So, change of plan. Instead of browsing through my Kindle for a standalone search, I finally picked up one of the longest-owned books on my shelves: Skyward by Brandon Sanderson. As expected from him, it's a great book to spend my days off with. How I miss David and Megan from The Reckoners series now—maybe after finishing the new one it's a perfect time for a reread.
"It was time for it to end.
I was a fighter, yes,
but a good fighter knew when a battle was unwinnable."
Skyward follows the story where humankind is almost extinct. Living in the cavern on a planet called Detritus, Spensa longs to see the sky and be a pilot. Most importantly, she longs to follow in her father's footsteps and claim the stars like he used to say. But being labeled as the daughter of a coward makes it almost impossible for her to be one. However, Spensa feels her life is changing when she accidentally finds a broken ship with a very strange machine that can... talk.
Jumping into this book without having even an inkling of what it was all about was certainly a great way to be surprised. Like The Reckoners, Skyward was a thrilling fantasy story that was jam-packed with action and a bit of politics. With a pace as fast as this, it's hard to tone down my reading speed, especially when the book itself felt like it was full of... energy.
Needless to say, I wouldn't describe my reading journey as charming. Skyward for me was more of a satisfying read. It contained a very well-arranged plot, a clever (and also funny) AI that has become a favorite trope of mine since Illuminae by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman, and also interesting character development. Truth to be told, I had had quite a hard time wrapping my head around Spensa's behavior at first. 'Badass female character' may be my ultimate favorite fantasy trope though that doesn't mean hearing Spensa talked about violence or be rude most of the time made it less annoying. Thank the stars that her character got great development lest I would be able to tolerate it no more. I ended up quite liking her and hoped the fondness would rocket itself in the next installment.
It's also refreshing to find a know-it-all but kind male main character like Jorgen (though I actually thought he was adorable). I didn't feel any chemistry between the two of them but perhaps it was meant to form slowly in book two—who knows? The friendship between Spensa and her teammates was kinda admirable too. And the last few chapters, unpredictably, made me quite emotional. It's nice to see something akin to character redemption. I was all for it, it turned out.
"… a coward is a person who cares more about
what people say than about what is right.
Bravery isn’t about what people call you, Spensa.
It’s about who you know yourself to be."
Overall, Skyward was quite a story. It's fun, it's thrilling, and it's also a wee bit touching. I still can't decide whether or not I will want to reread this book in the future though, but please note that I think we all should give it a try at least once in a lifetime. Go pick it up, sci-fi lovers.
Actual rating: 4.1★
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