Skyward by Brandon Sanderson (4.2 Stars)

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Defeated, crushed, and driven almost to extinction, the remnants of the human race are trapped on a planet that is constantly attacked by mysterious alien starfighters. Spensa, a teenage girl living among them, longs to be a pilot. When she discovers the wreckage of an ancient ship, she realizes this dream might be possible—assuming she can repair the ship, navigate flight school, and (perhaps most importantly) persuade the strange machine to help her. Because this ship, uniquely, appears to have a soul. 

 Premise: How compelling or unique is the overview of the story?
----- 8: I can literally never get enough coming of age stories with magical schools, and there is enough of a unique take here to satisfy that craving and add some spice

Plot: How well does the action of the story fulfill or even expand the potential of the premise?
----- 9: This has always been Sanderson's special sauce. He's a masterful storyteller and shows it here again, spinning threads as he keeps the action going and slowly reveals more and more of the web. It's a very satisfying experience as a reader.

Characters: Overall feelings towards the characters. Are they memorable? Exciting? Human? Do we even like them?
----- 8: There are several strong characters here, but I found a few of the "funny" traits to be annoying. I know it's YA, but I still think the humor could be smarter.

Pacing: How strong is the momentum of the story? Is it hard to put the book down?
----- 8: I read the last 200 pages almost non-stop, and I'm impressed that I never felt like the story got too repetitive, despite the fact that there was a lot of repetitive action in the middle! Still, the beginning and middle were a little slow. Strong setup for the end, but it took getting past that section for the action to really pick up.

Prose: Does the author have strong writing skills? Is the text easy and enjoyable to read and not jarring or distracting?
----- 7: Sanderson's YA writing isn't my favorite. I have trouble with the humor he tries to do and some parts come across a little corny. That said, I think he's gotten better, and there are a lot of moments that come across as very real with genuine emotion.

Depth: Do elements of the story combine to form an immersive setting? Is it easy to visualize and well thought out?
----- 10: Sanderson's other strong suit. The worldbuilding here is amazing as usual, and it's easy to jump into Detrius pretty quickly and visualize the alien setting.

Epic-ness: Are cool things happening? Are story elements used to creating plot action that is exciting and satisfying?
----- 9: The aerial action is very cool. It's impressive that even though I have no experience flying a ship, Sanderson is able to convey all of the action of full-scale war in a way that the reader can easily follow. The climactic scenes create edge of your seat excitement and suspense.

Total: 59/70 = 4.2 Stars. A few flaws in the writing don't take much away from an exciting and epic story. It's been awhile since I've been so thoroughly hooked.

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