User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
4.5/5 stars
Wei Shi Lindon may not have any advancement happening to him in this book, but the series did. Skysworn, just like each respective previous books, once again upgraded the overall quality of the Cradle series.I honestly think that
Skysworn was even better than
Blackflame; imagine my surprise when I found out that many readers thought of this one as a downgrade for the series. I respectfully disagree. What happened in
Skysworn is the direction that the series needs, although I highly enjoyed
Blackflame, I didn’t have that uncontrollable urge to continue with the series. But now? I might be having nightmares if I don’t continue with the series.
“I don’t have any love for the Jai clan, but as for you, if I saw you on fire I’d hold an umbrella for you so the rain didn’t put you out.”
The previous three books have focused the main storyline on Lindon’s advancement towards a greater power, and yes, at its core this is the main strength of
Cradle and Progression Fantasy. However, the series was starting to get stale and repetitive for me, Will Wight made the right choice by making
Skysworn an action-packed and thrilling installment, and I loved it very much. Reading this was the first time in my time of reading through the series that I had utter difficulty putting the book down; the actions were incredibly well-written, vivid, imaginative, and superbly paced.
“When a horse carries a man, which of them is the stronger party? It is only suitable that a dragon should carry lesser creatures.”
Skysworn focuses its narrative on the long-awaited duel that Lindon has to confront since the end of
Soulsmith, but that’s not all, the duel was exciting but what elevated the series was the monstrous and gigantic new threats brought forth by the appearance of the Dreadgods. It is by far the most intense installment in the series so far. The horror and overwhelming sheer power displayed by the Dreadgods made the breakneck pacing in
Skysworn bloody delightful to read. This marks the fourth book in a twelve book series, and the large-scale event and crimson disaster unveiled in
Skysworn pretty much showed the amazing potential of the series.
The characterizations were better, and I continue to love Eithan, Jai Long, Yerin, and the side characters of the series, maybe even more now. The brilliant actions aside, another huge improvement that occurred in
Skysworn was the scale of emotions the main character, Lindon, exhibited. I was indifferent towards Lindon; he felt like an empty vessel written merely to show the gradual rise in power and magic system of the series, but now I’m starting to care about his journey, and this is a crucial aspect for me in my reading experience.
“After an injury like this, it is your thoughts that are most deadly. Your fears, your pain, your despair, they are deadly poison. Do not let them rule you.”
The world-building has also been expanded, and the ending of this book made me super excited to continue with the series. I know it feels repetitive for me to keep on saying “this is my favorite book in the series so far” in my reviews of the series, but it is my honest assessment. You might as well get used to it; there’s a huge chance I’m going to repeat this statement again in my review of
Ghostwater,
Underlord, and the rest of the series.
Skysworn was gripping in every sense of the word, it was the most pulse-pounding book in the series so far, and if the next books ended up being better than this, I know I’ll be including
Cradle in my list of favorite series. It’s quite terrifying to think that I have only three published books left in the series so far to read, I will do my best to prolong my journey through
Cradle, which I’m damn sure I’ll fail.
You can order the book from: Book Depository (Free shipping)You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel NotionsSpecial thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!
My Patrons: Mike, Hamad, Miracle, Devin, Nicholas.
Rating: really liked it
Check out my YouTube channel where I show my instant reactions upon finishing reading fantasy books. A book with some flaws that don't matter because it is so dang fun to read!The mark of a truly great fantasy series in my opinion is when it continues to get better the longer it goes on - and this is exactly the trajectory that
Cradle has gone with these first four books. I have no doubt that while there may be some small bumps in the road along the way of this long journey, that this trajectory will ultimately continue to climb, as Will Wight has figured out how to write literary crack.
Have I read better books than this? Of course I have. But I can honestly say that I have never been so addicted to reading a book series and it's making me put down my entire TBR list to just grind through all these books as fast as physically possible.
Story: 4/5The story was very good in this book - the best so far in the series. The duel that has been promised since the 2nd book is finally here, and without spoiling anything, the stakes are higher than ever with the appearance of some absolute existential threats.
The pacing is almost too fast, but it works for a series like this where the books are rather short and the expectation is that events will come quickly. Given that we are essentially given a snapshot into how powerful these characters will be by the end of the series, things have to go quickly in order to realistically get to that point.
World Building: 5/5The worldbuilding is phenomenal in this series, and it's finally getting to the point where the reader has a good grasp of the geo-political landscape. Looking back on the earlier books in this series where I was frustrated by the rather narrow scope that was given, I appreciate it more now that the slow build of revealing the world made it worth the wait.
As is true for books that excel in this regard, as a reader you can completely visualize the different locations that are given here, and it makes you get lost in the world with that incredible sense of wonder. I cannot wait for more books to explore the other parts of this world that have been briefly described, and meet the characters that live there.
Fantasy Elements: 5/5The fantasy aspects of this book are where things shines the most here. The "magic system" is complex in a good way, because it's simultaneously easy to understand, but extremely large in scope. It feels like you are playing a video game where the characters are constantly levelling up and learning more moves that make them more powerful the more you progress. Think of what makes RPG video games so hard to put down, where you look outside and realize that morning has arrived and you were playing all night - and you have that here in literary form.
Characters: 3/5The characters remain the weakest part of this book, and while I do feel that the character work here is improving - the main cast still feels a little on the dull side. There wasn't enough work put in towards the beginning of this series to give compelling backstories that explain how and why these characters think the way they do, and it suffers as a result. I'm not in love with any of the characters like I am in some other fantasy works, but over time I begin to like them more.
Writing Style: 4/5The writing is a little on the "simple" side, and while I do enjoy books that span the spectrum of difficulty, I do end up wishing that the author would expand his prose more. The average word length is rather short and the sentence structure leaves a bit to be desired.
That being said though, the ability for the author to write in a way that lures in the reader in such a captivating manner is awe-inspiring. It's not done with cliffhangers, it's done with wonderful pacing and a wonderful story - and he deserves immense praise for his ability to suck in the reader into this world.
Enjoyment: 5/5Even though this book has some flaws, I literally couldn't enjoy myself more here. I'm someone who almost never reads books in the same series back to back, and typically read 5-6 series by alternating between them. But this book has forced me to abandon that strategy and just read these back-to-back-to-back-to-back and I couldn't be happier as a result.
Rating: really liked it
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“After an injury like this, it is your thoughts that are most deadly. Your fears, your pain, your despair, they are deadly poison. Do not let them rule you.”
Unsouled ★★★ 3/4
Soulsmith ★★★ 1/2
Blackflame ★★★★
Skysworn ★★★★ 1/4
Holy Guacamole! I can’t believe I almost skipped reading this series because I always thought it was something else and I am very thankful for my friends David and Chan for “forcing” me to read this! Honestly guys, I am very grateful that you made me discover this epic series.
Looking at my ratings above, you can see that I am loving this series more and more witch each and every new entry into the series! Skysworn has been the best book in the series so far in terms of how everything was balanced and yet it was such a fun, addicting read!
I can’t recommend this enough for those looking for a faster fantasy read, the books are all around 300 pages, very easy to read and very addicting too, I usually finish these books in two days! The writing is very available for readers of all ages, the story keeps getting better so I can’t ask for more.
There are not many new characters in this book but I think that was a good choice. The author instead decided to focus on the characters we already had and develop them as much as possible. Lindon develops a bit more and I like how the author is brutal to the characters and he doesn’t hold back and make them go through all kind of horrors that makes me stop reading to see if what happened really happened or I misunderstood something. Lindon jumped many levels the previous book and I thought it was a bit rushed so I am glad it was slowed down a bit here! Yerin gets to shine a bit more in this book and Eithan is Eithan, still sarcastic, powerful and great as usual! I liked Akura as soon as she appeared and I think she will be my favorite character soon.
“If I have to choose between disappointing you or my disciple…well, I’m sorry, but I don’t like you very much.”
Wight is a master at world-building and with each books, I am just amazed more! I think it is hard to make the world-building more complex and yet he succeeds in doing it every single time. I still am convinced there are similarities to Naruto but I am not implying anything! It is just there! I love the weapons, the magic, the creatures and I am looking forward to see where this is going!
The pace is fast, the chapters are almost all the same size of 15 pages and it is so easy to fly through this! I think I just missed the reports that we had in the previous books and we only had like two in this one!
“Even dragons,” Orthos said, “know when to bow.”
Summary: A fast-paced, addicting fantasy read that just keeps getting better with every new book! The characters and world-building are excellent. Do yourself a favor and read it!
Rating: really liked it
4.5 stars.
Holy moly, this series is seriously fun and addictive!I was initially planning to read an ARC for a soon-to-be-released book, but temptation drew me to start Skysworn instead, which I duly finished in just over a day. Verdict: Will Wight has a new adoring fan.
In Skysworn, the narrative continued to reveal more about the fantastic world of Cradle and its awesome magic system. The author did this ever so skillfully through the storytelling while dropping hints and teases about even more epic stuff to come. Trust me, the power levels in this series are insane! And it kept on levelling up from one book to another, making it immensely fun to read. This was how I fell in love in fantasy in the first place - new intriguing worlds with powerful magic (and skills) beyond imagining. What made it better in Cradle was that there are rules and a structured system in place to achieve power upgrades. As side note, those two Chinese characters depicted on the book cover translate to "power".
From dreadbeasts to Dreadgods, and Underlords to Overlords to Archlords/Sages to Monarchs - keeping up with the complex and imaginative worldbuilding of Cradle took my breath away. There was just so much about this world that is fascinating and so cool. On top of that, the action scenes and the imagery of the sacred arts were superb. Let me give an example. Each Path manifests a distinct Goldsign when its sacred artists reach Gold. For the Path of Grasping Sky, this Goldsign is a pair of shimmering emerald wings. Of course, as a symbol of power, the wings would become larger and more impressive as the sacred artist advanced through the sublevels of Gold and on to the Lords stages.
The characterisation continued to improve as well. While the story was primarily about Lindon's journey, I would consider Yerin and Eithan as part of the main cast as well. A good thing for sure, as I can put my hand to my heart now and say that Eithan is my absolute favourite character of the series. He was such a wildcard amongst the whole lot of serious and uppity Underlords; I loved how his irreverent demeanour annoyed most of them. Out of all the characters, he was the one who made me laugh, alongside with the fire-breathing turtle whom I am growing fond of. (Yes, you read that right - a fire-breathing turtle!)
By the end of this book, I had an inkling about Eithan's grand plans, albeit no idea how it can be done. I've also begun to wonder how long this series might be. The leveling up to achieve his plans will be a monstrous leap, and I suspected that two more books will not be sufficient to make it believable. But then again, I kept being surprised, and delighted, with new knowledge with every instalment so far.
I know I will suffer if I start and finish the next book while the sixth book is still in the works. Resistance is, however, futile.
You can purchase a copy of the book, or read it free via Kindle Unlimited on
Amazon US. You can also find this and my other reviews at Novel Notions.
Rating: really liked it
3rd Reading
I really don't enjoy this book in the series, but I have to say that there are a ton of important bits of information that are shared that is so important for the series. We find out several things about the world, how things are connected and about Eithan. We learn a tad about Ozriel.
There are about 4 scenes, the fight with Lindon and Jai Long, Redmoon Hall attack, Stormrock City with the quick trials for Skysworn and then the ending battle with blood spawn. That's about all there is.
The next book is one of my favorites, so I can't wait to go on to book 5.
2nd reading
I am reading this a 2nd time. The first time through, it's good as the characters keep going, but knowing the series now, it is the weakest book in the series and I am taking a star off the rating. Lindon does not advance in this book and not a whole lot really happens. Eithan is still amazing, but this simply is set-up for the next 4 books. It should have been combined with book 3 maybe.
Previously,
So, I can't pause this series. I love it. I just want to know more, but this is the weakest book in the series I thought. It didn't feel like a whole story. It felt like it was left hanging at the half-way point. Also, this is a leveling up story and neither Lindon nor Yerin went up another level. I felt cheated. Nothing really helped them to advance. I'm sure this is a set up book in the series, but it really let me down. The 3rd book was 368 pages or so and this one was back down to 285 pages.
Spoilers:
We start off with the big fight that has been hanging over Lindon for a year. We see him in prison and then we see him in the ring. He does the best that he can, but he is no match for a Truegold, which is what Jai Long has moved up too. He is actually working on becoming an Underlord we find out. The match is rough and it's really between Eithan and the Jai clan Underlord, which Eithan does kill, but before he does, the Jai leader pulls out the Archstone which is a forbidden object because it calls to the Dreadgods, or the blood phoenix. So the Phoenix does awaken and oh, that is a bad thing.
Eithan is compelled into service of the Skysworn and he has to go talk to the Monarch. We start to see the power levels here. There is Gold, the Lord, then Herald and Monach. Lindon and Yerin join the forces of the Skysworn and just as they join Yerin is thrown of the Cloud ship and Lindon saves her and they have to fight off the Blood spawn. The whole last half didn't feel like an ending, but a set-up.
I am really let down by this story, but it makes me want to find out more.
The best thing we learn is that Eithan shares how he got his marble like Lindon's from Suriel. Eithan's marble came from Ozriel and there is a story with it. They are being asked to be an even greater force if they are willing to leave their paths. I am very interested to see where this is going.
I'm going to go ahead and start book 5. Yes Ma'am.
Here is a snippet from the end of the book when Eithan shares his marble with Lindon and Yerin and they see the message Eithan has been working under. It basically tells us what Eithan's plan is and where the end of the series is heading. They are all trying to get to this level.
“This is one part of my plan,” he said softly. “Only one seed planted of many, in the hopes that some might one day bear fruit. I need you to join me.” He raised black-armored fingers to his head, and Lindon could see endless weariness written there. “Not as Abidan. I want to raise you outside their rules. I want you to go where we can’t: into dying worlds, to save those we have abandoned.”
Wight, Will. Skysworn (Cradle Book 4) (p. 279). Hidden Gnome Publishing. Kindle Edition.
Rating: really liked it
4.5 starsThe cradle series is officially the newest member on my list of favourite fantasy series.If you have seen my previous reviews for Cradle series books, you will know that I have already described it as the crack of the fantasy world and Skysworn is no different, delivering some of the best moments in the series so far while continuing Lindon’s quest of becoming a force to be reckoned with. Plot-wise I will keep it sparse to avoid spoilers, and just say that there is a highly anticipated duel that the previous book was building up to, and Skysworn starts off with this deadly fight scheduled to take place in the very near future.
Skysworn is packed from cover to cover and has a lot happening in a short time. The duel delivers a nice twist and actually takes up a very small share of the plot, but serves as a catalyst in more ways than one. What follows brings with it the stark realization that levelling up will become of much more importance to everyone, as the story continues the trend of every book showcasing new levels of power and wielders of it. You thought Underlords were scary? What about Overlords? Archlords? Sages? Heralds? MONARCHS? And those are just the good guys. Well goodish. Who knows the motivations of super-powerful beings anyway. In Skysworn though, Will Wight has at last given us a glimpse of his cards, revealing villainous beings of such unimaginable power that it beggars belief and has me simultaneously deeply worried and overly excited for the future of this tale. The inevitable confrontation is going to be spellbinding.
While gripping, the packed plot does not leave much room for the author to spend on the characterization, but he does what he can with the page time available. Where Cradle started off with a single main character, the series has undeniably become the story of Lindon, Yerin and Eithan, and even Orthos, and everything is better for it. While Lindon was initially a very frustrating character to follow, his exposure to new people, ideas and friends has helped him evolve into a much more palatable protagonist as he absorbs everything around him. Here’s to hoping this trend continues. As mentioned though, Yerin and Eithan are not mere supporting cast and were they written out of the story at this moment, I would happily pick up any solo spin-off series’ of them. For the record that was my best behaviour reaction. If that actually DID happen I would not want to be Mr Wight. Seriously, don’t do that. Also, MOAR EITHAN.
"...if I saw you on fire I'd hold out an umbrella for you so the rain didn't put you out."Great characters who continuously evolve with the story, detailed worldbuilding that keeps on expanding in so many ways and a magic system that feels like it’s a growing beast, thrilling and astounding continuously with new nuances and unexplored avenues around every corner or page. That’s what you are missing if you have not yet picked up the Cradle series.
Read it, please. I want to rave about it with you.
"You'd be surprised how often people listen to me when they're left with no choice."
Rating: really liked it
The Blackflame Empire fears a user of the black flame path. Because of that the Skysworn imprisoned Lindon. Unfortunately his duel with Jai Long is still looming. Meanwhile Jai Daishou is desperate to find a way to destroy Eithan. He is so desperate that he's willing to risk the destruction of his clan and the empire in the process.
Skysworn felt like a transition book to me. The book begins with Jai Daishou searching for a way to kill Eithan while becoming increasingly desperate. We also see Lindon imprisoned and preparing to face Jai Long. Their duel takes place shortly afterward and then the tale moves on quickly. A new threat emerges that has been hinted at since the start of the series. The rest of the story is wrapped up in dealing with this new threat.
Skysworn does expand the world of the Cradle. We see more factions that make up the Blackflame Empire and learn about more powerful sacred artists nearby. All this raises the stakes and increases the danger. The more the readers learn of the Blackflame Empire, the greater the danger Eithan, Yerin, and Lindon face.
I wish I could get into more without spoiling things, but I don't believe I can. A lot of unexpected events take place as Skysworn prepares us for the future.
3.5 out of 5 stars
Rating: really liked it
I couldn’t tell you why I rated Skysworn so low the first time I read it, but my impression was much improved the second time around. Not only does this feel like the conclusion to the first big arc of the series with Lindon’s long awaited battle with Jai Long, but it’s also the first sighting of the Akura and the rise of the Bleeding Phoenix. While this wasn’t as stellar as Blackflame it definitely has some exciting parts that I just couldn’t fully appreciate the first time around. Rereading has helped me pick out these little moments that didn’t stand out as significant the first time through, but really represent some of my favorite aspects of the later half of the series. I’m only more excited to keep moving forward now as I absolutely love these later books and can’t wait to reflect on how much higher they have risen in my esteem this time through.
Rating: really liked it
Absolutely no complaints. I want to tear through these like they were paper to a blackflame.
Honestly, the quick progression, most of it in training, while seeing all these new lands and facing all these badasses, is a real treat. What could be tiresome in lesser hands is just plain fun, here.
High-Gold, here we go! Pure popcorn fiction. Let's GOOOOOO....
Rating: really liked it
Out of laziness I haven't been reviewing Mr. Wight's latest series. It's too easy to just give a star rating on my Kindle and let technology do the rest. It's a shame actually because this is easily Will Wight's best series yet.
This is not just Mr. Wight's best series but it's easily the best indie fantasy series ever. If manga was written well and didn't rely so heavily on big eyed artwork, it would be the Cradle series.
BRAVO, MR. WIGHT.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Rating: really liked it
Buddy read with
SnezanaAnother great addition to the series. Skysworn is the fourth book in the cradle series. This series is fast becoming one of my favorite series of all time. It’s fast paced, has great world building, awesome unique characters and finally the magic system.
What I admire most about this series is the relationship between the characters, it’s so real, they are like a family.
There are lots of revelations in this, I finally know what Eithan’s endgame is and more about the Abidan and how they manipulate humans, they are just like gods. The author also explored the empire more, there’s more information about the noble houses.
Just like the previous books, this also took place in a new location, the heart of the empire itself, the Skysworn headquarters. The Skysworn is kind of like police but more, they are the elite fighters and it’s very hard to become a member, they also work for the emperor to uphold law and justice.
The plot picked up from where Blackflame ended with Lindon in a Skysworn prison. With the duel fast approaching Lindon is not confident in his success, with good reason. Apart from the duel, the empire has another enemy in the form of a god waking, that is never a good thing.
All our characters are still here with Lindon having 75% of the POV.
Yerin’s POV was awesome, it gave insight on her red belt and what actually happened to her family. Eithan’s own gave more information about his endgame. Lindon is still focused on advancing and with good reason, given the vision that Suriel gave him, I love that even with that hanging over his head, he is still loyal to his friends. Then there’s Mercy Akura, a new character that I’m loving.
Rating: really liked it
4.5 stars“Eithan looked from his enemy’s weapon to his own. “Longhook, is it? You can call me Tiny Scissors.”This was an excellent continuation to the Cradle series. Narrator Travis Baldree was once again masterful in voicing each and every character and I really enjoyed every minute of it.
Lindon got some character development! In part because there isn’t as much focus on Lindon’s power advancement in this one, Will Wight was able to give Lindon’s character some more focus and add to his personality. We were able to see more of how Lindon cares about those around him. Before this book, as I’ve mentioned in previous reviews, Lindon was pretty one-sided as a character. He was focused on his training and power progression and that was pretty much his whole personality. In this one we get a few glimpses into more of who Lindon is outside of being a Sacred Artist and that was really nice to see.
As usual, the side characters stole the spotlight from Lindon. Eithan was spectacular. At times funny, mysterious, and intimidating, Eithan is my favorite character in this series so far. Then there is Yerin, Lindon’s best friend. We get to see more of her past and therefore get more character development from her than in any other book. We are also able to see more of Orthos and the mentor role that he has with Lindon. This was a book that was much more focused on character development than the last three and it really improved the series as a whole.
“He is looking to stand out by provoking one of the Empire’s villains in front of everyone,” the turtle said, not bothering to keep his voice down. Everyone heard. “He is not confident enough in his results to let them speak for him, so he has to distinguish himself in another way. He is the weakest sort of scavenger, crawling along the bottom and looking for scraps. Crush him.”Book 3, Blackflame did a lot to advance the world building of this series. However, Skysworn managed to not only expand the world even more than Blackflame did, but also increased the stakes as we are able to see more of the threat against the entire world of Cradle. Events transpire that threaten the very existence of the clans that populate this world. The tension and epic-ness this created were both boons to a series that felt somewhat small in scope previously.
“If I have to choose between disappointing you or my disciple…well, I’m sorry, but I don’t like you very much.”The action was, as always, incredibly well written. The unique and creative usage of the Sacred Arts magic system for each book makes every battle unpredictable and so much fun to imagine. We are learning the magic systems as our protagonists are learning about it and that makes it all the more enjoyable. I said recently that as far as entertainment value goes, the Sacred Arts ranks right up there with Mistborn’s Allomancy in my eyes and I stand by that. There is just so much to learn and so many ways this magic system can be used to make the story even better than it already is.
I continue to highly recommend this series. Although, Blackflame was my favorite of the series so far, Skysworn was right up there with it. Will Wight continues to make improvements as he goes along and I am looking forward to seeing what he will do with the rest of the series!
Rating: really liked it
DNF at 48%
This will be unpopular. I wasn't enjoying the other books in this series all that much and then came this line:
"My Master had a pill for everything."
A pill for re-growing limbs? Really!? Sorry, but I like at least a small amount of realism in my fantasy tales. This reads more like a kid's cartoon in my opinion.
Short review as I don't think most people bother to read them anyway.
Rating: really liked it
After a great start, with an action-packed set piece with high stakes, it was all very very downhill. The bulk of this book felt like a whole lotta filler, very similar to bk 2 in that way. Based on the engaging ending of the last book, I was at least hoping for another good last act, but alas, twas not to be. The ending missed the mark for me in an epic fashion, with all kinds of big stuff going down that I cared less than nothing about.
There's something substantial missing from Wight's writing for me--I think it has to do with not having enough description and set up to help me care about what I'm seeing happen, which mostly just feels like completely random sh*t after completely random sh*t. And I have never once worried about any of the main characters actually being in trouble, so that saps a lot of the drama out of the proceedings.
After the slight step up that was bk 3, to go backwards at this point is pretty disheartening, and the Cradle experiment seems like it's failing.
Rating: really liked it
Reread: Still 5 stars. Still oh so good
This was an absolute joy to read. Literally could not take my eyes off of it at all. It has an explosive beginning, and by the time it started to slow down at all I was over 40% done with the book. Literally was thinking "Oh, that was a good beginning. Surely that was just the opening!" just to find out I was already nearly halfway finished without realizing it. This book is action packed, fun, and will fly by. I really look forward to continuing the rest of the series.
