Skyward was a pleasant surprise. It had some great characters and worldbuilding. It hit the emotional notes when it needed to and had an amazing coming-of-age journey for Spensa. It didn't feel like the writing was too simple and considering that this is a YA book, that is a great accomplishment. The ending of this book was also absolutely insane. I could not put the book down near the end.

There were a few things I didn't like. Some of the YA tropes felt a bit annoying and the story could be predictable at times. Also, it sometimes felt that some of the leaders/administration in this book were a bit dumb. 

Other than that, Skyward was   surprisingly great YA sci-fi book from Brandon Sanderson. The ending did a great job of concluding this arc and setting up the next one for Starsight.