A review by thewritermuse
Starsight, by Brandon Sanderson
3.0
I wasn't quite as connected to this book as I was to Skyward because it was set in a completely different setting. I enjoyed seeing Spensa's character arc and seeing her grow as a character and a fighter. M-Bot's journey was also really interesting in terms of his self-conflict. The worldbuilding in this book had the potential to be interesting, especially in alien species and cultures, but I want to acknowledge one large failure it has.
"Alien" genders in this book are established as completely separate from "human" genders, specifically the use of the pronouns "they/them" and of bigender-coded individuals. However, we see human beings who identify with these pronouns and genders, every single day. Claiming that humanity only has two genders and that anything else is "alien," as this book does, disrespects and invalidates nonbinary people.
Otherwise, the suspense and action of this book was good, especially the ending. The ending probably deserves a separate review all by itself (yes, I'm still angry about it)
"Alien" genders in this book are established as completely separate from "human" genders, specifically the use of the pronouns "they/them" and of bigender-coded individuals. However, we see human beings who identify with these pronouns and genders, every single day. Claiming that humanity only has two genders and that anything else is "alien," as this book does, disrespects and invalidates nonbinary people.
Otherwise, the suspense and action of this book was good, especially the ending. The ending probably deserves a separate review all by itself (yes, I'm still angry about it)