896: Sky’s End was familiar, yet compelling

In this episode, I felt like I was reading something that I understood…

Friends, friends, friends.

Welcome back to Teatime Reading where there are books in progress.

There’s a reason why so many of us have favorite genres. The tropes, themes, and even formulas lull into a sense of security while offering the author plenty of chances to tease, manipulate, and play with those expectations.

My backstory with Marc J Gregson’s new book Sky’s End was an interesting one. I must have seen his viral TikTok, which I promptly forgot. Then, I found it when browsing for new reads and I thought the synopsis looked interesting.

It was also a rare book that I started with the audiobook then switched to the page, because I wanted to go faster. The basic premise was simple enough, and I wouldn’t call this book revolutionary by any stretch, but it was extremely fun.

From the synopsis:

Exiled to live as a Low, sixteen-year-old Conrad refuses to become heir to his murderous uncle. But Meritocracy is a harsh and unforgiving rule on the floating island of Holmstead, and when his ailing mother is killed by monstrous gorgantauns Conrad cuts a deal to save the only family he has left. To rescue his sister from his uncle's clutches, Conrad must enter the Selection of the Twelve Trades.

Hunter, the deadliest of all the Trades, gains a fresh recruit with Conrad. Now he must endure vigorous training, manipulative peers, and the Gauntlet—a brutal final test that yields riches and status to whichever skyship crew kills the most gorgantauns. Forced to serve in the lowest of all stations and unseen by all, Conrad overhears whispers of rebellion in the dark. All his life, Conrad hadn’t known anything existed below the toxic black clouds of the Skylands . . . until now.

So, nothing so far feels unique or innovative. But the characters were great, in spite of the predictability. The world was interesting, despite the ways that it reminded me of other stories.

And most importantly, I liked how far Conrad had to fall in order to get a chance to rise. The challenges of the gauntlet were interesting and fresh within the familiar dystopian YA formula and I felt compelled to keep reading. That’s a factor that can often be a pitfall for many books in this genre.

The violence, intensity, and lessons in intrapersonal dynamics made this book more than a paint-by-numbers story, and even though I felt like this was a clear set-up to a sequel, which I quickly learned was scheduled for a 2025 release, I had a very good time with Sky’s End.

I absolutely thought of The Hunger Games series, but I also felt some of the best parts of Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies series.

Another reviewer mentioned that this book had dimension, and that feels really appropriate. Unique, it wasn’t, but there was a certain vitality in its world, its storytelling, and its characters, that I was incredibly invested.

It was a book I wasn’t sure I would recommend in the first few chapters, but it was a very enjoyable time.

Until next time, keep your bookmarks close.

Peace, Love, Pages.

Note: As Always, Affiliate Links are here for your convenience at no cost to you. All reading was at my own expense.