
Book #14 of 2019:
Skyward by Brandon Sanderson (Skyward #1)
I mostly enjoy this Young Adult novel about a girl following in her father’s footsteps to join their planet’s defense armada, although I do feel there are some issues with people’s motivations at the very beginning. That’s not a problem I normally experience with either author Brandon Sanderson or the YA genre at large — or even Sanderson’s previous works therein — but everyone’s actions at the start of this story seem like they’re mandated solely by plot concerns, rather than arising organically from the characters.
Luckily these feelings drop away by the time the heroine joins flight school at around the 10% mark of the book, and from there on out, it’s an engaging coming-of-age narrative that substitutes the author’s customary intricate magical systems for thrilling aerial dogfights among pieces of falling space debris. The worldbuilding is simple but effective, the characters are a lot of fun, and Sanderson sets up some interesting mysteries and plot threads for the remainder of the series to unspool. Between pilot lessons and the discovery of an abandoned ship with a mind of its own, the narrative blends Ender’s Game with How to Train Your Dragon, all developed with typical Sanderson flair. I highly recommended checking this one out, even if you don’t love it right away.
★★★★☆
[Disclosure: I’m Facebook friends with this author.]








