Skyward by Brandon Sanderson Book Review

Title: Skyward
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Publication date: 6th November 2018
Genres: YA, Sci-Fi, Fantasy
Number of pages: 513
Length of audiobook: 15:15:10

Skyward is Brandon Sanderson's debut in young adult science fiction. Sanderson is a highly popular author of fantasy novels, including The Final Empire.

Skyward is set in the future, where humans now live below a giant debris field. We follow Spencer, a young girl whose father was deemed a coward after he escaped from a huge battle. Her father was a pilot with the defensive agency. These pilots fight creatures known only as the 'Krell' who will often descend through the debris field and shoot at them. Spencer's family is treated poorly as a result of her father's supposed actions. Despite this, Spencer has always dreamed of becoming a pilot. This book follows Spencer as she learns to be a pilot, builds relationships with different characters and discovers more about her father. 

I absolutely loved this book! I listened to it on Audible which was a perfect way to read this book. There is one female narrator who is a great narrator for this story. I never got bored or annoyed with her narration. I listened to the audiobook on 1.9x speed and listened to it in chunks. I'm not sure whether I would have enjoyed this book so much had I read it physically. This is a story that I feel needs to be read out loud. Especially because a lot of the book follows on stories and histories. 

Spencer was a slightly annoying character in the beginning. She had grown up to be defensive due to the treatment of her and her family by other citizens. She would frequently say intense, aggressive battle speeches which were sometimes funny. However, Spencer's development throughout this book was wonderful. She developed deep friendships, she learned that it is human to be afraid, she went through so many emotional situations and it was a pleasure to be a spectator of her story.

The side characters were also notable. Most of them were extremely well developed. The characters were all from different backgrounds and histories and it was great to see how they interacted with each other. There is also a speaking airship in this story, who I loved! It was so interesting and comical seeing the A.I. learn more about humans and develop a relationship with Spencer. 

It was not just Spencer who developed throughout this book but many of the side characters too. There were so many emotional moments in this book for me. Sanderson wasn't afraid to deal with big topics such as the loss of young lives in war and I feel that he really portrayed the impact that this has on their colleagues and friends well. 

Overall, I just adored this book. It made me laugh, it made me tear up, it made me feel joy and it made me feel surprised. I have not read a huge range of science fiction, being more of a fantasy reader but I believe that listening to this on audiobook made reading this book an even more wonderful experience. It was also not heavy on the sci-fi side and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone to be honest.

Star rating: 5/5 stars

*I was sent an e-book version of this to review but I decided to listen to the audiobook instead. I was interested slightly in picking this up and I am glad that I did. I enjoyed this book way more than I expected. All opinions are my own and honest.