I tried to give you the story you needed, Gran-Gran said. I told you to imagine yourself flying among the stars. I remembered Gran-Gran's story, about I tried to give you the story you needed, Gran-Gran said. I told you to imagine yourself flying among the stars. I remembered Gran-Gran's story, about how disobeying orders could be the right thing to do. Wait until you hear what I've done, I said. I can see it, she said. I tried to give you the story you needed, but perhaps you've found your own story after all.
Evershore is the third installment to the novellas belonging to the Skyward series by Brandon Sanderson. All three show the story of the Skyward Flight happening between book two (Starsight) and book three (Cytonic). But in comparison to the previous two novellas, Evershore is a little bit different. Sunreach and ReDawn are both told from a perspective different than Spensa's, but aren't heavily focused on their MC's. Evershore is full of action, humour, amazing characters and great worldbuilding like the previous books, but the focus is heavily put on its MC's - Jorgen's - struggles with his inner problems and issues regarding the situation of humanity and their allies in the war against the Superiority.
I didn't have anything inspiring to say. I wasn't even sure how I was staying on my feet. I had to, though. They were all looking to me. Or at me. I couldn't really tell. I wasn't going to fall apart. Not here, not where my entire flight could see.
Jorgen Weight, the flightleader of Skyward Flight, is in trouble. His inner world, never really being in the greatest shape, had grumbled to ashes after the events of ReDawn. When the greatest tragedy hit, you either fall down or get up and move on. Jorgen decided to lock his feelings in a tight box and to focus everything that he had on the situation of DDF and Detritus. And that situation is sticky. With half of Nation Assembly's being mercilessly killed and with Admiral Cobb missing, it's up to Jorgen to take control over DDF and, well, the ongoing war. Jorgen is now the only still available cytonic - and he isn't either trained nor looking promising with his abilities, like Spensa or Alanik are. The Superiority had escaped, but they can come back at any moment. DDF needs new alliances or they will be crushed like ants. There is plenty things to do, and there are plenty people who might help, but Jorgen feels like the heavy amount on responsibility is put only on him. He tries his best, but still feels like a failure. Does everything in his power to protect his friends, his allies and his people, and blames himself every time something goes wrong, no matter if it's his fault or not. Goes on full power from the very start, ignoring his inner struggles to focus on bigger problems, but how long can one man run without losing his strength or his mind, or worse, not just fall down, but to crush and burn?
"I didn't want to leave them," I said. "If Alanik hadn't pulled me out, I would have died there." FM closed her eyes. "Thank the stars for Alanik then." I couldn't say the next part. I couldn't bring myself to form the words, especially not to FM. Maybe it could have been easier if I had died there.
Jorgen's mind is a truly dark place in Evershore. He's trying his best to put his feelings aside - his grief aside - to focus on the ongoing war, but it's obvious to everyone that he's struggling immensely. Jorgen's mindset isn't just the 'everything is more important than me' type. There is also a big inner demon in him that questions everything he's doing. He is not good enough. Not strong enough. Not smart enough. He feels foolish and painfully incompetent for the job he took upon himself. He thinks he doesn't have the stomach to do what needs to be done. He feels unworthy of the position he is in and downgrades himself in every possible situation. He thinks that he acts brave, that he knows what he is doing, but that's actually is just an act and he's afraid of failure. He's convinced that he's all alone with the responsibility. There is no Spensa to help. There is no Cobb, no Gran-Gran, no mother and no father. Just Jorgen Weight and his struggles.
Jorgen, Alanik said again, are you okay? I'm fine, I said and I cringed, glad FM couldn't hear me. You aren't fine, she said. You can't be fine.
For me, who's an introvert with anxiety that constantly overthinks everything and is constantly struggling with himself, Jorgen is very relatable. I'm also acting brave in every situation, trying my best every day, but I'm always questioning my decisions and constantly overthink if I did the right thing and if I should apologize for my actions. Do I deserve to be where I am? Am I doing things right? Even if something happens that I'm clearly not to blame, I feel guilty and putting myself through hell for the smallest of things. Everyone else and everything else feels more important than me and my struggles. It's a painfully wrong mindset, because there are always people to turn to, but it feels like you're alone with your struggles. This is what Jorgen needed to learn in Evershore - to open himself to his feelings, to his friends, and to share his burdens and his responsibility with them.
"we know that on the end of the day Jorgen Weight will do the right thing. Sometimes you lose sight of that. Sometimes you get so bogged down in the rules that you lose track of what's right for a minute. But when it comes down to the decisions you make with our lives, you do the right thing every time."
I scudding love Jorgen's and FM's relationship in this book. It's not like I haven't appreciated it before, I did, it was always important to me, but their relationship is a highlight of the book for me. It wasn't a big part of the story, but their scenes were extremely meaningful to Jorgen's character development. It was even more important now after the conflict between them that happened in ReDawn. The atmosphere between them was already extremely heavy and became even heavier after the tragedy that struck Detritus. FM, despite Jorgen ignoring her most of the time, never stopped trying to talk to him and to bring him to stop for a minute, to take a breath and, most importantly, to talk about his feelings that he had buried deep inside himself (bless FM, truly). When their talk scene finally happened, it was such a big relief for me (and for them as well). I needed for them to reconcile, to open up and to become the powerful duo that their team, and their planet, needed. Now, with the events of the end of the book, they are even more important to their planet and I'm super excited to see them in action!
Spensa flies among the stars, Gran-Gran said. But you build things up from the ground. She is a warrior, and you are a defender.
I like the way Gran-Gran described Jorgen and Spensa. I think it's the best description not only of their characters, but their relationship as well. We don't see much of them together in Evershore since Spensa spends time being stuck in nowhere, but there are a couple of scenes with them that warms my heart. They love each other SO MUCH, missing one another SO MUCH, and I'm so sad that they couldn't be there for one another when they needed each other the most. I need them together in Defiant otherwise I will throw hands!
Anyways, there is a final book to read (if you don't count the last novella). I'm both upset and excited about it. I'm upset, because it's the last book, and I'm excited, because I want to see how things will play out. With Defiant Spensa is coming back as an MC. After reading three novellas with the POV's of different people, I missed her presence deeply. Now everyone will be reunited and the final battle will happen. Will we get a happy ending? Will I give another five stars? I surely hope so, but we will see! ;)
"the Superiority keeps us all in cages of different kinds. They control us and call it peace, but it isn't peace when we don't have a choice."
ReDawn i"the Superiority keeps us all in cages of different kinds. They control us and call it peace, but it isn't peace when we don't have a choice."
ReDawn is the second novella of the Skyward Flight trilogy belonging to the Skyward series. All three novellas are placed between book two (Starsight) and book three (Cytonic). While the previous story, Sunreach, was told from the perspective of FM, a human, ReDawn's MC is Alanik, a representative of the nation of UrDail.
While every Sanderson book is more or less political, I couldn't shake the feeling that ReDawn is especially political. It kind of reminded me of Mistborn because of the civil war problem. But while I felt engaged in the political issues of Misborn, I couldn't bring myself to feel the same about it in ReDawn. I feel like I didn't spend as much time as I should've with Alanik and her people and that's why I didn't care about their problems as much. I knew that the situation was serious and that the stakes were high, but the only thing I felt engaged in were the Skyward Flight's involvement in the story.
"Progress of ReDawn!" Nanalis declared. "May her enemies be swiftly silenced for the good of us all."
The story's bad guys - Nanalis and Quilan (and partially Winzik, I guess) - weren't flashed out enough. All Nanalis did was making speeches while Quilan, a cytonic, flew around chasing after Alanik and her human allies. You start up the story without knowing anything about these characters and you finish up the story the same way. The Superiority (and with it, Winzik) was out there, but again, all they did was talk with Quilan, and that was that. Because of all of that the seriousness of ReDawn's situation didn't struck me as hard as it should've.
Never mind that the Superiority had kept us contained here all this time, punishing us for rebellion. Never mind that if we accepted their peace, we also had to accept their control over every aspect of (our lives). They already made us paupers, withholding advanced technology from us because we rejected their rule."
That is another issue of mine. I understand what the author tried to do here: to highlight the difference between the situation's of ReDawn and Detritus when it came to their relationship with the Superiority. But this difference was quite shocking not only to the members of the Skyward Flight, but to me as well. We know that Detritus was attacked by the Superiority's ships over and over again. We know that the humanity was supposed to be exterminated. And now we find out that the UrDail's people didn't fought for their lives. They fought because they were denied the Superiority's high technology and because they felt isolated. But they were mostly left alone while the humanity battled every day to survive. Because of that I couldn't care about the UrDail's situation as much as I did about Detritus.
'How do you do that?', I asked Jorgen. 'I send the slugs an image of a location. And then we ask nicely.' 'You ask nicely?' 'It's not the only way', Jorgen said. 'But it's ours.'
The big amount of slugs, the bonding program and the Skyward Flight members in general are not the only reasons I am giving ReDawn four stars instead of three (but definitely the main ones). I LOVE the relationships between the human pilots and the slugs. I swooned every time the slugs had shown up. These things are so very cute, it should be criminal! And the bond between them and the pilots? I teared up when I read that the slugs treated the humans like their family. All they needed (except for the food, of course) was more friends, more family and that's something so incredibly heartwarming, I'm truly at loss of words.
The island trees floated in the miasma of ReDawn, their roots planted in large chucks of naturally occurring acclivity stone. The trees grew thick layers of bark, deep enough that entire rooms could be excavated beneath its surface without reaching the living parts of the tree near the base of the branches.
This is another reason I am giving ReDawn four stars instead of three - the worldbuilding. I mean, THEY ARE LIVING ON THE TREES! HOW COOL IS THAT?!
"Go!" Jeshua yelled through the glass at Jorgen. Her voice was faint, but I could make out what she said next. "Do better than we did."
THE ENDING?! MR. SANDERSON, HOW DARE YOU?! I was excited to read Evershore, because of my boy Jorgen being the MC (finally!), but with that ending now I'm no longer excited, just worried. Why, oh why, oh why, oh why? Why was it necessary?! I mean, I know that every action has its consequence, I understand it, but this could've been avoided! They learned their lesson! *tears*
Anyways, despite all my worries, I'm jumping to Evershore right away. It's a third novella happening between Starsight and Cytonic so I can easily pick it up before reading Defiant. I hope with everything in me for five stars, but we will see how things will turn out (personally I can't imagine myself giving a Jorgen book a low rating! :))
Sunreach is one of the easiest books to rate and the easiest five stars I think I have ever given.
"We aren't peaceful people. We fight."
Sunreach is tSunreach is one of the easiest books to rate and the easiest five stars I think I have ever given.
"We aren't peaceful people. We fight."
Sunreach is the first novella from the Skyward universe. The main character, Freyja Marten a.k.a FM, tells us a behind the scenes story that happened between Starsight and Cytonic. We start FM's story on the day the delver had shown up on Detritus. The humanity realized that the Superiority isn't the only thing they should worry about. It made DDF put on a state of fighting against the worst enemy - the time. It was already obvious to everyone that they need to escape Detritus if they want to survive, and the delver only escalated that need. But there are a couple of problems that needed to be solved. DDF with the help of Spensa's friends are doing their best, but can they save humanity on time?
"I didn't intend to stay in DDF forever. I don't like the way the Defiant League acts like war is the most glorious thing ever, the way they make violence seem wonderful, when really it causes so much pain. But I thought if I was a pilot, I'd have the authority and respect to talk about that, you know? That I could stand up for people no one else would defend, and people would have to listen to me." "People do listen to you," Rig said. "I've always respected that about you. When you talk, everyone listens. Not because you're a pilot. You command respect by being who you are." My face got warm. "I don't feel like that," I said. "Yeah," Rig said. "I guess none of us really believe the good things about ourselves, do we?"
I already liked FM while reading the previous two books. I could say that Sunreach was not needed and move on. But I will not, because it was certainly needed. You see, the Skyward series in general is narrated by only one person, Spensa Nightshade, so we didn't have any opportunity to see what was happening in the heads of the other characters. Sunreach not only gives us a different perspective, but also shows everything what was happening on Detritus while Spensa was absent.
FM is a great MC and a great character in general. With her perspective, we got much more depth to her character. She's from underground, like Spensa, but she was never fiercely wanted to become a pilot. She was supposed to get the pilot badge and choose another job, but she surprised everyone by continuing to fly. Sky isn't a home for her like it means for Spensa. I think it's really interesting that, despite working as a pilot (and choosing this job by her own free will), she seems to be terrified of the sky. She's still a pilot, because of the need to protect. Not only the people who became her friends, but to protect people in general (she's was also very protective of the slugs which was something I was incredibly grateful for). I deeply admire characters like this. She has her strong sense of justice and has her own political opinions (that are not very welcome by other people) and isn't afraid of speaking her thoughts out loud. I would really love to see more of her and, honestly, I think she would've been an amazing leader.
"So you think when you talked to it, you convinced it to explode?" "Sometimes I have that effect on people. Just ask Spensa."
I am very happy to announce that the great sense of humour came back in this book! It was something I deeply missed while reading Cytonic. It's not that the book didn't have any intended funny moments, I just had trouble to feel it. I'm relieved that I didn't struggle with Sunreach. All the characters have such a great chemistry with each other that made the funny scenes work perfectly for me. The relationship between FM and Jorgen is definitely the highlight of the book for me. They bicker A LOT through the story and it's not only funny, it's also very, very cute. They are like siblings and I was so happy to witness it. I also really loved the FM/Jorgen/Rig trio - it was something I didn't know I needed! And I really love Rig's comeback into the field! Oh, and there were also plenty of slugs! I love them all with everything in me! The adorable things were EVERYWHERE and I couldn't help, but swoon every time one had shown up. I was observing with a great interest the progress of the relationship between the characters and the slugs. It was truly adorable and well, I need more now! ;)
"I like how steady you are, how confident. I'm always so anxious about everything. I've wondered what it's like to be, well, not." "Are you disappointed to realize I'm not really like that?" "No," Rig said. "More relieved." I stared at him. "What?" he said. "You think I want you to be some emotionless robot? It's good to have feelings, FM. It's good to express them. And it's kind of nice to know that I'm not the only one who's terrified."
I am a big fan of the Spensa x Jorgen ship, but FM x Rig is a very close second. I knew that Rig has a huge crush on FM, but I thought that it will be something that will never be addressed again. I'm so glad that I was wrong! These two are such a great couple! They match each other in every possible way and are just so, so cute together. I was smiling like an idiot every time I saw them together in a scene. I love how crazy FM is for Rig's dimpled smile (who wouldn't be?!) and how Rig blushed and didn't quite know what to do with himself every time FM was around. They got together a little bit too quick for my liking, but it's okay. I'm still satisfied and I hope to see more of them in the future.
Some other thoughts I have:
~ I knew that Jorgen was safe, but I still cried when his ship exploded ...more
"Sometimes it's too easy to forget the things you should remember - and far too easy to remember the things you really should forget."
I LOVE both prev"Sometimes it's too easy to forget the things you should remember - and far too easy to remember the things you really should forget."
I LOVE both previous books of the Skyward series with everything in me, so my excitement for Cytonic and my hopes to give this series a five star rating are understandable. But then I picked up Cytonic and my dreams of the five star rating vanished without a trace.
This book is incredibly disappointing.
I am not sure what had happened, but, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't bring myself to feel the same emotions I have felt while reading the previous two books. The happiness and excitement I have felt vanished and I had trouble focusing on the story. While in the previous books I loved Spensa's character and her interactions with her friends (like M-Bot and Doomslug), in Cytonic it irritated me mercilessly. The attempt of humour put in the book also failed this time. I should be into it. I should be having the best time of my life, because of all the adventures, new places and new species. I mean there were pirates (pilot pirates, but still pirates)! And monsters! But I didn't care and all I could think about were 'when will I finally finish this?' :(
Spensa.
Don't get me wrong. I still love her. But I could not stand her in Cytonic. She was still the same person she was before, but, while all her shanenigans in the previous books were endearing to me, this time she irritated me and make me roll my eyes. I understand why she decided to not come back home (despite the fact that she easily could do so). She needed some answers. We, as the readers, needed some answers, too. But the fact that she ignored M-Bot's feelings (after the events of the previous book) and resolved the situation with a simple 'I'm sorry and I forgive you' (like M-Bot was someone who did something wrong!) and ignored him once again through the book (when he described his worries about himself) to focus on her situation really pissed me off. I know that the circumstances weren't the best for an emotional discussion, but she could've found a time for it and she never did. Not really. All the conflicts between Spensa and M-Bot were resolved pretty quickly like nothing important had happened.
I also didn't like the fact that she acted like she was forced to go into a war in Detritus while it was her choice. She said that she was tired of the constant fighting and worrying about her friends, tired of feeling the pain and fear. While I understand where these feelings came from (all she knew was a fight for survival), I don't understand why she acted like she never had a choice. It was her who fought to become a pilot (while everyone else were against it) and it was her who kept on being a pilot. No one forced her to do anything. Heck, she was hard to convince to do anything, she was always a free spirit who did what she pleased. Maybe I understood her character wrong, who knows. I'm glad that she had so much fun in the story. I wish I felt the same way.
The story and new characters.
If you think you will find all the characters you know and love in Cytonic then you're wrong. You will find a bunch of new people to follow. There are quite interesting characters, but I couldn't bring myself to care about them much, maybe because I didn't spend with them as much time as I should. Spensa's journey to find answers to her questions about her enemies and about herself to be more useful for her people kind of felt flat to me, because of how easily the need to feel useful to her people was put aside. It's not like she didn't felt it, and it's not like she had much of a choice (the place she was locked in had the ability to take away memories), but I felt like she put herself and her needs above the needs of her people. It's nothing wrong with it - not in her situation where she had grown up in a war - but I couldn't stop thinking about all the people she had left behind and that they might be dying at any moment while she had been in a state of euphoria going on adventures and having fun in general. I also didn't care much about the pirates and their problems. But I liked Chet and the way his character was handled. The true heritage of both Chet and M-Bot was a big surprise for me and it's something I need to applause the author for, because there is no way I could predict it. I also didn't predict how much I will tear up because of the enemy's side. I should hate these things because they tried to kill Spensa, my favorite character, and destroy the world I knew and loved (Detritus). But I could feel was a deep sorrow. Poor things. All they had felt were fear of feeling the pain again. It's something I can deeply relate to.
Anyways, despite Cytonic being a big disappointment, I'm glad that I found some answers in this book and I still feel excited about the next one. However, I do not feel the same amount of hope that I have felt before. Hopefully things will be alright and that I will feel happiness and enjoyment again. Do not fail me again, Mr. Sanderson!
"A hero does not choose her trials. She steps into the darkness, then she faces what comes next."
Did I (finally! ✨☺️✨) found a series that I can (easi"A hero does not choose her trials. She steps into the darkness, then she faces what comes next."
Did I (finally! ✨☺️✨) found a series that I can (easily! ✨☺️✨) give the highest rating to each book? Is it really happening or am I only dreaming? (I know that there are more than two books left - if you count the additional novels - but I can't help, but already feel overjoyed!)
Starsight is happening six months after the events of its predecessor. Spensa and her friends are no longer the clueless and helpless people they were before. Now they have the knowledge and the strength to become a real danger for their enemies. They found out that the real opponent is not the Krell, but a galactic government that the Krell subordinate to. It's a coalition of planets called the Superiority. Spensa no longer needs to fight to make her longtime dream come true. She's not only a pilot, but a lieutenant. And she's not just a human - she has some special powers, but she's struggling to control them. And the control is something she desperately needs, because despite having the knowledge and the resources to keep on fighting against the enemy, the humanity cannot fight forever. There is a plan to escape from Detritus, but Spensa's powers are the key to make it work.
When an alien woman, Alanik, crashes into Detritus, Spensa sees her opportunity in it. With Jorgen's blessing, she switches places with Alanik, and makes her way to one of the Superiority's stations named Starsight. Her initial goal is to get the one thing that will open the way for the humanity to escape Detritus, but in the meantime she finds out the truth about the Superiority and realizes that her enemies aren't bloodthirsty monsters like she always imagined them to be.
Spensa.
I LOVE her. I already declared it in my review of Skyward, and it's such a joy and such a relief for me that it didn't change in Starsight. She has a very interesting arc in book two. I mean, spy adventure?! In space?! How awesome is that?! ;) Jokes aside, in Skyward Spensa had to fight against everyone and everything to make her dream come true. In Starsight she no longer needs to do so - she's a hero. But not everyone sees her this way. She's either seen as a danger or a saint. She does not see herself as a hero either. She's struggling not only to control her power, but she's also struggling with herself. She feels wrong, like she was no longer Spensa Nightshade, but somebody else. Somebody different. A complete stranger. Maybe she's no longer human? But if not, who is she then?
"Cobb," I said, stepping closer. "Those aren't bloodthirsty monsters out there; they are just people. Normal people, with lives, and loves, and families." "And what did you think we've been fighting against all these years?"
When she meets Alanik - an alien woman who crashes into Detritus - she's surprised that there are aliens out there who have human features. She's surprised, but also intrigued, especially when she realizes that this is her opportunity to make Cobb's plans come true and become a real spy in the Superiority. So she takes the place of Alanik, thinking that it will be easy. Just go, take what she needs to take, and come back home. But it turned out that her journey became much more than that. She not only jumps into a clash of the Superiority's two biggest political forces and finds out the Superiority's secret about the drive, she also finds out its' true face and purpose. She realizes that the people she always imagines as monsters, aren't ones. She sees both of the Superiority's beauty and darkness. And with all her knowledge, she makes some very tough calls, because a great danger shows up. There was no longer just her life or the lives of her friends at stake. There were also the lives of all the beings living in the Starsight station.
As she was in Skyward, also in Starsight she could be very hard to love, but I didn't feel so. For me, she's natural. She has her strengths and her weaknesses. She makes mistakes, but learns from them and does everything in her power to make it right. She's spontaneous and energetic, and always trusts her instincts. She doesn't think of herself as a hero material - but no real hero material thinks of themselves this way. A hero is not born. A hero is made. And she's certainly a hero.
The other characters.
The characters that we know and love from the previous book, in Starsight aren't shown that much. With Spensa spending most of her time in the space, we get the opportunity to not only meet new friends, but also to meet new species. And it's truly fascinating to discover all the lives that Sanderson had created (his creativity is something I have always admired, but it truly shines in Starsight). Some of them might be a little bit controversial, but it's fascinating nonetheless. I have fallen in love with Spensa's new team members: Vapor, Hesho, Morriumur, and even Brade. All of them are not only a part of different species and having different nature and cultures, but also having some kind of history with the humanity. All of them have different personalities, strengths and weaknesses. It was truly amazing to discover the new places and new characters, but I think that Brade, despite standing on the wrong side, was the one I was interested in the most.
Brade.
You can say that she's a bad person and move on, and that would've been (at least kind of) accurate. But, despite all she had done, I understand her. She was taken from her parents as a child and raised by an oppressive force. All she knows about humanity is that they are unstable and aggressive and, because of that, they are a danger that needs to be exterminated. She does not know anything else. It was what she had been taught and it's all that keeps her grounded and going forward. Her character has a ton of potential and I hope that it will be used in the next books. I'm looking forward to see her again, despite her being on the wrong side!
Spensa and Jorgen.
I know that the Skyward series is not a romance, I know that, but OMGGGG THESE TWO! I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!! There were like two scenes of them in total through the whole book, but it was enough for me to vibrate on the highest frequency with all the emotions. And I'm not a big romance lover! What I'm looking mostly in the books are the characters I can fall in love with and the bonds (not necessary romantic ones) between them that I can also love and cheer for. Spensa and Jorgen did the unthinkable - they became a pair that I could root for and want them to be together on the end. There was no reunion scene in Starsight, but I'm looking forward to it on the next book!
Edit: I realized that I haven't written anything about the struggles of M-Bot, Morrumiur, so here I am, trying to make up for my mistake. Please, don't think I don't care about these characters or that I forgot about them. I just wanted to say that not only Spensa had her struggles, the other characters did too. Both M-Bot and Morrumiur had a deep struggle with their identity. To be honest, it was heartbreaking to see, especially the M-Bot one, because it was mostly ignored by Spensa. I know why she did it - she had been deep into her spy role and worked desperately to come back home - so I don't hold any grudge. But, as I said, it was heartbreaking to see :( All M-Bot wants is to be alive, but, at the same time, it's something that scares it. It also struggles with the fact that he was portrayed by its previous pilot (and the humanity) as dangerous, that's why it was forbidden from copying itself. Morrumiur had an similar problem - because of his so called "aggressive nature" there was a huge possibility that he would have been forced to change by his family members. He tried so hard to fit in, to be "worthy" to be a part of his family so they wouldn't change him... My heart broke once again :( I know Morriumur's fate already, but what about M-Bot? I'm not sure how he feels on the end of the book, especially after what had happened and I worry about it :(
On the end of my review I want to say that Skyward wasn't perfect and Starsight is also not a book without flaws. The amount of convenience that happens in this story can be a little bit disturbing, but, surprisingly, I didn't feel that way at all. My mind pointed out every convenience, of course, and normally it would easily take me out of the story, but this time I was able to ignore it, because the level of enjoyment I felt while reading and the amount of love I felt for the characters was enough for me to not care about anything else. I'm sure that the next book will also not be perfect, and that's okay. I just hope that I will love it as much as I love the previous two books ...more
Do you know the feeling of moving into a new city? You don't know your surroundings and you don't know the people you will meet. It's frightening. ChaDo you know the feeling of moving into a new city? You don't know your surroundings and you don't know the people you will meet. It's frightening. Changes in general are frightening. Now imagine what would you feel if you'd woken up and completely didn't recognize the place you're in. And worse: didn't even know where you came from and what your name is. Not only your surroundings would've been strange and scary to you, but your whole being would've been strange and scary to you, too.
This is what had happened to the main character of Brandon Sanderson's The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England. He woke up without a name. Without any background. Unarmed and confused, in an old-timey clothing, and without anything in his pockets, except for a ballpoint pen. And the wizard's handbook with missing pages. Since the MC doesn't know who he is and where he came from, the reader doesn't know it either. Both are finding clues as the story goes along.
It's not easy to write a story. It's even more difficult to write a story with a character with amnesia. It's gonna go either extremely well or extremely wrong. In the case of The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England (wow, the title is long LONG) it had gone extremely well. I know that most of the reviews for this book are not very positive (quite a lot of people claim that it's one of the worst books Sanderson had ever written) and, to be honest, I had my worries. But I really, really enjoyed reading it. I was confused through half of the book, that's true, and I would've been totally lost if I didn't made notes - that's also true. But, despite these problems, there was something special in this story.
Okay, not something. It was the MC. And the worldbuilding. This is why I think so:
The MC.
I was tired- Of being called- A coward. I was tired of believing it.
The Frugal Wizard's Handbook...'s MC is one of most relatable MC's I have ever met in a book. Most relatable to me, that is. He thought of himself as a failure. As someone hopeless and incompetent one. He never believed in himself and never had someone that believed in him.
No,, I thought. You've never had a problem taking responsibility. You've always thought you were worthless.
He made plenty of mistakes, but he always did his best. He tried, he tried so hard, but no matter what he did, it was never enough. He was never enough, for anyone.
I did try, Ryan. I kept trying. Doing what everyone said. Trying to do what you'd done. If I tried hard enough, I'd succeed, right? But nothing ever seemed to turn out my way.
His friends thought of him as someone exhausting to be around., someone they couldn't count on. A coward, while all he did was feeling lost and confused, because everyone around him knew what they will be doing with their lives and he had no idea. He wanted to know himself, find out what he likes and where he belongs in. Wanted to be happy with himself, but struggled with it. Struggled with everything. There was never an understanding, just judgment everywhere.
So when he found himself in another place, a place he knew nothing about and where he lost his memories, he felt lost, at first. Tried to find a way to bring his memories back and find a way home. But he had met people he could call his friends. Met a true purpose of his existence. He finally had a goal.
And he finally became a hero he secretly wished to be.
You are something special. Here. Now. That is what matters. So what if your knowledge is common along your kind? It is rare here. Perhaps every magus send by Ahura Mazda to teach, instruct, and protect is like you. Simply someone who knows a little more - a little better - than everyone else. [Yazad]
It was such a pleasure to see the grow of his character through the story. He had plenty of opportunities to be a coward he thought of himself to be, but all he did was standing up for justice and the people that needed rescue. He was someone to be admired and his companions saw it. He stood up for them, for their world and for himself. He finally started to be comfortable with himself.
He finally started to be happy.
The worldbuilding.
"The skops are Friag's heritage. We do what she no longer can, directing the wyrd and protecting the land from bogs. And we remember, for no longer can runes do it for us." [Sefawynn]
As I said before, I would be totally lost without my notes. I didn't have a proper understanding of anything until I reached the end of the book and read what I wrote. And I'm so relieved that I did what I did, because I would have missed a real gem.
After reading some of Sanderson's books, I knew that this man is a real genius when it comes to worldbuilding. But The Frugal Wizard's Handbook... is definitely one of his bests works. It can remind you of John Gwynne's The Bloodsworn series (or similar one) and, because of this, you can think of The Frugal Wizard's Handbook... as nothing special. Something that was already done before, just with a scifi background. But for me it was something special. I was in awe when I read Sefawynn's story about the war between the gods and the mortals and the consequences of it. I teared up while reading about people cleaner, friendlier, and cleverer than the MC had ever imagined, that had no choice, but to live in a brutal world where they didn't know peace and didn't know how to do something they like to do.
"Life is harsh here, crushed between the sea and the lands of the Bear. These people think that if something is not protecting them or feeding them, it is frivolous." [Yazad]
Their god is vengeful. Harsh. Merciless. But also the people's only hope for protection. They believe that with enough sacrifice, their god will forgive them and everything will be right in their world. But the truth is that if a man will not do what is needed to do, no god will help them.
The romance.
It was the first time in years I felt happy to be me.
There is not a big focus on the romance part of the story, but it is something worth attention. It's subtle and it's beautiful. When you find a person that makes you feel comfortable not only with them, but also with yourself - do not hesitate. When the MC had found his special person, the one beautiful thing in his life and thought that couldn't keep it - I felt my heart break in thousand of pieces. I really loved how understanding these two were of themselves. They both felt lie failures in their lives. They both desperately needed a change. A chance to make things right. And they got even more, because they found each other.
The friendships.
It was so precious to see people having faith in the MC when he did not have faith in himself. In such a short amount of time they saw something special in him and trusted him with their lives. I'm not talking about his previous friends tho. That was a big disappointment. But hey, everywhere are always good people and sh!!tty people, no matter the dimension.
To be honest, I'm still kind of confused with many things when it comes to the book, but I'm not bothered by it. The Frugal Wizard's Handbook... was a very enjoyable story for me and I think I will come back to it quite often :)...more
**spoiler alert** I'm not a soldier. I've never been on the war, I've never seen the chaos and felt the pain it causes. As far as I can tell on the wa**spoiler alert** I'm not a soldier. I've never been on the war, I've never seen the chaos and felt the pain it causes. As far as I can tell on the war, you've no choice: you will kill or you will be killed. Between you and the enemy soldier both of you have probably like 50% chance of survival (if both of you are equally skilled and have similar weapons). Which means the one who is faster (also who have a clearer shot and more luck) will win. It's horrible. It's scary. In many cases the situation seems hopeless.
In "All You Need Is Kill" by Hiroshi Sakurazaka on one side of the war is humanity while on the other side are cyborgs. The 50% chance of survival for a soldier without any proper equipment there is probably less than 1%. When a cyborg attacks it's so fast you can't react in time and you die. Horribly. Now imagine dying like this over and over and over again. You can't stop this no matter what you will do and you can't erase the memories of the moment you die. This is what had happened to the main character of the story - Kiriya Keiji.
The first time I have been introduced to there story it was when I've watched the movie "Edge of Tomorrow". I really, really loved it. It's definitely one of my favorite movies. I'm so glad that I've finally got the book it was based on, I was so excited to read more about the world and the characters I've fell in love with and I wasn't disappointed at all.
Our main character is a Japanese soldier, Kiriya Keiji. He has no experience in the war but he attended training (the movie character was an American soldier without any experience and any training so the situation was worse). He dies in the battle after killing one of the cyborgs and closes his eyes, thinking that it's the end. But it's not. He wakes up in the same moment he had started his journey, sure that the battle was only a dream. But then he dies again and wakes up again at the same moment.
And again. And again. And again.
Kiriya gets scared and runs away to save his life. He dies and goes back to the start and fights again until he realizes that he is in a time loop and uses it to get better at fighting. I really love how we, as readers, can be with him in every step he takes. He is not a hero material from the start. He never wanted to be a hero in the first place. We see him train and get skilled until he becomes a proper soldier to fight the enemy - a thing that he should get from the very start, but the governments did not care enough to train their soldiers properly (it's baffling to me especially because the need for a soldier was big so every one should matter and every soldier should be properly trained so that he will have better chances of survival at the war).
In the meantime we meet other characters like Rita Vrataski, the best soldier in the army. In the book she really seems like a best soldier, she is strong and knows what she's doing (no offence to her movie counterpart but the first time we've been introduced to her, she died quickly after a grenade or something had go off and she had been send flying). No one who had just meet her would not believe that she is this amazing soldier everyone were talking about - she did not look like a material for a soldier at all. She had no friends in the army, she was rather keeping people at the distance but only because she did not want to watch her friends die. She experienced the same time loop like Kiriya did - and it made her feel like she is alone so she cried after she realized that there is someone who experienced what she did (this scene made me very emotional, it's one of the best scenes in the book for me, unfortunately it did not make it to the movie). She and Kiriya had bonded and fought together over and over again.
The world of this book reminded me of an anime "Attack on titan" (I recommend to watch, it's amazing) where humanity is in a war against an enemy that seems like they are no match for. Both worlds are terrifying and no one would want to live there. The situation seems hopeless but people still can find a way to fight and to win. It shows that no matter what happens, if people can work together, basically anything is possible.
I really wish that "All You Need To Kill" had a book two but I understand why it doesn't. Not everything need to have a clear ending. A happy ending. Sometimes all we need is a hope for the better.
5/5 stars - there could be no other rating for this amazing book...more
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