Book Review || Skyward (Skyward #1) by Brandon Sanderson

Title: Skyward (Skyward #1)

By: Brandon Sanderson

Pages: 510

Published: November 6th, 2018 

By: Delacorte Press

Genre: YA|Sci-Fi

You can buy it HERE: Book Depository

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.

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WOW, well, this was a surprise for me. I have to be honest with you, I didn’t expect to like it this much, I’m repeating this a lot lately, but sci-fi isn’t usually something that I enjoy and less when it comes to things that happen in space, that’s why my expectations were not so high. And OMG, it was quite INCREDIBLE and ended up being a very pleasant surprise, I liked it a lot.

The book follows Spensa, she has always dreamed of becoming a pilot to be able to fight for her planet and thus prove her courage. But her destiny is intertwined with her father’s, a pilot who was murdered years ago when he left his squadron in battle. Now for Spensa, known as the traitor’s daughter, it will be very difficult to fulfill her dreams and attend the Flight School. But she’s determined to fly and not let what they think or say about her father affect her at all. One day, when she makes a discovery in a nearby cave she’ll realize that life could be giving her a second chance. 

This is an incredible book, I’m still surprised as I write about it, because I can’t believe took me so long to decide to read something by Brandon Sanderson, he did with this sci-fi book something I can enjoy, so I’ll not hesitate to pick up his other works soon

I think that this book, besides having a very interesting plot, also discusses a lot of things like, What makes a person brave? How far are you able to go to achieve your goals?. What does it mean to be a hero? What does it really mean to be a coward? and also talks about grief and people’s value, among other things. And I think that’s what makes this book stand out for me, it has very good moments and very good space and pilot descriptions, and that sort of things, but from my point of view, I enjoyed more of the human discussions and of exploring the characters’ minds. 
I think that if you’re a space fan you can appreciate many aspects of the book as well, there’s a lot of space terminology, and many scenes of the characters in battles or piloting, that although they’re not my cup of tea, I can say that they’re very well created. So if you’re a person who loves sci-fi, I think you’ll love this book.

I liked to go through the whole story with Spensa, she’s kind of an unlikeable character, and although there are many things that I don’t share with her, I think there’s a lot of things that I admire. When the book just starts you read her POV and you think, “Oh, I’ll hate her” lol. I think it could have that impact on people because she’s very rude and insolent, but after you start to see how others have treated her throughout all her life as “the coward’s daughter”, it’s simply heartbreaking.
I think Spensa has built a shell around her and she’s very strong and determined, and she’s always trying to make bad comments not affect her, but obviously, they reach her in some way, and although she doesn’t admit it, I feel it must be painful. No matter where she goes, she’s treated in a terrible way and people judge her constantly for her father’s actions in the past, claiming that she could somehow end up being the as him, which is stupid if you think about it, but the people in the book really condemn her for things that she can’t control, which is very unfair, and I’ve suffered a lot with some comments and how people are going towards her.
So, after going a long way with Spensa, I think her attitude is admirable in many situations, she never lets herself be intimidated by anyone, I mean, I would cry in two seconds if someone told me half of the things they say to her, so I really admire that. On the other hand, I think she has anger problems and it shows in some scenes. I think that this also comes from intense sadness and a huge trauma for the loss of his father, and how people react to it, it’s complicated, but at the same time it’s interesting how the book explores that

There are many characters in the book, Marea, Bim, Nedd, Arturo, Jorgen, Kimmalyn, among others, they’re some of the boys members of the squadron, and Gali who’s Spensa’s best and only friend in the world and also he’s adorable, and there’s a great variety of personalities here, as cultures and beliefs as well, and I think that although there are many characters, the writer takes the time to give a small leading role to each one of them, and that makes you know them better, which is great .
There’s a dynamic among the girls that I enjoyed a lot, I loved how for the first time Spensa manages to integrate herself into a group and they’re so kind and warm with her, all that support between girls is extraordinary. 
And then we have my favorite character and that’s Cobb and I’ll protect him at all cost. Cobb is Spensa’s teacher and his role in the book is extraordinary, I don’t think the book would be the same without him and his support, what he means in Spensa’s life is so moving and powerful. I usually adore these types of characters, “the teacher” or “the wise man with few emotions”, who takes care of his student, I’m trash for that trope. So Cobb for me is gold and has given me the best scenes of the book along with Spensa.
Last but not least, we have M-Bot, he’s an AI and OMG, at first I didn’t like it as much as I’ve seen other people liked it, YES, I said it lol. The idea is sensational, it really is, but some dialogues are too stupid for me and I didn’t like that, BUT, it gets much better in the end and I love the relationship with Spensa, so I accepted it, it’s a good character and made me smile

I really liked the writing style, I think it’s very different from what I’m used to, but it worked very well for me and despite being a long book about space things I’ve been able to enjoy scenes that aren’t really my thing, you know? It’s clear that I’m dying to read more of the author soon. 

The world building is quite solid, it’s not something that I have a strong opinion about since I haven’t read much of this kind of things in my life, you know? I mean, it’s very sci-fi and that’s great, I can see that it’s really well thought out and intelligently built. The story goes on a planet called Detritus, there are people living in colonies in caves below the earth which is very cool to explore, but there are also different places closer to the surface, and on the same surface, that is very well created. I really like the map of this book, is simple, which is good for me since I didn’t feel so overwhelming about it. I also think that it’s very interesting how society and separations according to economic status work

The last battle was SO intense, and to be honest, I didn’t like the first battles and battles simulations and that kind of things, they’re not my thing, so it’s ok, I didn’t expect to enjoy it anyway, but OMG, that final battle left me breathless!! and it was at that very moment when I knew I had enjoyed so many aspects of the book, and that battle was just the cherry on the cake, you know? I LOVED IT. There are so much meaning and strength, it’s a single scene, it’s sensational, I’d love to know what everyone thinks about that once you read it because OMG, I’m still shocked, I’ll not lie to you.

I don’t think the blurb does justice to what the book really was, I think it really tells very little or superficially what the book is about, but guys, is much more than that, so I hope more people will read it because it’s much more than what it really describes being. Things move pretty fast and as the revelations begin to come to light from the beginning, you don’t stop discovering new things, so there’s very little that I can say without spoilers.
There are a couple of plot twists very good, I didn’t see one of them coming, which is great, there’s another that’s kind of paranormal one, linked to the family and to the inheritance, I still don’t understand a lot about that, so I hope to know more in the next book. The epilogue was all I needed to want to read the next book ASAP.

The epilogue ends up answering many questions and many doubts and there’s a VERY GOOD revelation that will make a way to endless possibilities for the next book which is super exciting, I didn’t think I needed so much a sequel in my life till now

Of course, I recommend the book a lot, I enjoyed it a lot despite not being my usual genre, so I can urge you to read it if you’re curious even if it’s not your gender, don’t worry, there are so many elements in addition to the space things, I promise. It has a unique and very particular main character, I know that many of you will love her, others will hate her, but she’s special and I think the trick is to understand her. It has a lot of action, it’s atmospheric, it has very diverse characters, and also a very beautiful relationship between girls, which we always appreciate. It has no romance which is quite refreshing and has shocking moments and very good revelations.
I’m thrilled to have had such a good experience with a genre that I always find so difficult, I can’t wait for the sequel! 

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4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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