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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
This is a YA fantasy novel about a young girl who dreams of being one of the elite group of riders who fly on winged horses. She secretly steals out of the house at night and breaks all the rules by flying her father’s horse. Of course, events change the course of her life and she ends up getting her chance and becoming one of the Empyrean riders. However, this means that she has to pledge her allegiance to the king who has conquered her country and forced her people into poverty.
For a debut novel, I was seriously impressed. A lot of it covers familiar ground: young people meeting in a school and forming relationships, rebelling against the ruling classes, a love triangle, however, the story moves along at a good pace and the world building is excellent. The world is revealed to us gradually as Aluma finds out how little of her world she understands. I also liked the elements of a dystopian future. Aluma is a strong main character who drives the plot forward. In a way, she is too central as I felt that all the other characters were a bit lacking in depth. I did feel that some of it was predictable, however, I still found myself thinking about the book and wanting to finish it to find out how it all ended up.
For a debut novel, I was seriously impressed. A lot of it covers familiar ground: young people meeting in a school and forming relationships, rebelling against the ruling classes, a love triangle, however, the story moves along at a good pace and the world building is excellent. The world is revealed to us gradually as Aluma finds out how little of her world she understands. I also liked the elements of a dystopian future. Aluma is a strong main character who drives the plot forward. In a way, she is too central as I felt that all the other characters were a bit lacking in depth. I did feel that some of it was predictable, however, I still found myself thinking about the book and wanting to finish it to find out how it all ended up.
This was an ARC I got from Netgalley and while I enjoyed the book, it was looooooong. However the pacing was good and a LOT happens in the story. It was an interesting world, story premise, and gotta love flying horses that understand everything the riders say. Lol
It does read like a debut novel though in that there are a lot of holes, a really weak love triangle, and it ends on a cliffhanger of sorts.
It does read like a debut novel though in that there are a lot of holes, a really weak love triangle, and it ends on a cliffhanger of sorts.
Well this book was frustrating. It had such good promise, but I was pretty let down. First of all, as another review mentioned, this book feels very old school YA. That's not a bad thing, by any means! It actually brought me back to my high school days, and I really liked the feel of it. But.... I've also grown up, and maybe that's the problem in itself. I can't ignore all of the flaws of the book. To start, there was sooooo much world building and description that it was and still is hard to keep track of. The author uses all these new, made-up words for all the cities and people and yada yada. Then she just describes the history/lore to you, rather than show you through the story. Like, here's all these different lands, this is why they are fighting, these are the good guys and the bad guys, and now let's start the story. I want to feel immersed, not lectured. Second of all, the main character, Aluma, is so dumb and naive. I get it, she's only 16 ( or 17, I forget), but she's so stupid. Literally, around the 80% mark, I found myself shaking my head and having to pause my reading because she did something so dumb. She ruins plans, gets people killed, and then is like, "no way, I didn't think that would happen! It can't be true!" Lady, shut up, you are getting on my nerves. The last big flaw that every author should know to stay away from at this point is a LOVE TRIANGLE! Seriously. Everyone hates them. This book started out with a decent love interest, and you get a little invested into them, but then they have to add a second love interest. At that point in the story, I felt nothing for either one. I felt no connection to the romance and rolled my eyes every time she kissed a new boy or fantasized about them while in the middle of a life threatening mission. Honestly, after writing down my feelings for this book, I'm realizing how much it annoyed me, but I'll still keep it as a 3 star review. Read at your own risk, that's all I'm saying.
DNF at 25%
Under completely normal circumstances I most likely would've finished this book, but I find myself extremely busy these days and I simply don't have the time to finish a book that I am not loving. That's not to say that this book isn't enjoyable, as I have found myself interested in the plot from the beginning. It is just the way that the book is written that is causing me to not want to continue.
This book is written almost exactly like Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard, so I can see why they included the title of that book in this one's blurb. I first read Victoria Aveyard's novel in middle school and I really loved it, however when I reread the book at some point last year I felt that I had outgrown it and that I should've kept it in the past. That is almost exactly how I feel about the writing of A Light in the Sky. It just feels too young for me, like something I would've enjoyed back in the day.
That is not to say that this is not a good book, I just do not think it was meant for me at this point in my life.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A light in the sky was a really pleasant and refreshing read. While the plot structure and storyline isn't uncommon for a YA novel (chosen one has to save the world and fight against the darkness), the plot shines in the pacing. There aren't any lulls and it was difficult to put down, and it keeps compelling you to keep reading. Despite its target demographic it also doesn't pull any punches in letting characters experience loss and failure, while remaining age appropriate. Thanks to that it feels like there are actual stakes and it's very engaging to read.
I enjoyed the character, especially the cast of skilled and powerful women, however I could have done without the two love interests huffing and puffing at each other.
Altogether this warmed my horse girl heart and I really enjoyed reading it, I'm looking forward to any upcoming sequels and will make sure to follow this author's work.
ARC in exchange of an honest review.
I enjoyed the character, especially the cast of skilled and powerful women, however I could have done without the two love interests huffing and puffing at each other.
Altogether this warmed my horse girl heart and I really enjoyed reading it, I'm looking forward to any upcoming sequels and will make sure to follow this author's work.
ARC in exchange of an honest review.
This was such a great book and I need more of these characters!
Thank you to NetGalley and Wink Road Press, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles for this advance copy which I received in return for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and Wink Road Press, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles for this advance copy which I received in return for an honest review.
An all round good YA story filled with flying horses, friendship, love and the fight for balance and light.
The nitty gritty:
Just to get a few things off my chest- I was unure about the relationship between the riders and their steeds. Don't get me wrong, I understood that the relationship had to be one of trust and understanding but I felt some background was lost as to how the steeds suddenly understood language and what their riders wanted them to do.
There is a love triangle somewhere in the background ... but it had no real significance in my opinion. Maybe it was trying to bring more feeling/emotion to the characters.
What I loved
I wish this had been around when I was in my "horse mad stage"... A book about horses that can fly? Pass it over here!
The cover is stunning and instantly drew me in.
The writing is solid, it moves at a good pace although I felt some background to characters was lost.
The world and its torrain was easy enough to picture and I felt like I knew where I was.
Tension building was good too. Using chapter endings to keep the reader motivated to read the next page.
All in all a great read.
The nitty gritty:
Just to get a few things off my chest- I was unure about the relationship between the riders and their steeds. Don't get me wrong, I understood that the relationship had to be one of trust and understanding but I felt some background was lost as to how the steeds suddenly understood language and what their riders wanted them to do.
There is a love triangle somewhere in the background ... but it had no real significance in my opinion. Maybe it was trying to bring more feeling/emotion to the characters.
What I loved
I wish this had been around when I was in my "horse mad stage"... A book about horses that can fly? Pass it over here!
The cover is stunning and instantly drew me in.
The writing is solid, it moves at a good pace although I felt some background to characters was lost.
The world and its torrain was easy enough to picture and I felt like I knew where I was.
Tension building was good too. Using chapter endings to keep the reader motivated to read the next page.
All in all a great read.
Thank you to Netgalley and Wink Road Press for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I LOVED THIS BOOK!
Alright, sorry, just had to get that out of the way because this book was amazing.
A Light in the Sky is a fast paced book that has horses and pegasi, a great plot that keeps you wanting to know more, and adventure. I loved the world, characters, and can't wait for the next book! The writing was great and it just shows that Shina Reynolds is meant to write because this was her debut book that didn't feel as such. Reynolds did amazing with her first book and I'm so glad she wrote this because I ride horses myself and never see books that have horses as a big part of the plot in them. So as soon as I saw A Light in the Sky on Netgalley I jumped straight to requesting and reading.
This book does have a vibe of "The Hunger Games" with the dystopian factors (which I liked) and I will say some things I was able to predict towards the end but it actually didn't falter my love for the book, though I can see it faltering others if you were iffy from the beginning. Another thing I wished and hope to see more of in the sequel is Aluma and Cashel's bond grow. I feel like we didn't get a lot of bonding moments between the two, and I see more of a horse and rider relationship with Aluma and Darwith.
But other than those small things, I loved this so much! I can't wait until it comes out so I can get a copy to hold in my hands and to put on my shelf. I would say if you like fast paced books with horses, adventure, plenty of action, twists, and a bit of romance this is the book for you!
Also, I'm team Thayer and I hope to the stars above that he's endgame.
Release date = November 9th (2021)
4.5 stars
I LOVED THIS BOOK!
Alright, sorry, just had to get that out of the way because this book was amazing.
A Light in the Sky is a fast paced book that has horses and pegasi, a great plot that keeps you wanting to know more, and adventure. I loved the world, characters, and can't wait for the next book! The writing was great and it just shows that Shina Reynolds is meant to write because this was her debut book that didn't feel as such. Reynolds did amazing with her first book and I'm so glad she wrote this because I ride horses myself and never see books that have horses as a big part of the plot in them. So as soon as I saw A Light in the Sky on Netgalley I jumped straight to requesting and reading.
This book does have a vibe of "The Hunger Games" with the dystopian factors (which I liked) and I will say some things I was able to predict towards the end but it actually didn't falter my love for the book, though I can see it faltering others if you were iffy from the beginning. Another thing I wished and hope to see more of in the sequel is Aluma and Cashel's bond grow. I feel like we didn't get a lot of bonding moments between the two, and I see more of a horse and rider relationship with Aluma and Darwith.
But other than those small things, I loved this so much! I can't wait until it comes out so I can get a copy to hold in my hands and to put on my shelf. I would say if you like fast paced books with horses, adventure, plenty of action, twists, and a bit of romance this is the book for you!
Also, I'm team Thayer and I hope to the stars above that he's endgame.
Release date = November 9th (2021)
4.5 stars
The tale of Aluma and the rich world of Eirelannia is an interesting one.
-SPOILERS AHEAD-
This book is a blend of so many genre’s, and encompassed so many complex elements that painted this world in such vivid colours. I love high fantasy, and find not a lot of YA novels seem to go as in depth with their world building as I like. Shina Reynolds does. The blend of ancient elements and modern technology is very well balanced, and I found it very easy to immerse myself into the world.
I think the pacing of the story was done just perfectly. You dive heard first into the action, and it never felt like I was spending a lot of time reading about the one incident. The momentum of the plot was just right.
I will say that the use of so many unusual and difficult to pronounce names was very distracting throughout the book. I also found it really hard to enjoy the romance elements because of the love triangle between Aluma, her childhood friend, and the handsome and mysterious foreign prince. She spends far too long torn between the two of them, and listening to that inner conflict felt very repetitive. I’m not a massive fan of the love triangle trope, but when it is done when and provides opportunities for character development and growth I can get on board with it. Sadly, this just wasn’t the case here.
Overall, I did enjoy a lot of parts throughout A Light In the Sky, but the romantic elements were lacking depth and often repetitive and frustrating to read.
I’d like to thank NetGalley for my copy of A Light In the Sky.
-SPOILERS AHEAD-
This book is a blend of so many genre’s, and encompassed so many complex elements that painted this world in such vivid colours. I love high fantasy, and find not a lot of YA novels seem to go as in depth with their world building as I like. Shina Reynolds does. The blend of ancient elements and modern technology is very well balanced, and I found it very easy to immerse myself into the world.
I think the pacing of the story was done just perfectly. You dive heard first into the action, and it never felt like I was spending a lot of time reading about the one incident. The momentum of the plot was just right.
I will say that the use of so many unusual and difficult to pronounce names was very distracting throughout the book. I also found it really hard to enjoy the romance elements because of the love triangle between Aluma, her childhood friend, and the handsome and mysterious foreign prince. She spends far too long torn between the two of them, and listening to that inner conflict felt very repetitive. I’m not a massive fan of the love triangle trope, but when it is done when and provides opportunities for character development and growth I can get on board with it. Sadly, this just wasn’t the case here.
Overall, I did enjoy a lot of parts throughout A Light In the Sky, but the romantic elements were lacking depth and often repetitive and frustrating to read.
I’d like to thank NetGalley for my copy of A Light In the Sky.