved how unique the setting was and how that played into the story- it was new and different. I also loved the culture of the book. It was wonderfully included throughout the story, and nothing was forgotten. While being a single perspective, I liked how Spensa listened to others and we got a viewpoint for how other’s view the world. The government system they operated under was a military government, which was unique and something I enjoyed reading. I really enjoyed all the characters’ perspectives on this, especially FM’s.

The military perspective guided the whole story. I really liked this, and how Spensa’s perspective on being a warrior changed throughout the book. It was really moving! The characters all interact with each other in such unique ways because of this military perspective, too. One of my favorite parts of the story was the callsigns! I have been obsessed with callsigns since I was in high school, so this was wonderful to me!

M-Bot and Doomslug are the best! If you ever have a moment, look up drawings of Doomslug- they are so cute! I love this inclusion of a pet slug and that she can mimic sounds! M-Bot is a wonderful spaceship that is so unique. I will always love robot’s perspectives in books, and this one might be one of the best! He was really unique and he offered some really interesting perspectives and insights. He also was quite funny at times, and I loved those silly little moments!

Skyward is an absolutely phenomenal science fiction novel with a fascinating world, a wide cast of characters, and a determined FMC!

Quotes:

“‘Return to the stars. Sail them well, warrior.’”

“‘You fix it, and you fly. You find a way, and you defy them. For those of us who don’t have the courage.’”

“‘You are amazing. Everything about my life has been planned out. Careful. It makes sense. I understand it. Then there’s you. You ignore my authority. You follow your feelings. You talk like some Valkyrie from a scudding ballad! I should hate you. And yet…

‘And yet, when you fly, you are amazing. You’re so determined, so skillful, so passionate. You’re a fire, Spin. When everyone else is calm, you’re a burning bonfire. Beautiful, like a newly forged blade.’”