This was a great continuation to this series. Brandon Sanderson really took the foundations that he laid down in Skyward and continued to build depth and layers to the story that is just so entertaining and enthralling to read!
Spensa’s character remains quite consistent throughout most of the story until she has her epiphany moment towards the end of the book. She realises that she has judged some of these aliens based purely on her bias and minor interactions. I like that similar to the first novel she is able to reflect on her actions and accept when she has done something wrong and acknowledge her flaws and actively work towards shifting her perspective.
We don’t get a whole lot of Jorgen in this book, which made me a little sad, as he was one of my favourite characters. I think what little insight we gained from his experience with Gran Gran that leads him to a pretty astronomical discovery was still essential in terms of the overall plot line. I just wish we got a little more scenes between him and Spensa! That little taste at the start of the book wasn’t enough for me.
M-bot has definitely evolved in this book. I’m not sure I like the direction his particular plot line seems to be leading to. Hopefully he doesn’t fulfil all of those fears it seems his previous owners predicted might occur. All of the fail safes and programs written into his software prohibiting him from doing certain things seems reasonable to me and the fact that he’s even questioning those rules and asking Spensa is he is alive doesn’t bode well for me! I really like his character and I don’t want him turning into an antagonist.
The scope of the book is blown wide open in this instalment to the series. In Skyward even though Spensa is airborne they still pretty much revolve around what is happening on the ground. I like that we are given a completely different and foreign setting, but maintain a sense of continuity with the flight training Spensa has to undergo.
It boggles my mind how Brandon Sanderson is able to piece together such intricate storylines that still manages to surprise me at every turn. Characters and interactions that I dismissed as trivial and unimportant turn out to be vital to the continuation of the plot. You really need to pay attention to every little detail he puts in because somehow it will be revealed as a key piece of information that the whole story is revolving around.
⭐️4.5/5 stars This was absolutely fantastic 100% recommend!
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