Defiant

Its place in Skyward

Defiant is book 5 in the Skyward series. It follows Skyward Flight: The Collection. See the full Skyward reading order.

Spensa Nightshade dreams of flying starfighters despite living on Detritus, a scrap-metal planet where humanity's remnant has spent decades hiding from an alien species called the Krell, who bomb any ship that flies too high. Her ambition is complicated by her father's legacy: he was branded a coward for fleeing battle years earlier, a stain that follows Spensa everywhere she goes. When she discovers a broken, sentient ancient starship buried in a cave, her path to the pilot's seat -- and to the truth about her…