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bloggingwithdragons's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Sky on Fire is a supremely fun book centering around heists, dragons, and magic with fantastic world-building. In a year when books can barely hold my attention, I was immediately hooked on The Sky on Fire and never wanted to put the book down.
For me, the standout of The Sky on Fire was definitely the world-building. The world is divided into high and lows, with the rich and powerful living high up in the mountains, where dragons like to live, and the poor and otherwise undesirable living down on the hellishly hot and lawless jungles of what is called The Deep. The Deep is where people go to disappear and that's no exception for our protagonist, Anahrod, who hides there from a world filled with dragons who want her dead.
Ever since playing Skyrim for the first time, a game where an evil dragon, Alduin, seeks to take over the world, I have always wondered what it would be like to exist in a world ruled entirely by dragons. What kind of decisions would they make? How would they view humans? What would their ruling system or class divisions look like? The Sky on Fire gives an incredibly intriguing version of that world. In this world, humans are considered lesser than dragons, largely in part due to religious reasons, and humans with magic potential are forced to attempt to become a dragonrider in a pact that usually looks a lot like lifelong enslavement for the human.
“To become a dragonrider was to be all but a slave, perpetually locked in obedience to a single master, from whom one could never be parted. Not in the human's lifetime, anyway."
I really enjoyed this more nuanced portrayal of dragons, which I fear are usually depicted as wise and benevolent or malicious and greedy with no in between. The Sky on Fire imagines a world where dragons have different breaths, religions, and attitudes on humans. It was nice to see dragons depicted as actual characters over mythological beings that merely offer human characters something. I especially loved that each dragon has his or her own designated item that they—and they alone—can hoard. That's the kind of unique quirk that I love about Jenn Lyons's works. It also adds another interesting challenge to the already daunting premise of stealing from a dragon's hoard.
Even with all of the layered world-building, The Sky on Fire is definitely a plot driven book. As someone who typically lives and breathes for character development, you'd think I would consider that a negative, but I was so enthralled by the world and the fast paced events that I wasn't bothered by the characters not being the most developed. Characters have one or two defining traits, mostly from much-loved archetypes, and there's just not a whole lot of actual depth to go around. The idea of all of these characters are great, but their execution is not—simply too much of the writing relies on the reader recognizing these familiar types of character and knowing what that trope typically entails to know the idea of the character.
Even though the character building in The Sky on Fire as a whole is not ideal, I really enjoyed seeing multiple female characters at the forefront of a heist novel. So often books featuring heists are always run by men, with maybe one female character involved as a love interest or as a side character who is clearly not a love interest and has a quirky ability, like hacking. This is not at all the case in The Sky on Fire, which features three female characters involved in the planning and carrying out of the heist itself, and the ultimate final say on the plan goes to a female character.
Despite my joy at having all of these female characters wearing the pants of this operation, I felt like I had whiplash from a lot of, "but actually" moments concerning the plot and the heist itself. There were constant surprises, quick changes, and last minute discoveries, which kept things incredibly exciting. However, the characters were always able to pivot in order to meet new challenges with little to no panic, no matter how dire the situation. Their reactions and ability to meet any possible catastrophic situation or knowledge bombs being dropped felt quite unbelievable to me.
I also struggled to get on board with the romance of the novel. Anahrod has insta-lust for the sexy female dragonrider, Ris, but still has a thing for her ex, self-proclaimed king Sicaryon. As someone who really love a slow burn romance and the build up of characters realizing and later acting on their feelings, I was disappointed with how the romance played out. Instead of Anharod picking between the two characters, these three characters are all coincidentally mutually attracted to one another and have no problems sharing one another with each other, without so much as having even one single serious conversation about pesky things like feelings, expectations, or boundaries. While it's nice to not always have to read a love triangle and the jealousy and other complications that come with it, I honestly think this novel could have benefited from some of the tension and conflict that results from a love triangle.
"She groaned and rubbed a finger into her eye. Why make a single bad decision, she supposed, when could make two at the same time. Much more efficient. Ris and Sicaryon both. Why not?"
The romantic relationship between the three characters just felt way too random and easy, even if the author threw in what felt like obviously contrived moments of Anahrod telling herself that she shouldn't get involved with either Sicaryon or Ris. And with all of the characters rather underdeveloped, I was rather indifferent to who ended up with whom and the constant "will-they-won't-they," when it was very obvious that they were all going to act on their urges. It just didn't work as well for me as the throuple relationship between Khirin, Janel and Tareath in Lyon's other series, A Chorus of Dragons. This could be because there just isn't as much time in a standalone novel compared to a series to do the same amount of setup to make this type of relationship feel natural.
Regardless of the parts of the novel that didn’t work as well for me, such as the character building and romance, I really enjoyed The Sky on Fire due to its unique portrayal of dragons, interesting world-building, and fast-paced story with lots of surprises. I would wholeheartedly recommend The Sky on Fire to people who are looking for a more light-hearted and fun fantasy read that doesn't take itself too seriously. I think fans of Rachel Aaron’s The Legend of Eli Monpress and James Logan’s The Silverblood Promise would enjoy this novel as well.
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behindpaperbacks's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
mybookwitchreviews's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
secretofmusing's review
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Overall thoughts:
I thought this was a fun and engaging story. I loved the main character, she felt strong and independent. Also, I enjoyed that Anahrod was not a 16 year old chosen one. She her fellow characters felt quite real throughout the story, though I did have some hangups further into the story. I loved the plot and the idea of a heist/overthrowing an evil empire but I don't know that I ever felt the severity or how high the stakes were within the story. Oh, I loved the world building and how the dragon society used scales as money, the religion being based upon a goddess creating dragons, humans being kicked out of heaven to serve the dragons etc. OH! And the garden rings to declare preferences, identities, and status. Brilliant.
That all said, I will definitely keep an eye on Jenn Lyons and check out all their other books because I loved the descriptions and how detailed the dragons were here. I want to know more about all the dragon books!
Rating the book:
1..Characters? Nope. Everything just kind of fell together if that makes sense. I didn't really see the main character, Anahrod, has some pretty intense preferences at the beginning but they seem to just fall away instead of her making a conscious choice. 0
2. World-building/setting? Check. Loved the world! The socieity living and serving with the dragons were within the mountains at serious elevation. While those that lived at sea level, were in an inhospitable and quite dangerous jungle. Also, the garden rings that people decide on as they grow was brilliant. I want my own lmao. 1
3. Plot? Loved it. 1
4. Originality? - CHECK - loved this new way to visualize the dragon/dragon-rider bond. And how a society would look if it was beholden to dragons. 1
5. Writing? I thought the writing was good, I had no issues with the words pulling me out of the story. 1
6. Pacing? I finished the book in a couple days, the pacing kept me wanting to know what would happen next. 1
7. Themes? Idk, it felt like there was an attempt to address the serious gulf between the power of dragons and humans, and the humans upholding that gulf. For me it ended up feeling quite surface level. 0
8. DID I CRY/WILL IT STICK - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯? I did not cry and I honestly don't think this one will stick with me, it just felt too surface level. BUT the world building and new take on dragon/dragon riders will. 0
9. Enjoyment? check - This book was fun, and it kept me engaged throughout the story. 1
10. THE end. It felt kinda flat for me? idk. It was an ending but it just felt kinda blah. .5?
6.5/10 = 3.25/5 but I'm the boss so I'm rounding up to 4
(I borrowed Elyse Meyers' breakdown because it's too good)
Also, thank you to Tor and NetGalley for providing me with an early copy of the book and the chance to leave an honest, voluntary review.
I thought this was a fun and engaging story. I loved the main character, she felt strong and independent. Also, I enjoyed that Anahrod was not a 16 year old chosen one. She her fellow characters felt quite real throughout the story, though I did have some hangups further into the story. I loved the plot and the idea of a heist/overthrowing an evil empire but I don't know that I ever felt the severity or how high the stakes were within the story. Oh, I loved the world building and how the dragon society used scales as money, the religion being based upon a goddess creating dragons, humans being kicked out of heaven to serve the dragons etc. OH! And the garden rings to declare preferences, identities, and status. Brilliant.
That all said, I will definitely keep an eye on Jenn Lyons and check out all their other books because I loved the descriptions and how detailed the dragons were here. I want to know more about all the dragon books!
Rating the book:
1..Characters? Nope. Everything just kind of fell together if that makes sense. I didn't really see the main character, Anahrod, has some pretty intense preferences at the beginning but they seem to just fall away instead of her making a conscious choice. 0
2. World-building/setting? Check. Loved the world! The socieity living and serving with the dragons were within the mountains at serious elevation. While those that lived at sea level, were in an inhospitable and quite dangerous jungle. Also, the garden rings that people decide on as they grow was brilliant. I want my own lmao. 1
3. Plot? Loved it. 1
4. Originality? - CHECK - loved this new way to visualize the dragon/dragon-rider bond. And how a society would look if it was beholden to dragons. 1
5. Writing? I thought the writing was good, I had no issues with the words pulling me out of the story. 1
6. Pacing? I finished the book in a couple days, the pacing kept me wanting to know what would happen next. 1
7. Themes? Idk, it felt like there was an attempt to address the serious gulf between the power of dragons and humans, and the humans upholding that gulf. For me it ended up feeling quite surface level. 0
8. DID I CRY/WILL IT STICK - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯? I did not cry and I honestly don't think this one will stick with me, it just felt too surface level. BUT the world building and new take on dragon/dragon riders will. 0
9. Enjoyment? check - This book was fun, and it kept me engaged throughout the story. 1
10. THE end. It felt kinda flat for me? idk. It was an ending but it just felt kinda blah. .5?
6.5/10 = 3.25/5 but I'm the boss so I'm rounding up to 4
(I borrowed Elyse Meyers' breakdown because it's too good)
Also, thank you to Tor and NetGalley for providing me with an early copy of the book and the chance to leave an honest, voluntary review.
noemi1010's review against another edition
4.0
It took me a few chapters to get into the story, but once I was finally in, I didn't want it to end.
In a fantasy world ruled by dragons, humans are considered an inferior species who is supposed to serve the dragons and help them from getting madness due to their magic. Anahrod, a human, was falsely accused of a crime when she was a teenager at the academy, and she has been living in hiding for over 10 years. However, some people come looking for her to have her aid them in stealing from the dragon queen. It's an impossible feat, but their plan reveals a conspiracy against the true king, that the queen started to gain power.
I enjoyed the different relationships among the characters, and especially the polyamory love story. While the ending was a little bit cliche, I'd be curious to see how the relationship between Anahrod and the king of dragons develop.
Thank you NetGalley and Tor for a digital copy of this book.
In a fantasy world ruled by dragons, humans are considered an inferior species who is supposed to serve the dragons and help them from getting madness due to their magic. Anahrod, a human, was falsely accused of a crime when she was a teenager at the academy, and she has been living in hiding for over 10 years. However, some people come looking for her to have her aid them in stealing from the dragon queen. It's an impossible feat, but their plan reveals a conspiracy against the true king, that the queen started to gain power.
I enjoyed the different relationships among the characters, and especially the polyamory love story. While the ending was a little bit cliche, I'd be curious to see how the relationship between Anahrod and the king of dragons develop.
Thank you NetGalley and Tor for a digital copy of this book.
val_booksandtea's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
blankpagepanic's review
After careful consideration I decided to DNF this book at 56%. Sadly, for a book with so much promise (dragons, heists, a potentially poly relationship), I didn't find myself picking it up nearly as much as I'd like, it's just too boring and convenient.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
bamamelereads's review
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
This is an enjoyable and entertaining fantasy adventure story with found family, dragons, magic, and high stakes action. This is my first book by Lyons, but I’ve wanted to read Chorus of Dragons for a while.
This book isn’t at all slow paced, but it reads slow if that makes sense. The world building is dense, there are a lot of characters, and a lot of intricacies to the plot and world. It takes some brainpower to process everything (one character speaks only in quoted poetry or plays that another character then has to interpret for example). It also feels like a much longer book because so much happens! There are several quests, several plots, a Mission Impossible style heist, and then there’s still 30% of the book left to address the plot with the First Dragon and wrap everything up! But I was never bored.
There’s a large cast of characters, but I’d say the 4 most important were Anahrod, Ris, Sicaryon, and Gwindinion. I have to say I think Sicaryon was actually my favorite and I would not have minded more time with him. I think there is just so much going on with the plot and the world, that I missed really feeling the emotional connection to everyone, plus it made some of the relationships less believable. Ris holds so much back in information throughout the book that I found it hard to believe how easily Anahrod trusted her. That being said, I definitely enjoyed the steamy relationship between Anah, Ris, and Cary.
Overall, just a little something was missing to make it a new fav, but it was highly enjoyable and I would recommend.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the preview. All opinions are my own
This book isn’t at all slow paced, but it reads slow if that makes sense. The world building is dense, there are a lot of characters, and a lot of intricacies to the plot and world. It takes some brainpower to process everything (one character speaks only in quoted poetry or plays that another character then has to interpret for example). It also feels like a much longer book because so much happens! There are several quests, several plots, a Mission Impossible style heist, and then there’s still 30% of the book left to address the plot with the First Dragon and wrap everything up! But I was never bored.
There’s a large cast of characters, but I’d say the 4 most important were Anahrod, Ris, Sicaryon, and Gwindinion. I have to say I think Sicaryon was actually my favorite and I would not have minded more time with him. I think there is just so much going on with the plot and the world, that I missed really feeling the emotional connection to everyone, plus it made some of the relationships less believable. Ris holds so much back in information throughout the book that I found it hard to believe how easily Anahrod trusted her. That being said, I definitely enjoyed the steamy relationship between Anah, Ris, and Cary.
Overall, just a little something was missing to make it a new fav, but it was highly enjoyable and I would recommend.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the preview. All opinions are my own
clemslibrary's review
4.25
Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an e-arc in return for an honest review!
this is an action and dragon field fantasy book, I had a really fun time with this and loved the development of the heist plot.
We follow a ragtag group of people planning a heist, and it was really fun seeing the development of the group and their character dynamics as the plot developed. Dragons are so cool, there’s a new span on the dragon and dragon rider trope that I really enjoyed. The plot itself is gripping and entertaining, there’s movement throughout the world which helped add to the worldbuilding and our enjoyment of the plot. It’s set in a queer normative world, and there is a subplot of a polyamorous relationship.
The main character is in her 30s, which I think adds a really fresh perspective to the world since she has had to move to a different part of the world.
This is a fantasy book that has everything you want in relation to dragons, the world itself is really cool and there is a really interesting way of showing gender identity and queerness- rings are used to show what you’re interested in and who you’re interested in which I thought was a new fun way to explore this.
if you’re looking for a heist fantasy with dragons and a fun queernormative world, this is what you should read!
this is an action and dragon field fantasy book, I had a really fun time with this and loved the development of the heist plot.
We follow a ragtag group of people planning a heist, and it was really fun seeing the development of the group and their character dynamics as the plot developed. Dragons are so cool, there’s a new span on the dragon and dragon rider trope that I really enjoyed. The plot itself is gripping and entertaining, there’s movement throughout the world which helped add to the worldbuilding and our enjoyment of the plot. It’s set in a queer normative world, and there is a subplot of a polyamorous relationship.
The main character is in her 30s, which I think adds a really fresh perspective to the world since she has had to move to a different part of the world.
This is a fantasy book that has everything you want in relation to dragons, the world itself is really cool and there is a really interesting way of showing gender identity and queerness- rings are used to show what you’re interested in and who you’re interested in which I thought was a new fun way to explore this.
if you’re looking for a heist fantasy with dragons and a fun queernormative world, this is what you should read!
thecorkedreader's review
3.75
🐉The Sky on Fire🐉
Jenn Lyons became an autobuy author after I read and loved the Chorus of Dragons series by her. It’s quirky, it’s complex, it’s so great! It isn’t necessarily a series I recommend to everyone as I feel like people will either love it or hate it, but I definitely loved it! The Sky on Fire is a brand new standalone set in a world ruled by dragons.
I did quite enjoy this one but definitely not as much as the Chorus of Dragons series. The world building was brilliant and by far my favourite part of the book. I did, however, find the characters were a little underdeveloped which made it harder to become invested in them. This surprised me a bit as the strong and well developed characters are one of the many reasons I love the Chorus of Dragons series. I did however really enjoy the dynamics between dragons and their riders and how that played into the story.
The Sky on Fire is quite fast paced so I found myself reading it much faster than I thought I would. The Chorus of Dragons series is quite dense so it would take me about a month to read through them but to my pleasant surprise, I think I finished The Sky on Fire in about 24 hours. The book starts of strong and I was instantly intrigued which kept the pages turning. However, I found there was a lot of build up to events and plot twists but when they came about they were over a bit too quickly.
I did enjoy this one overall but it felt underdeveloped. The dragons are of course the best part of the story and I felt like there was a good amount of them in the story! (My pet peeve is dragon books that aren’t dragon-y enough 😂)
A huge thank you to @netgalley & @torbooks for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. The Sky on Fire is out on July 9th!
⭐3.75/5 stars⭐
Jenn Lyons became an autobuy author after I read and loved the Chorus of Dragons series by her. It’s quirky, it’s complex, it’s so great! It isn’t necessarily a series I recommend to everyone as I feel like people will either love it or hate it, but I definitely loved it! The Sky on Fire is a brand new standalone set in a world ruled by dragons.
I did quite enjoy this one but definitely not as much as the Chorus of Dragons series. The world building was brilliant and by far my favourite part of the book. I did, however, find the characters were a little underdeveloped which made it harder to become invested in them. This surprised me a bit as the strong and well developed characters are one of the many reasons I love the Chorus of Dragons series. I did however really enjoy the dynamics between dragons and their riders and how that played into the story.
The Sky on Fire is quite fast paced so I found myself reading it much faster than I thought I would. The Chorus of Dragons series is quite dense so it would take me about a month to read through them but to my pleasant surprise, I think I finished The Sky on Fire in about 24 hours. The book starts of strong and I was instantly intrigued which kept the pages turning. However, I found there was a lot of build up to events and plot twists but when they came about they were over a bit too quickly.
I did enjoy this one overall but it felt underdeveloped. The dragons are of course the best part of the story and I felt like there was a good amount of them in the story! (My pet peeve is dragon books that aren’t dragon-y enough 😂)
A huge thank you to @netgalley & @torbooks for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. The Sky on Fire is out on July 9th!
⭐3.75/5 stars⭐