Cytonic (Skyward, #3)

by Brandon Sanderson

[Quirky Cat]

Is it time to cheer? Yes, yes, it is. The third (and thankfully NOT last) novel in Brandon Sanderson's Skyward series is here. Cytonic is about to bring readers back to Spensa and the insane adventures she finds herself on.

Spensa has done a lot in her relatively short life. She fought against the odds (and the prejudice of her people) to rise up and become one of the best pilots of her generation. She also became a spy, putting herself at significant risk in the process. And to top it all off, she faced a Delver.

Now Spensa is in the middle of nowhere, but she is confident that there is a purpose behind it all. If she is right, she will be about to find critical information on the Delvers, who are rapidly becoming a threat more prominent than the Krell, which is saying something.

"Any hero who could have been a monster is more heroic for the choices he or she made to walk another road."

Once again, I am blown away by how much I treasure this series. Cytonic is very much the novel we've been waiting for – and boy is it worth the wait. This novel is full of action, adventure, chaos, and a few brain-bending moments. In other words, it is pure Spensa.

Given how the last novel left off (hint: cliffhanger), I was more than a little bit anxious to get my hands on this beauty. Having access to a couple of short stories helped, but since they didn't answer what happened to Spensa, there were only able to help so much, you know? (Side note: read the novellas! They're worth it).

“Sometimes it's too easy to forget the things you should remember — and far too easy to remember the things you really should forget.”

Honestly, there's a lot to take in from Cytonic. Yes, we learned a lot about the Delvers, but we also learned the depth to which the Krell are willing to go. On the bright side, that isn't all we learned, and some of it managed to be cheerful and informative.

There are so many moments to cherish and appreciate in this book. Some made me laugh out loud, while others made me stop and think. When all put together, it made for a cohesive book that stuck itself firmly in my mind and heart.

“I bet the first time you had emotions, you babbled a lot and soiled your clothing.”

Granted, any book that has Spensa and M-Bot interacting is sure to make me smile. Though I'll admit that there were upsetting and heartbreaking moments as well, so don't go into this book expecting only sunshine and strange expletives from Spensa.

At the time of my writing this review (because I am so very behind on reviewing – I got distracted with a few books, okay?), the next novella is out. Evershore looks like it is going to be from Jorgen's perspective, and I am so excited to sit down and read it! And of course, the next (and sadly, final) novel in the series, Defiant, will be out sometime in 2023. Until then!

Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks