Skye's Scribblings: Ember

Showing posts with label Ember. Show all posts

Monday, March 2, 2020

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

Monday, February 17, 2020

DNF Review: Steelheart (Brandon Sanderson)

Title: Steelheart
Series: The Reckoners, Book 1
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Ember (Delacorte)
US Release Date: September 24, 2013
Genre: Young Adult Dystopian Superheroes
Content Rating: Teen (Part One: violence, killing)
Format Read: Paperback
Find On: Goodreads
Purchase: Azon | B&N | BookDepo | Indiebound
Summary:

Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men and women extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics. But Epics are no friend of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man you must crush his will.

Nobody fights the Epics...nobody but the Reckoners. A shadowy group of ordinary humans, they spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them.

And David wants in. He wants Steelheart — the Epic who is said to be invincible. The Epic who killed David's father. For years, like the Reckoners, David's been studying, and planning — and he has something they need. Not an object, but an experience.

He's seen Steelheart bleed. And he wants revenge.

* * *

**I did not finish this book.**
I stopped at Part Two (Page 118).

Series: This is the first book in The Reckoners trilogy. All books in the series have been released and are available for purchase.

I have enjoyed several of Sanderson's stories (his Alcatraz series is a particular favorite), so over the years I collected all of the Reckoners books, even though I prefer to avoid dark revenge stories like the series advertised to be. This year, however, I finally decided to pass on it and let my copies go, but not before at least reading the first few pages of the first book, Steelheart, just in case.

And then I couldn't stop. Sanderson has a quick and engaging writing style with long but engrossing action scenes and smooth dialogue, and while it was a revenge story the book's mood was light despite deadly violence and ruthless villains. David was a bright boy who knew his stuff and stuck to his guns (figuratively and literally), even if he could be a bit bumbling at times and could not stop thinking about Megan. The setting was odd and hard to picture, and I wasn't particularly impressed with the Epics and their powers, but to my surprise I quickly found myself some 100 pages in and quite enjoying myself.

And then the action ended. As they traversed and hid in the bizarre setting and talked at length about the unimpressive Epics, I immediately lost interest in the story and started flipping pages, looking for when the action picked back up again. When I discovered it would be a few chapters, nearly 40 pages of more traversing and talking, I set the book aside to consider my enthusiasm to continue. With the action-packed opening behind and the revenge plot looming ahead, it didn't take long to realize my complete lack of interest in seeing David's story through, and I resolutely ended my read at Part Two.

If you love superpower stories, and especially enjoyed Marissa Meyer's Renegades, then I highly recommend you give Steelheart a try. Sadly, it just wasn't for me.

STRENGTHS (Part One)