A YA space opera series following Spensa Nightshade, who dreams of becoming a pilot despite her father being branded a coward. The books chronicle Spensa's training, her discovery of a sentient AI ship, battles against alien drones, and eventually her journey into hyperspace to uncover the truth about cytonic abilities and the mysterious forces controlling the galactic conflict.
On a planet under constant attack by alien drones, sixteen-year-old Spensa dreams of becoming a pilot despite the military's ban on the daughter of a pilot labeled a coward, and her discovery of a hidden, damaged AI ship may be her only path to the sky and the truth about her father. A fast, funny, emotionally satisfying YA military science fiction novel with a strong found-family angle. The first book in the Skyward series.
After the revelations of Skyward, Spensa goes undercover among an alien military force to learn their technology and discover the secret of the hyperdrives that could save humanity and finds that the universe is far more complicated, and more morally ambiguous, than she was taught. The second Skyward novel expands dramatically in scope and alien world-building while sustaining the series' emotional core. A strong and ambitious sequel.
Spensa and her AI companion M-Bot are stranded in the Nowhere a mysterious hyperspace realm populated by pirates, ancient creatures, and the shadows of the past and must find a way back while uncovering the truth about cytonic abilities and the beings who police their use. A more introspective and world-building-focused entry in the Skyward series, lighter on action but richer in mythology. Designed as a transitional chapter in the larger story.