Defiant: Finally Finishing Skyward

Better late than never, am I right?

Of all of Brandon Sanderson’s book franchises, ‘Skyward’ is one that holds an interesting place in my heart. It isn’t my favorite of his works, but something about it just feels so… cozy to me. I don’t even know how to describe it, dude, I have a soft spot for it!

When the fourth book dropped, I wanted to read it and review it right away. Alas, I was kind of in the middle of a) being broke and unemployed, as well as b) going through one of my worst episodes of depression I’ve ever struggled through. So I had to put it on the back burner for a bit.

But now I’m employed, funded, and not as depressed! Which means it’s finally time. Let’s talk about ‘Defiant.’

After her journey through the Nowhere and her merging with a Delver, Spensa Nightshade is now the Defiant’s ultimate weapon against the Superiority. But the war is not won just yet. Humanity’s enemies are still far mightier than they, and Spensa is having a hard time controlling her abilities due to an existential crisis. The time for the final battle is fast approaching; will Spensa be able to save her people?

This book does a phenomenal job of concluding Spensa’s character arc. The violent soldier with trust issues finally learns to have empathy for her foes and faith in her friends. It’s an incredibly satisfying end to her story.

You know who is even better? Gran-Gran. Every single scene with this old badass is a delight to read! She’s made me laugh, grin from ear to ear, and cry! Sometimes all in the same scene!

Also, M-Bot is still perfect. Surprising no one.

As for the rest of the cast, they’re… just okay. Their group banter is always fun, but the rest of Skyward Flight and the majority of the cast kinda just feel like background extras. Half the time, I forgot most of them even existed.

One thing that really disappointed me was the lack of Alanik. Before, she starred in her own novella, but here? She basically doesn’t do anything the entire story! There are some tensions between her and Spensa; the two ended up basically swapping identities a few books ago, after all. But it never really gets resolved. One scene, they’re at each others throats, the next, they kind of make up, and then they never speak again. Lame.

The actual ending to the series is pretty weak, too. After a fairly lengthy yet underwhelming final battle, we get some set up for the upcoming sequel/spin-off book and then we’re done. It’s not a bad ending, persay; it wraps up every plot line and character arc to decent effect. But it definitely left me wanting more, and not in the good way.

Despite my issues, I still enjoyed ‘Defiant’ quite a bit. It misses in more than a few ways, but when it hits, it nails it! I wouldn’t call it the greatest end to a series, but it is far, far from the worst.

Will I read ‘Skyward: Legacy’ when that comes out? Honestly, I don’t know. I’m fairly satisfied with what we’ve got. It’s like chocolate; sweet and delicious, but too much hurts my stomach.