Skyward (Skyward #1)

Synopsis

Spensa's world has been under attack for decades. Now pilots are the heroes of what's left of the human race, and becoming one has always been Spensa's dream. Since she was a little girl, she has imagined soaring skyward and proving her bravery. But her fate it intertwined with her father's- a pilot himself who was killed years ago when he abruptly deserted his team, leaving Spensa, the daughter of a coward, her chances of attending Flight School slim to none.

No one will let Spensa forget what her father did, yet fate works in mysterious ways. Flight school might be a long shot, but she is determined to fly. And an accidental discovery in a long-forgotten cavern might just provide her with a way to claim the stars.

Loved

• Okay let's be real, what is there NOT to like in this book???

• Let's talk about M-Bot. This is a ship that Spensa puts back together and brings to life- and it turns out the ship has quite the charismatic personality. M-Bot had me laughing throughout the book at his dry, sarcastic humor and how he was a perfect fit for Spensa's guarded and cynical personality. M-Bot was definitely my favorite part of the story because of his banter and witty comments to Spensa.

• Along with that, can we just mention that there's a little space slug called Doomslug? This little sidekick is like the lucky cricket in Mulan and is just always there with a cute little face. Yes please.

• The writing. After reading the first few paragraphs, I literally took in a breath of fresh air and thought, "Brandon Sanderson's writing is so perfect and I know I'm going to love this story because he wrote it." Brandon Sanderson's writing really is a breath of fresh air because his writing is flawless and seamless at making the plot intense and exciting, while developing relatable and lovable characters, all while dashing in some banter and dry humor to make the perfect blend. Maybe I'm biased, but he really is the master fantasy/sci-fi writer of our generation.

• Flight School. I am a total succor for any kind of school/training tropes. Watching Spensa in flight school is frustrating because of how she's treated, but so gratifying as she starts learning about her past and gaining the respect of others. I also love the "squad" feel of her Flight class and I quickly fell in love with their distinct and real personalities.

• Spensa. I love this girl. She is brave and tough, and puts on a guarded front, but underneath that she's an insecure, but extremely smart teenage girl. I love her determination, her willingness to work hard, and her sarcasm (like how she calls a certain student Jerkface and the name sticks with him forever).

Didn't Love

• I loved every single thing about this book! I wish we had a tiny bit more romance, but I think we'll get more of that in the rest of the series :)

Content

• Language: 
• Fairly frequent uses of "damn," and "scud," which is an expletive in their world.

• Sexual content: 
• Nothing sexual in this book.

• Violence:
• There is a lot of fighting with starfighters, and the action scenes are pretty intense.
• Quite a few secondary characters die in front of Spensa during battles. They are killed by the Krell, the alien-like species the pilots have to keep fighting to keep them off their planet. In these deaths, blood is not mentioned hardly at all, just descriptions of their planes being blown up or shot at, or falling to the ground and exploding.

Overall Thoughts

I LOVED Skyward! I would give it five stars every time. I love the sci-fi/dystopian feel, and I felt like it was a very original story, even though there are lots of novels in this genre these days. I felt like the world, its history, and the characters were all very unique and detailed. I loved the characters, especially Spensa and her sassy robot ship and her space slug. Because it's Brandon Sanderson, the writing is exceptional and seamless going from masterful character development to intense action scenes, all sprinkled with some dry humor to tie it together. Even if you don't love sci-fi, I would definitely recommend this story because of its flawless writing, unique world, and relatable characters.