Review: Skyward by Brandon Sanderson

BOOK STATS

Rating: ☆☆☆☆.5
Title: Skyward
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Series: Skyward #1
Genre: Science Fiction
Audience: Young Adult
Format: Audible Audiobook
Narrators: Suzy Jackson
Length: 15.5 hours (510 pages)
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: November 6, 2018
Source: Personal collection
Recommended for fans of: Aurora Rising, Defy the Stars
Content Warnings: death of parent

SYNOPSIS

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.

MY THOUGHTS

Brandon Sanderson has done it again! In Skyward, he creates an extraordinarily creative and immersive science fiction world with a cast of vibrant and lovable characters.

It did take me some time to become fully invested in the story. This felt more like middle grade than YA to me because at the beginning of the book, Spensa is very immature, always blaming other for her problems. I understood why she was like that, but she was really annoying.

However, Spensa matures a lot throughout the book, and by the end I was all in, completely in love with Spensa, M-Bot, and all the members of Skyward flight in their war against mysterious alien oppressors.