A review by mkjacobswrites
Skyward by Brandon Sanderson

5.0

Every Brandon Sanderson book is thoroughly enjoyable, but this opener to his newest series is surprisingly mainly because it manages to completely entrance readers without the use of one of the signature Sanderson world-building techniques: a complicated, layered magic system, in a fully fantasy universe. Instead, Sanderson successfully provides all his engaging reveals and twists here in a science fiction, dystopian future version of our own world. Skyward follows another of Sanderson's realistically spunky and flawed young female protagonists through her quest for self-discovery and self-fulfillment. Spensa yearns to clear her father's name and become one of the heroic pilots. With unorthodox methods and facing bleak odds, she manages to get into Flight School, only to discover that flying, while enjoyable, doesn't solve all her problems. It takes her grit and ingenuity, along with the help of her friends, for Spensa to fly her way through the novel without losing sight of her biggest dreams. The action scenes were gripping, and Spensa's witty banter along with her intense emotions easily keeps readers turning the pages. The open-ended conclusion nicely sets up the next book while still providing a satisfying character arc for Spensa in this installment of the series. Skyward will be a favorite with fans of everything from Star Trek and Ender's Game to Steelheart and Mistborn.