Starsight (Skyward #2)

Brandon Sanderson is a master at creating unique and dense worlds, and the ever-expanding universe of Skyward is no different. In Starsight we are introduced to an impressive new location, a smattering of new species, and a deadly threat. Sanderson delivers on building not only stellar visuals, but also intrigue. However, something Is lacking. Something doesnt feel quite right. Everything is too smooth, too easy for Spensa. She is a character who is arrogant, rash, non-compliant and is always going against orders by following her gut or know-how. Yet, she never really gets in trouble. Sure, people are upset that she was disobedient once again, but she never feels the consequences of her actions. Also, everything works out for her pretty easily. She ends up taking on a HUGE task, which has a bare minimum plan and super-fast execution, without out any real conflict or hitches. M-bot is still a shining star and really the only character who continues to develop, but he is the reason why Spensa doesnt struggle much. Also, she picks up her “powers” pretty easily with no training and is sort of Mary Sue to win the day.

I have a hard time placing how I feel about this book (and series as a whole) because Sanderson keeps dangling information and questions. I feel satisfied getting so many answers in this book that it distracts from the fact that it is not his best. There will be another book although I wish it had ended here. I don’t feel invested in the characters even as I want to know more about the world and the conflicts. It’s a strange space to be in. I give this book 3.5 stars. 3 seems too much a slight with the world and intrigue Sanderson has created, but 4 seems generous considering that lack of characterization and conflict. Its methodically written, imaginatively inspiring, and lacking in gut.

I love Sanderson books. I’ve read Mistborn, Reckoners, Elantris, Warbreaker, Stormlight, etc etc etc many times and they all held my attention each time. This book though… doesn’t. I mostly blame the constant plural pronoun use in referring to a singular character. It is disruptive as i constantly had to recheck who was in the scene. Around page 200, it got interesting for about 100 pages. I have 70 more pages to go…. but it is my least favorite of all his books besides the Alcatraz series, which are dumb on purpose and so can be forgiven.

*WARNING* – THIS REVEIW CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS FOR STARSIGHT
Before I say anything, I would like to state that Brandon Sanderson is an AMAZING writer and Skyward was probably the best book I’ve read in a while. That being said, not every sequel can be as good as the first.
Starsight was an okay read, but it was lacking with the teamwork laced throughout Skyward. Instead of Spensa working with her flightmates introduced in the first book, she spends the majority of the book in outer space, infiltrating the Krell. Because of this, the interactions between Spensa and the other characters are often humorless, and it was not enjoyable. M-Bot, as always, was there to lighten the mood, but his time was also limited in the book.
Spensa finds a new flight, but it lacks the character development and experience as Skyward Flight. There is SOME romance between Jorgen and Spensa, but it is an extremely small amount. Also, Spensa’s flightmates from Skyward are only mentioned once or twice in the book. Why would you put so much time into writing characters and then not have them play even a minor part in the next book?
On the plus side, Jorgen seems to develop more into his own person, and many questions from Skyward are answered. WARNING – this book does end on a cliffhanger.
Honestly, reading this book is totally up to you. I would recommend this book, but only for the purpose of gaining information for the next book. I sincerely hope that Sanderson’s final Skyward book is better written and spends more time with the OGs of Skyward.

This book would have been alright for maybe half the kindle price of 10.99 but it just wasn’t good enough to justify the full price to me, especially considering the quality of work we have typically come to expect from this author. The whole story feels as if too much new information has been shoe-horned into one volume for no apparent reason. Other than the main character and her ship, Starsight is almost entirely about completely new characters and circumstances which are too far outside of the established experience of the main character to make this story believable. I remember being interested enough in Skyward to want to know what happens next, but even with the pseudo-cliffhanger-morphed-into-total-cliffhanger ending of Starsight I’m really not inclined to keep following this series.

Personally, I would much prefer if Mr. Sanderson focused on the Stormlight Archive series instead. Now those are some great books.

More than anything, what I cherish about Brandon’s books is that the stories are never predictable. The plots go off in directions I never would have anticipated, but not randomly so. Every twist and turn is the result of understandable (if not always logical) choices the characters make. Starsight is no exception. It’s not the straightforward continuation of the story in Skyward. Spensa (and M-Bot) face entirely new and exciting challenges and continue to grow. I won’t spoil any of it, but I wholeheartedly recommend it for everyone who enjoyed Skyward or any of Brandon’s previous books. I know they market these as being for a younger audience because the protagonist is a young girl, but you don’t have to be a kid to enjoy them. The story and complex worldbuilding are appealing even to an old guy like me.

Galaxyaudiobook Member Benefit

- Able to comment

- List watched audiobooks

- List favorite audiobooks

- Bookmark will only available for Galaxyaudiobook member