There is a heart to this story, to each and every facet of the world and its inhabitants’ portrayals, that simply does not exist in modern literature today. Skyward is possibly the most captivating, inspirational, and aspirational book that Brandon Sanderson has ever written. From that point onwards, for four nights in a row, I was hooked and struggled to put the book down. However, almost as soon as the thought occurred to me, the author began breaking the tropes I was afraid were on the horizon. The book’s Prologue is beautiful and sets up the difficulties Spensa must navigate through her life, but the opening chapters had me a little worried, because there were moments where I thought we were simply navigating a sci-fi Hogwarts, trading magic for piloting. But Spensa has to fight through obstacle after obstacle to even get a shot at her dreams, before they all come crashing down around her. The story of a young woman, Spensa, who has dreamt all her life about being a pilot - one of the brave men and women who protect their world from constant attack by an alien species known as the Krell. That might sound like something of a cliché, but Brandon Sanderson has returned to his very best with his new book Skyward. It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book that excited me as much as Sanderson’s The Final Empire, and certainly not one of his books - though I still think his Stormlight Archives is something of a magisterial masterpiece. It brought together all of the things that we have come to love about his writing – his intricate worldbuilding and magic systems, beautifully crafted characters, and captivating storylines which leave us breathless and wanting more. It wasn’t his first published work, Elantris, and it was before he gained true notoriety as the man chosen to finish Robert Jordan’s epic Wheel of Time series, but in my opinion, it is his best work. I love the whole series - specifically the first trilogy - but I think there was something truly special and magical about The Final Empire. My favourites include The Lord of the Rings, The Night Circus, and most anything written by Steven Erikson and Ian C Esslemont.Īnother of my favourites is Brandon Sanderson’s first Mistborn book, The Final Empire. We have favourite books, favourite authors, favourite series.

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