This was my first Brandon Sanderson book and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Spensa has always wanted to be a part of the Detritus Defence Force (DDF) just like her father was before her but after he was labelled a traitor by everyone she is tarred with the same brush and no-one believes that she can become the pilot she so desperately wants to be.

The story takes place on Detritus, a planet humans landed on during a war many years before and the fight against The Krell, an alien race who are trying to destroy them. Things are getting worse as the Krell attacks are getting more and more destructive and frequent.

As Spensa finishes school and tries to get into the DDF she stumbles upon a cavern as she explores further and further away from home, finding, to her surprise, a ship, an AI ship with the best personality you could ask for! His name is M-Bot and he is my absolute favourite character in this book!! Spensa trains and fixes M-Bot with the help of her best friend and we build towards an action packed ending.

Wonderfully written, the characters are well fleshed out, the world building is perfect, M-Bot is amazing, the humour, the empathy you feel, the heatbreak, the excitement, everything in this story is brilliantly done and I very much look forward to the next book in this series.

Very well done Mr Sanderson, very well done.

*Huge thanks to Brandan Sanderson, Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own*

Skyward was utterly engrossing from the moment I started chapter one right up to the moment I finished reading. This was my first, ever, Brandon Sanderson novel and I am now so incredibly excited that I have his entire back catalogue waiting for me to gorge on.

The thing that drew me to this book was actually something Sanderson had said about where the idea had come from. He mentioned having loved fantasy books where the main character raised a dragon from an early age and wanted to see how something like that translated to a sci-fi setting where the dragon is a spaceship. If my friends know anything about me, it’s that: I love dragons! And, I’m also quite fond of spaceships.

This book follows Spensa (callsign: Spin) as she battles against the pencil-pushers at flight school, they don’t want her piloting any ships because of a disastrous turn of events, seemingly caused by her ‘coward’ father, in the Battle of Alta ten years prior. Spin is granted access to training but none of the amenities that come along with that, which forces her to spend her evenings hunting rats for food and sleeping in the wreck of an old spaceship. The story really kicks off when the spaceship wakes-up and we're introduced to M-Bot, the artificial intelligence that operates the ship. And, much to M-Bot's chagrin, Spin decides to start fixing him so that she'll still have a chance to fly in the very likely scenario that she won't be allowed to graduate.

Spin is fantastic, truly and completely. Her voice is so strong, she’s almost smacking you over the head with how much she is is totally, uniquely herself. She’s grown up with a chip on her shoulder but she channels that into wanting to prove everyone wrong rather than dragging them down. The thing that I loved about Spin most was how much she yearns. She knows exactly what she wants to be and faces every obstacle with steadfast determination. She is prickly but lovable, she has a great sense of humour but can sometimes favour that over dealing with her emotions appropriately, she is reactionary because she has not really had any cause to trust anyone for the majority of her life, she is smart and brave but a little bit selfish sometimes. I really adored her arc throughout the story, helped along by an amazing cast of characters: M-Bot (an absolute delight to read any scene with this AI!), Cobb (war veteran turned flight school trainer), Rig (best friend and genius engineer), Jorgen (Flightleader, Jerkface and possible love interest?) - to name a few!

The battle scenes with the Krell were so well written, Sanderson did not hold back - even during the first accidental battle. After I finished reading that first encounter with the Krell, I knew that I was reading something special.

Finally, I thought I had Doomslug figured out but I was blindsided at the end there. I need to know more and I also need all the Doomslug merch!

I can’t wait to read on in this series! And I can't wait for all my friends to read it!

A wonderful fantasy novel, written with a good pace and plenty of flair. Featuring a strong heroine and engaginging characters. Definately worth a read.

The arrival of a new Brandon Sanderson novel will be heralded with great joy by his many fans, so much so that the author’s name will be enough to grab this one. But did I like it?


So: just to set the record straight: this is a science fiction novel written by Brandon. It’s a story of a young teenager (Spensa) ostracised from those around her because of her father, once one of the elite space pilots but labelled as a coward in a key battle that led to his death, shot down by his friend.

Forced to eke out a meagre existence selling rat-meat with her worn-down mother and blind grandmother, Spensa is determined to right what she sees as wrongs – clear the name of her father and obtain the status given to the elite pilots of the Defiant Defense Force (DDF), whose dangerous job is to defend the Humans against attacks from the alien Krell (named like the aliens in Forbidden Planet, but not the same) on her home planet of Detritus. She wants to show everyone that she is brave, strong and dependable. Most of all, she wants to fly, to travel skyward. Outwardly confident, even aggressively so, Spensa is, in reality, a young and frightened girl who is scared to make a mistake and be denied her chance to fly. The story is as much about her personal growth as that of the exterior science-fictional trappings. Spensa is regarded with suspicion by her fellow cadets, as the daughter of a coward, and with open hostility by the group leader who knew her father.

Her life as a DDF cadet is deliberately made difficult by the flight-leaders, who feel that Spensa may turn out like her father. As a result, Spensa is forbidden to eat and sleep in the cadet’s cavern area, and is forced to live in the neighbouring caves on rats and mushrooms. It is here that by accident she discovers an old damaged spaceship, which she calls Massacre-Bot, or M-Bot for short. M-Bot has a working AI unit and, as she discovers, despite its age seems to be advanced beyond the capabability of the Human space fleet. Along with her pet slug, nicknamed “Doomslug”, Spensa develops a relationship with the AI as she and her friend Rodge (aka Rig) attempt to repair M-Bot in their spare time.

Her initial issues with her classmates soon develop into a burgeoning friendship with her fellow cadets – all with various callsigns to her own of Spin - Hurl, FM, Quirk, Bim, Morningtide and her flightleader, Jerkface. (Clearly they do not get on well together at first.)

The rest of the book is about Spensa’s journey and her progress towards becoming a pilot as well as her clearing her father’s name and reputation.

So far, so traditional. Like many other Young Adult books, we have the story of a socially awkward outsider determined to do her best against all the odds. Even with such a tried and tested trope, there’s a lot to like here. The pace is fast, the characterisation is varied, likeable and credible, if a little cliched. Brandon does well to build this world throughout the novel, creating a realistic situation and environment for the characters to dwell in.

It’s rather like a contemporary version of Robert Heinlein’s juvenile novels, and presumably written with the same intentions – to entertain and reflect a certain set of moral values. I can see a certain similarity with Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game, too, though this one seems more personable.

For those who don’t know, Brandon’s stories, whether Fantasy or Science Fiction, mostly fit into his Cosmere universe. I understand that Skyward is not in that universe, but there are elements that seem familiar or similar. The use of light is a key part of this story as it is in many of Brandon’s other stories.

As much as I enjoyed the pace, the characterisation and the relationship between the characters, there were parts that made me groan with frustration. How about the part where Spensa’s group of cadets, having being in spacecraft simulations for one day, are put into active service? (This after being told how few cadets make it through training and how few pilots there are left.)

And then there’s the one where Spensa & Rig manage to reassemble a crashed spaceship from redundant and broken parts, a task seemingly beyond current engineering capabilities and yet eventually wired together to be flown as the most advanced spacecraft ever? It does seem to be a little more than fixing an old jalopy in the garage.

Certainly, there’s a degree of wish-fulfilment here, and as a reader I shouldn’t begrudge the odd liberty with reality for the sake of teenage advancement. But there are moments like this that turn what could be an amazing book into one that is merely good.

That’s not to say that as a reader you’ll be rooting for the underdog and willing Spensa to succeed. The battle scenes are generally well done and very well written – think of X-Wings in the Death Star trench and you’ll get what I mean.

But for every good element there’s another that makes it seem less plausible too. The use of Spensa’s Skyward flight group in using light-lances to swing around (or swing things around!) in combat seems a little like Luke Skywalker using grappling irons on Hoth, but presumably at much faster (and therefore much less realistic) speeds. For me this was both hokey and unrealistic at those speeds, for what worked on ancient sailing ships and snowspeeders seems much less credible when dealing with spacecraft. Imagine the Starship Enterprise having to weigh anchor.

Nevertheless, there’s a lot in Skyward for the undemanding reader to like. I am sure that the rapid pace, the likeable characters, the well written battle scenes and the twists along the way will be enough for many a reader. Personally, I think that it’s nice to see Brandon move away from the limitations of the Cosmere universe a little, and I will read the next book in the series with interest.

But, as much as the book is enjoyable, overall there’s a feeling that there’s one contrivance too many, one coincidence too much for it to be a wholly successful novel for me. Long-time readers of SF will find it similar to other books, perhaps too much so, despite the entertaining ride along the way.

No thinking or deliberation needed, a very easy 5 stars for Brandon Sanderson’s first of the Skyward YA fantasy series.

Defiance pilots are revered, they are treated almost as royalty, because without them Detritus has no defence against the Krell who have been waging a war against this world for what seems like eons.
Spensa has always dreamed of being a pilot, a pilot like her father was, a hero like her ... but her father wasn’t seen as a hero, he was branded a coward ... and by association his family has been too.
And they don’t let cowards into the DDF (Defiance Defence Force), so what’s a girl to do? Let them get away with it .... or fight?

Loved, loved, LOVED this book it was such a great blend of action, sass and humour. As others have said, including the author himself it is reminiscent of Enders Game, Top Gun and How to Train your Dragon, enough to feel familiar but not rehashed. The characters are wonderfully quirky, I am really going to miss them all while I wait for the next instalment but my heart belongs to M-Bot. How to sum M-Bot up in a sentence? He is an AI ship that Spensa finds abandoned who has a penchant for shoes and mushrooms- what’s not to love?

Heartfelt thanks go to Netgalley for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Now we all know Brandon Sanderson, he’s amazing and talented and just… yes. When I heard he had written a YA Sci-Fi? I WAS THERE. I was so excited and I was not disappointed.

As always I’ll be avoiding spoilers in this review.

Skyward is the Young Adult Sci-Fi that we’ve needed. A strong heroine with an incredible character arc keeps us hooked to this story, as the literal fate of her people lies in her hands.

Skyward: Claim the Stars is wonderful in epic proportions. I honestly was hooked and devoured it so quickly, and I found myself wishing it was as big as some of his other novels! It has intense stakes but with added humour and I genuinely couldn’t get enough.

Skyward is a refreshing take on a school setting, where the main character, Spensa, is enrolled into flight school and is training to defend their planet from the Krell. It is engaging and nail biting as we see the students train in live combat, Sanderson really keeps the stakes high! The characters are real and go through their own journeys and I lived for how they developed. Unlike his other novels, Skyward doesn’t have a magic system as such, however there is a really unique kind of supernatural element? I won’t go into more detail as I don’t want to spoil it but I loved it!

The World building is amazing, as is to be expected of Brandon Sanderson. It isn’t dumped on the reader, instead being revealed through the character’s experiences and narratives. I’ve always admired Brandon’s magic systems and have read his advice on creating your own for my writing process, so I was interested to see what this book had to offer in place of a magic system. Don’t get me wrong, there’s some magic in Skyward, maybe it’s more of a supernatural element? But there isn’t a magic system like in Way of Kings. Instead he turned his amazing skills to describing epic fighter-pilot battles and I was honestly blown away. As someone who is usually bored reading action sequences, I really enjoyed these scenes. I followed along easily, and I think it definitely showed that he got advice from actual pilots.

The prologue starts with a bang, throwing us into the world and giving us an insight of what it’s like to live on the planet without shoving it in our faces. We then have a time skip as Sensa grows up, which I LOVED, showing who she had become as a result of the events of that day in the prologue. The whole book is fast and keeps you hooked.

As I mentioned, I loved the way the characters were developed and how they didn’t quite follow the route that I expected. I won’t go into huge amount of detail about all the characters because I want you to be surprised and not spoil it for you!

Sanderson doesn’t write the characters we expect, he writes the characters we need.



Our main character, Spensa, learns a lot of hard life lessons throughout Skyward. Dealing with the sins of her father, Spensa is spunky and very abrasive. Her go to response for dealing with the animosity shown to her because of her father’s apparent cowardice is aggression and a desire to prove everyone wrong. Sanderson explores what it’s like to have your die hard beliefs shaken, making you doubt everything you’ve ever known and stood for. Spensa’s arc really is spectacular, struggling to overcome obstacles again and again, whilst slowly growing as a person. I really loved her, she’s the kickass heroine I really needed, and for once we have a heroine that isn’t obsessed with a love interest!

I won’t say much about him, but I LOVED M-Bot. He’s such an interesting character and honest to god funny. I kept laughing throughout his dialogue, and his obsession with mushrooms cracked me up all the time. That’s all I’m saying! Just trust my vague assurances that you’ll love him

The rest of the supporting cast were amazing and so interesting. We had kick ass women who learnt to soften up, and a cocky guy who grows as well. I really enjoyed them all!

A huge fan of Sanderson's young adult work, I was really excited to see this. This is also his first real Sci-Fi out of the cosmere, which was an interesting choice for a new YA series. The world building behind this book was excellent and the cast of characters were quite enjoyable as well. While the book mainly focused on Spensa, the protaganist, you still had more then enough content regarding the rest of her motly crew to bond with them. Highly recommend.

This book really grabbed me. Books can take a long time to read because you just cannot get into them, or, like this one, go so quick that you wonder why the story was so short (even when it wasn't).

Spensa lives underground with the rest of the humans safe from Krell attacks. Her father is a pilot defending the humans against Krell incursion, until he dies during the Alta battle. To Spensa her father is a hero, but the official story is that he was a coward, deserter, and she is his daughter, therefore she too is a coward, not to be trusted.

Spensa lives her life more as an outcast, catching rats for her mother to sell at her food stall. Travelling through the caverns where no one else goes. Her only friend is Rodge who she tests on his responses for the test to get into flight school, who has the callsign: Rigmarole. They will both get into flight school together surely.

The thing that disappointed me the most was when Doomslug stopped appearing in the story! Other than that, what a great adventure.

Skyward is the first in an all new Science Fiction trilogy from acclaimed author Brandon Sanderson. Now I’m going to hang my head in shame and say I’m not totally familiar with Brandon Sanderson’s back catalogue. I own quite a few of his books and I recently read and loved Snapshot, but other than that I don’t know too much about his books. I can safely say that after just the first few chapters of Skyward I was planning to read everything he’s ever written.

This book was just… wow. It was honestly like someone had asked me ‘what would be your perfect sci-fi book?’ and Skyward was the end result. I couldn’t put this book down and I didn’t want to put it down. I loved everything about this book. Brandon Sanderson is a master writer, weaving the many layers of the plot seamlessly together. The story starts off slowly, giving you the chance to learn about the world and set up for some of my new favourite characters of all time. Spensa is a magnificent protagonist. She’s brave and strong and determined to reach her dream of becoming a starfighter pilot. She’s an outcast who finds new friendships and she shows an immense amount of character growth as she changes from a brass and cocky student to someone who knows the value of friendship. I definitely grew attached to her and her ragtag bunch of flightmates. As the story ramped up and the pacing quickened, I couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen to them next.

Brandon Sanderson finds the perfect balance with this book. The characters are well crafted and there were so many beings Spensa that I adored. The engaging plot and the detailed world building combine to make a story that you aren’t going to forget in a hurry. If you’re a fan of Brandon Sanderson’s work already you will no doubt adore this book and if you’re a little late to the party like me, this will leave you desperate for more of his books.

Skyward is an excellent, fast-paced sci-fi adventure with characters you can't help but root for. This is my first from Brandon Sanderson and it most certainly will not be my last. He pulls readers in on the first page with his strong writing and soon after, you'll be invested so deep it'll be hard to return to the real world. Highly recommended!

There are SO many great books coming out right now and this is another one I’ve been excited about for a little while now, after dabbling in Sanderson’s Mistborn series previously I couldn’t wait to see his take on what promised to be a Sci-Fi tale right up my street and I was not disappointed, this book is, surprisingly probably no one, absolutely fantastic.

The world building is done brilliantly, any info dumping is done well and at just the right moments but most of the information we get to help create the world in Skyward and help us to understand it is expertly layered into the narrative like brushstrokes to help create the overall picture that is is the Defiant civilisation, their history and their customs. I enjoyed that it wasn’t just the epic moments that were talked about either, there were brilliant small moments that really added to the characters and quite often the world building itself led to some great character development instead of just a general history.

Skyward has many great facets, one of them is most certainly the characters with even the smallest being memorable and easy to identify. Most characters were refreshing and weren’t cornered into stereotypes, everyone had their own stories and their goals which were surprisingly simple to keep up with but the characters, their emotions and choices felt no less complex for it. I usually try to refrain from mentioning my favourite characters for fear of giving away spoilers or favouritism but although I loved all the characters I have to say for me personally, M-Bot totally stole the show in the best way. It’s funny, sincere and the most precious, heartbreaking A.I I have ever had the pleasure to read (AIDAN is a close second but that’s another story).

The pacing is spot on and almost constantly has you on the edge of your seat for one reason or another, this is an absolute page-turner and I often found myself totally immersed to the point where I decided to read a little before bed around ten thirty and finally put the book down around three in the morning, it just sucks you in. The battles and even the flight training are particularly fast-paced but written in such a way that they are easy to understand well even when reading at speed which is perfect because if you’re anything like me you will be practically inhaling the words. I was worried the ‘flight speak’ would get repetitive or boring but found that actually, it meant that I was much better able to process the information and I honestly think if you showed me a diagram of a DDF Poco class fighter I could name a good amount of the parts and what they’re used for. Although I enjoy Star Wars I hadn’t initially been sure how I would about the fighter elements parts which a fair bit of the story is comprised from but I feel that Skyward hit the perfect spot where it was exciting and that extra understanding just really helped boost that enjoyment.

The overall story is interesting and certainly piqued my interest many times as a truly good book should, there are some great little twists and turns throughout, some brilliant friendships between the characters and I genuinely felt myself being pleasantly surprised at the turns a lot of the story took. This book is a great sci-fi gem and I don’t think I have ever read such a large book at such a fast pace. Skyward is certainly a story that will stay with me, its humour, it’s important messages, the teamwork, the hope and the thrilling ride.

This is undoubtedly a good book. The writing is excellent and the author has mated to create a narrative that never falters for pace and suspense. He has created an planetary society that is both human and something outside of our normal interpretation of that. Like many science fiction books characters are plentiful but unlike many they are also memorable and fully loaded. I am not necessarily a series reader and although i thoroughly enjoyed this book I may never read more in the series - we will see. This is a perfectly plausible single narrative with a fabulous ending that made me want to punch the air.

Skyward was the first Brandon Sanderson book I have ever picked and I was not disappointed. Prior to this I've always been put off of Sanderson's work because they tend to be fairly lengthy books and I found that intimidating. However, as soon as I heard about Skyward I just had to read it immediately.

The description that drew me in was "it's like 'How to train your Dragon' but in Space" which is quite frankly the most appealing sentence I've ever read and I have to agree, aside from, ya' know, the lack of any actual dragons in Skyward.

The first thing I noticed about this book was that it's true what people say about Sanderson's writing: he's a master of world building. The creation of this planet with it's layers of detritus protecting/blocking the inhabitants from Space/their enemy the Krell was just incredible. The cave systems was described in depth and the political running of the world seemed to be explained very quickly and yet within a couple of chapters I felt I knew exactly how the planet was run. There were no long boring descriptions, but somehow Sanderson got the important points across masterfully.

The Krell themselves are a formiddable enemy and I loved how we began knowing hardly anything about them and then slowly gathered more information as the plot built.

As a lead character, Spensa is one of the strongest heroines I've read for a long while. She's fierce, talented and ambitious with a huge need to prove her worthiness and step out of her father's shadow. Most of all, she's believable and the insights we get as readers into the insecurities and worries she indulges in privately really endeared her to me.

The comraderie of Skyward flight really sparked and flew off the page. So many different personalities in one team made every class a joy to read and I didn't want to put the book down.

All of this added together made an amazing book, however, my absolute favourite character was Spensa's ship M-bot. I love him. His hilarious attempts at understanding humans, his inexplicable dislike for Rig and, I'm not ashamed to say, it was a part of the book involving M-bot which made me so emotional I even shed a few tears because I was so proud of him.

Skyward ended in a very interesting place, with Spensa finding out some really interesting stuff regarding her father and the Krell. I will be pre-ordering the next book in the series as soon as the details are announced because I am DESPERATE to read more!

“Claim the stars, Spensa.”


The Concept is Great
As always, Sanderson is a master of creating an interesting world. I loved the concept of this story, and much like any Sanderson book, this was intriguing and clever to the very end. I love the way he managed to interweave politics and more serious topics into what is essentially an action-packed page-turner. While this is sort of different to the rest of his work, it has all of that good stuff – great world building and a great sense of grounding in the story.

Also, this is a SciFi novel and I loved seeing how his writing in a SciFi setting. I found everything to be completely believable and everything made a lot of sense, which I think is really important in SciFi. There are some laws of physics that you have to obey and I just found this to be completely plausible, which is impressive.

I Liked Most of the Characters, except...
I’ve said this on numerous occasions, but I don’t really like the way Sanderson writes female characters. Spensa is no different. He just tries really hard to make his female characters spunky in that attempt, makes them annoying. Spensa is judgmental and rash and irrational at times, which got on my nerves a lot. She does grow as a character which I really appreciated, but I can’t say that I was completely sold on her. I stand by what I said ages ago – Sanderson’s male characters are more complex and feel more real than his female ones, which is a shame.

Other than Spensa, I LOVED every single character in this book. We get a fairly big cast of characters and I really enjoyed all of them. Spensa’s flight instructor, Cobb was a great, grumpy, but honorable and wise teacher and I love that character archetype, so I loved him a lot. My favorite character of the novel, however, was by far M-Bot. He is the AI of a ship Spensa discovers and I love him so much. He is snarky and sarcastic and I just loved every bit of page time he got. I love when ships and technology end up with personalities and M-Bot was no different. He made the book for me.

Really Engaging
Overall, this book is super engaging. No one writes fight scenes like Sanderson. He is exceptionally good at that, and I loved reading all the starship fights in this one. Moreover, this is just a super fun book. It’s really one of the books I had the most fun with this year. It is serious, it’s war, there’s death, but overall, this was super engaging and super fun.

Why This Isn't a Five Star Read
This just isn’t my favorite Sanderson novel in the world. I have a hard time with SciFi and I always prefer Fantasy to it. But Sanderson did manage to keep me engaged and he gets all the props for that. And like I mentioned, I wasn’t the biggest fan of Spensa.

Most importantly though, this reads very YA to me. I feel like it remains surface level on a lot of things. While Sanderson does tackle a lot of important issues here, and while he does talk about the culture and the ethos of this community, I feel like all of it was somewhat simplified. This is entirely a personal preference, but I prefer books that focus more heavily on those aspects of the story (the characters, the world, the culture and the community) rather than having the focus on the plot.

To Sum Up
This was highly engaging and fun and the concept of the story is brilliant, so I highly recommend picking this one up come November.

Once again, Brandon Sanderson has written a fantastic book. The plot was compelling throughout, if a little formulaic, and the action scenes were so well done. I really enjoyed the setting of the flight school. My one main issue is that I found a few of the characters to be frustrating, especially the main character Spensa. I know she's young but she is so immature at times and very quick to anger. She did get better towards the end of the book and generally I liked the characters. Overall I really enjoyed this book, but it's definitely not my favourite from Sanderson.

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 .
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