Not my usual cup of tea but thought I would branch out and give this book a try. Nd sadly it’s not for me nor this genre. Just struggled getting into it and gave up after several attempts. Can’t say whether it’s a good read or not as I just couldn’t get into the story.

So here I am, reading my first ever Sanderson novel. Despite having his first Mistborn novel, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6547258"><i>The Final Empire</i></a> on my shelves (both virtual and physical) for something like 6 and quite a bit years and never getting around to reading it, I've been keeping an eye on his releases and his soaring popularity. So imagine my surprise when I was approved for his latest novel, a sci-fi YA adventure set on a world where humanity is trying to fight off an alien race called the Krell.

In <i>Skyward</i>, we are introduced to Spensa, a girl who dreams of being a pilot like her father. Humans have been driven to a planet called Detritus and forced underground by Krell incursions. Their pilots are their biggest asset and when Spensa's father commits the unthinkable and turns coward, her chances of ever flying are reduced to dust. But Spensa is committed and determined and when the Krell increase their fleet, she might just have the opportunity she's been hoping for.

This year I've been reading a few YA novels (and I have a few more to get through before I finish off the year) and initially, I thought there would be the usual tropes: a fiery, headstrong young woman who has the pedigree to be amazing at her dream, potential love interest (and maybe even a love triangle, that blight of YA novels everywhere) and a sort-of school setting. So imagine my surprise when Sanderson took some of those exact tropes and then pushed them beyond where most authors would stop. So while yes, Spensa is fiery and headstrong, there are times that she comes across as faintly ridiculous and the narrative doesn't excuse her. Similarly, the romance you thought was going to happen takes a sharp turn <spoiler>when Bim dies</spoiler>, which really surprised me.

Beyond this though, I actually found the story to be engaging, despite a little bit of a lull at the start. Once it gets going, there are action scenes to fill your boots with, really intense dogfighting scenes (and my word is Sanderson really good at this!) and some tough emotional decisions for Spensa to make. There is also the story of her father's cowardice and what truly happened that day, which provides a lot of tension, both internal and external; we see Spensa struggle with the prejudice of the past, with bullying from her schoolmates and others living in the caverns, but as more is unveiled about what truly happened that day, we also see a lot of her inner tension and conflict, which I really enjoyed. She isn't perfect and Sanderson goes to great length to ensure that we understand Spensa isn't about to pull something ridiculous out of a hat (or to be seen as clumsy/ditzy/imperfect and then turn out to be the most special thing in the galaxy). <spoiler>That she <i>is</i> indeed special is merely the culmination of hints throughout the book and comes with a history in-world that I didn't judge to be a cop-out or an attempt to somehow redeem Spensa.</spoiler>

The "Sanderson avalanche" that others warned me about is definitely present here, but I was actually pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the tempo of the book. It manages to blend action sequences with truly heartfelt moments and plot development. The interactions actually feel human, layered and difficult and Spensa isn't always right. But there are some things I didn't quite like (the made up swear words, which I understand are also a Sanderson staple), like how the book ends, because I wanted more. I also hope we get some more backstory for Rig, who gets slightly sidelined once he fills his plot purpose. I actually really hope that <spoiler>there isn't a romance endgame for Spensa, either with Jorgen or Rig.</spoiler> If only because of how it would make a real change to the way these things usually work in YA.

So, would I recommend <i>Skyward</i>? I would, despite the caveats, which ultimately are minor ones. I enjoyed the way he built out the world, I enjoyed Spensa and her story and I am eagerly awaiting the sequel. In the meantime, I think it will be time for me to finally delve into Sanderson's Cosmere works.

<b>Many thanks to Orion, Gollancz and NetGalley for the copy of this book.</b>

I was initially drawn to this book because of the Author - I had read the conclusion of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time Saga , which he completed very well .
I was also unaware that this is primarily a teen age range novel - that being said I think any age range would enjoy it ----------- the writing is superb .

The book focuses on Spensa and the other members of Flight School ……. even the AI has a name and develops a character …….. their lives and rites of passage ..

This is a superb fantasy / sci fi novel for all ages with brilliant characters ….. great world building ……. and a storyline that draws you in ………… to the extent that you feel as though you are seeing the events through the eyes of the characters . Not many Authors can evoke such a response from a reader but he certainly does .
I will be searching out other books by the Author if this is an example of his work .

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Not at the level of Sanderson’s Mistborn series (if you like fantasy, you have to read them), but close enough, and that’s as good a praise as I can give to Skyward. The writing was pitch-perfect, the characters extremely well developed, the action was vivid. It has been some time since I’ve read a sci-fi novel that hit the right notes as well as Skyward. Will definitely be looking for the next instalment off the shelves. If you want to fill that large Top Gun in Space hole in your soul, this book is right for you. Thank you Netgalley for the early preview.

5 out of 5.

Having already been introduced to Brandon Sanderson via Mistborn and the Reckoners I am all ready a fan of his writing. I find this an interesting foray into the world of a feisty young woman named Spensa or Spin as she is referred to by her call sign.
. Spensa has a lot to prove and is desperate to find out the truth about her father who was labled a coward. She longs to fly but has so many obstacles to overcome. It’s a story laced with the tales of dead heroes that have been related to her by her grandmother yet also encapsulates her resilience and determination to succeed. A struggle both on the ground and in the sky is a battle she has to win against all odds. Luckily she does gain friends along the way.
The characters are well defined and likeable. I have to say the ship is my favourite,, visions of Hal there, although this ship is definitely slightly more upbeat and definitely has more attitude.
A well imagined world, rats and Doomslug included . Excellent Imaginative aerial battles and star fighters.On almost every page. I would say this is ostensibly a ya novel. Saying that I am Interested to find out how these characters progress and what happens next .
.

I've been wanting to read more books by Brandon Sanderson ever since I read the last few books in the Wheel of Time series so what better place to start than with Skyward, the first book in his new YA sci-fi series. I'm happy to say that this has now solidified my position as a fan and I'm looking forward to working my way through his huge backlist!

Spensa grew up wanting to be a fighter pilot like the father who was a hero to her, even when he was killed in action after being branded a traitor all she wanted to do is follow in his footsteps and find a way to clear his name. Being the daughter of a coward has followed her everywhere, her family are looked down on and she is picked on constantly but she refuses to give up on her dream - no matter how many people try to stop her joining flight school and fighting to protect her people.

You see Spensa's people have been at war with an alien race for hundreds of years and their situation is getting more and more desperate. They have been under attack ever since they crash landed on their planet and the Krell seem determined to destroy what is left of the human race. Nobody knows quite why the Krell keep attacking but it is getting harder and harder to fight them off as they loose ships and fighter pilots more and more frequently. Flight school is dangerous and only a tiny percentage of cadets even survive the course but Spensa is determined to be one of them and she will do whatever it takes to earn her chance to fly.

Skyward was a fantastic start to this new series, the world building was brilliant and I loved the fight training missions and battles with the Krell, there were a lot of edge of your seat moments because things are so dangerous and Brandon Sanderson isn't afraid to sacrifice his characters so that heightens the sense of fear as you're reading. Spensa is such an interesting character, she has a bit of a chip on her shoulder thanks to the way she's always been treated and she puts on a layer of bravado to face the world so she can come across as a little aggressive and full of herself but underneath all of that she's scared and vulnerable and very, very easy to like. I loved getting to know her and the rest of the kids in the Skyward Flight, these characters were all very complex with their own motivations, fears and dreams and they all changed and grew throughout the story (well the ones who survived did anyway!).

I have to give a shout out to M-Bot and Doomslug who were both fantastic additions to the story, M-Bot was hilarious and I loved the way he looked at the world while Doomslug was just super cute. I really enjoyed the way Brandon Sanderson slowly reveals information about events surrounding the death of Spensa's father, and all the questions he raised about the Krell and why they were so determined to fight humans. Some of those questions are answered by the end of the book but others are left open for future instalments, I'm definitely going to be first in the queue for the sequel when it's published.

If you're looking for a book with daring aerial battles, fantastic characters, a talking spaceship, alien invasions and a character who just won't take no for an answer then you can't go wrong with Skyward!

I have rarely felt so close to a character in a YA novel than I have with Spensa.

When you're a kid without much friends, living in the countryside in the South of France, you have to keep busy. Summers were spent running around in the forest, lavender fields and the neighboring village with my dogs, living my best life... in my head. I was a soldier throwing pine-cones instead of grenades, a knight protecting my wooden castle and dropping crazy one-liners about bathing in the blood of my enemies and saving the world. Sounds familiar for anyone who's just finished reading Skyward? :)

Spensa is a bit like my kid-self, and nothing like it. She's so much better!

“ The great contradiction of my life. I would never be worth anything unless I could prove myself – but couldn't prove myself because nobody would give me a chance. ”

In a militaristic society born from war and despair, where honor is deemed more important than a pilot's life and death in battle is romanticized, Spensa has had to lead quite a solitary life. Because of something that happened in the past (how vague, but spoilers!) , everyday is a fight as she has to suffer from passive-agressive bullying because of who she is. But did it deter her from walking her own path? Hell no, she is determined to become a starfighter pilot for the Defiant Defense Force (DDF), she is going to be the best, prove everybody else wrong and save Detritus from the alien menace, nothing less.
Or is she?

If I'm being honest, at first I was worried that I would not like Skyward. I've read so many of Sanderson's Adult Fantasy novels, and here comes Skyward, his first Science Fiction novel and it's YA. I thought that the quality of the characters or the world-building would drop... and I was so wrong, in the best way! Guys, GUYS, Skyward is the Mistborn of YA! Yup, I said it.
Of course the world-building is a bit less complex, but it is in no way lazy or toned-down because the targeted audience is younger, Sanderson respects his readers way too much for that. This world is opened to so many possibilities, last I heard there are four books planed in the Skyward-verse and I need. them. ALL.

What about the characters, you ask? Spensa is such a presence in this book, she may be a hit or miss with some people, but she is so driven, smart, sassy, though a bit socially awkward and prone to hurt people because she can't hold her tongue. I also have so much love for the Skyward Flight and their teacher, they're all so memorable and diverse and so supportive of each other behind all the little quips and jokes. What a bunch of nerds, I love them. And I'm not even talking about Spensa's ship, I thought that Murderbot from The Murderbot Diaries (by Martha Wells) was my favorite AI, but here comes a new challenger! He's awesome and hilarious, bless his GPU.

“ By the way, how does it feel to be self-deterministic? ”

●Awesome space fights? Check.
●Awesome characters? Check.
●Promising world-building? Check.
●Sanderson's world famous grey villains? Hell yeah!

Through six months of Pilot class, Spensa will learn that the world she lives in is not the black and white dichotomy she thought it to be, and because it's Sanderson, it's going to hurt. Time to claim the stars, kiddos!

This book is everything, and if you like science-fiction and Sanderson, you will die of happiness.

Hello my fellow readers! Sorry, just had to get that out of the way first before properly greeting you, but this book could not be introduced in any other way. This book is so good, and for someone who has ridiculously high expectations of Brandon Sanderson, it is just as surprising that he manages to exceed them every. Single. Time. How?

Baring this in mind, if you expect this book to be written like his other fantasy epics, you will be disappointed – this is much more akin to his Reckoners-trilogy, with the same kind of diction and artistic flare. Unlike his other books, however, one of the aspects that I really enjoyed about the novel was also all of the references to actual mythology and world history, with references made to Beowulf, Ghengis Khan, and other popular heroes and warriors. I thought it was a nice touch that added an element of realism to the science-fiction story.

Also, Spensa is one badass warrior – sorry, that is just the best way of saying that. She is incredibly strong and inspirational, reaching her goals despite of the odds stacked up against her. She does not let anyone tell her what she can and cannot do, and even uses the ‘cannots’ as a means to fuel her own determination. Honestly, Spensa is pretty much everything I want to be.

But other than her, there were some amazing side-characters as well; all of whom were surprisingly dynamic. Your perception of one character could change from one chapter to the next, and the more we got to learn about them, the better they became. Again, just Sanderson being fantastic and showing that people are multi-faceted and good and bad and strange and amazing. Not just people, but space-ships as well 😉.

I also feel like the more Sanderson writes, the better his world building becomes? This story just felt so fleshed out, with the different factions on the planet, the history of how they got there (and of humanity itself). Sanderson just always managed to strike a perfect balance between science-fiction and technology and other-worldliness, whilst still having the story grounded in relatable characters. The way he described all of the science, as well, was done in such a way that you could follow it, even though it still felt very sophisticated.

Overall, this book is How to Train Your Dragon meets Top Gun meets Battlestar Galactica, and yes, you should drop everything you are doing to go and read this book.

I've long been aware of Brandon Sanderson (well ever since he took on the task of finishing Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time epic) but hadn't read him so this one intrigued me. I liked the plot idea of following Spensa's journey to become a Pilot against the odds. I believe (unless I'm mistaken) that this is Sanderson's first foray into science fiction from his usual fantasy field and I think he makes the transition extremely well. There is good world building and character development with plenty of scope to like and dislike differing characters. It is a very easy book to read even at over 500 pages. By this I mean I find with some sci-fi books it becomes easy to get bogged down in technical details of futuristic technology but Sanderson's writing flows well enough to avoid that. At times I found it tricky to get onto the Young Adult wavelength (the audience this book is geared towards) but it didn't detract from the story, just took my mind time to adjust (I left the YA age group long ago!). All in all I'd recommend this and will now try one of Sanderson's fantasy epics.

Thanks to NetGalley and Orion for review Arc.

Bless the Stars for Skyward.

Brandon Sanderson’s newest epic is released with as much fanfair as his others, a 528 page beauty of space flight and growing up to show you’re the best, against all odds.

Spensa is a great little character with some serious attitude. As a young girl, she is enamoured by her father – a spacefighter pilot for the DDF – and as any Daddy’s Girl she looks up to her father and wants to do what he does. Events that follow change Spensa’s life for good and here is where our heroine starts to come into herself.

As always Brandon’s work is brilliantly written with characters you love to love and characters that you love to hate. With protagonist’s and antagonist’s galore, you’re sucked into Spensa’s world from the get go; from the astoundingly descriptive local areas to the deadly Krell and their mission to destroy.

Skyward is Brandon’s latest Young Adult fiction novel – and as a non-Young Adult reader I can 200% say read this book!

Skyward has Brandon’s usual flair for the epic with humour in spades – I love M-Bot.

The characters in Skyward are a toss up between great and awesome. Certain characters have got a nice way of saying something without saying anything at all which is something I’ve always loved in a good book.

I think my favourite other than Spensa and M-Bot has got to be Nedd – you’ll see why when you read the book, he’s the good guy.

Skyward has it’s humour and it’s drama but it also has it’s sadness. My eyes did well up at several parts and you know a book is good when it brings emotion to the forefront. When you sit there reading and you instantly feel a connection with the characters and the surroundings and you find yourself rooting for your favourites.

I would highly recommend Skyward to anyone who loves sci-fi, young adult and a mix of the two. Another great book by Brandon Sanderson and I can’t wait to see where the story goes from here.

“If I listened, I could hear the stars. They sounded like horns of battle, calling out, drawing me toward them…”

I’ve wanted to read Skyward since I saw Brandon Sanderson’s name on the cover — because although I had only read one of his books before reading Skyward (I read Warbreaker and loved it!) I fell so deeply in love with that book that I swore to myself I’d pick up everything he ever wrote. So when I saw that he would release the first book to a new series, a sci-fi book nonetheless, when he usually writes high fantasy, I was intrigued to say the least. And friends: I was not disappointed! Rarely have I read a book as fun, as adventurous and as captivating as Skyward; it has over 500 pages, but it didn’t feel like it. Even if it had twice as many pages, I’d still say it wasn’t enough, because this book pulled me under its spell completely.

Now, for a more detailed review, let’s start with the world-building. I’m not always a fan of sci-fi novels, but I think after reading Skyward I might become one! Because the world Brandon Sanderson created here was intriguing and yet terrifying — humanity is almost dirven to extinction, stranded on a planet and constantly attacked by alien starfighters. Mankind’s only hope: starfighter pilots of their own, like Spensa’s father was before he was killed when he abruptly deserted his team. And yet, years later, Spensa is still determined to fly, too.

“But remember, Spensa. You get to choose who you are. Legacy, memories of the past, can serve us well. But we cannot let them define us. When heritage becomes a box instead of an inspiration, it has gone too far.”

With that, let’s get to the characters: I will say that I had my issues with the protagonist. Spensa is rash and sometimes a little bit too stubborn (and as I said, at the beginning I wasn’t too fond of her), but she goes through a lot of character development and I think overall she changes quite a lot. At the end, I really grew to love her, and the all the other characters, too. This group of theirs — all future pilots, coming together from different parts of the planet to form a team of pilots that is supposed to save what’s left of humanity — was so wonderful! They had such amazing dynamics. They became more than flight mates, they became friends, and I loved that. Every character is unique and has his or her own mind and I’m incredibly thankful for that, since character driven book are what gives me life! Plus, the interactions and especially the dialogue between them are absolutely amazing!

“I, being robotic, have no concept of fragile things like human impatience.”

My ultimate favourite is M-Bot, though, the spaceship Spensa discovers — it can talk, seems to have a mind entirely of its own, and is absolutely hilarious. A little bit arrogant, a little bit timid, but mostly just the best spaceship anyone could hope for.

The story itself is gripping from beginning to end — the last ten chapters or so were so action-packed and suspenseful that I could not, for the life of me, put Skyward down. Honestly, I had goosebumps the whole time, because this book and the ending are EPIC. Plus, the whole world is so interesting and I want to know more about it, more about the history of it, more about everything! I can’t deal with how perfect Skyward is and I need the sequel, like, now 😭

“People need stories, child. They bring us hope and that hope is real. If that’s the case, then what does it matter whether the people in them actually lived?”

Overall, I can say that Skyward deserves ALL THE STARS. I mean it. This book is truly brilliant! From the story, to the characters, to the world-building — I loved every moment of it. This book made me fall completely in love with sci-fi: now I, too, want to go to flight school, fly spaceships with my flightmates, and pretty much save the planet and humanity.

Skyward is a sci-fi alien fighting adventure which follows 17-year-old Spensa who, after having spent years of dreaming about flying among the stars, discovers the wreckage of an ancient ship. We thus watch Spensa as she repairs the space vehicle, progresses through her months at flight school and persuades the peculiar talking machine to help her pursue her dream.

Although I adored Illuminae, I've never been the biggest sci-fi fan. In many ways, the two YA novels are similar; feisty female protagonists and AI systems with attitude problems. There was something about Skyward, however, which didn't have me in its grip.

This book could be 100 pages shorter and we would still have the same outcome. I found the detail about the flight and battle simulation scenes repetitive, so much so that I skimmed over some descriptions. There was so much flight jargon that I felt as if I needed to go to flight school myself just to be able to visualise Sanderson's world in all its glory. It was only up until the last quarter of the story when the story got interesting.

Moreover, I found difficult to warm to Spensa, but the banter between the Skyward Flight team members did make the battle scenes more amusing, each owning their own flaws and quirks. Eventually, after hundreds of pages of battle scenes, questioning whether choosing survival is a cowardly act and repairing 'M-Bot', we're suddenly hit with an abundance of revelations and twists. The pace quickens and we finally learn more about the ominous alien enemy, the 'Krell' who the team have been fighting for the past 400 pages.

Perhaps I didn't truly immerse myself into Sanderson's world, perhaps this genre isn't for me. However with a sassy talking AI machine, battle scenes left right and centre and an ominous enemy, this book is perfect for any sci-fi fanatic.

I can't even begin to describe how much I loved this book. I am a huge fan of Brandon Sanderson and struggle to comprehend how one man can fit so many worlds in his head, and more amazingly, pen them into absolute masterpieces. After reading Skyward I'm even more awed. It is so different from the books of his that I've previously read, so it wouldn't be fair to compare it to any of them. Instead I will say that it's a brilliant book in it's own category. Which, I guess, would be somewhere around and between fantasy, sci-fi and YA. Before I ramble off to oblivion let me just wrap it up by saying that I loved the characters, their development, the story, the fantastic struggles and human flaws, it all created something that I can't wait to read again.

OK confession time this is only my second Sanderson book. Despite having many of his novels gracing my shelves, I had until this book only read The Rithmatist. I have similar feelings to this work as I did to The Rithmatist, and that is that Sanderson’s world-building is what makes his books great, over his characters and plot-lines.

I really did enjoy this book and the world that Sanderson develops over the course of this book is fascinating. On the one hand this book is a bit of a slow burn introducing us layer by layer, bit by bit to the aptly named Detritus, the Defiant, it’s culture, history, politics and people. While on the other hand we are treated to fast paced action scenes, filled with lively and interesting characters, witty AI chatter and some gut wrenching scenes that pull at your heart strings. Both of these are seamlessly woven together to create a fantastic novel that keeps the reader engaged.

Spensa (Callsign: Spin) is a great character, she is a fantastic combination of projecting hardheaded cockiness while internally she is questioning her entire self. This made her a really personable character. I really enjoyed the narration from her perspective, her determination and hardheadedness as well as her moments of doubt and vulnerability again meshed nicely with the world-building. At first i did occasionally find moments when Spin’s constant anger was a little grating. However, real growth in characters is sometimes missing from some YA plots with them not actually learning anything out of all their struggle, this is very much not the case for Spin. She truly grows and develops as a character, she really learns something during her story arc, which makes her a fantastic MC. The introduction of M-Bot, with its AI sassy backtalk added great light moments into the plot and it became my favourite character. The host of side characters that Spin encounters along the way are all fantastic and individual, they all have great depth to them that we again slowly encounter throughout the book in a very natural and fluid way. All in all a great team to read about.

My only gripe is at the very very end (as in the epilogue) it seems like it is both trying to to tie everything up in a neat little bow (a bit of a YA trope that really doesn’t need to happen anymore) while still strangely being very much setting up for the book in the series which just left me a little unsatisfied. This is not a major gripe I just wish Sanderson had let his late plot reveals hit and left me itching for the next book to find out more.

If your are a Sci-fi reader this is a nicely thought out YA Sci-fi, that is will capture your imagination. If you are not a Typical Sci-fi reader I would say give this one a try, it is most definitely Sci-fi from a fantasy author and is a great introduction into the genre for someone that hasn’t explored it before. It is a fun, fascinating and worthy read and I will be continuing with the series.

"Spensa's world has been under attack for hundreds of years. An alien race called the Krell leads onslaught after onslaught from the sky in a never-ending campaign to destroy humankind. Humanity's only defense is to take to their ships and fight the enemy in the skies. Pilots have become the heroes of what's left of the human race.

Spensa has always dreamed of being one of them; of soaring above Earth and proving her bravery. But her fate is intertwined with her father's - a pilot who was killed years ago when he abruptly deserted his team, placing Spensa's chances of attending flight school somewhere between slim and none.

No one will let Spensa forget what her father did, but she is still determined to fly. And the Krell just made that a possibility. They've doubled their fleet, making Spensa's world twice as dangerous . . . but their desperation to survive might just take her skyward . . ."

This book was absolutely fantastic, I've read a couple of other books by Brandon Sanderson and this one did not dissappoint! I loved all of the characters - Spensa, Cobb, M-bot, doomslug - none of them were annoying at all and the storyline was fascinating.

It normally takes me a little while to settle into a story but I was comfortable with this one right away.

Would definitely recommend this book!

I loved this book! I loved the plot, the world building, the action, the humour, but most of all, I loved the characters, each and every one. Spensa, Cobb, M-bot, and all of the cadets in Skyward flight. SO GOOD.
Spensa's father is a famous pilot, fighting to protect their world from the Krell, who have been attacking at regular intervals for hundreds of years. Spensa has always wanted to be a brave pilot too, and has a lot to prove - and a lot to learn, about her father, the enemy, the world she lives in, and what it really means to be brave.
I've read plenty of exciting teen space alien fighting adventures, but the themes underscoring this.make it so brilliant, moving and emotional. Spensa is just such a wonderful character and is really not afraid to wear her emotions on her sleeve, to put it mildly. It's sweetly funny in a lot of places and I found myself reading with a big goofy grin, but it has its sad and thoughtful moments too, and I loved that everyone has their good and bad sides - No cartoon evil big bad with no motivation here. I basically loved everything about it, and enjoyed every minute. Im really going to miss this book!
I'm very grateful to Netgalley and Orion publishing for the opportunity to read an advance copy in return for an honest, unbiased review (and have to go out and buy it for everyone I know).

A fun fantasy read set in space.

Having never read anything by Brandon Sanderson before I wasn’t sure what this one was going to be like however the synopsis sounded intriguing so I decided to give it a go. I wasn’t disappointed.

Well written with a strong storyline, plenty of action and a mystery to keep you guessing.

The best feature of this book for me however is the character relationships. The dynamics between all of Skyward flight felt real and believable of a group of young teenagers. I particularly enjoyed their banter and the banter between M-Bot, Spensa and Rig.

The only thing that stopped this being a 5 star read for me was the pacing early in the book. Whilst I loved the amount of attention given to world building and scene setting (which were incredible) it did mean that the story moved a little slow to start with. This soon picked up though with the exciting aerial battles scenes and the introduction of the mystery surrounding Spensa’s dad.

Well worth a read and a fantastic YA sci-fi fantasy!

4. 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher (Orion Publishing Group) for providing a copy. All opinions are my own and provided willingly.

Skyward is the story of Spensa who lives on the planet Detritus, which, as the name suggests, is a junk planet abandoned by it's previous inhabitants. She was born there to a family who were crew members on a fleet of spacecraft that crash landed on Detritus following a battle with their enemies, the Krell aliens. The survivors created a subterranean world for themselves but faced aeriel attacks from the Krell. They began building spaceships to fight back and as the daughter of a previously disgraced pilot, all that Spensa wants is to sign up to fight. Those in charge, however, have other ideas.

The first thing that struck me about the novel was just the way that it was written. As someone who often takes a little while to settle in to a book (as you can tell from the number of dashes and brackets in my reviews, my internal monologue never shuts up) I read the first fifteen pages without even realising. The novel zooms along with it's overburners on fire, excitement and adventure on every page. I loved how the answers to my questions were slowly revealed, without any boring info-dumps or obviously fortuitous events. The narrative flowed seamlessly, even through the technical details of how to fly a spaceship. I was hooked from the first sentence to the last.

I loved how all of the characters were depicted in the book, with complex personalities and hidden motivations. Each of them had good and bad traits that often led to errors of judgement or bad behaviour, especially as they were all acting in a highly pressurised environment. I really enjoyed seeing how the characters interacted with each other; arguing, vying for position and using petty insults to cover up the fact that they were all just scared. Psychologically, it was really interesting to see how they used their own quirks to figure each other out and how their diversity eventually became a strength *suppresses urge to spout boring group development theory*.

Unusually for a sci-fi novel (especially one written by a man) the book is pretty female centric and I loved that the female representation was just...there. There was no political point, no-one in the story told Spensa she couldn't be a pilot because she was a girl - indeed, the head of the defensive federation is a woman and the pilots seemed to be a 50/50 mix of men and women. The book could do easily have gone down the Handmaid's Tale route, forcing women to keep popping out babies in order to ensure the survival of a small population against a vast number of enemies but Sanderson clearly chose to make Spensa his rebellious MC for reasons other than her gender. I personally found this a refreshing change (and I say that as a feminist - I just think that trope has been done too many times).

I also really, really loved the fact that there was no bloody romance taking up space in the life of a girl who simply wanted to kill space aliens and avenge the death of her father. It was soooo great not to have to deal with cringey teenage attempts at flirting, although I suspect there might be some of that coming in the next instalment *sigh*.

I loved how the ending to the novel was so difficult to guess and although I had some idea, it was still a surprise. I'll try not to give too much away but a certain character reminded me very much of AIDAN from Illuminae so I was kept in my toes wondering if he was a reliable narrator or not - and what bearing that would have on the rest of the story.

Overall, I loved Skyward from the first sentence to the last. Some parts should have been boring (protracted battle flights filled with technical detail, endless comments about mushrooms) yet somehow Sanderson absolutely chuffing nailed it.

This was the first book I ve read by Brandon Sanderson, and i really feel like I ve been missing out.
Spensa is an amazing character, and the story and although Im not a big fan of scifi reads this book was gripping and created a whole new world for me. The way Sanderson led my imagination was brilliant.
Without giving too much away - you must read this book!

I’d never read any Brandon Sanderson until I requested an e-ARC of Skyward on NetGalley after seeing it was the first book in a new YA sci-fi series. I’ve always been intimidated by his other books as they look like a huge commitment despite hearing so many people rave about them. After reading Skyward though, I’ll definitely be starting the Mistborn trilogy which I’ve had on my TBR pile for months. I fell in love with this story after only a few chapters and can’t wait to re-read a finished copy as soon as possible. I’ve read more science-fiction than ever over the last year and this has to be my favourite alongside the Illuminae trilogy.

The plot was fantastic – it was well-paced, engaging and funny. I’m a huge fan of training sequences so I loved reading about flight school and Spensa’s turbulent training to become a pilot. Slowly adding layer upon layer, the author creates a world that is fully fleshed-out and believable. Themes such as bravery, glory, and legacy are beautifully interwoven into the story and I particularly enjoyed the exploration of the tremendous influences a parent’s decision can have on a child. Once I was fully involved in the plot, I couldn’t put the book down, and the ending has me desperate to read the next book and learn more about this unforgettable world.

My favourite thing though was the brilliant characters, who were skilfully portrayed and memorable. I loved Spensa’s belligerent attitude, anger and stubbornness, especially when she interacted with Jorgen and Cobb. The dynamics between the pilots were complex and believable, and the growing friendships were realistically written. My favourite character though was the incredible talking spaceship Spensa discovers (and Doomslug of course). Its dialogue was hilarious and I loved the quirky characterisation. As you can probably tell, this book was just so much fun and one I would recommend wholeheartedly. I actually have two signed copies and two themed book boxes pre-ordered which surely illustrates the extent of my love for this incredible book.