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A review by hermes262
Skyborn by David Dalglish
5.0
A blend of sci-fi and fantasy. I'd probably call it more fantasy to be honest. I loved it! Great main characters, especially Bree; an incredibly fun setting with the floating islands and elemental powers; and storyline that kept you rushing through.
The mythology of the books kept me glued, and was revealed at a nice pace. Always answering questions, yet still leaving a lot to ask about. Slowly discrepencies appeared and were realized by the characters. Well plotted, well developed. Dalglish does good world building, and I'll likely check out his previous series based on how well I liked this one. The elemental system and technology are fascinating, as is the concept of how these islands exist and stay afloat. The religion and political structures are interesting as well. Again, so much to dig through!
I knew Bree's character best. She's the main character, and I enjoyed her storyline of personal struggles and obviously the main conflicts that appeared. Kael was a nice character as well, but I didn't feel like I got into his head as much as I did Bree's. I still enjoyed his character, though I would have almost rather been in Clara's head. Her unabashed snarkiness made me laugh and root for her. This book had a wide cast of characters that worked well! I miss them already.
The plot itself was well written. Trajectories seemed to point one way, and then boom, something totally different was being set up all along. It was hard to predict what was going to happen. The twists and the end flew by and kept you glued to your seat. I thought I had cleverly figured out how the book was going to end, and something totally out of left field happened instead, and it was great. I can't say it always kept me guessing, because I was so in the moment with the characters I didn't really have time to project theories on what would happen next, but something new was always going on. The political struggles, personal struggles, battles, everything was juggled so well. Excellently plotted out.
I listened to the audiobook for a majority of it, and I thought the narrator got the characterizations down pat. I highly recommend it to anyone who has access to it. I usually prefer my own voice, but I actually enjoyed the narrator's more!
Would recommend. I feel there is so much more to learn about the characters, the mythology, and I'm excited for what's to come in book 2.
The mythology of the books kept me glued, and was revealed at a nice pace. Always answering questions, yet still leaving a lot to ask about. Slowly discrepencies appeared and were realized by the characters. Well plotted, well developed. Dalglish does good world building, and I'll likely check out his previous series based on how well I liked this one. The elemental system and technology are fascinating, as is the concept of how these islands exist and stay afloat. The religion and political structures are interesting as well. Again, so much to dig through!
I knew Bree's character best. She's the main character, and I enjoyed her storyline of personal struggles and obviously the main conflicts that appeared. Kael was a nice character as well, but I didn't feel like I got into his head as much as I did Bree's. I still enjoyed his character, though I would have almost rather been in Clara's head. Her unabashed snarkiness made me laugh and root for her. This book had a wide cast of characters that worked well! I miss them already.
The plot itself was well written. Trajectories seemed to point one way, and then boom, something totally different was being set up all along. It was hard to predict what was going to happen. The twists and the end flew by and kept you glued to your seat. I thought I had cleverly figured out how the book was going to end, and something totally out of left field happened instead, and it was great. I can't say it always kept me guessing, because I was so in the moment with the characters I didn't really have time to project theories on what would happen next, but something new was always going on. The political struggles, personal struggles, battles, everything was juggled so well. Excellently plotted out.
I listened to the audiobook for a majority of it, and I thought the narrator got the characterizations down pat. I highly recommend it to anyone who has access to it. I usually prefer my own voice, but I actually enjoyed the narrator's more!
Would recommend. I feel there is so much more to learn about the characters, the mythology, and I'm excited for what's to come in book 2.