Scan barcode
A review by heabooknerd
Wild Sky by Zaya Feli
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
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