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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
So I’d be lying if I said I didn’t pick this book up because I say a Pegasus on the front cover and I love horses -so flying ones? Big yes. The book itself was a pleasant surprise! It was and enchanting book that gave me a feeling of nostalgia. The characters were written well and Reynolds explored a plethora of different relationships from ones between families, friends and romance. It did have a love triangle that I didn’t enjoy too much but the rest of the book could make up for that! The world was complex so that it was interesting and engaging but not so that it was too complicated. Overall, this was an interesting read and not one that I’d usually go for but enjoyed it nonetheless!
This book was given to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
This book was given to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
A fantastical world filled with political turmoil, rising tension, and. . . flying horses?
"A Light in the Sky" follows Aluma Banks, a seventeen-year-old who has always dreamed of becoming a member of the king's Empyrean Cavalry, elite riders who ride flying horses. Her father has taught her to ride and trained her to fight, yet her refuses to allow her to compete in the Autumn Tournament, an annual competition that is held to gauge the abilities of young members of the community, to determine if they are worthy of becoming an Empyrean Rider. When Alumna's father is injured in a suspicious "accident," Aluma is thrust into the competition. But the closer Aluma gets to receiving her very own set of wings, she realizes that the Kingdom of Eirelannia has many secrets and that the Empyrean Cavalry isn't all that she believed it was. . .
I thought that the world of Eirelannia is so interesting. It is a magical world unlike any that I have ever read filled with complicated political turmoil, an interesting magic system, and winged steeds that are much more than just pegasi. Another thing that I found was cool is how some modern elements are interwoven into the magical world such as screens that function like televisions and karriers that serve as vehicles, such as cars and boats.
The names were another thing that I completely adored in this book. Reynolds' names are all so fresh that it took me awhile to memorize most of them, but it really added to the originality of ALITS. The main group of kids include Aluma, Thayer, Xander, Cloveman, Wolkenna, and Gattacan. I mean, aren't these names just so darn cool? I also enjoyed the entire main group as characters (except for Gattacan; I'll get to him in a second.) Aluma is strong, independent, and resilient. Thayer is so sweet, caring, and hard not to love. Wolkenna is beautiful, fierce, and willing to stand up for what she believes in. The characters all mesh well together and become quite a power team when united.
I would be remiss if I didn't talk about the romance in this one. I was sold on Aluma and Thayer as a couple by page ten, so when Gattacan arrived on the scene, I became quite worried. I literally ranted about it to my sister for a couple hours after I got about three-fourths of the way through the book. I was so conflicted about the double romance element and I was making myself physically anxious hoping that Aluma would make an intelligent choice surrounding her romance options. I find Gattacan a bit possessive and demanding and he is just not my cup of tea. I'm on team sweet boy all the way!!!
Overall, I found "A Light in the Sky" to be a very unique fantasy novel filled with romance, betrayals, political turmoil, and interesting characters. I was so fully invested in every page and I kept feeling shocked that the book hadn't ended yet; it was jammed packed with action until the last page! I cannot wait to read the rest of the "Clashing Skies" series and I hope that they are just as good as this one. I am so glad that I took a chance on this book and bought it just because I thought it sounded good! I would totally recommend if you love uniquely structured fantasy worlds with complicated politics and magical systems accompanied with magic and plot twists.
"A Light in the Sky" follows Aluma Banks, a seventeen-year-old who has always dreamed of becoming a member of the king's Empyrean Cavalry, elite riders who ride flying horses. Her father has taught her to ride and trained her to fight, yet her refuses to allow her to compete in the Autumn Tournament, an annual competition that is held to gauge the abilities of young members of the community, to determine if they are worthy of becoming an Empyrean Rider. When Alumna's father is injured in a suspicious "accident," Aluma is thrust into the competition. But the closer Aluma gets to receiving her very own set of wings, she realizes that the Kingdom of Eirelannia has many secrets and that the Empyrean Cavalry isn't all that she believed it was. . .
I thought that the world of Eirelannia is so interesting. It is a magical world unlike any that I have ever read filled with complicated political turmoil, an interesting magic system, and winged steeds that are much more than just pegasi. Another thing that I found was cool is how some modern elements are interwoven into the magical world such as screens that function like televisions and karriers that serve as vehicles, such as cars and boats.
The names were another thing that I completely adored in this book. Reynolds' names are all so fresh that it took me awhile to memorize most of them, but it really added to the originality of ALITS. The main group of kids include Aluma, Thayer, Xander, Cloveman, Wolkenna, and Gattacan. I mean, aren't these names just so darn cool? I also enjoyed the entire main group as characters (except for Gattacan; I'll get to him in a second.) Aluma is strong, independent, and resilient. Thayer is so sweet, caring, and hard not to love. Wolkenna is beautiful, fierce, and willing to stand up for what she believes in. The characters all mesh well together and become quite a power team when united.
I would be remiss if I didn't talk about the romance in this one. I was sold on Aluma and Thayer as a couple by page ten, so when Gattacan arrived on the scene, I became quite worried. I literally ranted about it to my sister for a couple hours after I got about three-fourths of the way through the book. I was so conflicted about the double romance element and I was making myself physically anxious hoping that Aluma would make an intelligent choice surrounding her romance options. I find Gattacan a bit possessive and demanding and he is just not my cup of tea. I'm on team sweet boy all the way!!!
Overall, I found "A Light in the Sky" to be a very unique fantasy novel filled with romance, betrayals, political turmoil, and interesting characters. I was so fully invested in every page and I kept feeling shocked that the book hadn't ended yet; it was jammed packed with action until the last page! I cannot wait to read the rest of the "Clashing Skies" series and I hope that they are just as good as this one. I am so glad that I took a chance on this book and bought it just because I thought it sounded good! I would totally recommend if you love uniquely structured fantasy worlds with complicated politics and magical systems accompanied with magic and plot twists.
I really enjoyed A Light In The Sky and I appreciate it more for pulling me out of a slump.
ALITS brought me back to the YA books of my teens and when I first started reading the genre. It delivers nostalgia with a dash of something new. A distinct dystopian world combined with dark royalty and ancient, unexplainable magic.
This is a fast paced novel that is not overly complicated. The author has done a great job of not drowning the audience with too much unnecessary information. The characters are made real, the environments are rich and I am committed to completing this story when it's available.
ALITS brought me back to the YA books of my teens and when I first started reading the genre. It delivers nostalgia with a dash of something new. A distinct dystopian world combined with dark royalty and ancient, unexplainable magic.
This is a fast paced novel that is not overly complicated. The author has done a great job of not drowning the audience with too much unnecessary information. The characters are made real, the environments are rich and I am committed to completing this story when it's available.
I started this book hoping to read an exciting story set in a fantasy world where horses play a prominent role alongside the main characters. Overall, I found the book not great, but not bad either.
First the minuses in my opinion. The biggest drawback I found is that the story is rather superficial and predictable. As a reader, you can see the intended plot twists coming from miles away, the world and characters are only developed in a limited way and do not evolve much. In addition, every chapter seems to end with a somewhat dramatic sentence. Everything seems to go so smoothly, obstacles (not only figuratively but also literally) are always easily overcome, even if they are things that are said to be very difficult and almost impossible. No, this is not because of exceptional skills of the main characters, although they do have their strengths. Everything just seems to work out at once, against all the odds. Even when there is a setback, it is quickly worked around. What also bothered me, as an experienced rider, is that certain things about the horses and Steeds are just not possible or logical. For example, getting your horse out of its stable and immediately galloping off on a mission, jumping (without wings) over obstacles that are metres and metres high... I do understand that this fits within the story and that it is difficult to have it happen in another way in such a context, so this is perhaps not really a negative point, but rather something that bothers me personally sometimes. As a last remarque, I absolutely didn’t like the dynamics between Aluma, Thayer and Gattacan. I get what the author tried to do here and sometimes something like this really works, but it this case it only made me like Aluma less because it just seems like she can’t choose and thus decides to have the best of both worlds…
Now for the positive points. First of all, I really liked the idea of the Empyrean Cavalry (where can I sign up?
First the minuses in my opinion. The biggest drawback I found is that the story is rather superficial and predictable. As a reader, you can see the intended plot twists coming from miles away, the world and characters are only developed in a limited way and do not evolve much. In addition, every chapter seems to end with a somewhat dramatic sentence. Everything seems to go so smoothly, obstacles (not only figuratively but also literally) are always easily overcome, even if they are things that are said to be very difficult and almost impossible. No, this is not because of exceptional skills of the main characters, although they do have their strengths. Everything just seems to work out at once, against all the odds. Even when there is a setback, it is quickly worked around. What also bothered me, as an experienced rider, is that certain things about the horses and Steeds are just not possible or logical. For example, getting your horse out of its stable and immediately galloping off on a mission, jumping (without wings) over obstacles that are metres and metres high... I do understand that this fits within the story and that it is difficult to have it happen in another way in such a context, so this is perhaps not really a negative point, but rather something that bothers me personally sometimes. As a last remarque, I absolutely didn’t like the dynamics between Aluma, Thayer and Gattacan. I get what the author tried to do here and sometimes something like this really works, but it this case it only made me like Aluma less because it just seems like she can’t choose and thus decides to have the best of both worlds…
Now for the positive points. First of all, I really liked the idea of the Empyrean Cavalry (where can I sign up?
adventurous
fast-paced
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 4 stars
Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC of this book via BookOfMatchesMedia in exchange for an honest review!
A Light in the Sky is a story about Aluma, a girl who has always dreamed of becoming an aerial warrior astride an Empyrean Steed. When her father is tragically injured, she gets the chance to compete to become everything she has ever dreamed of.
As someone who has loved horses for as long as she can remember, I’m always looking for a good story which involves horses! Put wings on those horses and it’s even better, so I couldn’t wait to start reading this book.
This story has a bit of an old-school YA vibe. It actually reminded me a lot of Percy Jackson as far as the vibe goes. Both books are kind of straight forward with worldbuilding, characters and the way the story is going. While it was predictable, I still enjoyed it quite a lot.
I also liked how the plot was just straight forward and fast-paced. You don’t spend forever on the tournament or anything which could make a story boring or dragged out.
Aluma seemed really young to me and thus a bit rash and naïve in her actions sometimes. I actually wanted to scream a lot of times to get her head in the game hehe. Other characters I really enjoyed, although I had a hard time with their complex names. I would’ve liked for the secondary characters to be a little more developed/detailed.
I loved the relationship Aluma has with her father! While not much of him is seen in the book, he has a powerful presence since the beginning. As far as the romantic relationships went, I wasn’t really a fan. In general, I’m not a fan of love triangles because most of the time they aren’t really done well or just super cringy. The love triangle in this book falls in the last category unfortunately even though it is a classic one. I hope in the second book that will resolve itself.
The ending seemed a bit abrupt after everything that happened before. Overall, the missions the cast went on were a bit immature and hasty in general but the ending one was the cherry on top. Especially with the way the magic was brought forward and used. It seemed a bit convenient and I still don't grasp the whole concept of "light" and "dark".
Overall, I really enjoyed this story with its pegasi and magic and look forward to future books in the series.
Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC of this book via BookOfMatchesMedia in exchange for an honest review!
A Light in the Sky is a story about Aluma, a girl who has always dreamed of becoming an aerial warrior astride an Empyrean Steed. When her father is tragically injured, she gets the chance to compete to become everything she has ever dreamed of.
As someone who has loved horses for as long as she can remember, I’m always looking for a good story which involves horses! Put wings on those horses and it’s even better, so I couldn’t wait to start reading this book.
This story has a bit of an old-school YA vibe. It actually reminded me a lot of Percy Jackson as far as the vibe goes. Both books are kind of straight forward with worldbuilding, characters and the way the story is going. While it was predictable, I still enjoyed it quite a lot.
I also liked how the plot was just straight forward and fast-paced. You don’t spend forever on the tournament or anything which could make a story boring or dragged out.
Aluma seemed really young to me and thus a bit rash and naïve in her actions sometimes. I actually wanted to scream a lot of times to get her head in the game hehe. Other characters I really enjoyed, although I had a hard time with their complex names. I would’ve liked for the secondary characters to be a little more developed/detailed.
I loved the relationship Aluma has with her father! While not much of him is seen in the book, he has a powerful presence since the beginning. As far as the romantic relationships went, I wasn’t really a fan. In general, I’m not a fan of love triangles because most of the time they aren’t really done well or just super cringy. The love triangle in this book falls in the last category unfortunately even though it is a classic one. I hope in the second book that will resolve itself.
The ending seemed a bit abrupt after everything that happened before. Overall, the missions the cast went on were a bit immature and hasty in general but the ending one was the cherry on top. Especially with the way the magic was brought forward and used. It seemed a bit convenient and I still don't grasp the whole concept of "light" and "dark".
Overall, I really enjoyed this story with its pegasi and magic and look forward to future books in the series.
This was such an unexpected read.
In a way it had a dystopian fantasy vibe- as in the characters are living in their world after some big change has occurred.
I loved loved loved the flying horses, and the whole magic system involved with them.
Aluma is such a compelling character, and I was invested in her story from the start! I feel like the pacing was very good, especially all of the action toward the last part of the book.
I enjoyed this very much, would recommend!
In a way it had a dystopian fantasy vibe- as in the characters are living in their world after some big change has occurred.
I loved loved loved the flying horses, and the whole magic system involved with them.
Aluma is such a compelling character, and I was invested in her story from the start! I feel like the pacing was very good, especially all of the action toward the last part of the book.
I enjoyed this very much, would recommend!
What compelled me to read this book is the idea of Pegasus in the story!
If you like hidden identity, love triangle and secrets waiting to be revealed then you can give this one a try.
The plot is simple and action-packed. The writing style makes it easy to understand the flow of the plot.
There’s no info dumping at the start of the story as well which is really good. Even though sometimes I find the world building slightly confusing.
There’s a lot of mystery in this story, it keeps me flipping the pages to know the truth of what really happen, the true identity of our main character and also about the villain and what their goal is.
It took a while for me to warm up to Aluma (FMC), her character is a bit impulsive and I didn’t like some of the decision she made towards the ending. Hopefully she’ll grow more as the series progress.
I also like the secondary characters, especially Wolkenna. I hope we got to know more about her and others as well.
As for the romance, I was fine at the beginning with Aluma might be having feelings toward her best friends and I was excited to see how that relationship would developed as the story goes.
However, the new character in the middle of the story changes everything. Suddenly there’s a love triangle that I'm not a huge fan of. The interaction between Aluma and the love interests felt too rushed and there's no room for them to develop these feelings.
The ending really intrigued me and I’m curious to know where will their next adventure go - towards the unknown.
Overall, for a debut novel it’s pretty good. It has a potential to be a great series and I’m hoping some things got more developed as the story got deeper.
I'm looking forward to the sequel of this book!
Actual rating: 3.5⭐
I received this review copy for free through Netgalley, I am leaving this review voluntarily. Huge thank you to the Wink Road Press and the author.
If you like hidden identity, love triangle and secrets waiting to be revealed then you can give this one a try.
The plot is simple and action-packed. The writing style makes it easy to understand the flow of the plot.
There’s no info dumping at the start of the story as well which is really good. Even though sometimes I find the world building slightly confusing.
There’s a lot of mystery in this story, it keeps me flipping the pages to know the truth of what really happen, the true identity of our main character and also about the villain and what their goal is.
It took a while for me to warm up to Aluma (FMC), her character is a bit impulsive and I didn’t like some of the decision she made towards the ending. Hopefully she’ll grow more as the series progress.
I also like the secondary characters, especially Wolkenna. I hope we got to know more about her and others as well.
As for the romance, I was fine at the beginning with Aluma might be having feelings toward her best friends and I was excited to see how that relationship would developed as the story goes.
However, the new character in the middle of the story changes everything. Suddenly there’s a love triangle that I'm not a huge fan of. The interaction between Aluma and the love interests felt too rushed and there's no room for them to develop these feelings.
The ending really intrigued me and I’m curious to know where will their next adventure go - towards the unknown.
Overall, for a debut novel it’s pretty good. It has a potential to be a great series and I’m hoping some things got more developed as the story got deeper.
I'm looking forward to the sequel of this book!
Actual rating: 3.5⭐
I received this review copy for free through Netgalley, I am leaving this review voluntarily. Huge thank you to the Wink Road Press and the author.
Even I though I quite liked this book, I don't agree with the marketing that it is something like Scorpio Races because of them are extremely different stories in tone AND in plot, and since that was the reason I picked it up it didn't deliver, even though I did enjoy it, I just wanted to mention this.
It's just a really cool magical world with flying horses. We follow a girl who is really passionate about flying a winged horse and being part of this group of flyers for her country/kingdom and in the beginning it's sort of a competition kind of set-up.
It's definitely entertaining. I just wish the stakes would have been higher and the characters a little .kre complex than the generic good guys. It's s lot more younger in tone and the writing is very simplistic, so it didn't have anything that really just hooked me so I couldn't give it s too high rating. But it's definitely anice, fun read with likeable characters.
It's just a really cool magical world with flying horses. We follow a girl who is really passionate about flying a winged horse and being part of this group of flyers for her country/kingdom and in the beginning it's sort of a competition kind of set-up.
It's definitely entertaining. I just wish the stakes would have been higher and the characters a little .kre complex than the generic good guys. It's s lot more younger in tone and the writing is very simplistic, so it didn't have anything that really just hooked me so I couldn't give it s too high rating. But it's definitely anice, fun read with likeable characters.