Reviews

Cytonic by Brandon Sanderson

books_and_planners's review

adventurous challenging mysterious slow-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? It's complicated

3.0

okevamae's review against another edition

4.0

The next installment in Brandon Sanderson’s “Skyward” series picks up exactly where the last one left off. Honestly, I had a hard time re-immersing myself into this world at first. Part of the problem with ending a book on a cliffhanger is that when you start the next book, you have to jump into the middle of things, and I don’t know about anyone else but I have a hard time remembering the exact situation that was going on in a series, especially after a cliffhanger, unless I’m going straight from one to the next. I had to read a summary online to get up to speed. But once I’d done that, I was sucked in by the fast pace, the action, the imaginative setting, and the characters.

I like that each book in this series feels completely different from the last. The first was “outsider girl defies the odds” with a side of military action, at least at first. The second had a lot of intrigue, with Spensa spying and infiltrating the enemy. This one is more of an out-and-out adventure and quest novel. Each successive book also reveals a new setting with its own unique rules and attributes. And because it’s Sanderson, every layer of worldbuilding is impeccably well-crafted.

As the series progresses, Spensa continues to show remarkable character growth. She was borderline unlikeable in early parts of book one, but she slowly learned and grew and became a more well-rounded person, and her introspection and growth continues in this installment as she recognizes her flaws and works to overcome them. Her capacity for change is what makes her relatable and human, and that changeability becomes the key to everything.

Representation: People of color as major side characters. (Does it count as non-binary rep if the only NB character is an alien? Not sure. Either way, there’s a very minor mention of a character with they/them pronouns)

hollyrebecca's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted 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

4.0

waadelkawass's review

5.0

The ending! Such a cliffhanger
I need a moment more importantly I NEED BOOK 4 right now.

ashleygarris11's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

readwith_elizabeth's review against another edition

adventurous challenging hopeful 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? It's complicated

4.75

This book was honestly so good. I really loved all of the adventures that she went on because she always dreamed of this life. Of adventures and becoming the absolute best. 
Being faces with the life that she always wanted with the reality that she could stay and have it or go back and face what is happening in the real world and help. 

leonnie13's review

adventurous 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

3.5

For me, I had a hard time finishing this book. I put it aside for months because I just couldn’t get into it. It was a big deviation from the first two and it dragged a bit. But the last quarter of the book made up for it a little and a lot of character development culminated into a WTF kind of ending. I’m still up for finishing this series out… but this one felt like a big speed bump. 

christineponkey's review against another edition

3.0

personally thought the previous books in the series were better in regards to character development but I appreciate the solid world-development in this book

catlion27's review against another edition

adventurous slow-paced

3.75

I wanted to like this book more, but most of it felt a little flat to me. 

I missed the Skwyard Flight folks - it sucks that they haven't been around for two books. 

A lot of Sepnsa's internal monolgue felt clunky. I'm not sure if I would feel that way about Skyward if I read it now, but it made it hard to keep going through. There's also just a lot of descriptions of vague touching-things-with-your-mind that just got old after a while.

 The ending however was good, and the point of

you aren't obligated to give up everything you are for a cause

was a good one. 

zngzag's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0