Book Review: Skyward

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

 Overall: This is my first Brandon Sanderson book and it did not disappoint. There was some hesitation with picking this book up because it's a YA and I didn't think that I would enjoy reading about younger characters but it was no problem at all. The emotional depth and wisdom in this book was also really enjoyable and unexpected for me. Sanderson writes it in such a way that you have compassion for the characters and especially for Spensa. Brandon is a wonderful write and it was really well paced. Character development is so easy to point out in this novel and I haven't seen that in a while. The world building is simple and wasn't the forefront of this novel but there is enough information to get through the novel. The amount of details of the world building was enough for me because Sci-fi books can go overboard with explaining. If this gets adapted into a film, I would love it sooooo much! I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and I am so glad I picked it up.  Great friendships, great suspense, great lessons and the funniest lines ever!

 

**SPOILERS BELOW**

Characters: (full of spoilers) 

• M-Bot is my ultimate favorite!! His humor is out of this world and it fits just right with what makes me laugh. It's so interesting how his character is so unique as an AI fighter get that is programed to be straight forward and it was never explained how he is different. Maybe in the upcoming books we'll get to know more about his past pilot. 
• Spensa: Feisty, bad-A who has a wonderful character development. She is so resilient and is stubbornness that I think gets her through the tough times. I would've given up. She was well portrayed as a teen which can be hard to write. She's human and super flawed which can be refreshing to read and her personality makes sense after everything she went through. 
• Jorgen: I was sad by how much he was treated by his flight mates. He's a good enough leader that cares a lot about his crew. There are things he can learn and he could be less rigid but he doesn't deserve to have his call sign be 'Jerkface'. 
• Kimmalyn: I totally guessed that she was making her Saint quotes! I like that she is an underdog with a special skill for shooting. "Bless your stars"
• Ironsides was so right but harsh. Maybe leadership in such a stressful world can make you that way but she did not need to treat a child that way. 
• Captain Cobb: I had more respect for him when I learned the truth about Spensa's dad. He chose to protect his best-friend's daughter even though his best friend 'betrayed' him and the crew. 

Favorite moments/quotes: 

 

• Jorgen and Spensa traveling together to give their classmate a proper burial. I want Jorgen and Spensa to be endgame but Jorgen should put up boundaries with her so she is not so rude to her. 
• Learning the truth about Spensa's dad's real story and how he was brainwashed to turn on his own people. 
• Rig figuring out his talent and passion with being an engineer. It's impressive that he works on M-Bot and fixes him up. 
• “Is this really the only thing you can think of to comfort someone who is grieving?”
  “It was number one on my list.” Great.
  “The list has seven million entries. Do you want to hear number two?”
  “Is it silence?”
  “That didn’t even make the list.”
  “Move it to number two.”
  “All right, I . . . Oh.”
• “When heritage becomes a box instead of an inspiration, it has gone too far.”
• “Sometimes, the answers we need don't match the questions we're asking." He looked up at me. "And sometimes, the coward makes fools of wiser men.”