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A review by theespressoedition
Skyward by Brandon Sanderson
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I wanted to absolutely love Skyward, I really did. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. I can't say that I hated it - or even really that I truly disliked it, but I just never truly found myself enjoying it.
To start with, the protagonist is one of the most unlikable characters I've ever read. Her entire motivation in life is to not be "a coward" and she defines cowardice as practically any sort of softness, emotion, or basically anything that isn't absolute bull-headed perfection. That irked me right off the bat. My hope was that maybe there would be some really excellent character development throughout the book. She witnesses some of her friends die even though they weren't "cowards" and she watches others succeed even as they are "cowards." Yet, throughout the entire book, she never seems to back down on this standpoint. By the end of the book, I never wanted to see the word coward again - and here I am, having to write it a million times in this review just to make that point.
It felt like there was very little actually occurring during this book, despite how many words there were. It was a lot of descriptions of things without as much plot as I'd hoped for. Towards the 70% mark, the pace began to pick up, and it ended on an interesting sort of "cliffhanger" (I use this word lightly here because I wasn't on the edge of my seat in anticipation or anything, it's just an open ending with intrigue to get you to pick up the next book). I was grateful for that change of pace because I was really bored up until that point.
I hear a lot of people say that they love the fact that there's no romance in this book - and I get it, I do, because sometimes YA romance is just way too much. However, for me, because I had zero interest in the lengthy, descriptive nature of everything else, I missed romance - a lot. If a plot doesn't thrill me, I rely on the romance to at least hold my interest and this book had neither. Or... too much plot and no romance? I don't know. It was a weird story.
In the end, I basically thought to myself, "okay, so I'm intrigued enough to grab the sequel, but I don't want to read it after a book I LOVED because I'll really fall into a slump." So yeah, that's where I'm going with this series.
To start with, the protagonist is one of the most unlikable characters I've ever read. Her entire motivation in life is to not be "a coward" and she defines cowardice as practically any sort of softness, emotion, or basically anything that isn't absolute bull-headed perfection. That irked me right off the bat. My hope was that maybe there would be some really excellent character development throughout the book. She witnesses some of her friends die even though they weren't "cowards" and she watches others succeed even as they are "cowards." Yet, throughout the entire book, she never seems to back down on this standpoint. By the end of the book, I never wanted to see the word coward again - and here I am, having to write it a million times in this review just to make that point.
It felt like there was very little actually occurring during this book, despite how many words there were. It was a lot of descriptions of things without as much plot as I'd hoped for. Towards the 70% mark, the pace began to pick up, and it ended on an interesting sort of "cliffhanger" (I use this word lightly here because I wasn't on the edge of my seat in anticipation or anything, it's just an open ending with intrigue to get you to pick up the next book). I was grateful for that change of pace because I was really bored up until that point.
I hear a lot of people say that they love the fact that there's no romance in this book - and I get it, I do, because sometimes YA romance is just way too much. However, for me, because I had zero interest in the lengthy, descriptive nature of everything else, I missed romance - a lot. If a plot doesn't thrill me, I rely on the romance to at least hold my interest and this book had neither. Or... too much plot and no romance? I don't know. It was a weird story.
In the end, I basically thought to myself, "okay, so I'm intrigued enough to grab the sequel, but I don't want to read it after a book I LOVED because I'll really fall into a slump." So yeah, that's where I'm going with this series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and War