Scan barcode
behager's review against another edition
2.0
Very weak storytelling.
I'm really disappointed since I imagined this was going to be an epic story, but it did little to grasp my interest and my will to finish it.
I'm really disappointed since I imagined this was going to be an epic story, but it did little to grasp my interest and my will to finish it.
pauh94's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this book, it was original and the world-building was really good.
The twists and turns were somehow unexpected and I resd the whole book in a day.
My only problem was the main characters and their insta-love. I couldnt fully like them even if their insta love was not a main plot, it just felt unrealistic and stupid that two kids would fall so fast. But whatever, the book was really enjoyable and fun and a fast read.
The twists and turns were somehow unexpected and I resd the whole book in a day.
My only problem was the main characters and their insta-love. I couldnt fully like them even if their insta love was not a main plot, it just felt unrealistic and stupid that two kids would fall so fast. But whatever, the book was really enjoyable and fun and a fast read.
haunted_by_humans's review against another edition
3.0
Really loved the whole concept, but the writing was just okay. I would’ve liked a bit more world building, but I enjoyed reading it.
truestorydesu's review against another edition
3.0
Here be monsters. Somewhat uninteresting monsters.
peculiarb's review against another edition
2.0
actual rating: 2.5
This book just didn't deliver on what it promised.
The first half was slow on the uptake, with the more important scenes being cut short (at least that's what it felt like), while the later half was incredibly rushed, with new important elements being introduced right around the climax/end of the book.
My chief complaint when it comes to this book stems from the fact that it just wasn't long enough for the story it wanted to tell, so most of it (the world, the legends, the relationships between secondary characters, etc) came off as superficial and failed to really suck me in.
This book just didn't deliver on what it promised.
The first half was slow on the uptake, with the more important scenes being cut short (at least that's what it felt like), while the later half was incredibly rushed, with new important elements being introduced right around the climax/end of the book.
My chief complaint when it comes to this book stems from the fact that it just wasn't long enough for the story it wanted to tell, so most of it (the world, the legends, the relationships between secondary characters, etc) came off as superficial and failed to really suck me in.
fadingsilence's review against another edition
3.0
Posted at Down the Rabbit Hole
Where shall I even start?
I guess I had high expectations for Heir to the Sky. A whole community or continent flying in the sky? A gruesome and dangerous earth below? And a strange romance that's built from the ashes of Kali's demise?
However, none of what I had expected to love was executed as well as I would have liked.
First, the characters.
We get introduced to Kali and her best friend Elisha right from the beginning. I had so many problems with them both. Kali acts like a spoiled little princess who gets everything yet doesn't want to shoulder the burden of responsibility for being the leader (or Eternal Flame) to her people. Instead, she likes to run off to hide in the stacks of dusty tomes in the library or to the outcrop, which is LITERALLY the edge of her floating continent. To do what? To hide. To dream of the mysterious land she can see below at her feet.
As for Elisha, I just can't take her seriously. She giggles like HALF the time. Even when Kali came to her about something strange she overhears, what does Elisha do? She freaking giggles. And then goes to party in the festivities. Are they all really that naive? Don't listen to their gut about something strange going on?
Anyway, back to our DEAR, dear princess. She's also very arrogant.
To this point when I was reading it, I almost said, Well, that's what you get for being such a smart-aleck. Maybe you deserve this. I almost said that. But she was just so annoying with that attitude of hers! Her recklessness, especially when she knew people were counting on her as the heir of Ashra.
She's also pretty dumb or ignorant in thinking that because she's the heir, people will automatically listen to her reasoning.
She makes a promise on earth but she doesn't intend to keep it because she's the HEIR. You can't despise your position and believe in its advantages at the same time.
I think by the end of the story, she still hasn't grown as much in her character. She finds a solution that helps delegate her responsibility for her people, a solution that Sun romanticizes by the way she writes it, but I still think it basically creates a situation in which Kali can do whatever she wants and finally "be free".
Secondly, the world building was hard to take in at first.
The first 50 pages or so are really slow because you're assaulted with endless information. How the people believed their little floating continent had come to be; the glorious godlike creature they revere, the Phoenix, and the spiritual worship they endow on her, the different organized communities that have separate roles on Ashra (all written in a way that reflects back on the Phoenix...somehow). The way the people say "Amen" but instead use the phrase "May we/she rise anew." It was a lot to take in.
The pacing was also incredibly slow in places. It's never good when you find yourself wondering how much longer until you finish this book. I literally was asking myself this question multiple times. It wasn't until maybe the last 100 pages where the action really picked up.
I won't say that this whole world sucked. The earth and the monsters that hunted down here were incredibly well-described. But you can't survive on this alone to make a lovely novel.
The romance wasn't very.....much of anything. It was kinda underwhelming. I didn't feel much of their supposed attraction beyond the fact that they had to rely on each other to survive. Griffin was a nice enough guy, and even when we learn more about his background, it wasn't fleshed out as much as it could be.
Actually, the whole last 100 pages where it got more epic? It could've been 200 pages instead and made for a more satisfactory read. Everything written there was too little. The conspiracy, the battle with the main antagonist, the conclusion in the aftermath, it was all too quick and condensed. This is where the book could've gotten a little better. I still give it a 3 stars because this last 1/3 was interesting but honestly, I'm just being generous.
Overall Recommendation:
There was a lot of potential for Heir to the Sky but the best way to describe it is underwhelming. Slow pacing throughout 2/3 of the book, ridiculous and annoying protagonist and rather quick conclusion, nothing really shouts out at you from this book. The monsters on earth were cool, the way this community in the sky was run was intriguing, and so was the conspiracy that could topple the very foundation of Ashra. I thought all these elements would've propelled the story to great heights, but Amanda Sun just didn't execute it well in all the right places. With a very generous rating on my part, Heir to the Sky is a little disappointing because I can see all that it could've been.
-------------------------------------------------------------
For more of my reviews, check out Down the Rabbit Hole:
Where shall I even start?
I guess I had high expectations for Heir to the Sky. A whole community or continent flying in the sky? A gruesome and dangerous earth below? And a strange romance that's built from the ashes of Kali's demise?
However, none of what I had expected to love was executed as well as I would have liked.
First, the characters.
We get introduced to Kali and her best friend Elisha right from the beginning. I had so many problems with them both. Kali acts like a spoiled little princess who gets everything yet doesn't want to shoulder the burden of responsibility for being the leader (or Eternal Flame) to her people. Instead, she likes to run off to hide in the stacks of dusty tomes in the library or to the outcrop, which is LITERALLY the edge of her floating continent. To do what? To hide. To dream of the mysterious land she can see below at her feet.
As for Elisha, I just can't take her seriously. She giggles like HALF the time. Even when Kali came to her about something strange she overhears, what does Elisha do? She freaking giggles. And then goes to party in the festivities. Are they all really that naive? Don't listen to their gut about something strange going on?
Anyway, back to our DEAR, dear princess. She's also very arrogant.
I remember the feel of the grass as it slipped from beneath my fingers. All those times I spent on the edge of my outcrop, never imagining I could fall.
I almost can't believe it.
To this point when I was reading it, I almost said, Well, that's what you get for being such a smart-aleck. Maybe you deserve this. I almost said that. But she was just so annoying with that attitude of hers! Her recklessness, especially when she knew people were counting on her as the heir of Ashra.
She's also pretty dumb or ignorant in thinking that because she's the heir, people will automatically listen to her reasoning.
"I promise I won't tell anyone you're down here." At least, I think, not until and unless I'm in a position to control Ashra's reaction. And that won't be hard, because the Monarch is my father, and he and the people will listen to their heir.
She makes a promise on earth but she doesn't intend to keep it because she's the HEIR. You can't despise your position and believe in its advantages at the same time.
I think by the end of the story, she still hasn't grown as much in her character. She finds a solution that helps delegate her responsibility for her people, a solution that Sun romanticizes by the way she writes it, but I still think it basically creates a situation in which Kali can do whatever she wants and finally "be free".
Secondly, the world building was hard to take in at first.
The first 50 pages or so are really slow because you're assaulted with endless information. How the people believed their little floating continent had come to be; the glorious godlike creature they revere, the Phoenix, and the spiritual worship they endow on her, the different organized communities that have separate roles on Ashra (all written in a way that reflects back on the Phoenix...somehow). The way the people say "Amen" but instead use the phrase "May we/she rise anew." It was a lot to take in.
The pacing was also incredibly slow in places. It's never good when you find yourself wondering how much longer until you finish this book. I literally was asking myself this question multiple times. It wasn't until maybe the last 100 pages where the action really picked up.
I won't say that this whole world sucked. The earth and the monsters that hunted down here were incredibly well-described. But you can't survive on this alone to make a lovely novel.
The romance wasn't very.....much of anything. It was kinda underwhelming. I didn't feel much of their supposed attraction beyond the fact that they had to rely on each other to survive. Griffin was a nice enough guy, and even when we learn more about his background, it wasn't fleshed out as much as it could be.
Actually, the whole last 100 pages where it got more epic? It could've been 200 pages instead and made for a more satisfactory read. Everything written there was too little. The conspiracy, the battle with the main antagonist, the conclusion in the aftermath, it was all too quick and condensed. This is where the book could've gotten a little better. I still give it a 3 stars because this last 1/3 was interesting but honestly, I'm just being generous.
Overall Recommendation:
There was a lot of potential for Heir to the Sky but the best way to describe it is underwhelming. Slow pacing throughout 2/3 of the book, ridiculous and annoying protagonist and rather quick conclusion, nothing really shouts out at you from this book. The monsters on earth were cool, the way this community in the sky was run was intriguing, and so was the conspiracy that could topple the very foundation of Ashra. I thought all these elements would've propelled the story to great heights, but Amanda Sun just didn't execute it well in all the right places. With a very generous rating on my part, Heir to the Sky is a little disappointing because I can see all that it could've been.
-------------------------------------------------------------
For more of my reviews, check out Down the Rabbit Hole:
natashambrown's review against another edition
4.0
lovely story and a fun one-off. can't say much else
mindelanowl's review against another edition
2.0
The blurb for this book really interested me. A floating kingdom, with monster-infested lands below? A main character that has been trained to be the leader of this kingdom, who sounds like she might be an interesting strong female lead? Okay, I'll check that out!
The floating kingdom and monster-infested lands part of the blurb was partially delivered as promised. Through the main character, Kali, the author does a decent job of explaining some of the customs and historical aspects of her kingdom, but it comes across as an info-dump at times. Once Kali falls to the earth below, however, things start to fall apart.
Kali encounters several monsters on the earth below her kingdom. So many, in fact, that at times it feels as though the author threw them in when she couldn't figure out how to continue a conversation between Kali and other characters, or when she felt the plot running out of steam. The other humans that Kali meets while on the earth are all very flat and uninteresting, without any real identity outside of their interest in her or their willingness to help her return to her home. As the majority of the book was spent interacting with the characters and monsters Kali encounters after falling from her home, the fact that these two elements are very weak greatly impacts the quality of the book overall.
This book was disappointing because the blurb made it seem so promising, but the character development, mediocre world building, and poor handling of the monster scenes really made this whole thing a very lackluster reading experience for me.
The floating kingdom and monster-infested lands part of the blurb was partially delivered as promised. Through the main character, Kali, the author does a decent job of explaining some of the customs and historical aspects of her kingdom, but it comes across as an info-dump at times. Once Kali falls to the earth below, however, things start to fall apart.
Kali encounters several monsters on the earth below her kingdom. So many, in fact, that at times it feels as though the author threw them in when she couldn't figure out how to continue a conversation between Kali and other characters, or when she felt the plot running out of steam. The other humans that Kali meets while on the earth are all very flat and uninteresting, without any real identity outside of their interest in her or their willingness to help her return to her home. As the majority of the book was spent interacting with the characters and monsters Kali encounters after falling from her home, the fact that these two elements are very weak greatly impacts the quality of the book overall.
This book was disappointing because the blurb made it seem so promising, but the character development, mediocre world building, and poor handling of the monster scenes really made this whole thing a very lackluster reading experience for me.
insipidurbanism's review against another edition
4.0
A quick and enchanting read with a great blend of realistic plot details, pragmatic understanding of danger and a whimsical wonder of a fascinating Earth.