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A review by mspilesofpaper
Skyward by Brandon Sanderson
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
So, my first Brandon Sanderson book and what can I say?
I loved it.
I did pick his YA SciFi on purpose because his adult fantasy series scare me. Their thickness alone worries me. So, if you haven't started with Sanderson either but you also read SciFi books: pick up his Skyward series. It's very approachable and gives you a good idea of his writing. Be warned though, the book is over 500 pages long! So, it isn't a quick and easy read but I found it a very approachable SciFi book (it has technical terms but well explained and they didn't feel too technical for me) that pulls you into the story.
The overall story is extremely good and engaging although the first two parts were a bit slow, but they build the foundation for the other parts. The last part is extremely nerve-wracking (especially the last chapters, haha).
Every character has their own "voice" and they are quite fleshed out (though the Admiral still feels partly like a cheap villain). I don't like Spensa/Spin at all because she's brash and extremely exhausting, but that might be more because she's a teenager and I'm mid 30s. (The only disadvantage of reading YA, I suppose.) However, she has her character growth and I think I might grow fond of her in the upcoming books. Something I liked the most about all the characters: Sanderson gave them all room to fumble and triumph. They all feel human with their own worries, dreams, background stories etc.
And while Skyward is extremely fun to read, Sanderson includes real-world concerns like classism, patriotism (and martyrdom as it is deeply embedded in the world/society with their "I'm not a coward" thinking and shunning everyone who they consider as a coward) but also war in general and it's dark side (death, profiteering of it, entire industries just existing for it, ...).
I loved it.
I did pick his YA SciFi on purpose because his adult fantasy series scare me. Their thickness alone worries me. So, if you haven't started with Sanderson either but you also read SciFi books: pick up his Skyward series. It's very approachable and gives you a good idea of his writing. Be warned though, the book is over 500 pages long! So, it isn't a quick and easy read but I found it a very approachable SciFi book (it has technical terms but well explained and they didn't feel too technical for me) that pulls you into the story.
The overall story is extremely good and engaging although the first two parts were a bit slow, but they build the foundation for the other parts. The last part is extremely nerve-wracking (especially the last chapters, haha).
Every character has their own "voice" and they are quite fleshed out (though the Admiral still feels partly like a cheap villain). I don't like Spensa/Spin at all because she's brash and extremely exhausting, but that might be more because she's a teenager and I'm mid 30s. (The only disadvantage of reading YA, I suppose.) However, she has her character growth and I think I might grow fond of her in the upcoming books. Something I liked the most about all the characters: Sanderson gave them all room to fumble and triumph. They all feel human with their own worries, dreams, background stories etc.
And while Skyward is extremely fun to read, Sanderson includes real-world concerns like classism, patriotism (and martyrdom as it is deeply embedded in the world/society with their "I'm not a coward" thinking and shunning everyone who they consider as a coward) but also war in general and it's dark side (death, profiteering of it, entire industries just existing for it, ...).