Reviews

Cytonic by Brandon Sanderson

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novelheartbeat's review against another edition

4.0

3.5/5

I felt disappointed with this book in some nameless way that I can't explain. I really don't know why, but it just didn't have the magic that the first and second book had. I still loved the characters - Spensa is tough as nails and an MC worth rooting for, M-Bot is hilarious and his struggle with emotions is endearing, and I enjoyed the introduction of Chet as well.

I also have to admit that I didn't know there would be a fourth book - I was under the impression this was a trilogy for some reason! That makes me feel a bit better. Maybe the next book will be better and bring back the magic of the first two!

Despite being disappointed, there were still plenty of things I loved about this book:

-The pirate champion and space pirates in general

-M-bot and his struggle with emotions

-DOOMSLUG!!

-The world of the Nowhere

-The idea of using the icons and their ashes to hold onto memories

-Chet's big character reveal

-The narration - it's absolutely still *chef's kiss*

-Finally getting insight on the Delvers

Things I didn't love:

-Yet another whole ass set of new characters

-The lack of beloved characters from the previous two books

-The lack of any real plot - this book just felt like filler tbh

Overall, this book just wasn't as memorable as the first two were. Fingers crossed that the fourth book will be less filler-y than this one! Plus,

Spoiler

I NEED TO KNOW M-BOT IS OKAY. I actually cried a little when he made the decision to sacrifice himself!

This review was originally posted on Novel Heartbeat. To see a breakdown of my assessment, please visit the full review here.

perusinghannah's review

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4.0

(7.6/10) - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Content warnings can be found here

My main complaint while reading Starsight was that it felt like book one all over again, but in a differently colored coat. Luckily for me, Cytonic didn't have that problem at all!

I very much enjoyed the setting of Cytonic, and the manner in which Sanderson finally gave us some solid answers to some of the questions raised in book one and two. Even when it did feel like a bridge book, there was more than enough added to the overall story to keep me solidly interested. Spensa gets some great development throughout, and I ejoyed the new characters that were introduced quite a bit.

What I will say is that I think I would prefer some of the original side characters to make more of an appearance in the core books, instead of us having to catch up with them through the novellas. I think I would love these books with a split PoV, and there's so much going on that feeds into each other that it would serve the overarching story well.

As it stands, however, Cytonic was still a great read for me!

erincs's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

gkaltam's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

kristinv20's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

altoid's review against another edition

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3.0

In terms of the way this installment pulled off a massive genre-shift for the series, I'd say it was very successful, however it felt a little needlessly bloated especially in the later half of the book where the real meat of the plot really occupies only the very last few chapters. All that being said I think this sets up a nice final installment in the series and I'm intrigued where all of this is headed, but I wish this had been more of a novella length akin to ReDawn or Sunreach.