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kaiyakaiyo's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
this has very much restored my faith in fantasy’s ability to do dragons without deeply boring political intrigue attached. most popular dragon media makes them fiery accessories in throne plots, and it’s soooo played out. but this. this wonderful book not only made dragons their own players, but even made them oppressors, and played with what that would mean for both themselves and humans. INCREDIBLE
anahrod was funny, if a bit plot-armored. Ris, Cary, Claw, Gwydinion— all fun, incredible characters. as an oldest daughter myself all the gwydinion parts hit me right in the heart.
the dragon types and lore was super well-fleshed out, though i do wish they weren’t all the ostensibly western kind; more serpent-like dragons would’ve been a slay as well. That being said, i like when authors stay in their own lane so maybe that was for the best!
the romance was fun, if a bit thrown-in at times; I guess there is no “good time” for romance when running for your life, but the Ris/Anahrod scenes in particular felt a bit abrupt.
all in all, a fun queer fantasy read, a dragon book without boring politics, and a really well-built universe !
anahrod was funny, if a bit plot-armored. Ris, Cary, Claw, Gwydinion— all fun, incredible characters. as an oldest daughter myself all the gwydinion parts hit me right in the heart.
the dragon types and lore was super well-fleshed out, though i do wish they weren’t all the ostensibly western kind; more serpent-like dragons would’ve been a slay as well. That being said, i like when authors stay in their own lane so maybe that was for the best!
the romance was fun, if a bit thrown-in at times; I guess there is no “good time” for romance when running for your life, but the Ris/Anahrod scenes in particular felt a bit abrupt.
all in all, a fun queer fantasy read, a dragon book without boring politics, and a really well-built universe !
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual content
karenreadsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I've seen this author's series quite a few times but haven't picked it up as I was hesitant to add yet another series (at 5 books) to my TBR. So this standalone seemed like a perfect way of getting to try out this author without making a huge commitment. Thank you to the publisher for sending me a finished copy of the book for review.
All in all I had a good time with the book and the characters. The world Lyons created was really intriguing though with only one book, it can be challenging to truly get all that worldbuilding out to the reader. There were a lot of conversations where information was provided (though they were conversations that were also necessary to the characters, so no "you know, Bob" types of dialogue). And some details were truly fascinating, such as the wearing of rings with specific designs to indicate quite a few qualities of oneself, including sexual preferences.
I did find the pacing of the book to be the part that seemed the most off. The beginning felt a little slow and there was a whole sub-plot that I wasn't sure was needed. (I told myself that if the author doesn't come back to that and have it be relevant for later in the story, then I'd be really upset--fortunately, it did come back into play later.) The ending picked up speed but almost too much as it felt a bit breakneck at times. But I did find myself much more interested in the book in the second half. Of course, that's when the heist part happens, which is something I like in books and this was no exception.
So I had a good time with this one, and I think at some point I will go ahead and give this author's other books a try.
All in all I had a good time with the book and the characters. The world Lyons created was really intriguing though with only one book, it can be challenging to truly get all that worldbuilding out to the reader. There were a lot of conversations where information was provided (though they were conversations that were also necessary to the characters, so no "you know, Bob" types of dialogue). And some details were truly fascinating, such as the wearing of rings with specific designs to indicate quite a few qualities of oneself, including sexual preferences.
I did find the pacing of the book to be the part that seemed the most off. The beginning felt a little slow and there was a whole sub-plot that I wasn't sure was needed. (I told myself that if the author doesn't come back to that and have it be relevant for later in the story, then I'd be really upset--fortunately, it did come back into play later.) The ending picked up speed but almost too much as it felt a bit breakneck at times. But I did find myself much more interested in the book in the second half. Of course, that's when the heist part happens, which is something I like in books and this was no exception.
So I had a good time with this one, and I think at some point I will go ahead and give this author's other books a try.
corvidcopia's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
_reading_kelly's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Dragons, a group of misfits, cloud cities and a heist make for an amazing adventure! This was advertised "for fans of Fourth Wing" and dare I say I think I enjoyed it more than FW! Highly recommend!
jsurasky's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
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
5.0
rileysradreads's review against another edition
Writing felt amateur and world building was clunky and not very engaging
cyndqls's review against another edition
3.5
Thank you Tor, NetGalley, and Macmillan Audio for an ARC and advanced listening copy in exchange for an honest review!
3.5!
The Sky on Fire is a plot-forward dragon heist novel, and I had a lot of fun while reading it. I do quite like Lyons’ writing, and I think the world was really neat, though while I appreciate that this is a standalone, part of me wishes more time got spent exploring it. While I enjoyed myself while reading, afterwards I did find that it didn’t leave as strong of an impression as I had assumed it would. At the time of reading, I liked the characters, but after they felt more like broad strokes gestures than fully fleshed out characters. The bones of something I could be obsessed with are here, but ultimately they’re just bones. It was a fun and relatively easy read for me, but I definitely think this is in part because I was reading the audio and was able to flip through an ARC if I wanted to reference something.
I liked Lauren Fortgang’s narration, and I think the audio helped smooth out some things I would have been more bothered by had I been reading exclusively with my eyes.
madzie's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Sexual content
Minor: Physical abuse, Violence, and War
sarrie's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
TL;DR: This one felt like it couldn’t stop twisting but it worked SO well!
Source: Netgalley! Thank you to the publisher!
Source: Netgalley! Thank you to the publisher!
Plot: This one went from kidnapping, to heist, to save the family, to so much and I was just holding on enjoying the ride.
Characters: Everyone felt distinct and interesting and I was genuinely upset at several points when someone would die or be at risk. A fun and diverse cast.
Setting: This world felt very well drawn, it was a little standard with floating islands and low lands but I still really enjoyed it.
Magic: This was very fascinating and I’d love to read more books in this world just to learn more about the magic!
Characters: Everyone felt distinct and interesting and I was genuinely upset at several points when someone would die or be at risk. A fun and diverse cast.
Setting: This world felt very well drawn, it was a little standard with floating islands and low lands but I still really enjoyed it.
Magic: This was very fascinating and I’d love to read more books in this world just to learn more about the magic!
Thoughts:
I’m probably the last person to finally read Jenn Lyons but this won’t be my last of her books. I generally find something lacking in standalone fantasies that are longer than a novella. They reach just enough but not quite to a five star. This one breaks the mold for me though, I loved this.
We follow Anahrod as she’s living her best, exiled life in the jungle when things go sideways. She’s kidnapped and returned to the Skylands from where she came. There she is the ultimate criminal, the boogeyman and she thinks she is being returned to the Draconic ruler for her final death. Things aren’t quite that cut and dried though and we go on a wild and twisty journey that changes her world.
Everything from the characters to the setting worked so well for me. I felt a bit of a slump in pacing midway through but it didn’t detract enough from my reading to matter ultimately. I loved this. The dragons were unique, the world fascinating, and I was very invested in all the characters. I really recommend this for any Dragon Lovers out there.
5 out of 5 Dragonstones
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Kidnapping, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Death