What do you think?
Rate this book
Skyward #2.2
ReDawn
From #1 bestselling author Brandon Sanderson and Janci Patterson comes the second of three Skyward series novellas, each told from the perspective of a different member of the team back on Detritus. Read Alanik’s story between Starsight and Cytonic.
“Don’t trust their lies. Don’t trust their false peace.” That is the warning that Alanik of the planet ReDawn gave the human pilot Spensa after Alanik’s ship crash-landed on Detritus. While accepting an invitation to meet with her people’s enemy, the Galactic Superiority, Alanik heard Spensa’s cry for help across the vastness of space, and she used her cytonic powers to hyperjump her ship to the source of that cry. What she found there was a shock—a whole planet of free humans fighting against the Superiority. Were they the allies her people desperately needed?
When she recovered from her injuries and met the friendly humans Jorgen and FM of Skyward Flight, she found that her warning to Spensa had gone unheeded by the government of Detritus, and they were considering a peace overture from the Superiority. Now having returned to ReDawn, Alanik is dismayed to learn that her own people are falling into the exact same trap.
The faction in ReDawn’s government that wants to appease the Superiority has gained the upper hand. With Alanik’s mentor, Renakin captured, she has no one to turn to but Jorgen, FM, and their friend Rig. An ancient technology may have the power to save both of their planets from disaster, but can they discover its secrets before it’s too late?
Praise for Skyward
An Instant New York Times Bestseller
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
• ”Startling revelations and stakes-raising implications . . . Sanderson plainly had a ball with this nonstop, highflying opener, and readers will too.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
• ”With this action-packed trilogy opener, Sanderson offers up a resourceful, fearless heroine and a memorable cast.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
• ”It is impossible to turn the pages fast enough.” —Booklist
“Don’t trust their lies. Don’t trust their false peace.” That is the warning that Alanik of the planet ReDawn gave the human pilot Spensa after Alanik’s ship crash-landed on Detritus. While accepting an invitation to meet with her people’s enemy, the Galactic Superiority, Alanik heard Spensa’s cry for help across the vastness of space, and she used her cytonic powers to hyperjump her ship to the source of that cry. What she found there was a shock—a whole planet of free humans fighting against the Superiority. Were they the allies her people desperately needed?
When she recovered from her injuries and met the friendly humans Jorgen and FM of Skyward Flight, she found that her warning to Spensa had gone unheeded by the government of Detritus, and they were considering a peace overture from the Superiority. Now having returned to ReDawn, Alanik is dismayed to learn that her own people are falling into the exact same trap.
The faction in ReDawn’s government that wants to appease the Superiority has gained the upper hand. With Alanik’s mentor, Renakin captured, she has no one to turn to but Jorgen, FM, and their friend Rig. An ancient technology may have the power to save both of their planets from disaster, but can they discover its secrets before it’s too late?
Praise for Skyward
An Instant New York Times Bestseller
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
• ”Startling revelations and stakes-raising implications . . . Sanderson plainly had a ball with this nonstop, highflying opener, and readers will too.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
• ”With this action-packed trilogy opener, Sanderson offers up a resourceful, fearless heroine and a memorable cast.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
• ”It is impossible to turn the pages fast enough.” —Booklist
171 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 26, 2021
482 people are currently reading
12410 people want to read
About the author
Brandon Sanderson
395 books282k followersI’m Brandon Sanderson, and I write stories of the fantastic: fantasy, science fiction, and thrillers.
The release of Wind and Truth in December 2024—the fifth and final book in the first arc of the #1 New York Times bestselling Stormlight Archive series—marks a significant milestone for me. This series is my love letter to the epic fantasy genre, and it’s the type of story I always dreamed epic fantasy could be. Now is a great time to get into the Stormlight Archive since the first arc, which begins with Way of Kings, is complete.
During our crowdfunding campaign for the leatherbound edition of Words of Radiance, I announced a fifth Secret Project called Isles of the Emberdark, which came out in the summer of 2025. Coming December 2025 is Tailored Realities, my non-Cosmere short story collection featuring the new novella Moment Zero.
Defiant, the fourth and final volume of the series that started with Skyward in 2018, came out in November 2023, capping an already book-filled year that saw the releases of all four Secret Projects: Tress of the Emerald Sea, The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England, Yumi and the Nightmare Painter, and The Sunlit Man. These four books were all initially offered to backers of the #1 Kickstarter campaign of all time.
November 2022 saw the release of The Lost Metal, the seventh volume in the Mistborn saga, and the final volume of the Mistborn Era Two featuring Wax & Wayne. Now that the first arc of the Stormlight Archive is wrapped up, I’ve started writing the third era of Mistborn in 2025.
Most readers have noticed that my adult fantasy novels are in a connected universe called the Cosmere. This includes The Stormlight Archive, both Mistborn series, Elantris, Warbreaker, four of the five Secret Projects, and various novellas, including The Emperor’s Soul, which won a Hugo Award in 2013. In November 2016 all of the existing Cosmere short fiction was released in one volume called Arcanum Unbounded. If you’ve read all of my adult fantasy novels and want to see some behind-the-scenes information, that collection is a must-read.
I also have three YA series: The Rithmatist (currently at one book), The Reckoners (a trilogy beginning with Steelheart), and Skyward. For young readers I also have my humorous series Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians, which had its final book, Bastille vs. the Evil Librarians, released in 2022. Many of my adult readers enjoy all of those books as well, and many of my YA readers enjoy my adult books, usually starting with Mistborn.
Additionally, I have a few other novellas that are more on the thriller/sci-fi side. These include the three stories in Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds, as well as Perfect State and Snapshot. These two novellas are also featured in 2025’s Tailored Realities. There’s a lot of material to go around!
Good starting places are Mistborn (a.k.a. The Final Empire), Skyward, Steelheart, The Emperor’s Soul, Tress of the Emerald Sea, and Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians. If you’re already a fan of big fat fantasies, you can jump right into The Way of Kings.
I was also honored to be able to complete the final three volumes of The Wheel of Time, beginning with The Gathering Storm, using Robert Jordan’s notes.
Sample chapters from all of my books are available at brandonsanderson.com—and check out the rest of my site for chapter-by-chapter annotations, deleted scenes, and more.
The release of Wind and Truth in December 2024—the fifth and final book in the first arc of the #1 New York Times bestselling Stormlight Archive series—marks a significant milestone for me. This series is my love letter to the epic fantasy genre, and it’s the type of story I always dreamed epic fantasy could be. Now is a great time to get into the Stormlight Archive since the first arc, which begins with Way of Kings, is complete.
During our crowdfunding campaign for the leatherbound edition of Words of Radiance, I announced a fifth Secret Project called Isles of the Emberdark, which came out in the summer of 2025. Coming December 2025 is Tailored Realities, my non-Cosmere short story collection featuring the new novella Moment Zero.
Defiant, the fourth and final volume of the series that started with Skyward in 2018, came out in November 2023, capping an already book-filled year that saw the releases of all four Secret Projects: Tress of the Emerald Sea, The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England, Yumi and the Nightmare Painter, and The Sunlit Man. These four books were all initially offered to backers of the #1 Kickstarter campaign of all time.
November 2022 saw the release of The Lost Metal, the seventh volume in the Mistborn saga, and the final volume of the Mistborn Era Two featuring Wax & Wayne. Now that the first arc of the Stormlight Archive is wrapped up, I’ve started writing the third era of Mistborn in 2025.
Most readers have noticed that my adult fantasy novels are in a connected universe called the Cosmere. This includes The Stormlight Archive, both Mistborn series, Elantris, Warbreaker, four of the five Secret Projects, and various novellas, including The Emperor’s Soul, which won a Hugo Award in 2013. In November 2016 all of the existing Cosmere short fiction was released in one volume called Arcanum Unbounded. If you’ve read all of my adult fantasy novels and want to see some behind-the-scenes information, that collection is a must-read.
I also have three YA series: The Rithmatist (currently at one book), The Reckoners (a trilogy beginning with Steelheart), and Skyward. For young readers I also have my humorous series Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians, which had its final book, Bastille vs. the Evil Librarians, released in 2022. Many of my adult readers enjoy all of those books as well, and many of my YA readers enjoy my adult books, usually starting with Mistborn.
Additionally, I have a few other novellas that are more on the thriller/sci-fi side. These include the three stories in Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds, as well as Perfect State and Snapshot. These two novellas are also featured in 2025’s Tailored Realities. There’s a lot of material to go around!
Good starting places are Mistborn (a.k.a. The Final Empire), Skyward, Steelheart, The Emperor’s Soul, Tress of the Emerald Sea, and Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians. If you’re already a fan of big fat fantasies, you can jump right into The Way of Kings.
I was also honored to be able to complete the final three volumes of The Wheel of Time, beginning with The Gathering Storm, using Robert Jordan’s notes.
Sample chapters from all of my books are available at brandonsanderson.com—and check out the rest of my site for chapter-by-chapter annotations, deleted scenes, and more.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,867 reviews
June 25, 2022
These novellas are so boring :/
December 27, 2023
ARC provided by the publisher—Gollancz—in exchange for an honest review.
ReDawn is a necessary installment to read before Cytonic.
Similar to Sunreach, the first of three novels compiled in Skyward Flight omnibus, I read ReDawn by Brandon Sanderson and Janci Patterson in the omnibus edition. And as far as importance goes, I think ReDawn felt more important to read than Sunreach. ReDawn is told from the point of view of Alanik, and the story takes place after the events of Sunreach. In Sunreach, we learned more about the developing relationship between FM and Rigs. This, sadly, was my least favorite part about the title. But more importantly, we witnessed more information about the slugs. I am happy to say the slugs, once again, became one of the highlights of ReDawn for me. They’re just so adorable and handy to have. Although I haven’t read Cytonic yet, the character development and conflict in this title felt very important and quite unmissable to read before reading Cytonic and probably Defiant. Unfortunately, it did take me a while to get used to Alanik as a main character.
My minor issue with Alanik at first is that we’re near the end of the series now, and it felt a bit late to introduce her as one of the main characters. Plus, her voice did not feel distinct enough. The way she is written is so similar to FM that I sometimes forget that I’m reading Alanik’s POV. Speaking of FM, I don’t know her purpose in the story now other than to show she’s lovey-dovey with Rigs. Her story arc definitely did not click with me, and surprisingly, by the end of ReDawn, I ended up—despite the rough beginning—loving Alanik more than FM. Reading Alanik trying her best to understand human politics and behavior, and to learn what it means to be in a team was satisfying and engaging. In a way, the second half of ReDawn reminded me of reading Spensa’s journey in Starsight as Spensa struggles in a new environment. And I enjoyed that.
At the moment, I am unsure how crucial these Skyward Flight titles are. They felt unmissable, but the actual novel, on their own, was good but nothing outstanding. Personally, even though they are relatively short novels, I do not think Sunreach and ReDawn needed to be this long for the content they have. They are definitely not novellas but short novels. After the cliffhanger ending of ReDawn, though, I am certainly curious to read how Sunreach and ReDawn will enhance the reading experience of Cytonic. I am told to read Evershore after I finished reading Cytonic, so I will do just that. For ReDawn, I will give it a 3 star rating, the same as my rating for Sunreach. Here is hoping Cytonic and Evershore will provide me with a superior reading experience.
You can order this book from: Amazon | Blackwells (Free International shipping)
You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions | I also have a Booktube channel
Special thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!
My Patrons: Alfred, Aliysa, Ambrosius, Andrew, Andrew W, Annabeth, Arliss, Barbara, Biskit, Brad, Cade, Chris, Christopher, Cullen, Dan, David, Dernerror, Donuts, Dylan, Edward, Elaine, Elias, Ellen, Francesca, Frank, Garrick, Gary, Gregory, Hamad, Helen, Jenn, Jesse, Jimmy Nutts, Joie, Jonathan, Jordan, Kristina, Lara, Lourdes, Luis, Melinda, Michael, Michael, Mike, Miracle, Mordie, Nicholas, Norbert, Radiah, RCT, Redmischief, Samuel, Sarah, Sarah, Scott, Shawn, Tiffany, Tori, Tracy, Trish, TS, Wendy, Wick, Woodman, Xero, Yuri, Zoe.
ReDawn is a necessary installment to read before Cytonic.
Similar to Sunreach, the first of three novels compiled in Skyward Flight omnibus, I read ReDawn by Brandon Sanderson and Janci Patterson in the omnibus edition. And as far as importance goes, I think ReDawn felt more important to read than Sunreach. ReDawn is told from the point of view of Alanik, and the story takes place after the events of Sunreach. In Sunreach, we learned more about the developing relationship between FM and Rigs. This, sadly, was my least favorite part about the title. But more importantly, we witnessed more information about the slugs. I am happy to say the slugs, once again, became one of the highlights of ReDawn for me. They’re just so adorable and handy to have. Although I haven’t read Cytonic yet, the character development and conflict in this title felt very important and quite unmissable to read before reading Cytonic and probably Defiant. Unfortunately, it did take me a while to get used to Alanik as a main character.
“A prisoner could be convinced that they lived in a paradise, if the prison was pretty enough.”
My minor issue with Alanik at first is that we’re near the end of the series now, and it felt a bit late to introduce her as one of the main characters. Plus, her voice did not feel distinct enough. The way she is written is so similar to FM that I sometimes forget that I’m reading Alanik’s POV. Speaking of FM, I don’t know her purpose in the story now other than to show she’s lovey-dovey with Rigs. Her story arc definitely did not click with me, and surprisingly, by the end of ReDawn, I ended up—despite the rough beginning—loving Alanik more than FM. Reading Alanik trying her best to understand human politics and behavior, and to learn what it means to be in a team was satisfying and engaging. In a way, the second half of ReDawn reminded me of reading Spensa’s journey in Starsight as Spensa struggles in a new environment. And I enjoyed that.
“I didn’t know enough about human politics to know who was correct, but I did know enough about politics in general to guess that everyone would interpret the law in the way that best suited themselves.”
At the moment, I am unsure how crucial these Skyward Flight titles are. They felt unmissable, but the actual novel, on their own, was good but nothing outstanding. Personally, even though they are relatively short novels, I do not think Sunreach and ReDawn needed to be this long for the content they have. They are definitely not novellas but short novels. After the cliffhanger ending of ReDawn, though, I am certainly curious to read how Sunreach and ReDawn will enhance the reading experience of Cytonic. I am told to read Evershore after I finished reading Cytonic, so I will do just that. For ReDawn, I will give it a 3 star rating, the same as my rating for Sunreach. Here is hoping Cytonic and Evershore will provide me with a superior reading experience.
“A warrior fights. She does not yield, and she does not abandon her people.”
You can order this book from: Amazon | Blackwells (Free International shipping)
You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions | I also have a Booktube channel
Special thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!
My Patrons: Alfred, Aliysa, Ambrosius, Andrew, Andrew W, Annabeth, Arliss, Barbara, Biskit, Brad, Cade, Chris, Christopher, Cullen, Dan, David, Dernerror, Donuts, Dylan, Edward, Elaine, Elias, Ellen, Francesca, Frank, Garrick, Gary, Gregory, Hamad, Helen, Jenn, Jesse, Jimmy Nutts, Joie, Jonathan, Jordan, Kristina, Lara, Lourdes, Luis, Melinda, Michael, Michael, Mike, Miracle, Mordie, Nicholas, Norbert, Radiah, RCT, Redmischief, Samuel, Sarah, Sarah, Scott, Shawn, Tiffany, Tori, Tracy, Trish, TS, Wendy, Wick, Woodman, Xero, Yuri, Zoe.
![Profile Image for Anna [Bran. San. Stan].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1593184464i%2F98245866._UX200_CR0%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
August 26, 2023
5 brilliant Cytoverse stars. This is an absolute nail-biter and if you’re a fan of this series you must read it! Like right now!
With my enthusiasm out of the way, let’s get real. This novella follows our UrDail alien Alanik after she has chosen to extricate herself from potentially being a prisoner of the humans on Detritus. We are introduced to her world, the eponymous ReDawn, and the precarious political situation her faction is in because it opposes an affiliation with the Superiority (the super superior dominant force in the galaxy). The planet is quite the marvel, existing of enormous inhabited trees reminiscent of LoTR or Avatar.
Speaking of LotR: my nerdy self really appreciated the allusion that Elvish is truly an alien language known because humans on Earth used to ally with the UrDail. Love that!
The entire novella is in Alanik’s POV, in the first person. What I enjoyed most about her POV is not just that we get to experience humans filtered through her perception, but that after seeing our humans try to figure out their cytonic skills, it was really cool seeing someone who has mastered them.
Another thing I found compelling was the structure of government, the way society is run. The human world of Detritus is dominated by military command structures as is to be expected considering their circumstance of being on the verge of extinction by an enemy force; ironically, the alien world of ReDawn resembles human democratic structures, the bipartisan US to be more exact. The political slogans and tactics are eerily familiar - sadly not in a good way.
Beyond Sanderson’s world building and Patterson‘s excellent narrative techniques, as I mentioned before, this was definitely the metaphorical nail biter! (Not literally, because eww.) It felt like being in a Sanderlanche from right after the beginning to end (it’s his outline after all) and I couldn’t even tell it’s Patterson‘s prose. The loose ends have me wanting to continue with Cytonic ASAP. Honestly, this was amazing. And this series is still not my favorite of his so that kind of tells you what a genius that man is and that this being co-written is in no way detrimental to the story.
With my enthusiasm out of the way, let’s get real. This novella follows our UrDail alien Alanik after she has chosen to extricate herself from potentially being a prisoner of the humans on Detritus. We are introduced to her world, the eponymous ReDawn, and the precarious political situation her faction is in because it opposes an affiliation with the Superiority (the super superior dominant force in the galaxy). The planet is quite the marvel, existing of enormous inhabited trees reminiscent of LoTR or Avatar.
Speaking of LotR: my nerdy self really appreciated the allusion that Elvish is truly an alien language known because humans on Earth used to ally with the UrDail. Love that!
The entire novella is in Alanik’s POV, in the first person. What I enjoyed most about her POV is not just that we get to experience humans filtered through her perception, but that after seeing our humans try to figure out their cytonic skills, it was really cool seeing someone who has mastered them.
Another thing I found compelling was the structure of government, the way society is run. The human world of Detritus is dominated by military command structures as is to be expected considering their circumstance of being on the verge of extinction by an enemy force; ironically, the alien world of ReDawn resembles human democratic structures, the bipartisan US to be more exact. The political slogans and tactics are eerily familiar - sadly not in a good way.
Beyond Sanderson’s world building and Patterson‘s excellent narrative techniques, as I mentioned before, this was definitely the metaphorical nail biter! (Not literally, because eww.) It felt like being in a Sanderlanche from right after the beginning to end (it’s his outline after all) and I couldn’t even tell it’s Patterson‘s prose. The loose ends have me wanting to continue with Cytonic ASAP. Honestly, this was amazing. And this series is still not my favorite of his so that kind of tells you what a genius that man is and that this being co-written is in no way detrimental to the story.
November 24, 2021
THIS CLIFFHANGER IS SO CRUEL, IT JUST ENDED LIKE THAT😭
cytonic better have answers concerning these guys bc i need to know asap
(4.5⭐)
______
AN ALANIK NOVELLA IM SO EXCITED
this is definitely something i never knew i needed in my life
cytonic better have answers concerning these guys bc i need to know asap
(4.5⭐)
______
AN ALANIK NOVELLA IM SO EXCITED
this is definitely something i never knew i needed in my life
November 8, 2022
Why hasn't anyone made a TV series/film of Brandon Sanderson's books?!! This series in particular would look Amazing on screen!
I adore this series, and listening to it on audio has been so much fun!
I loved being on ReDawn, getting to know Alanik and spending more time with Skyward flight!
Also floating trees, explosions, teleporting, Cobb and Gram Gram!
Only niggle was this narrator pronouncing Jorgen differently, but I got used to it.
Already started Evershore. I'm addicted.
I adore this series, and listening to it on audio has been so much fun!
I loved being on ReDawn, getting to know Alanik and spending more time with Skyward flight!
Also floating trees, explosions, teleporting, Cobb and Gram Gram!
Only niggle was this narrator pronouncing Jorgen differently, but I got used to it.
Already started Evershore. I'm addicted.
November 10, 2021
I’m loving these!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
October 30, 2021
ReDawn
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Review:
Awww I love them so much they’re all my babies<33
Sometimes I just put the book down and stare at the wall hallucinating about Spensa just randomly popping up and joining the fight- It NeVeR hApPeNs:(
I’m I sensing potential romance between Arturo and Alanik??? <3
I’M SO SORRY JORGEN I LOVE U I FELT UR PAIN😖
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Review:
Awww I love them so much they’re all my babies<33
Sometimes I just put the book down and stare at the wall hallucinating about Spensa just randomly popping up and joining the fight- It NeVeR hApPeNs:(
I’m I sensing potential romance between Arturo and Alanik??? <3
I’M SO SORRY JORGEN I LOVE U I FELT UR PAIN😖
December 2, 2021
This was fun but I honestly didn't really care about the characters. Those two novellas are important to read before the 3rd book but I wasn't very invested in this book. It's also close to 300 pages which is closer to a novel rather than novella. I didn't like that. I think Sanderson should've released the two novellas much earlier. Sure, now I remember more about the book but at the same time, I'm not as motivated to pick it up now. Not everyone can read the novellas as soon as they're released (one should've released at least each two instead of one month).
Also, what were they trying to do with Arturo? It was so obvious. Yeah, definitely my least favorite read in this series so far.
Also, what were they trying to do with Arturo? It was so obvious. Yeah, definitely my least favorite read in this series so far.
March 30, 2022
This Review ✍️ Blog 📖 Twitter 🐦 Instagram 📷 Support me ☕
Skyward ★★★★
Starsight ★★★★
Sunreach ★★★3/4
ReDawn ★★★ 1/2
As you can see from my rating, Redawn is my least favorite in the series so far but I still enjoyed it to a certain extent. I have very similar feelings about this one as I had with the first novella. They are both very important to the main series and can not be skipped. I think readers who don’t read novellas will miss a lot of things if they jumped straight into Cytonic.
My problem with the book is that it was too technical, Sanderson is a master at world-building but I think the focus of the story veered into the world-building in this one and less on the characters.
Speaking of the characters, I am most intrigued by Spensa as the main POV, FM was also good but Alanik was meh. I kept forgetting that the story followed her and the romance in this one was too obvious just like in Sunreach.
I think the constant jumping between characters and introducing new ones may not be a wise choice and I heard Cytonic introduces a whole new set of characters which I am hesitant about.
The plot is not bad and it was a fast read. It ended with a kind of a cliffhanger so I will be reading Cytonic soon to find out what happens next! I hope the next novel lives up to the rest of the novels as I am not the biggest fan of novellas in general!
“A prisoner could be convinced that they lived in a paradise, if the prison was pretty enough.”
Skyward ★★★★
Starsight ★★★★
Sunreach ★★★3/4
ReDawn ★★★ 1/2
As you can see from my rating, Redawn is my least favorite in the series so far but I still enjoyed it to a certain extent. I have very similar feelings about this one as I had with the first novella. They are both very important to the main series and can not be skipped. I think readers who don’t read novellas will miss a lot of things if they jumped straight into Cytonic.
My problem with the book is that it was too technical, Sanderson is a master at world-building but I think the focus of the story veered into the world-building in this one and less on the characters.
Speaking of the characters, I am most intrigued by Spensa as the main POV, FM was also good but Alanik was meh. I kept forgetting that the story followed her and the romance in this one was too obvious just like in Sunreach.
I think the constant jumping between characters and introducing new ones may not be a wise choice and I heard Cytonic introduces a whole new set of characters which I am hesitant about.
The plot is not bad and it was a fast read. It ended with a kind of a cliffhanger so I will be reading Cytonic soon to find out what happens next! I hope the next novel lives up to the rest of the novels as I am not the biggest fan of novellas in general!
March 1, 2022
3.75* for this novella 🙃
I really enjoyed getting a peek at the populace and planet of ReDawn – that opening Spaceship sport sounded so imaginative even if the politick’ing of it left me a little baffled (mostly cos I zone out for such things 90% of the time 🙈) I am a sucker for an invented sport (thanks Quidditch 🤭) and the fact that the population live in giant trees sounds so dang impressive. I just keep imagining this series a little like an animated TV show and I LIVE for the colours + vivid settings described.
I was initially nervous picking this novella up as I was saddened to potentially be leaving the Skyward gang behind again after missing them so much in Starsight and being teased by having my appetite for them tickled with Sunreach – however I needn’t have worried. 🤗
ReDawn 100% picked up the pace and brought Alanik into the fold (perhaps somewhat kicking and screaming at times as she grappled with the “foreign” ways of these humans) at the same time as the Detritus gang attempt to come to terms with the ways of the Taynix & the Superiority + what to do with the limited and perhaps biased (at times) information they have – some decisions made me want to scream while also completely understanding why they were being made. Learning more about the Cytonic abilities through Alanik and the new copilots was so eyeopening and I cannot wait to discover even more! How they managed to pack so much into this “novella” is impressive and many times I fell foul of the “one more chapter’itis” and read ahead on my BR – sorry not sorry @Lexa 🤪
Going to STFU now and hope not to give anything away other than to say strap in for more Pew Pew Pew fight sequences, expanding crew bonding moments (good + bad 🥺 ), Cobb being a LEDGE as per and an ending I did not entirely see coming. Now I cannot wait for my hold to come through on Novella3 and to check back in with Spensa in Cytonic which I am picking up rn! 🤞
I really enjoyed getting a peek at the populace and planet of ReDawn – that opening Spaceship sport sounded so imaginative even if the politick’ing of it left me a little baffled (mostly cos I zone out for such things 90% of the time 🙈) I am a sucker for an invented sport (thanks Quidditch 🤭) and the fact that the population live in giant trees sounds so dang impressive. I just keep imagining this series a little like an animated TV show and I LIVE for the colours + vivid settings described.
I was initially nervous picking this novella up as I was saddened to potentially be leaving the Skyward gang behind again after missing them so much in Starsight and being teased by having my appetite for them tickled with Sunreach – however I needn’t have worried. 🤗
ReDawn 100% picked up the pace and brought Alanik into the fold (perhaps somewhat kicking and screaming at times as she grappled with the “foreign” ways of these humans) at the same time as the Detritus gang attempt to come to terms with the ways of the Taynix & the Superiority + what to do with the limited and perhaps biased (at times) information they have – some decisions made me want to scream while also completely understanding why they were being made. Learning more about the Cytonic abilities through Alanik and the new copilots was so eyeopening and I cannot wait to discover even more! How they managed to pack so much into this “novella” is impressive and many times I fell foul of the “one more chapter’itis” and read ahead on my BR – sorry not sorry @Lexa 🤪
Going to STFU now and hope not to give anything away other than to say strap in for more Pew Pew Pew fight sequences, expanding crew bonding moments (good + bad 🥺 ), Cobb being a LEDGE as per and an ending I did not entirely see coming. Now I cannot wait for my hold to come through on Novella3 and to check back in with Spensa in Cytonic which I am picking up rn! 🤞
December 27, 2025
Reread 2025: Still love the slugs.
Original review: Where Sunreach was an exploration into new ideas and friends for the people of Detritus, ReDawn is the explosion of action, alliances and war talks that really make this series come alive. It builds on that introduction of a whole new world, a whole new outlook, and turns it inwards by observing how humans have been moulded by the Superiorities behaviour toward them over generations. An ability to survive, to thrive against the odds has turned humans into a formidable weapon, and we see all of this through the eyes of Alanix, an alien.
Loved it. Again, this is essential reading for those reading the series. Essential reading before diving into Cytonic.
Original review: Where Sunreach was an exploration into new ideas and friends for the people of Detritus, ReDawn is the explosion of action, alliances and war talks that really make this series come alive. It builds on that introduction of a whole new world, a whole new outlook, and turns it inwards by observing how humans have been moulded by the Superiorities behaviour toward them over generations. An ability to survive, to thrive against the odds has turned humans into a formidable weapon, and we see all of this through the eyes of Alanix, an alien.
Loved it. Again, this is essential reading for those reading the series. Essential reading before diving into Cytonic.
November 8, 2022
Buddy read with Snezana
Redawn is the second novella in the Skyward series and the book 2.2. ReDawn is to be read before Cytonic, book 3, in the Skyward series. I love this book more than Cytonic because the Skyward flight were here.
The book is written from the perspective of Alanik; the alien Spensa impersonated in Starsight. Most of the book is set on ReDawn, a planet whose inhabitants live in gigantic trees; the world-building is superb, and the geography is genuine.
ReDawn is fast-paced, action-packed and has great dialogue. There wasn't a boring part while reading this book. This book tells us more about the tyranny of the Superiority though they claim to have the best interest of every specie at heart.
The plot is relatively straightforward; a faction of ReDawn's government wants to give in to the Superiority while the other faction wants to fight them.
The faction in ReDawn's government that seeks to please the Superiority has seized control. With Alanik's mentor, Renakin, kidnapped, she has no one but Jorgen, FM, and their friend Rig to turn to for help. An ancient technology may have the ability to save both of their planets from calamity, but will they be able to uncover its mysteries before it's too late?
Redawn is the second novella in the Skyward series and the book 2.2. ReDawn is to be read before Cytonic, book 3, in the Skyward series. I love this book more than Cytonic because the Skyward flight were here.
The book is written from the perspective of Alanik; the alien Spensa impersonated in Starsight. Most of the book is set on ReDawn, a planet whose inhabitants live in gigantic trees; the world-building is superb, and the geography is genuine.
ReDawn is fast-paced, action-packed and has great dialogue. There wasn't a boring part while reading this book. This book tells us more about the tyranny of the Superiority though they claim to have the best interest of every specie at heart.
The plot is relatively straightforward; a faction of ReDawn's government wants to give in to the Superiority while the other faction wants to fight them.
The faction in ReDawn's government that seeks to please the Superiority has seized control. With Alanik's mentor, Renakin, kidnapped, she has no one but Jorgen, FM, and their friend Rig to turn to for help. An ancient technology may have the ability to save both of their planets from calamity, but will they be able to uncover its mysteries before it's too late?
Want to read
September 3, 2021A third book AND two novellas? What a marvelous addition to the SLU (Spensa Literary Universe)
January 13, 2023
This one was not as good as the last one. It didn’t hold my attention and I had to finish this in multiple sittings cuz I honestly couldn’t care less for Alanik or her people or the politics. It feels kinda weird to say this but it felt like Alanik was not alien enough. I was bored throughout the book except maybe in the end. I finished this cuz I had to- in order to read book 3.
December 6, 2021
Normally I'd say you can take or leave novellas, that isn't quite true in the Skyward series. The novellas are definitely must reads so you know what is going on with all of Spensa's flight crew in her absence. A lot happens to the characters she has left behind.
Alanik is back at her planet and things do not seem to be going well for her people. They have resisted the superiority for so long but now some of the elders want to have peace so much they aren't worried about the cost of that peace. Alanik must see if the humans she met might be able to help her and her people to resist so they might form and alliance again against the superiority.
Scud there is a lot of action in this. I liked seeing another world and how it is both the same and different than some of the others we have visited. Alanik's people and how they have resisted the superiority throughout the years differently than the human will make them interesting allies.
Jorgen's journey in this was difficult too. He has some big changes in his life and new shoes to fill lets see if Jerkface is up to the task.
Alanik is back at her planet and things do not seem to be going well for her people. They have resisted the superiority for so long but now some of the elders want to have peace so much they aren't worried about the cost of that peace. Alanik must see if the humans she met might be able to help her and her people to resist so they might form and alliance again against the superiority.
Scud there is a lot of action in this. I liked seeing another world and how it is both the same and different than some of the others we have visited. Alanik's people and how they have resisted the superiority throughout the years differently than the human will make them interesting allies.
Jorgen's journey in this was difficult too. He has some big changes in his life and new shoes to fill lets see if Jerkface is up to the task.
January 15, 2024
*** I have a YouTube channel now! Check it out here. ***
4 stars
**Although this is a spoiler free review (spoilers are hidden), there may be spoilers for previous books in series (scroll down)**
What an amazing novella! Pacing? Exquisite (for the most part). World-expansion? YES! Totally new civilisation explored. Intrigue? Yes! Read in basically one sitting. Huge, huge fan. ReDawn follows Alanik as she attempts to forge an alliance between her people, the UrDail, and the humans. Of course, not everything goes to plan as the Superiority is constantly pursuing their own agenda, and rival factions on both Detritus and ReDawn are in disagreement about the best courses of action. At what cost will this alliance be established?
First off, the pacing was so so good. The first half of the novella is an absolute banger. First we get introduced to ReDawn and the basic politics of the UrDail, which sheds a light on how planets that aren't strictly part of the Superiority but aren't fully isolated either function during this conflict. Furthermore, the setting is so atmospheric! The UrDail live in huge floating trees in the atmosphere of a gas giant whose noxious gases contribute to a reddish-purplish miasma that make the planet appear to be in a constant state of dawn. !!! Epic. Quickly, however the stakes are raised due to Superiority pressure and attacks causing Alanik to be forced back to Skyward Flight and attempt negotiations. Because the main characters' actions aren't strictly legal, the entire 90-ish pages that follow turn out to be a massive action sequence (or something near to it). Things slow down extremely at that point. However, this doesn't last long as soon new threads are revealed and I was hooked again.
Next, I was shocked at how much happened plot wise that will have a strong significance on the main plot. One qualm that I had about Sunreach was that it didn't feel like all that much happened in its 200 pages that would have a significant effect on the main storyline. This novella is different. As a person who doesn't yet know what occurs in Cytonic, I can't comment on if the things that occurred here come into play, but they're so integral to the state of the human society that surely they must. I appreciate that a lot because with novellas sometimes they're quite useless. This one isn't.
This didn't quite achieve 5 stars because my enjoyment level just wasn't there yet and I thought that the narration should have been a tad more demonstrative of the difference in UrDail vs human cultures. ... oh and Cuna felt irrelevant, which kind of felt like an oversight or an inconvenience to write about.
To sum up, this was great. We get more of the cool Skyward Flight banter. We get a new world. Constant excitement. I loved seeing human traditions through the eyes of an UrDail. We get more Arturo (probably my favorite Skyward Flight member other than Spensa herself). And it was a lot of fun. Now less than two weeks remain till Cytonic releases and I am so so hyped.
--------------------------
Books in Series:
#1 Skyward: ★★★★★
#2 Starsight: ★★★★.5
#2.1 Sunreach: ★★★.5
#2.2 ReDawn: ★★★★
#3 Cytonic: ★★★★.5
#3.1 Evershore: ★★★★
#4 Defiant: ★★★.25
4 stars
**Although this is a spoiler free review (spoilers are hidden), there may be spoilers for previous books in series (scroll down)**
What an amazing novella! Pacing? Exquisite (for the most part). World-expansion? YES! Totally new civilisation explored. Intrigue? Yes! Read in basically one sitting. Huge, huge fan. ReDawn follows Alanik as she attempts to forge an alliance between her people, the UrDail, and the humans. Of course, not everything goes to plan as the Superiority is constantly pursuing their own agenda, and rival factions on both Detritus and ReDawn are in disagreement about the best courses of action. At what cost will this alliance be established?
First off, the pacing was so so good. The first half of the novella is an absolute banger. First we get introduced to ReDawn and the basic politics of the UrDail, which sheds a light on how planets that aren't strictly part of the Superiority but aren't fully isolated either function during this conflict. Furthermore, the setting is so atmospheric! The UrDail live in huge floating trees in the atmosphere of a gas giant whose noxious gases contribute to a reddish-purplish miasma that make the planet appear to be in a constant state of dawn. !!! Epic. Quickly, however the stakes are raised due to Superiority pressure and attacks causing Alanik to be forced back to Skyward Flight and attempt negotiations. Because the main characters' actions aren't strictly legal, the entire 90-ish pages that follow turn out to be a massive action sequence (or something near to it). Things slow down extremely at that point. However, this doesn't last long as soon new threads are revealed and I was hooked again.
Next, I was shocked at how much happened plot wise that will have a strong significance on the main plot. One qualm that I had about Sunreach was that it didn't feel like all that much happened in its 200 pages that would have a significant effect on the main storyline. This novella is different. As a person who doesn't yet know what occurs in Cytonic, I can't comment on if the things that occurred here come into play, but they're so integral to the state of the human society that surely they must. I appreciate that a lot because with novellas sometimes they're quite useless. This one isn't.
This didn't quite achieve 5 stars because my enjoyment level just wasn't there yet and I thought that the narration should have been a tad more demonstrative of the difference in UrDail vs human cultures. ... oh and Cuna felt irrelevant, which kind of felt like an oversight or an inconvenience to write about.
To sum up, this was great. We get more of the cool Skyward Flight banter. We get a new world. Constant excitement. I loved seeing human traditions through the eyes of an UrDail. We get more Arturo (probably my favorite Skyward Flight member other than Spensa herself). And it was a lot of fun. Now less than two weeks remain till Cytonic releases and I am so so hyped.
--------------------------
Books in Series:
#1 Skyward: ★★★★★
#2 Starsight: ★★★★.5
#2.1 Sunreach: ★★★.5
#2.2 ReDawn: ★★★★
#3 Cytonic: ★★★★.5
#3.1 Evershore: ★★★★
#4 Defiant: ★★★.25
January 2, 2022
Finished my first book of 2022 and wow! For a novella this was really good and wish it was a full legnth novel!(:
Four/five stars
Four/five stars
March 4, 2022
3.75 stars.
This review has been quite difficult to decide on. Mostly because my feelings towards this one are somewhat conflicting... with what I wanted them to be in the first place.
As a long-standing fan of Sanderson, I am naturally predisposed to love any of his books. I have hardly ever read something by him that I didn't love, after all. And I did enjoy the plot and storytelling and world-building of this novella, there are no questions about that, but I did not love Alanik.
So, reconciling that fact, and deciding on my final thoughts over the whole thing, was quite the struggle but, at long last, I am ready to share my thoughts. Which are overwhelmingly good.
From the moment that this novella was announced I was really excited to explore more of the world that this series takes place on. Especially from the viewpoint of someone that grew up in it and isn't discovering it. I was not wrong in thinking that the experience was going to be beyond rewarding as we learned a lot.
Exploring the culture of the Urdail and some of the galactic politics was intriguing. The characteristic world-building and detailed structure of the society that Sanderson is known for shone to its maximum capacity. While maintaining the intrigue we got to be handed missing information that will definitely affect the story moving forward.
It was exciting and action-packed just as much as it was filled with moral conflicts and political maneuvers. So, there is a little of something for everyone. And since the novella is quite short, all things considered, it maintains a break-neck pace that will keep you captivated.
Now, on the front of moral conflicts, we have our MC, Alanik, who we have met before, and though I enjoyed seeing her journey and appreciated it greatly, as it is quite rewarding, I was not so thrilled with the character herself. I just didn't really connect with her, and that, I'm afraid, dragged the whole book for me.
It comes down to nothing but personal preferences and experiences, really, but I was ready to be out of her headspace.
Don't misunderstand me, her character is quite well constructed and rounded, even in this short time we had with her, nicely. She has amazing potential and all her actions are reasonable and perfectly rational. I just didn't like her.
Thankfully, there were other characters that I loved that made the time more bearable for me; and that I was ecstatic to see.
As always, or rather, as it happened with the first novella, we had a little dash of romance in the mix and, well, that I am obsessed with. Maybe even more because we got so little of it and it was the best spice there is.
Of course, the implications this installment has for the continuation of the series is humongous and so surprising.
I believe that ending stole some years from my life...
And if that isn't the best thing I could say about this novella I don't know what it is. I was sad it ended, maybe that's better, and I could read more of it. See more of its characters. Be happy to never reemerge from its pages.
___________________
This was both very thrilling and underwhelming... I don't know. I've got mixed feelings.
However, the writing was as mind-blowing as always.
And that ending ENDED ME alongside it.
I need time.
RTC.
___________________
I am so excited to finally be coming back to these novellas! Now that I actually have Cytonic I won't have to wait to get to the main course, and then the last novella.
Even better, I am reading this with the lovely Aoife and I'm sure all our theorizing it's gonna be really fun.
Getting to see more of Alinik it's going to be incredibly interesting. So I'm getting my notes ready for all the new elements we're gonna get.
“We need to fight them. Because we don’t want to be under their control. Because we’re not ‘lesser’. We’re intelligent, and we have a right to direct our own lives and our own future. We’re not trying to take over from the Superiority. We only want to exist without their interference and their… judgment.”
This review has been quite difficult to decide on. Mostly because my feelings towards this one are somewhat conflicting... with what I wanted them to be in the first place.
As a long-standing fan of Sanderson, I am naturally predisposed to love any of his books. I have hardly ever read something by him that I didn't love, after all. And I did enjoy the plot and storytelling and world-building of this novella, there are no questions about that, but I did not love Alanik.
So, reconciling that fact, and deciding on my final thoughts over the whole thing, was quite the struggle but, at long last, I am ready to share my thoughts. Which are overwhelmingly good.
“Progress for ReDawn. It was what we all wanted, of course. But some of us thought it mattered what we were progressing toward.”
From the moment that this novella was announced I was really excited to explore more of the world that this series takes place on. Especially from the viewpoint of someone that grew up in it and isn't discovering it. I was not wrong in thinking that the experience was going to be beyond rewarding as we learned a lot.
Exploring the culture of the Urdail and some of the galactic politics was intriguing. The characteristic world-building and detailed structure of the society that Sanderson is known for shone to its maximum capacity. While maintaining the intrigue we got to be handed missing information that will definitely affect the story moving forward.
It was exciting and action-packed just as much as it was filled with moral conflicts and political maneuvers. So, there is a little of something for everyone. And since the novella is quite short, all things considered, it maintains a break-neck pace that will keep you captivated.
“So you need each other’s ideas to really be free. I like that idea.”
Now, on the front of moral conflicts, we have our MC, Alanik, who we have met before, and though I enjoyed seeing her journey and appreciated it greatly, as it is quite rewarding, I was not so thrilled with the character herself. I just didn't really connect with her, and that, I'm afraid, dragged the whole book for me.
It comes down to nothing but personal preferences and experiences, really, but I was ready to be out of her headspace.
Don't misunderstand me, her character is quite well constructed and rounded, even in this short time we had with her, nicely. She has amazing potential and all her actions are reasonable and perfectly rational. I just didn't like her.
Thankfully, there were other characters that I loved that made the time more bearable for me; and that I was ecstatic to see.
As always, or rather, as it happened with the first novella, we had a little dash of romance in the mix and, well, that I am obsessed with. Maybe even more because we got so little of it and it was the best spice there is.
“They control us and call it peace, but it isn’t peace when we don’t have a choice.”
Of course, the implications this installment has for the continuation of the series is humongous and so surprising.
I believe that ending stole some years from my life...
And if that isn't the best thing I could say about this novella I don't know what it is. I was sad it ended, maybe that's better, and I could read more of it. See more of its characters. Be happy to never reemerge from its pages.
“That’s what an alliance is. It means we protect each other.”
___________________
This was both very thrilling and underwhelming... I don't know. I've got mixed feelings.
However, the writing was as mind-blowing as always.
And that ending ENDED ME alongside it.
I need time.
RTC.
___________________
I am so excited to finally be coming back to these novellas! Now that I actually have Cytonic I won't have to wait to get to the main course, and then the last novella.
Even better, I am reading this with the lovely Aoife and I'm sure all our theorizing it's gonna be really fun.
Getting to see more of Alinik it's going to be incredibly interesting. So I'm getting my notes ready for all the new elements we're gonna get.
June 19, 2022
Note: It is recommended that you read ReDawn after Starsight and before Cytonic (to be released) as it’s not just another PoV novella, but furthers the plot in a meaningfully too.
I'm very surprised of how much I love this novella series that both Sanderson and Patterson collaborated on it, and it further proof this series is very well and smartly written. and I say that because I love novella and getting more content form a series, but I just have hard time with most of novella's even the series I absolutely loved.
That being said, one thing I absolutely appreciate is that I love this two author's take on the whole alien and humankind race and sci-fi. every often when a good sci-fi and specifically alien-type story is hyped, it's about humans and alien being enemy and the alien part has the better facility and technology and furthermore, the difficulty between this two race. and that's fine, it's an interesting concept per se, and that's why books like "The Aurora Cycle " is well known.
what I really like about this book is the concept of humankind and alien-ship (basically) making alliance and peace together and that was explored very well. it brought another side of the complicated side with us and the alien's we always talk badly of. this novel emphasized a lot on that, and I'm glad it does exist.
July 18, 2023
i’ve come to the conclusion that i don’t really care about skyward flight….😕
August 31, 2024
"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! :))
Skyward series - my rating:
1. Skyward: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
2. Starsight: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
2. 1 Sunreach: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
2.2. ReDawn: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
2.3 Evershore: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
3. Cytonic: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)
4. Defiant: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
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! :))
Skyward series - my rating:
1. Skyward: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
2. Starsight: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
2. 1 Sunreach: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
2.2. ReDawn: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
2.3 Evershore: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
3. Cytonic: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)
4. Defiant: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
November 27, 2021
Another great novella from the Skyward series! This time following the alien Alanik on her home planet, ReDawn. There's also a lot of Jorgen, FM, Rigs and the rest of the Skyward gang in it.
We are told more about the Cytonic powers and the cute hyper-jumping slugs.
There's also a lot of action, world building and character development.
Now I can't wait to read Cytonic!
We are told more about the Cytonic powers and the cute hyper-jumping slugs.
There's also a lot of action, world building and character development.
Now I can't wait to read Cytonic!
February 16, 2022
Redawn! Segunda novela corta de la saga Escuadrón. Para leerla tienen que haber leído los primeros dos libros de la saga y la novela corta de Sunreach.
Me gustó mucho, pero quizá no me hizo Fangirlear tanto y en algún punto se volvió repetitiva.
Redawn toma el punto de vista de Alanik y nos cuenta un poco más de ella, qué desea, cuáles son sus objetivos y qué está dispuesta a hacer para lograrlo. La novela tiene una linda dosis de acción y política interestelar lo que me gustó mucho. El romance no me terminó de convencer, hay un intento de pareja que jamás hubiera visto venir y lo sentí un poco sacado de la nada.
Más allá de eso les comento que estas novelas cortas son importantes para la saga y está sumamente recomendado leerlas antes de continuar con la saga principal.
Yo leyendo Redawn: 🥴😎🙃🤣🥺
Me gustó mucho, pero quizá no me hizo Fangirlear tanto y en algún punto se volvió repetitiva.
Redawn toma el punto de vista de Alanik y nos cuenta un poco más de ella, qué desea, cuáles son sus objetivos y qué está dispuesta a hacer para lograrlo. La novela tiene una linda dosis de acción y política interestelar lo que me gustó mucho. El romance no me terminó de convencer, hay un intento de pareja que jamás hubiera visto venir y lo sentí un poco sacado de la nada.
Más allá de eso les comento que estas novelas cortas son importantes para la saga y está sumamente recomendado leerlas antes de continuar con la saga principal.
Yo leyendo Redawn: 🥴😎🙃🤣🥺
November 22, 2022
It was good. I look forward to reading book 3, especially after that ending.
July 1, 2022
[3.75]
“It wasn’t being left behind that frightened me.
It was losing their trust, I realized. It was being alone.
It was discovering that I always had been.”
My feelings towards this novella are a little bit conflicted, so I don’t really know where to start.
First, I guess I should clarify that the plot did entertain me. I enjoyed the fact that we got to see another civilization interacting with the humans, and we received more information about the cytonic powers. That was interesting, I won’t deny it.
So, what was my problem? That’s simple. Alanik.
Although I was invested in the story, I know it was all because of the Skyward Flight, which are characters I already knew and cared about. Maybe that was the reason I enjoyed Sunreach as much as I did. However, since I couldn’t sympathize or connect with Alanik, I struggled to be interested in her and her people.
“That was important information, and he probably shouldn’t have given it up so easily. I needed to keep them talking, see what else I might learn. If they decided not to send help, at least I’d be armed with more information.”
Yes, yes, she needed information to help ReDawn, but that doesn't change the fact that even after getting all the help she was looking for, Alanik barely gave the humans anything of value in return. She kept taking and taking from them. I mean, Jorgen literally learned more on his own than from her supposed "guide."
On top of that, she was constantly trying to prove herself in a way that was incredibly annoying. It just showed her selfishness and arrogance, which would’ve been fine if she had some kind of development towards the end (she did not!).
Oh, and don’t even get me started in the attempt at romance there. It weirds me out.
Putting all that aside, this novella gave us important information that will likely play a role in the main series. And that ending! It left me with several questions and sparked my curiosity.
Sadly, this series has been going downhill after the first book (which was freaking amazing), but as a huge Sanderson fan, I’ll continue reading it and praying for a surprising turn of events.
“It wasn’t being left behind that frightened me.
It was losing their trust, I realized. It was being alone.
It was discovering that I always had been.”
My feelings towards this novella are a little bit conflicted, so I don’t really know where to start.
First, I guess I should clarify that the plot did entertain me. I enjoyed the fact that we got to see another civilization interacting with the humans, and we received more information about the cytonic powers. That was interesting, I won’t deny it.
So, what was my problem? That’s simple. Alanik.
Although I was invested in the story, I know it was all because of the Skyward Flight, which are characters I already knew and cared about. Maybe that was the reason I enjoyed Sunreach as much as I did. However, since I couldn’t sympathize or connect with Alanik, I struggled to be interested in her and her people.
“That was important information, and he probably shouldn’t have given it up so easily. I needed to keep them talking, see what else I might learn. If they decided not to send help, at least I’d be armed with more information.”
Yes, yes, she needed information to help ReDawn, but that doesn't change the fact that even after getting all the help she was looking for, Alanik barely gave the humans anything of value in return. She kept taking and taking from them. I mean, Jorgen literally learned more on his own than from her supposed "guide."
On top of that, she was constantly trying to prove herself in a way that was incredibly annoying. It just showed her selfishness and arrogance, which would’ve been fine if she had some kind of development towards the end (she did not!).
Oh, and don’t even get me started in the attempt at romance there. It weirds me out.
Putting all that aside, this novella gave us important information that will likely play a role in the main series. And that ending! It left me with several questions and sparked my curiosity.
Sadly, this series has been going downhill after the first book (which was freaking amazing), but as a huge Sanderson fan, I’ll continue reading it and praying for a surprising turn of events.
December 30, 2021
I absolutely adore Jorgen, and can't wait to learn more about Alanik as well.
I do have to say though, these 'novellas' are more like full-length novels!
I do have to say though, these 'novellas' are more like full-length novels!
November 22, 2021
ReDawn is the second of the Skyward novellas that takes place between Skyward and Starsight. ReDawn follows Alanik in her mission to convince the human to becomes allies to her people of ReDawn.
Like the previous novella, Sunreach, ReDawn’s stakes are real and will have an effect on the next full length novel, Cytonic. I’m jumping ahead, but the ending of this novel had me picking up my jaw from the floor.
ReDawn also gives readers a more in-depth look at another alien race in the Skyward universe. I’m excited to read more about Alanik and her potential budding relationship in Cytonic.
Overall, ReDawn is another fantastic addition to the Skyward universe that ups the stakes and will certainly have an impact on the events of Cytonic while giving readers a glimpse of what Skyward Flight is up to without Spensa.
Like the previous novella, Sunreach, ReDawn’s stakes are real and will have an effect on the next full length novel, Cytonic. I’m jumping ahead, but the ending of this novel had me picking up my jaw from the floor.
ReDawn also gives readers a more in-depth look at another alien race in the Skyward universe. I’m excited to read more about Alanik and her potential budding relationship in Cytonic.
Overall, ReDawn is another fantastic addition to the Skyward universe that ups the stakes and will certainly have an impact on the events of Cytonic while giving readers a glimpse of what Skyward Flight is up to without Spensa.
January 7, 2022
This novella was much better than the last one and I definitely recommend reading it before reading Cytonic. I feel like unlike the first novella, there are a few things that would be confusing or feel out of nowhere if it isn't read. So excited to read Cytonic.
April 18, 2022
Tatsächlich sogar ganz starke vier Sterne!
Ich hatte super geringe Erwartungen an die Novella und sie eigentlich auch nur gelesen weil ich genau wusste, dass ich es sonst gar nicht lesen würde. Und ich bin so überrascht worden. Es war fast-paced, actionreich, hatte Situationskomik, eine interessante neue Welt UND DEN SKYWARD FLIGHT. Ach, ich fand’s riiiiiichtig gut und hab’s einfach auch super schnell gelesen. Ich freu mich jetzt auf Evershore weil das Ende war W T F.
Übrigens nicht nur einfach kleine nette Nebengeschichten sondern echt zur eigentlichen Reihe beitragend. Wenn ihr Skyward genauso feiert wie ich, dann ein absoluter Muss. 😍
Ich hatte super geringe Erwartungen an die Novella und sie eigentlich auch nur gelesen weil ich genau wusste, dass ich es sonst gar nicht lesen würde. Und ich bin so überrascht worden. Es war fast-paced, actionreich, hatte Situationskomik, eine interessante neue Welt UND DEN SKYWARD FLIGHT. Ach, ich fand’s riiiiiichtig gut und hab’s einfach auch super schnell gelesen. Ich freu mich jetzt auf Evershore weil das Ende war W T F.
Übrigens nicht nur einfach kleine nette Nebengeschichten sondern echt zur eigentlichen Reihe beitragend. Wenn ihr Skyward genauso feiert wie ich, dann ein absoluter Muss. 😍
November 12, 2021
Star Rating: —> 5 Stars
Absolutely freaking fantastic ! So completely & totally excited for Cytonic!!!!
Absolutely freaking fantastic ! So completely & totally excited for Cytonic!!!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,867 reviews