A review by literaryecho
Skyward, by Brandon Sanderson
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
5.0
I think I'm going to need a minute to recover after reading Skyward.
Is it weird that I kinda wanna go down in a blaze of glory fighting the krell just so Spensa can come give me a hero's funeral?
I love Sanderson's books so much. He's truly a master of storytelling. He's a world-builder at heart and he weaves details into a plot in a way that feels so effortless. All of these tiny, unassuming details stack on top of each other until you have this entire world with customs and ideas - you start to find yourself being able to anticipate reactions based on a shared history that you now know about, and he does that without going into long monologues on history or making it feel laborious to read.
And his characters are so lovable. Spensa is no different. I absolutely fell in love with her and doomslug. He has a way of making characters relatable even if you don't really have anything in common with them. It's not about the commonality, it's about telling the story in a way that makes you understand a character's reactions and even come to sympathize with them (even when they're wrong.) It makes the tough times hit harder and it makes you become invested in the outcome.
This is the most epic spin on the boy-and-his-dragon trope I've ever read and I'm fantastically in love with it. I'm just ashamed I didn't read this when I got it in a book subscription box a few years ago right after it was published.
Is it weird that I kinda wanna go down in a blaze of glory fighting the krell just so Spensa can come give me a hero's funeral?
I love Sanderson's books so much. He's truly a master of storytelling. He's a world-builder at heart and he weaves details into a plot in a way that feels so effortless. All of these tiny, unassuming details stack on top of each other until you have this entire world with customs and ideas - you start to find yourself being able to anticipate reactions based on a shared history that you now know about, and he does that without going into long monologues on history or making it feel laborious to read.
And his characters are so lovable. Spensa is no different. I absolutely fell in love with her and doomslug. He has a way of making characters relatable even if you don't really have anything in common with them. It's not about the commonality, it's about telling the story in a way that makes you understand a character's reactions and even come to sympathize with them (even when they're wrong.) It makes the tough times hit harder and it makes you become invested in the outcome.
This is the most epic spin on the boy-and-his-dragon trope I've ever read and I'm fantastically in love with it. I'm just ashamed I didn't read this when I got it in a book subscription box a few years ago right after it was published.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Violence, War, Death, and Grief
This entire book is about a young girl flying a spaceship and fighting against an enemy force. They are actively at war. Main characters die, the young girl and several other characters process their grief and guilt on page, and there are somewhat graphic descriptions of violence, hazing, and bullying.