A review by afloodofbooks
The Sky on Fire by Jenn Lyons

adventurous funny hopeful 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

5.0

The Sky on Fire was my first Jenn Lyons book and it immediately sucked me in. As soon as I finished, I ran to the library and picked up Ruin of Kings because I was ready for more. 

Synopsis: The cloud cities are ruled by dragons, from which Anahrod was *literally* ejected 17 years before. She now lives only for survival in the warm jungles of the Deep with her titan drake. A misfit group of saviors (not so) accidentally rescue Anahrod from capture by the local warlord, Sicaryon. She is immediately thrust on an epic adventure as she learns that her rescue was very intentional and her past has come to call, as her saviors require her help stealing from a dragon's hoard for revenge, and to hopefully save future dragon riders. 

Lyons' world building of the sky cities and the Deep was exceptional and immediately drew me in, I loved the social structure and the use of ring wearing to denote things like careers, gender, sexual preferences, and bedroom activities. The characters were diverse in their sexuality, love interests, and gender expression and it was such a run, daring, and exciting read as we transverse through the world and far into the sky with Anahrod and her misfit saviors. Lyons built a lovely dynamic between the characters that spanned ages, gender, motives, skills, identity, etc. and created a really fun group of characters, and ultimately a very fun and engrossing read. This book is touted as a standalone, but I hope we get to join Anahrod and her friends as they transverse their changing world together.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for an advanced eARC of The Sky on Fire.