If you loved following Spensa through brutal DDF practice runs, tense mock combats, and Cobb’s tough-love mentorship, you’ll click with the way Ender is forged in Battle School’s zero‑g war games and manipulative training. Like Spensa proving herself in the cockpit after being branded a coward’s daughter, Ender must outthink and outfly older rivals in ever-hardening simulations that turn out to be more than they seem. It delivers that same rush of competitive drills, squad dynamics, and escalating stakes you felt with Skyward Flight.

As with Spensa’s laser-focused goal to become a pilot and save Detritus from the Krell, Project Hail Mary runs on a single, urgent objective: prevent humanity’s extinction. You’ll get those same pulse-spiking problem‑solving beats—like Spensa jury‑rigging M‑Bot mid‑dogfight—only here it’s orbital mechanics, biology, and shipboard hacks under constant pressure. And when an unexpected ally appears (much as M‑Bot becomes more than a mere machine), the mission broadens into a gripping, heartfelt partnership that keeps the pages flying.

If M‑Bot’s snarky personality upgrades and ride-or-die loyalty (plus Doomslug’s adorable presence) stole your heart, you’ll love Noemi’s uneasy alliance with Abel, an advanced mech who evolves from tool to true partner. Like Spensa learning to trust an AI ship that’s more than code, Noemi discovers Abel’s individuality in dodging firefights and making impossible choices. Their banter, growth, and co‑piloting through hostile space scratches that same "ace pilot + not‑so‑mere machine" itch.

Spensa fights the shadow of her father’s alleged cowardice while uncovering her cytonic abilities; Miles Vorkosigan battles the weight of family name and physical limitations. Like Spensa commandeering opportunities beyond the academy’s rules, Miles improvises his way into command, assembles a loyal crew, and defines himself by daring rather than pedigree. If you enjoyed watching Spensa figure out who she is—pilot, leader, and more—Miles’s scrappy, big‑hearted self‑invention will hit home.

Skyward Flight’s squabbles, call signs, and hard-won trust—Jorgen, FM, and the rest standing by Spensa in the air—find a perfect echo here. After a botched assignment, a ragtag squad has to gel fast as secrets unravel and firefights escalate, delivering the same mix of banter, loyalty, and clutch teamwork you loved when Spensa and her wingmates pulled together in desperate sorties over Detritus.