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Cytonic (The Skyward Series Book 3)
Spensa's life as a Defiant Defense Force pilot has been far from ordinary. She proved herself one of the best starfighters in the human enclave of Detritus and she saved her people from extermination at the hands of the Krell…
- Release Date
- 2021
- Length
- 390 pages
- Publisher
- Hachette UK
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Our Review
About the book
The third Skyward novel sends Spensa into the nowhere, a strange, shifting realm that exists outside ordinary space and holds secrets about the delvers and her own cytonic powers. Alongside M-Bot and an unlikely companion, she searches for answers that could save her people and her friends back home.
Our review
A dreamlike detour into strange dimensions that delivers big answers but pulls Spensa away from everything we love about the series.
Sanderson clearly relished building the nowhere, a place of drifting islands, pirates and odd memories, and some sequences have a pulpy, almost Saturday-morning charm. The book reveals major lore about the delvers and cytonics, threading this series into Sanderson’s larger universe in ways longtime fans will savor. Spensa’s growing understanding of herself and of the dangers of her powers gives her arc meaningful weight, and M-Bot’s journey takes intriguing turns.
Still, this is the series’ weakest entry. The episodic, quest-like structure makes the plot feel meandering, and the absence of the Skyward Flight team is felt keenly. Much of the book’s emotional energy depends on characters we barely see. The new companion, while entertaining, can’t carry the load the original ensemble did. It’s essential for the series’ mythology, but readers may find themselves skimming toward the finale.
What we loved
- Inventive, surreal setting in the nowhere
- Major revelations about the series’ mythology
- Meaningful development of Spensa’s powers
Keep in mind
- An episodic, meandering plot
- The beloved supporting cast is mostly offstage
Read it if you like
Readers committed to the Skyward series, fans of Sanderson’s Cosmere crossovers, or lovers of portal adventures.
The verdict
An important but wandering installment that answers questions while losing momentum; worth it for completists.
