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neethya's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
hindessm's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent story. Took a little while for it to draw me in - some of my favourite characters didn't appear until almost half way though - but couldn't put it down by the end. I'll definitely look out for more books from this author.
scareads's review against another edition
4.0
This novel's prose is amazing and made up for certain aspects that took me out of the story.
'Burn Red Skies' follows 6 point of views if I'm not mistaken, and each one is quite different from the last. Out of the vast cast of characters, Bard and Dancer were my favorite as their story was clear and concise while also amusing. Unfortunately, they weren't the main characters. While Dove and Gryff are interesting characters due to their circumstances (Dove is mute and Gryff cannot withstand daylight or fire even though he lives in the Fireland's Citadel), I did not find their characters compelling. They were passive, always following the directions of others and rarely taking any initiative that affected their relationships or the plot until the last 20% of the novel.
I have to commend the author on a fantastic job on her writing though because while mute, Dove's point of view chapters were not weighed down by this at all. Very often, dialogue is crucial in moving a novel forward and often used in exposition, and yet here the prose sucked me in and held on without the need for dialogue. It was easy to forget that Dove was 'voiceless'. Actually, I found it strange how no new characters she encountered ever brought it up. Somehow, characters just knew she couldn't speak, and I couldn't understand how. Her inability to talk was only mentioned twice by other characters in the entire novel (by Valerya who had already known her for a while and once by Bard when he first meets her because she winces). How he knew that she was mute from a wince remains unclear.
There was also information missing between chapters of the same point of view that was disorienting. It took a while to get over that missing information at the beginning of chapters which was never really supplied. Normally this would have put me off the story, but again that was how good the prose was. It hooked its talons in me and carried me along until the end of the chapter regardless of the missing information to connect them.
I got a little lost with some of the secondary characters as the plot did drag a little, and Wolff's and Decker's personalities interchanged where Dove was concerned which never made sense nor was explained. But again the writing style was so good that I kept reading until the end and really enjoyed it regardless. Plus, the ending was fantastic.
'Burn Red Skies' follows 6 point of views if I'm not mistaken, and each one is quite different from the last. Out of the vast cast of characters, Bard and Dancer were my favorite as their story was clear and concise while also amusing. Unfortunately, they weren't the main characters. While Dove and Gryff are interesting characters due to their circumstances (Dove is mute and Gryff cannot withstand daylight or fire even though he lives in the Fireland's Citadel), I did not find their characters compelling. They were passive, always following the directions of others and rarely taking any initiative that affected their relationships or the plot until the last 20% of the novel.
I have to commend the author on a fantastic job on her writing though because while mute, Dove's point of view chapters were not weighed down by this at all. Very often, dialogue is crucial in moving a novel forward and often used in exposition, and yet here the prose sucked me in and held on without the need for dialogue. It was easy to forget that Dove was 'voiceless'. Actually, I found it strange how no new characters she encountered ever brought it up. Somehow, characters just knew she couldn't speak, and I couldn't understand how. Her inability to talk was only mentioned twice by other characters in the entire novel (by Valerya who had already known her for a while and once by Bard when he first meets her because she winces). How he knew that she was mute from a wince remains unclear.
There was also information missing between chapters of the same point of view that was disorienting. It took a while to get over that missing information at the beginning of chapters which was never really supplied. Normally this would have put me off the story, but again that was how good the prose was. It hooked its talons in me and carried me along until the end of the chapter regardless of the missing information to connect them.
I got a little lost with some of the secondary characters as the plot did drag a little, and Wolff's and Decker's personalities interchanged where Dove was concerned which never made sense nor was explained. But again the writing style was so good that I kept reading until the end and really enjoyed it regardless. Plus, the ending was fantastic.
llmacrae's review against another edition
5.0
My 2022 reads are off to a fabulous start! Not only is this the first book I’ve finished this year, and not only is it also an SPFBO Finalist, but it’s brilliant!
When I realised this book had airships and dragons, it had my full attention. For anyone who knows me (and what I write - looking at you, Linaria), you can see exactly why this book appealed.
I know a lot of people love characters or plot in books. Usually one of those two things are most important for them.
But for me, writing style is by far the most important element when I’m reading a book. It’s what hooks me into the story. It could be the greatest story ever, but if the writing style is bland or mediocre, my attention will wane.
Rosero has a SENSATIONAL writing style. It’s immediately clear from the opening lines that the author’s voice is strong, and brings something unique. And it spills into her characters wonderfully - it just so happens to have a stellar cast, too.
Rarely do I understand who a character is and what they’re about from a handful of sentences, but Rosero masterfully does this. We’re thrown into the middle of a world (which is amazing, I’ll get to that in a moment) through the eyes of an eclectic cast. Each one is different and clearly defined.
The chapters alternate between character POVs, and it’s always abundantly clear if we’re with smugglers/sky pirates Decker, Marc, Wolff and the crew, with the voiceless Dove, with Gryff out of his depth and struggling to hold his head above water, with Bard and Dancer, with Valerya herself.
Epic fantasy, and by extension large casts of characters, can be intimidating. There can be so many names and relations that they all sort of blur together. Not so here. Rosero has a firm grip on her characters, which means the reader does, too. At no point was I unsure who Valk or Dancer or Toma or half a dozen of the side characters were. Even when someone’s appearance on page is brief, they shine.
World building is also hugely important to me. I read for escapism, which is why 99% of my books are fantasy. The world building in Burn Red Skies keeps on giving. I’ve never read elemental magic like this before. It’s so much more than Person A born in country A can do magic A. There are four elements - fire, water, ice, and storm. But this elemental affinity affects more than the magic that people can cast. Those of the water element can’t get drunk, their wounds heal almost instantly - closing up like water poured across their skin. Those of Ice burn in daylight, and so their cities are built deep into mountains, boring underground where they’re shielded. Even speech is different - some cultures don’t waste words, simply walking away at the end of a conversation. The Thunderborne live in a floating city. This is the kind of world building I adore. (Also can I be a Thunderborne please? I mean, I already have the blue hair...)
There are mages. Skin changers. A twisted King (ugh I hated him so much), Swordsuits (Spades, Diamonds etc.), mercenaries, a system of sending messages with peregrine falcons. Languages. Different religions/spiritualities. The depth here is staggering, and you’d expect it all to be shoved into a 1000 page tome. However, at just over 400 pages, the pacing is brilliant. There aren’t wasted words, let alone wasted chapters, and while things move along quickly, it’s never blistering.
This year, I’m trying to start jotting down quotes that I particularly like, and here are a few I enjoyed in Burn Red Skies:
“His body felt stitched together, every movement a blade to his ribs. Soon, he would come apart at the seams.”
“Colours of the ascendant stars swirled about her, so delicately constructed that it seemed a light rain might wash it all away.”
“Nothing ever good came from the words of ghosts.”
“The dragon had torn a hole in the sky, red and fierce like the dawn.”
“A voiceless girl roars in the skies.”
And one of my favourite lines from the Bard/Dancer chapters (where a good chunk of the humour is): “Why is there a dead man on my floor?”
My main gripe is a personal one - I’d like MORE DRAGONS, please. Valerya is the General Summoner, known as the She-Jackal. She summoned the red dragon and all fear her for it. You can always sense the dragon’s presence in her chapters, realise she has her own personal struggles with it. She's a complex character and every chapter spent with her (either in her eyes or the POV of someone with her), I found my opinion changing. Her dragon is a big part of her character and the overall plot, and I would like to have seen more of it - even if in flashbacks.
There are a couple of confusing moments in the plot, perhaps a few conveniences of character locations, or things not fully explained, but it didn’t really deter my enjoyment.
This is a hidden gem of a book, judging by how few ratings there are on Goodreads. If you love epic fantasy, things that are (overall) more light-hearted, and have a great cast of characters (including our main one, Dove, who is voiceless), in a world you can't wait to explore, I highly recommend this!
When I realised this book had airships and dragons, it had my full attention. For anyone who knows me (and what I write - looking at you, Linaria), you can see exactly why this book appealed.
I know a lot of people love characters or plot in books. Usually one of those two things are most important for them.
But for me, writing style is by far the most important element when I’m reading a book. It’s what hooks me into the story. It could be the greatest story ever, but if the writing style is bland or mediocre, my attention will wane.
Rosero has a SENSATIONAL writing style. It’s immediately clear from the opening lines that the author’s voice is strong, and brings something unique. And it spills into her characters wonderfully - it just so happens to have a stellar cast, too.
Rarely do I understand who a character is and what they’re about from a handful of sentences, but Rosero masterfully does this. We’re thrown into the middle of a world (which is amazing, I’ll get to that in a moment) through the eyes of an eclectic cast. Each one is different and clearly defined.
The chapters alternate between character POVs, and it’s always abundantly clear if we’re with smugglers/sky pirates Decker, Marc, Wolff and the crew, with the voiceless Dove, with Gryff out of his depth and struggling to hold his head above water, with Bard and Dancer, with Valerya herself.
Epic fantasy, and by extension large casts of characters, can be intimidating. There can be so many names and relations that they all sort of blur together. Not so here. Rosero has a firm grip on her characters, which means the reader does, too. At no point was I unsure who Valk or Dancer or Toma or half a dozen of the side characters were. Even when someone’s appearance on page is brief, they shine.
World building is also hugely important to me. I read for escapism, which is why 99% of my books are fantasy. The world building in Burn Red Skies keeps on giving. I’ve never read elemental magic like this before. It’s so much more than Person A born in country A can do magic A. There are four elements - fire, water, ice, and storm. But this elemental affinity affects more than the magic that people can cast. Those of the water element can’t get drunk, their wounds heal almost instantly - closing up like water poured across their skin. Those of Ice burn in daylight, and so their cities are built deep into mountains, boring underground where they’re shielded. Even speech is different - some cultures don’t waste words, simply walking away at the end of a conversation. The Thunderborne live in a floating city. This is the kind of world building I adore. (Also can I be a Thunderborne please? I mean, I already have the blue hair...)
There are mages. Skin changers. A twisted King (ugh I hated him so much), Swordsuits (Spades, Diamonds etc.), mercenaries, a system of sending messages with peregrine falcons. Languages. Different religions/spiritualities. The depth here is staggering, and you’d expect it all to be shoved into a 1000 page tome. However, at just over 400 pages, the pacing is brilliant. There aren’t wasted words, let alone wasted chapters, and while things move along quickly, it’s never blistering.
This year, I’m trying to start jotting down quotes that I particularly like, and here are a few I enjoyed in Burn Red Skies:
“His body felt stitched together, every movement a blade to his ribs. Soon, he would come apart at the seams.”
“Colours of the ascendant stars swirled about her, so delicately constructed that it seemed a light rain might wash it all away.”
“Nothing ever good came from the words of ghosts.”
“The dragon had torn a hole in the sky, red and fierce like the dawn.”
“A voiceless girl roars in the skies.”
And one of my favourite lines from the Bard/Dancer chapters (where a good chunk of the humour is): “Why is there a dead man on my floor?”
My main gripe is a personal one - I’d like MORE DRAGONS, please. Valerya is the General Summoner, known as the She-Jackal. She summoned the red dragon and all fear her for it. You can always sense the dragon’s presence in her chapters, realise she has her own personal struggles with it. She's a complex character and every chapter spent with her (either in her eyes or the POV of someone with her), I found my opinion changing. Her dragon is a big part of her character and the overall plot, and I would like to have seen more of it - even if in flashbacks.
There are a couple of confusing moments in the plot, perhaps a few conveniences of character locations, or things not fully explained, but it didn’t really deter my enjoyment.
This is a hidden gem of a book, judging by how few ratings there are on Goodreads. If you love epic fantasy, things that are (overall) more light-hearted, and have a great cast of characters (including our main one, Dove, who is voiceless), in a world you can't wait to explore, I highly recommend this!
tezzarudge's review against another edition
4.0
Here we have another spfbo7 finalist! As per all the other finalists so far, this is well worth its place in the final
This book was crazy good in some aspects but a little outside my normal preferences in others , but this is definitely a series I will continue
There are 4 pov in this story, 3 I really enjoyed and, 1 I struggled to connect with, but can definitely see that characters arc developing in future books !
The world building is excellent in places, air ships, battlements, the final battle scene. And a little underwhelming in others. I perhaps didn't need there to be so many different aspects in this first book.
The magic system is a little crazy for me. I normally enjoy strict magic systems which I can follow but this book was a bit full on in that respect. That said, I actually was fully intrigued by it and I can see it becoming more clear and developed as the series continues.
Overall I did really enjoy this story. I particularly enjoyed the introduction of Dancer and Bard , half way through the book which lifted the story with some humour and a different angle.
This book was crazy good in some aspects but a little outside my normal preferences in others , but this is definitely a series I will continue
There are 4 pov in this story, 3 I really enjoyed and, 1 I struggled to connect with, but can definitely see that characters arc developing in future books !
The world building is excellent in places, air ships, battlements, the final battle scene. And a little underwhelming in others. I perhaps didn't need there to be so many different aspects in this first book.
The magic system is a little crazy for me. I normally enjoy strict magic systems which I can follow but this book was a bit full on in that respect. That said, I actually was fully intrigued by it and I can see it becoming more clear and developed as the series continues.
Overall I did really enjoy this story. I particularly enjoyed the introduction of Dancer and Bard , half way through the book which lifted the story with some humour and a different angle.
antigonus's review against another edition
4.0
I had an absolute blast reading Burn Red Skies! It features an inter-dimensional dragon, a crew of closely-knit airship smugglers, an expertly-handled mute protagonist, a murderous General resentful of her past choices, a sadistic King with grand delusions of turning back the clock, and a pair of devilishly charming rogues bursting with electrifying chemistry. How can one not fall for such an eclectic cast?
Furthermore, nearly every major character is supplemented with distinct characteristics and motivations, and a unique voice to go along with them. Every glimpse inside the head of a sadistic man, who leverages his power in cruel ways for his own amusement at times, and to keep people within his control in other instances, felt truly repulsive — and yet fascinating. Despite the fact that page count came at a premium, the camaraderie of the smuggling crew, and the jovial banter that forms an essential part of it, left me aching for more. Merc’s gentle ribbing and outlandish ideas, coupled with Decker and Wolff’s terse admonishments, reduced me to a cackling mess in the middle of the night.
But those aren’t even the highlights. I’ve never experienced a story through a mute protagonist, so as soon as I realised Dove was one, I paid extra attention to how the author handled interactions involving her. The end result is one of exceptional quality. Flashbacks, observations, suggestive looks, and questioning glances were so expertly balanced that there were occasions where didn't notice her lack of speech. Conversations involving Dove felt just as rich — or maybe even richer — as any other, which is a credit to the author’s skill.
And just when I thought Burn Red Skies couldn’t possibly get any better, along came the chapters dedicated to Bard and Dancer, my favourite element of the story. From the very first page of Bard’s POV, the high jinks of the two rogues felt disparate from the rest of the plot. Their shared chemistry, numerous flirtations, secretive pasts, and obvious talent for sticking their blades into flesh served as the perfect recipe to feverishly turn the pages long into the night. There is also an outstanding fight scene involving them that I’ll cherish for a long time to come, and which clearly marks the author as an automatic read for me in the future.
There are, however, a few quibbles that stopped this book from being a five-star read for me, which is unsurprising for a debut work. While characters are easily its strongest aspect, as most of this review suggests, the world-building is uneven at best. There were more than a few instances where I was reduced to questioning my own memory, or if the author had provided the required information about a term or a characteristic or some critical aspect of the world. Repetition or elaboration of certain key elements, up to a certain degree, would have certainly helped. Secondly, pacing is a particular strong point overall — until the final 15% of the story comes into view. Events down the home stretch seemingly progressed at 2-3x speed, with all sense of location, character placement, setting descriptions either lost or reduced to a hazy mess. Sure, the author stuck the landing, but the execution underwhelmed.
But don’t let that hold you back from giving Burn Red Skies a try. It is, without a doubt, one of the best works that I’ve come across to feature the ‘found family’ trope, and definitely worth giving a try if you’re a fan of epic fantasy that wears love and friendship on the sleeve, while keeping darkness at bay, on the edge of the page.
Furthermore, nearly every major character is supplemented with distinct characteristics and motivations, and a unique voice to go along with them. Every glimpse inside the head of a sadistic man, who leverages his power in cruel ways for his own amusement at times, and to keep people within his control in other instances, felt truly repulsive — and yet fascinating. Despite the fact that page count came at a premium, the camaraderie of the smuggling crew, and the jovial banter that forms an essential part of it, left me aching for more. Merc’s gentle ribbing and outlandish ideas, coupled with Decker and Wolff’s terse admonishments, reduced me to a cackling mess in the middle of the night.
But those aren’t even the highlights. I’ve never experienced a story through a mute protagonist, so as soon as I realised Dove was one, I paid extra attention to how the author handled interactions involving her. The end result is one of exceptional quality. Flashbacks, observations, suggestive looks, and questioning glances were so expertly balanced that there were occasions where didn't notice her lack of speech. Conversations involving Dove felt just as rich — or maybe even richer — as any other, which is a credit to the author’s skill.
And just when I thought Burn Red Skies couldn’t possibly get any better, along came the chapters dedicated to Bard and Dancer, my favourite element of the story. From the very first page of Bard’s POV, the high jinks of the two rogues felt disparate from the rest of the plot. Their shared chemistry, numerous flirtations, secretive pasts, and obvious talent for sticking their blades into flesh served as the perfect recipe to feverishly turn the pages long into the night. There is also an outstanding fight scene involving them that I’ll cherish for a long time to come, and which clearly marks the author as an automatic read for me in the future.
There are, however, a few quibbles that stopped this book from being a five-star read for me, which is unsurprising for a debut work. While characters are easily its strongest aspect, as most of this review suggests, the world-building is uneven at best. There were more than a few instances where I was reduced to questioning my own memory, or if the author had provided the required information about a term or a characteristic or some critical aspect of the world. Repetition or elaboration of certain key elements, up to a certain degree, would have certainly helped. Secondly, pacing is a particular strong point overall — until the final 15% of the story comes into view. Events down the home stretch seemingly progressed at 2-3x speed, with all sense of location, character placement, setting descriptions either lost or reduced to a hazy mess. Sure, the author stuck the landing, but the execution underwhelmed.
But don’t let that hold you back from giving Burn Red Skies a try. It is, without a doubt, one of the best works that I’ve come across to feature the ‘found family’ trope, and definitely worth giving a try if you’re a fan of epic fantasy that wears love and friendship on the sleeve, while keeping darkness at bay, on the edge of the page.
womanon's review against another edition
I love me a dragon in a story, so I was super excited for this book. And I wholly loved it. Because the world was pretty complex, it took me a while before I was fully immersed in the story, but the wait was worth it. This is definitely a book you have to pick up if you like higher fantasy!
kitvaria_sarene's review against another edition
4.0
I've started Burn Red Skies a long, long while ago, but put it to the side when I got into a bad reading slump. My reading mojo has finally returned, and I finished all my SPFBO reading for this year, so I picked it back up and devoured it more or less in one go!
I really enjoyed the world, that has different regions which come with different abilities, elements and aspects. From people being able to wield ice to those who are resistent to fire, there's distinct advantages and disadvantages that come along.
I found the characters really well developed. They each felt like fully fleshed individuals, and I never struggled to know who was on the page at any time. They are all rounded and have flaws as well as their own agenda! I liked how divers the cast was, both in personalities as well as in abilities. One of the main characters is mute for example, while another one is weak and soft. Others are ruthless powerful fighters or even a gang of loveable pirates. For me this mix worked really well and gave more depth to both the world and the story itself.
The plot was a bit confusing or convenient at times, when I didn't fully understand why something happened. I didn't mind this overly much, as I was so drawn in by the characters, and there was always enough action or new bits of the world to discover to easily keep me hooked.
Another strength of this book was the prose. It didn't stand out, but felt really smooth and made it easy to fully leave the real world, and instead step into this new world. a good balance between evocative but unobtrusive.
I really enjoyed the world, that has different regions which come with different abilities, elements and aspects. From people being able to wield ice to those who are resistent to fire, there's distinct advantages and disadvantages that come along.
I found the characters really well developed. They each felt like fully fleshed individuals, and I never struggled to know who was on the page at any time. They are all rounded and have flaws as well as their own agenda! I liked how divers the cast was, both in personalities as well as in abilities. One of the main characters is mute for example, while another one is weak and soft. Others are ruthless powerful fighters or even a gang of loveable pirates. For me this mix worked really well and gave more depth to both the world and the story itself.
The plot was a bit confusing or convenient at times, when I didn't fully understand why something happened. I didn't mind this overly much, as I was so drawn in by the characters, and there was always enough action or new bits of the world to discover to easily keep me hooked.
Another strength of this book was the prose. It didn't stand out, but felt really smooth and made it easy to fully leave the real world, and instead step into this new world. a good balance between evocative but unobtrusive.
boundbybonne's review against another edition
2.0
A book where nothing happens and the main character does nothing - just along for the ride. Some profanity made me not want to continue the series.
bedisbetter's review against another edition
2.0
A book where nothing happens and the main character does nothing - just along for the ride. Some profanity made me not want to continue the series.