Cover Image: Skyward Inn

Skyward Inn

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

I enjoyed Skyward Inn, and I will be rereading it soon.
I read this a couple of days ago and, still, it sits with me. I will be watching the news and a segment will come on and I will think of one scene or another. In many ways, Skyward Inn reminds me of older Sci-Fi. More slow burn - less frenetic. A very good read and one I'm glad I had the opportunity to read.

Was this review helpful?

This was not what I was expecting and sometimes it can be a good thing but for me, this was just odd. I never felt connected with the characters or the themes, so I just was kind of along for the ride. The ending felt a bit disjointed and I didn’t really take anything away from the book either for fun or to think about.

Was this review helpful?

Set aside everything you think might be in this book. The story is so unique, I cannot imagine you'd find it elsewhere. The "feel" of the book is one of wonder, the world as they knew it has ended, the peoples of differeing races live peacefully along side each other.....maybe.....and communities can collectively decide their own lifestyles. Skyward Inn resides in a piece of the world where technology is not welcome, yet they pick and choose which advanced knowledge they want to use. This is not your typical story of "after the fall". Aliya Whiteley leads us on a road very much travelled but the destination is unclear. Afetr the last page of the last chapter, you'll definitely be thinking of this book for awhile. It is very much worth reading, no matter your usual genre.

Was this review helpful?

This book is beautiful, but it makes the reader work. Science-fiction meets very realistic characters who are strong in their humanity despite the offbeat setting; once I settled in to the tone of the book, I found myself whizzing along, keen to find out exactly what was going on.

We move between perspectives and locations, relationships and inner secrets or worries. While I feel this could be set anywhere and have similar characters, the unique setting helps it enormously. It feels otherworldly and yet familiar.

This book will be staying with me for some time as I process it. Possibly not for everyone, and certainly not a light read, but very much worth your time in visiting.

Was this review helpful?

A pleasant surprise to find this was a new weird retelling of Du Maurier. I loved that Whiteley’s posthumanism isn’t didactic, but rather a gentle investigation to how we react to otherness. The lore was thoughtful and the examinations of colonialism etc were subtle and relevant.

Was this review helpful?

A confusing, rambling science fiction fantasy. Unfortunately, despite some clever concepts, it did not grab my attention and I failed.to finish.

Was this review helpful?

DNF at 26%:
This was too disjointed for my taste. There was nothing for me to keep my attention: I did not connect to any of the characters or our protagonist, I was feeling lost whenever the story jumped to a new scene/a new setting/a new story and even a quarter into the book, I still have no idea where the story is taking me or what it's trying to do.

If I was enjoying my reading experience I might have continued on but the appeal in the beginning has worn off and I can't find a reason to keep going.

Was this review helpful?

This is going to be a short review, as I don’t really know what is going on in this book.
Having said so, I will try to explain what it is about.

Skyward Inn is the name of a small inn run by Isley and Jem. From the beginning, we know that Isley is not “human” but some type of alien, a Qitan, tolerated by the people of the village and the ones who visit the inn every night to drink something called Jarrowbrew.

Then, one night, a Qitan female called Won appears at the inn with a broken suit. It seems this “suit” serves her as a vehicle. Somehow the appearance of Won makes everyone very suspicious and uncomfortable. Why? No idea. Perhaps because as it unfortunately always happens people are afraid of what they do not understand and are suspicious of everyone and everything which is different from them.

THE WORD IS “CONFUSING”

From then on, the author tells us about many different stories apart from this central one at the Inn.

We learn about Dominic, Jem’s brother, who lives with Jem’s son called Fosse. Dominic is the head of the council and a school teacher.

We also learn about some more people from the village, like Doctor Clarke, and Reverend Summer (who is their spiritual leader), and Benny Sykes, the village policeman.

However all these people act quite weird and very cult-like. Fosse also encounters three people, two women and a man, who are staying in a type of barn.

Sounds confusing? Well, that is the best way to describe “Skyward Inn”.

FINAL THOUGHTS ABOUT “SKYWARD INN”

I felt quite disconnected from the story and the characters. I simply did not understand the many things which were happening and the behaviours of the characters.

I felt disoriented and lost most of the book and I still don’t truly know what the book is about.

The story is divided into two halves with such an abrupt division that you simply don’t know if these are two books within one. I sincerely don’t understand such a change in the story.

For all this, I cannot recommend “Skyward Inn” to you.
--
Thanks to the publisher, Solaris, the author Aliya Whiteley and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of “Skyward Inn” for review purposes.

Was this review helpful?

This was such a unique book, I'm not even sure where to start with a review honestly. The book starts off SO differently from where it ends up that it's hard to really talk about it without sounding bananas, or without giving too much away. I believe this one is best to go into without knowing anything first, and with a very open mind - don't have any expectations set, because if you do, it'll blow them all out of the water.

This isn't my first book by Aliya Whiteley, and I'm CONSTANTLY surprised by how creative and interesting the universe she's building between all her different writings is. This was unlike anything I've read before - part historical, small-town fiction, part absolutely wild sci-fi romp. I loved it.

Was this review helpful?

Well, colour me confused. Skyward Inn is one of those books where I finished it ten times more confused than when I started. It starts off great; a small village in Devon, a quaint little pub, some post-apocalyptic vibe without real explanation for why they are cut off and reliant on trade rather than money, a strange disease leading to quarantine areas. It could almost - almost - be historical fiction. Of course you also have the alien running the pub, which moves it into science fiction.

But I actually really enjoyed the slow build up of the village and the characters to begin with. The descriptions made me chuckle as much rang true of the small village vibe and the characters within it. You get references to events where Earth invaded the planet Qita with no resistance at all, but it's all very gentle and easy to read and takes a lot time to build up to the actual narrative. You'd got family squabbles, village drama, local politics... but admittedly, very little idea of where it was going.

In fact it isn't until well past 60% that the science fiction elements - other than the alien running the pub of course - really start to come through and this is where things kind of lost the plot. From there the pace quickens, but it also becomes disjointed and muddled and the conclusion is so rushed that I was left bewildered and baffled. A lot happens, but there isn't really any time spent to dwell on it and it's just confusing.

For much of the novel, you stay within the confines of the village and yet there's a sudden shift when one of the perspectives leaves and you get scenes on a space station and Qita. If this was more gently drawn out, it might really work. But it's such a sudden shift, with very little explanation or build up that it felt like a drastic measure to boot the narrative in the way the author intended. And that kind of sums up the tone of the novel once events really start getting moving.

It's essentially a novel of two halves. And whilst the first half (or more in actual book terms) is a slow, meandering look at a small village and the relations between humans and one alien, it shifts into a stark science fiction disaster so quickly that you barely have time to keep up. I actually really enjoyed the first 'half'; it's a nice merge of science fiction and human relations, taking a look at insular communities, human behaviour and the 'us vs them' mentality. The sudden shift, rushed narrative and lack of real explanations for the second 'half' though really let this down.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my free review copy of this title.

Was this review helpful?

I started reading this book and found that it was not for me. I didn't want to review a book that I didn't finish.

Was this review helpful?

Didn't capture my attention and engagement. Interested in trying it again though and hopefully it will take.

Was this review helpful?

A modern sci-fi classic in the making. This is much more literary than the sci-fi I tend to gravitate towards - I'm generally much more of a space opera fan - but this quiet, rural and introspective novel feels much more true to what war with an alien species would be like. Highly recommended.

Was this review helpful?

Skyward Inn really pulled me in for its synopsis. I adore Sci-fi and generally can consume these books fairly quickly. Unfortunately that was not the case for this read.
I found myself getting confused and having to go back and reread things because the flow was not there for me. I love to read, but my comprehension takes time. I'm not a fast reader. So when I'm lost the first 100 pages, it can be discouraging. But then, as more action started to happen, I found myself enjoying the read more. This book was in no way what I thought it was going to be. By the end, I could appreciate some of the themes that were unveiled and found that the plot was thicker than I originally thought. So overall, the book wasn't for me, but I appreciate what you were trying to do with your work!

Was this review helpful?

The writing was quite beautiful and I wanted to love this, but, alas, I think I am just not a science-fiction fan. I would certainly recommend this to patrons looking for literary sci-fi. Character development and descriptive language were strong, and the world Whiteley created was affecting and unique.

Was this review helpful?

Skyward Inn was a really interesting book about what it means to be human - and if humans can feel alien towards each other. I really enjoyed the discussions in this book and what it wanted to tell the reader. But, I had trouble with the second person perspective, and it took me out of the story for some time that I didn't feel fully emerged in it.

Was this review helpful?

This began as a sweet, meandering story telling of a woman, Jem, and her alien friend, Isley, running a pub together in rural Devon reminiscing about their time where they met on planet Qitan. They now live in the Western Protectorate that is separate from the rest of the world that has amalgamated after the invasion of Qitan. The WP is purposefully turned its back on modern technology and world politics. The only new product is the brew that Isley makes at the Skyward Inn that all the locals love.

We follow the lives of Jem, her brother who is head of their town and her son as they live in rural isolation and how they each navigate this lifestyle. Then Won arrives from Isley's past and triggers an unimaginable future.

This was a lovely read. The characters were fleshed out and I wanted to follow their individual paths through this new world to see how they developed. The world building was subtle and easy to absorb, which is rare in some sci-fi I've read. The creep factor builds so subtly you only realise too late. This was an engaging look at how humans and aliens could meet and coexist. This book combines so many arcs but does it so well it's hard to separate them; belonging, love, coming of age, loneliness, passion, fear.

Was this review helpful?

Skyward Inn left me speechless, and reminded me of all the reasons why I enjoy adult science fiction with a slight literary lean. Between the dual POVs of Jem and Foss, themes of individualism, community, belonging, mother/son relationships, and struggle, and stakes high/sharp enough to cut, it was impossible to put down.
It was⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me, hands down!

Was this review helpful?

Quite a weird book I didnt know what I was getting myself into when I started reading its.

I received this book from net gallery in exchange for a honest review.

Was this review helpful?

unique and interesting. i'm not the biggest sci-fi fan but i do like to give it a chance once in awhile. overall. enjoyed it. thank you to netgalley for the copy of this book!

Was this review helpful?