Reviews

Wild Sky by Zaya Feli

heabooknerd's review

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5.0

First of all let me say that WILD SKY was a hefty 475 pages and I loved every second of it! Tauran Darrica is a former Sky Guard dragon rider from Valreus, but a tragic betrayal from inside the Sky Guard leads to the death of Tauran's dragon and an injured leg that still pains him 4 years later. Tauran vowed never to return to Valreus or to bond with a dragon again but circumstances have him reluctantly returning to Valreus. Once there he meets the city's new Archivist, Kalai Ro-Ani, a young man from Sharoani, the neighboring land where dragons come from. This begins an epic slow burn romance between Tauran and Kalai as they navigate unusual (and sometimes questionable) changes to the Sky Guard, unheard of attacks by the wild dragons, and dangerous rebel activity.

I felt like I was reading WILD SKY forever but I mean that in the best way possible because I felt completely immersed in the story and the world. This has a slower pace but it allows for the perfect amount of space to understand the world, its history, and the characters. As the story moves into some political intrigue things start to ramp up and we get a little more action and adventure.

So what made this such a great read? First off, the world-building was done so well and I loved the unique world that the author created. There's no info-dumping but I also never felt confused about what was going on; instead the author nicely paces out information and history about Valreus, Sharoani, and the surrounding areas. And a big part of that world-building is the dragons which were written to perfection and I desperately want a baby dragon now! These dragons have fully fleshed out personalities and I enjoyed them so much, especially baby Leyra who we get to see grow up a bit throughout the book. I loved that in this world, people and dragons coexist in harmony and that some lucky people are able to bond with dragons.

But the biggest reason I loved Wild Sky is the characters. Tauran and Kalai were so great and I loved each of them individually and especially as a couple. Tauran might have some struggles left over from losing his dragon but he's still cocky and charming and a little bit wild underneath the pain. He's also a natural leader though he doesn't quite realize it at first. When he first meets Kalai he's enamored and can't stay away. Kalai's a perfect match because his love of life and his deeply caring heart help to heal Tauran and remind him of his self-worth. Kalai is truly a gentle soul, with a love of learning and a slightly shy nature. He struggles with an illness that causes random fainting, especially when he's tired, stressed, or at high altitudes; so even though he has a dragon he's never ridden Arrow before meeting Tauran.

This was the epitome of slow burn and while the heat level is on the lower side, the intimacy and love between the characters is front and center. These two were truly perfect together and I adored the way they always supported each other and the little ways they cared for each other. Their love was obvious in each little touch, each soft moment, and each time they held each other up.

I will mention there was one brief scene of Tauran with another man, and I generally don't like when an MC sleeps with someone else, but this happened early in Tauran and Kalai's acquaintance and before their first kiss.

**ARC provided by A Novel Take PR in exchange for an honest review**

Content Warning: References to depression and PTSD; a character with a fainting illness; forced drug addiction, withdrawals; dragon death; brief scene of MC with another man

a_reader_obsessed's review

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5.0

5 Hearts!! An impressive fantasy overflowing with dragon love!

For those who know me well, I do not give 5’s easily nor readily. In fact, this is my first for the year. I also don’t tend to like, and truly avoid, long reads but despite this being over 700 pages, I barreled through this with ease.

As per the blurb, Tauran is a self imposed retired soldier of Valreus’s Sky Guard. He and his dragon once kept the city and surrounding realms safe, but a terrible tragedy struck and Tauran chooses to forget by drinking away his sorrows, far from anything and anyone from his past. When his former general tracks him down and pleads for his help in training new dragon rider recruits, Tauran unwillingly returns to a place he swore he never would again. The changes wrought while he’s been gone are many, and the memories both good and bad, hit Tauran hard as he struggles with desperately wanting to run but being unable to do so especially when presented with a rare unhatched dragon egg.

Kalai is a foreigner to Valreus. He’s looking for adventure with his dragon Arrow, and comes from Sharoani, a place known for its dragon temples and masters, a place that’s as elusive as it is secretive, the community there living harmoniously and mysteriously with wild dragons. Kalai’s limited, but still important, knowledge lands him a job as the new archivist and automatic dragon expert for the Sky Guard, tasked to interpret ancient Sharoani texts and assist with the newly found dragon egg, all of which puts him in the direct path of Tauran.

What ensues is a richly painted world divided on how dragons fit into human lives. The dragons are rightly revered and cherished but also extremely sought after for their skills, especially in the Sky Guard. However, there’s conflict brewing across the lands and previously peaceful wild dragons are attacking the city, all indicating toward something very amiss. Tauran and Kalai find themselves smack dab in the middle of disturbing going ons, and when things don’t add up, they must find the answers no matter the danger or cost.

Beware substantial PTSD, lots of hurt comfort, dealing with frustrating disabilities, drug addiction, betrayal, and some gory violence. However, what you’ll also get is a thoroughly plausible, realistic sweet slow burn romance in and amongst the brewings of war and possible annihilation. Feli delivers on dragon legend and lore and fleshes out the divided countries. She also deftly describes the tenuous relationship between human and dragon, where should one be so lucky as to form an unbreakable bond with such a rare creature, their life will be forever altered and affected. Each dragon is endearing in their own unique way, their distinct personalities shining through and brought to vivid life, which only made me cherish every scene they were in, wanting more despite them all featuring so heavily throughout the story.

Point blank. If you love dragons in your stories, then this is an absolute must. Overall, when you have something of this size and magnitude, when it delivers on the romance, the plot, the grand scope of things, when it brings all the wonderful dragon-ness you could ever want, one can’t help but be moved by the struggles of these fantastic beings and the imperfect men who love them. Both Tauran and Kalai draw strength from the other and their dragon counterparts to be so much more than they ever thought possible. It sorta kinda helps things along when your whole belief system is called into question and everyone and everything is in danger, for such challenges either make or break you. Here, Tauran and Kalai obviously come out on top.

So again, I’m happy to say that this is my first 5 star rating for the year because ONE, this never felt like 764 pages and TWO, when I read the last sentence, I was seriously sad that there wasn’t more as it leaves the reader not with a cliffhanger but a desire to know what happens next. I think that pretty much says it all, and I can only hope Feli brings us more of Tauran and Kalai or at least, further tales of this wondrous wonderful world!

Thank you to the author for a copy in exchange for an honest review

nyeran's review

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2.0

"An egg. A dragon egg."

✿ Sono tutti dei fottuti idioti in questo libro.
Non ce n'è uno che faccia la cosa più logica che chiunque altro al suo posto farebbe.
Ci sono un sacco di situazioni troppo comode o selettive.
Ci sono un sacco di cose telefonatissime che riesci a vedere lontano cento chilometri e non ti spieghi perché questi invece non ci arrivano.

✿ Falka è il capo supremo della Sky Guard che poi scopriamo essere il villain che ruba le uova di drago dai nidi dei draghi selvatici e nessuno gli fa domande su questa cosa. Tauran arriva in città - chiamato da Falka, tra l'altro - gli viene detto che hanno trovato un uovo di titano abbandonato e lui ci crede, quando non viene mai detto che i draghi abbiano mai abbandonato le proprie uova. Non viene mai detto che sia un comportamento normale. Ma lui non si chiede perché i draghi stiano abbandonando le loro uova, se siano in pericolo, niente. Lui prende sto uovo e noi già sappiamo cosa succederà, quest'uovo creerà un legame emotivo con lui e diventerà il suo drago chevelodicoafare. Lui, poi, alla notizia che i draghi hanno più volte attaccato dei villaggi e la città non fa un collegamento tra le due cose, non pensa che forse, FORSE eh, i draghi vogliano riprendersi le uova “abbandonate”, no no.
Ma Falka non è mica da solo a fare questo bel lavoro, con lui ci sono i suoi sottoposti e a due di loro questa cosa non sta tanto bene, verrebbe da pensare quindi che si stiano adoperando per fermarlo ma no. Hanno bisogno di Tauran che è li all'accademia per tutt'altro motivo e che non sa niente di niente. Ma se proprio vi serviva uno estraneo alla vicenda perché non lo avete cercato prima? Quando era lontano e si grattava le palle? Eravate amici prima dell'ammutinamento quindi avevate pure la scusa per andarlo a trovare, Falka non avrebbe sospettato nulla visto che è il suo favorito e invece no. Avete fatto il lavoro sporco e siete rimasti zitti, poi arriva Tauran, gli mettete la pulce nell'orecchio, lui si ritrova immischiato e ora Falka sospetta di lui. Siete dei geni. Non che Falka sia megamind, sia chiaro, ha fatto uccidere il vecchio archivista nella casa in cui viveva e non si è nemmeno preoccupato di ripulire il tutto tanto che Kalai trova una scritta con il sangue sotto al tappeto. Eddai, cazzo.
Nel mezzo delle paludi del terrore c'è una casetta solitaria, circondata da mostri giganteschi, chi mai ci vivrà in quella casina sperduta? Ma il soldato traditore – che poi ovviamente traditore non è visto che Falka è il cattivone – il cui cadavere non si è mai ritrovato e che non si sa come, comunica con i due soldati che sono sotto sorveglianza e nessuno lo ha scoperto. Tra l'altro scoprono che il tizio che crea le selle sta creando una sella per un drago sconosciuto ma non sanno chi gliel'ha ordinata. Come fai a sapere una cosa ma non l'altra? Lo spiate a giorni alterni? Solo ad ore pasti?
Kalai viene da una terra dove i draghi volano liberi ed è illegale cavalcarli o addomesticarli, li vivono i dragon masters, studiosi dei draghi che vivono in una torre dove a nessuno è permesso salire e loro non comunicano con nessuno. Questo dettaglio viene ribadito più volte. Finché non arrivano questi due stronzi, prendono un apprendista chiedendogli di farli parlare con il suo maestro e questo ce parla. Addirittura scende dalla torre per parlare con loro, ma che cazzo!? Ma se fino a dieci pagine fa hai detto che è impossibile parlare con loro!? Non solo parla con loro ma li fa anche salire per parlare con il grande capo perché quello che devono dire è troppo importante. Cosa sarà mai? Il fatto che i draghi stanno attaccando la loro terra e non si capisce come mai questi che li studiano non lo sappiano.
Comunque, Kalai soffre di svenimenti (siamo in due) e ci dice che tutte le volte che ha provato a salire sulla torre si è sentito male ed è svenuto. È l'altitudine dice quello che cavalca un drago che penso riesca a volare più in alto di una torre, pure di una alta quanto il Burj Khalifa. Torre che, immagino, in quanto appunto torre sia chiusa e quindi non si spiega questa mancanza d'aria, questa sofferenza di altitudine che lui ha.
Kalai è arrivato a Valreus con il suo drago che poi nasconderà nelle rovine della vecchia torre dei draghi perché è illegale avere un drago se non si è membri della guardia. Nessuno si accorge che questo drago è li dentro e che questi gli portano da mangiare nonostante delle persone vivano vicino a questa torre. Non viene spiegato perchè queste rovine se ne stanno li abbandonate visto che potrebbero crollare, perchè non ci hanno eretto un monumento in memoria della battaglia e delle vite perse, magari, perchè nessuno dei draghi dei soldati si accorge che c'è un drago sconosciuto nella loro città dall'odore o con l'udito super fine che hanno, perchè questo drago selvatico ubbidisce a Kalai e se ne sta buono buono rinchiuso nella torre? Mi pare venga anche detto che ogni tanto ruggisca ma che gli abitanti del quartiere sono tutti poveri e reietti e credono che la torre sia infestata, o comunque porti sfortuna avvicinarsi, e quindi ignorano.
Ma poi non viene nemmeno detto se i draghi capiscono il linguaggio umano, ad un certo punto Kalai dice ad Arrow di rimanere in volo per qualche ora e lontano da loro per alcuni giorni per non farli scoprire e poi lui lo avrebbe chiamato. Il drago ubbidisce. Come lo ha capito? Perchè questa ubbidienza non l'ha avuta anche quando erano a Valreus e invece è entrato in città e si è piantato sul tetto della casa dell'archivista facendosi quasi scoprire?

Come se tutto questo non bastasse (e infatti è solo una goccia) il libro ha uno stile di scrittura molto infantile e l'introspezione sono loro che ripetono sempre le stesse cose, le stesse paure e le stesse paranoie. Almeno Tauran e Kalai sono abbastanza adorabili da renderteli godibili. 

minnerain's review

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adventurous medium-paced

4.25

penguinface's review

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adventurous slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

wickedwitchofthewords's review against another edition

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I decided to DNF the book at this point because 
* we’re this far into the book and we still don’t know WHAT exactly those people are rebelling against 
* the guy that was executed? It was done so off-hand that it shocked me.
* the stakes are high, have been high, but our characters are reckless, to a point that it’s unacceptable 
* the boys don’t have chemistry 

I loved the parts about the dragons, the baby dragon, and how they are part of the human world. I also love Sparrow 😬
But I cannot spend more time in this world and wait for resolutions that may or may not happen… 

alizalondon's review

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4.0

So cute, with a ton of thought put into the characters and dragons. Those 763 pages really did fly by!

iam's review

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3.0

3.5 stars
Queer dragon rider fantasy with an m/m romance, betrayal, and two disabled protagonists.

Read the full review on the blog!

Content warnings include: violence, animal abuse, disability (fainting episodes, consequences of badly broken leg), substance addiction, sex on-page, character seeks out sex worker, giving someone harmful medication under false pretenses, military being absolute authority vibes, trauma.
Mentions of: animal death, suicide attempt, falling from sky, execution, threat of executing a child, homelessness, arson.

Ultimately, Wild Sky is an entertaining fantasy adventure with dragons and a queer cast. The story was solid, with different aspects driving the tension. Fantasy lovers won’t find anything new here, but it was engaging and fun to read.

I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

saladbar's review against another edition

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4.0

The other day I complained of a book being good first 50% and then failing its promise. This is the opposite, which is far more forgivable. The first 50% dragged, but I continued. It gets pretty exciting around 55% and worth the slow burn (particularly if you LOVE dragons).

brittaniethekid's review

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5.0

I'm not huge on high fantasy so I was a bit hesitant to read this book but I'm so glad I gave it a chance. Feli writes this fantasy world in a way that feels very realistic and the only real fantasy element are the existence of dragons. All of the characters feel multi-dimensional and very thought out. Though the book is over 500 pages, it's paced very well both in the romance as well as the world building and I wouldn't have minded another 500 pages when it was over.
I was impressed with the writing because Feli is Danish with English as a second language and yet you'd never be able to tell. There were some editing issues, like a repetition of phrases in a few parts ("collapsed like a stack of cards" used twice in the same scene) but it's not something that takes away from the quality of the story. I'm excited to read more of Feli's books.