A review by reka111
Scorched Skies by E.J. Mellow

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense slow-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? N/A

4.5

Beauty is never soft. You must remember this, my son. Beauty is hard, sharp, vicious. It carves away anything and everything that it believes threatens to make it grotesque. 

Date: 2025/01/08-2025/01/15
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Fiction  
Rating: ★★★★.5  
Spice rating: 🌶🌶.5
Age rating (I think): 18+

TIGGER WARNINGS: Death, Sexual content, Blood, Violence, Vomit, Medical contet, Torture, Injury, Confinement, Drugs, Panic attacks, Fire Injury (mentioned), Kidnaping, Grief, Sexism, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual assault, Racism, Abuse, PTSD, Mature language, Death of Animal, Classism, Animal cruelty

Thank you for the ARC e-copy from the authors in exchange for an honest review.

First, what you can expect from this book:

- forbidden love
- slow burn (I emphasize SLOW)
- dual POV
- Icarus' myth (inspired)
- animal companion
- prince x commoner
- 3rd POV
- enemies to lovers
- slow-paced
- strong character development

I just finished the book and I honestly don't know - I have no idea - how I should feel. It's been an amazing journey, from start to finish, and I'm so glad I was a part of it. It wasn't my first book by the author, but it was probably the first one that really tore my soul apart.

Tanwen was a very likeable character, full of passion, perseverance, courage and sincere loyalty to her family. And finally she was a FMC with a unique power (it was an incredible refreshment that she could not control fire, water, air - lightning - or any other cliché thing, but could communicate with animals!) 

RANDOM NOTE:
I highly recommend the Mousai trilogy to those who want to read about other FMCs. with unique powers. Give it a try, you won't regret it. 

Anyway, back to the present. Zolya, at first, well, I didn't know where to put him, I really didn't. I needed time to understand and love him, but I think everyone else would too. Either way, I loved the storm raging inside him, unlike his father, he was full of emotion and genuinely had the will to change. I understand him and I understand his actions, and I don't blame him for them.

When I say slow burn, THAT's what I mean, super slow, full of gallant and passionate waiting time. The pain of dancing around each other but never really touching. In a word, it was perfectly executed, I find no fault in it. They deserved and deserve each other so much, right from toes to the top of their heads. I loved their little moments, that they were always there for each other, they had difficult moments, but that's just what a relationship is.

I don't really want to single out the other characters, but there were a few who grew particularly close to my heart or got more important roles;

Azla, the king's bastard and thus Zolya's sister. I adored her, she was full of light and fire, she was probably the only one who shone even in the darkest times, although the loss of her lover shook her, she didn't collapse completely, she fought even when everything seemed lost.

Eli is my sweet and infinitely beloved Eli, he deserved so much, much better than this. I can't get over his death yet, he belonged to me as much as it did to Tarwen, and letting him go is still downright impossible.

Gabreel and Thol (my brave and persistent Thol) had been through so much, had survived so much, and yet, it wasn't enough. I broke for them and because of them, they deserved the whole world, everything. Gabreel's suffering was painful, but Thol's death killed me, so harsh that I fear my heart will never be the same! It was just cruel.

Réol, I mean he could be understood, I'm sure he could, but I can't do it now, everything he did, everything he fought for was just evil and unnecessary. In any case, I wonder if he wakes up (or what happened to him so that he fell into a coma), and if he does, whether the sky will fall.

The World-building. I will emphasise it once again, because it may not be enough to say it once; THE WORLD-BUILDING. This is how a fantasy book should be built, with past, present and future. I loved it and adored it. It was full of everything. New creatures, abilities, races, cultures and gods everywhere. I felt like a kid at Christmas, but really haha. I got everything I wanted and more.

ANOTHER RANDOM NOTE (because I can't stop);
Ré – here is the god of the sun and sky, etc. In English, the name of the Egyptian sun god is Ra, but in my language it is Ré. I believe there is a connection between them.
Galia - here is where the Volari (angel-like creatures) live, in history it was a place (the territory of present-day France - a bit of Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Italy - mainly, with Celtic & Gallic tribes). Julius Caesar was its first proconsul. 

Either way, for me, the pace was a bit slow (slower than it should be), so I had to deduct a little from the rating. The composition was also good, quite captivating at times. The ending was closed a bit quickly for me and not all the questions were answered, but I think everything will be clear in the next book.

I recommend it to those who loved the world of LOTR, who still believe in miracles and fight for a better world. This book is for you! This book is FANTASY with capital letter.