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A review by janettedv
A Light in the Sky by Shina Reynolds
4.0
This is a YA fantasy novel about a young girl who dreams of being one of the elite group of riders who fly on winged horses. She secretly steals out of the house at night and breaks all the rules by flying her father’s horse. Of course, events change the course of her life and she ends up getting her chance and becoming one of the Empyrean riders. However, this means that she has to pledge her allegiance to the king who has conquered her country and forced her people into poverty.
For a debut novel, I was seriously impressed. A lot of it covers familiar ground: young people meeting in a school and forming relationships, rebelling against the ruling classes, a love triangle, however, the story moves along at a good pace and the world building is excellent. The world is revealed to us gradually as Aluma finds out how little of her world she understands. I also liked the elements of a dystopian future. Aluma is a strong main character who drives the plot forward. In a way, she is too central as I felt that all the other characters were a bit lacking in depth. I did feel that some of it was predictable, however, I still found myself thinking about the book and wanting to finish it to find out how it all ended up.
For a debut novel, I was seriously impressed. A lot of it covers familiar ground: young people meeting in a school and forming relationships, rebelling against the ruling classes, a love triangle, however, the story moves along at a good pace and the world building is excellent. The world is revealed to us gradually as Aluma finds out how little of her world she understands. I also liked the elements of a dystopian future. Aluma is a strong main character who drives the plot forward. In a way, she is too central as I felt that all the other characters were a bit lacking in depth. I did feel that some of it was predictable, however, I still found myself thinking about the book and wanting to finish it to find out how it all ended up.