Review: Skyward (Brandon Sanderson)

Title: Skyward
Series: Skyward, Book 1
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Ember (Delacorte)
Release Date: November 6, 2018
Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction
Content Rating: Teen (violence, fighting, death, bullying)
Format Read: Paperback
Find On: Goodreads
Purchase: Azon | B&N | BookDepo | Indiebound
Summary:

Spensa's world has been under attack for decades. Now pilots are the heroes of what's left of the human race, and becoming one has always been Spensa's dream. Since she was a little girl, she has imagined soaring skyward and proving her bravery. But her fate is intertwined with that of her father's—a pilot himself who was killed years ago when he abruptly deserted his team, leaving Spensa the daughter of a coward, her chances of attending Flight School slim to none.

No one will let Spensa forget what her father did, yet fate works in mysterious ways. Flight school might be a long shot, but she is determined to fly. And an accidental discovery in a long-forgotten cavern might just provide her with a way to claim the stars.

*          *          *

Series: This is the first in the four-book Skyward series. Book 2, Starsight, released November 2019. The author has announced that Book 3 probably won't release until 2021.

Author Brandon Sanderson's Alcatraz series is one of my favorites, so I'm always willing to give anything he writes a try. When I heard Skyward was a teen sci-fi with a talking sentient ship, I knew I was in for another thrilling story that was right up my alley.

As an overall read, Skyward was thoroughly engrossing, with riveting action scenes I could effortlessly picture and understand despite no knowledge of flying, a highly imaginative setting, and an interesting, diverse cast of individual characters. I had little desire to put the book down, and burned through the 500+ pages in less than a week (a major feat for me). Main character Spensa was a defiant and headstrong girl with a warrior's mentality, and I loved her fierceness to follow her dream and her unwavering loyalty and conviction to protect others. MBOT, the talking sentient ship I came to the book for, was the fun addition I'd hoped, his playful personality adding a lot of humor and support to Spensa's confused and conflicted struggles. You can always count on Sanderson for a unique and intriguing setting, and Detritus, with its layered debris field, was a fascinating one. The only reason Skyward wasn't a 5-Scribble read for me was a personal writer-reader disappointment with the story. Everything was nicely set up for, in my opinion, a shocking conspiracy reveal at the end, but the finale I'd anticipated wasn't what came to pass and I wasn't as impressed with how the story expanded. Still, I am definitely interested in continuing the series, and look forward to reading the sequel soon. 

Conclusion: An engrossing teen sci-fi with thrilling action, an unusual setting, and strong characters. Although the end reveal wasn't what I'd hoped for, I'll definitely be trying the sequel, Starsight, which already released November 2019.

Scribble Rating: 

4.5 of 5 Scribbles

Other Reviews That Might Interest: 

Honor Among Thieves by Rachel Caine & Ann Aguirre
Nyxia by Scott Reintgen
Crudrat by Gail Carriger
The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson
Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson