Summary
Maren and Kaia dream of leaving behind their mountain home and the burden of their nation's constant war. Until Kaia is kidnapped by the emperor's prophets. In a desperate attempt to save her, Maren devises a plan to steal a dragon.

Overview
This is told in 1st person from Maren's POV. It follows her as she leaves home, travels to fortress where dragons are trained, and then to the emperor's stronghold. There is definitely quite a bit of travel in this story as well as training.

Can we talk about how The Prophet said "in exchange for the lives of your heartmates". Um, is book 2 going to have a poly relationship? Because if so I need it in my hands like yesterday.

Content Warning: On page animal cruelty (dragons), soft cheating, kidnapping, racism, war

What I Liked
1. I loved Maren's relationship/connection to the dragons! I felt myself starting to tear up every time she was separated from the baby dragon.
2. I really liked all of the characters and their depth. You really got to see how even the side characters ended up in the position they were. At the beginning of the book Maren was quick to believe that everyone that worked for the emperor was evil. But I appreciated that the author illustrated that things aren't always that black & white.
3. Racism and animal abuse were very strongly addressed throughout this entire book but in a subtle, considerate way. Nothing about this book felt heavy handed.
4. The world building and character growth were fantastic. This world is quite large and the history is extensive. But I never felt overwhelmed. Also I loved how realistic Maren's large character growth was. As she travels and meets people, her narrow view points about herself and the world grow substantially.

What I Didn't Like
1. Because of how quickly Kaia is swept away from her home and Maren, I didn't really have time to connect to/care about their relationship. And since the main plot of the book was Maren trying to save her heartmate, I struggled a little to connect fully.
2. This actually wasn't a dislike for me, but I wanted to mention it because I think it could be something other people don't love. Maren is bisexual and does begin to have feelings for a male character she spends a lot of time with. There is some soft cheating/feelings expressed so be aware of that going in, if it's not something you're comfortable with.

Overall I thought this was wonderful start to a new series! I love the characters and the world and absolutely plan to continue on with book 2! If you're looking for a new, queer fantasy with dragons, this is the perfect book!

Shatter the Sky was a surprisingly quick read. I turned the last page and expected there to be more, but the book simply stopped after something major happened. The main plot was mostly resolved, but there was a lot left unsaid. I know it sets up a second book, but cliffhangers are annoying.

As for the quickness of the read, the story felt short and shallow. Maren travels all over the country in seemingly no time at all, and I wish there had been more details to fluff up the story. She's at the fortress for weeks, but it felt like we were only there for a few days. The overall concept was interesting, and I wanted to know more about Maren and her surroundings, but we jump from one thing to the next before really experiencing each place. It was almost like reading an outline, or a very well-edited rough draft. This was an ARC, so it's possible more was added before it was published.

The characters are faced with challenges and inconveniences, but everything felt like it clicked into place a little too easily. Something bad would happen, and then poof! A solution. Maren is trying to save her heartmate (love that word!), and is willing to risk her life to do it, but I never felt like her life was in danger. She lived with the enemy for weeks, and her time spent there was mostly unremarkable. I thought she would do something daring and heroic, but her actions fell a little flat for me. She was also a tad too predictable.

I was also disappointed with the lack of secondary characters. It's mostly about Maren and what's she's doing, and I wish there had been more meaningful friendships and relationships. It's either Maren, or Maren and Sev, and even then they barely got to know one another. They have secrets, they slowly reveal those secrets, and then they find out there were more secrets.

I loved the dragons, but hated their circumstances. I wish that had been elaborated on a little more as well. I wanted to know how their bonds worked, if they could communicate, how the emperor was able to make them do whatever he wanted... there were so many questions that never got answered. Again, I feel like this story had the potential to be more than it was.

I liked that this book included different F/F romances, and that it's normal and unquestioned. Love is love is love.

Despite Maren leaving home to fight for her heartmate, she stumbles into insta-love territory when she meets Sev. Yes, they were together for awhile at the fortress, but their encounters were few and far between. Once they start traveling together, some magnetic pull brings them closer, and I just could not get on board with it. I wish they'd remained friends and learned to trust each other without throwing romance into it. Now there's insta-love and a blooming love triangle.

I know it seems like I have a lot of complaints about this book, but I really enjoyed it overall. I just think there could have been more. The core of the story was incredibly unique and fascinating, and I really tried to immerse myself in the world, but I never felt like I was sharing the experience with the characters. Sadly, Shatter the Sky made me feel more like an observer than a participant.

Originally posted at Do You Dog-ear? on August 2, 2019.

Shatter the Sky is an exciting tale of love, adventure, and fighting for what you believe in. Leaving her home to rescue the girl she loves from an uncertain future, Maren assumes a false identity and must break into the emperor's palace and steal a dragon. Along the way she will discover others with secrets greater than her own and find her own inner strength to protect everyone and everything she loves.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions are my own.

Shatter The Sky by Rebecca Kim Wells has such a wonderful cover. I mean, I am obsessed with the pink and the excellent hair of the main character. I have hair envy. This is a book about a kingdom with a not so great Emperor, a lesbian relationship, dragons and a journey from home. It really has got some highly appealing elements.

Maren lives in the mountains with her family and loves her life. She doesn’t want anything more, she’s content with her girlfriend Kaia and home. One day, Aurati seers come to the village and end up kidnapping Kaia. So, Maren reacts of course by running away from home and vowing to save Kaia from the stronghold by stealing a dragon. Along the way she meets a few friends and not everything works out according to plan.

So, okay some honest thoughts here – I did think this book was kind of slow paced. I think because I had read a few reactions on goodreads beforehand. So I was expecting dragons immediately. I was expecting Maren to steal a dragon right off the bad and when that didn’t happen I was bored. Plus we only see Kaia and Maren together in depth at the very beginning of the book. FYI, the beginning of Shatter The Sky is compelling and fascinating and has strong world building. It’s when Maren leaves to go after Kaia that things get boring. And well, I am not sure how I feel about Kaia, she just seems like a crap girlfriend and not really worth all the journeying and dragon stealing.

On the whole, Shatter The Sky is sure to appeal to its target audience — which is NOT me and I am totally okay with that and acknowledge my experience with this book was more an April thing than a general all readers will feel this way thing. It is so so awesome that lesbian teens will have a mirror with this book so to speak. But maybe I also am having this reaction because I also read The Priory Of The Orange Tree and that book just completely blew me away.

Maren loves her home, but when her best friend and heart mate Kaia is captured, she leaves and goes to the dragon fortress to find a way to save her. Soon she meets Sev, and even though they misunderstand each other, they soon become unlikely allies. Maren uncovers some difficult truths along the way, and she must make some hard choices to save her friends and herself from the evil tyrant's minions. She will find that she has more strength and courage than she thought, and she must decide if she should stand up against tyranny or continue to run away from her enemies. Set in a unique world with dragons and a government with bad intentions, this book is an unputdownable adventure.
If you're looking for high stakes adventure, then you're going to love this book. I couldn't stop reading this book - it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. The perilous situations and exciting plot kept me reading, and I didn't get bogged down in the story at all. The characters are sympathetic and the descriptions are so realistic that they drew me right in the story. The small dragon was one of my favorite characters. Though I didn't agree with some of the characters' views or choices, the plot was so dominant that I truly enjoyed the entire story. That cliffhanger ending makes me want book two now. It will definitely be tough to wait, but it will be worth it.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. A positive review was not required, and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Will post to all links 7/30

Shatter the Sky by Rebecca Kim Wells is a fantastic book for those on the younger side of the young adult spectrum. It provides completely diverse cast, a fresh take on dragons that really surprised me, which is saying a lot. Plus, the romantic plotline didn’t overwhelm the plot, which coming from someone who would like to see less heavy-handed romance of any kind in fantasy/sci-fi (which is why you rarely find me talking about that aspect in any of my reviews), I found this refreshing.

The world building was well done with each part of the world that is visited. It is with character development and change over time that Wells really shines. From an excommunicated prince to rulers and most importantly the main character, Maren Wells' willingness to not just develop but change them throughout the story is poignant.

Maren's girlfriend, Kaia has a very strong and confident personality, while Maren is very much the opposite. Their relationship centers more around Maren's awe of Kaia's confidence and strength than actual love. Due to this, Maren never really can deal with and overcome her lack of self-esteem and confidence.
However, when Kaia is kidnapped and Maren becomes determined to rescue her, she begins to believe more in herself. As she must overcome many challenges along the way, Maren begins to learn what she is truly capable when she isn't living in Kaia's shadow. Additionally, she realizes that it isn't just Kaia she that needs saving. It isn't just Kaia she wants to save.

The dragons in this story are utterly priceless. How they are being treated is heartbreaking and enraging. They are a variety of ages and capabilities but enslaved through different oils that subdue them into submission until they are trained, if accepted by the dragon, through the open heart of their trainer.

Although this will save them from a life of sickness, living chained with no space, fighting in stadium-styled brawls. Entertaining the emperor at his and the palace’s whim, Maren knows that that there isn’t a piece of the system is right. Not for the dragons in the dungeons. Not for the dragons bonded to trainers.

“But the taming of the dragon- even this small first step- was a sight that rang inside me like a discordant note… These creatures would be nobility. But not free. Never free.”

Shatter the Sky moves through the rest of the story with Maren’s conquest to save Kaia while also trusting in her beliefs and trust in dragons. It is her developing core values in the dragons, the support systems she develops along the way and her own self-worth that steadies her step-by-step. It is the first book in a series that will have a loyal following as it develops into the next installment. With readers growing along with it.
it.

Shatter the Sky is the captivating first installment of a new fantasy series packed full of adventure, magic, dragons, and intrigue. I’ve been excited to read this one since I first saw posts about it because I am always looking for good LGBT representation in different genres–not the kind of representation about being LGBT or the struggle of coming out–but the kind that portrays characters being who they are while doing magic, fighting evil, and being generally awesome. I really enjoyed this book, and Wells had me hooked from the very beginning. Her writing is lovely and the world she has created is complex and interesting and I feel like the first book is only touching the surface of what is to come.

That being said, I did have trouble rating this one initially because of how the sexual representation is portrayed. Reading the jacket, you would likely think this book is about a lesbian character who goes on a quest to rescue her girlfriend after she is taken unexpectedly. What you probably do not assume is that she is actually a bisexual who, after finding the courage to risk her entire life in order to save the one she loves–and has loved since childhood–has her head so easily turned by a handsome dude she meets along the way. The queer spectrum is vast and diverse and representation for all parts of it are essential but should never come as a surprise, especially in literature geared for younger people. I read this book and struggled a little bit not to feel like I was baited into a lesbian storyline only to have it turn into a bisexual love triangle. It is not a spoiler to let readers know what they are getting into, especially when it comes to sexual representation.

Beyond that, I had trouble believing that after a lifetime of loving Kaia, Maren could fall for someone else. Is her heart really so fickle that it is turned at the first opportunity? This was my second reaction after the initial surprise. However, I do wonder if the author was trying to show the extreme character growth that Maren experiences on her journey. She spends her young life happily in the shadow of her larger than life girlfriend, always believing she is ordinary. Not until Kaia is taken from her, and Maren is forced out of her comfortable and safe village, does she realize that she is courageous, cunning, and actually quite extraordinary. She meets Sev while discovering and embracing all of these things about herself, and I do think it is believable that she could feel drawn to him because of that. But is that enough to draw her heart away from someone she’s loved for so long?

Maybe.

I’m very intrigued to see how this is handled as the story continues in the next book. I am not a fan of love triangles, and while I love romance in my books, I hope this is less of a focus than the incredible plot Wells has built up. A missing prince who could change the political landscape, dragons on the rise, people coming together to rebel against sinister magical forces–it is a recipe for a great and memorable story if it is handled the right way. Despite my misgivings and complicated feelings about the romantic aspect of this story, I am invested and looking forward to what comes next and have not felt this enamored by a dragon story since Eragon.

A big thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the advanced review copy in exchange for my honest review.

Woman of color protagonist! Dragons! Queer Girls!

These are just a few of the reasons why I totally dug Shatter the Sky by Rebecca Kim Wells, a rad new young adult fantasy novel available from your preferred bookseller starting today.

When the Aurati arrive in Ilvera and forcibly take Kaia away to join their ranks, Maren is heartbroken. Kaia was her girlfriend, her heartmate, and she can’t imagine life without her so she hatches a plan to get her back. It’s an absurd one to say the least but Kaia is worth trying to steal a dragon if that’s what it’ll take to save her. All of this is set against the backdrop of a world with a less than kind emperor and a prophecy about a lost prince. Maren may be on a quest for her love but she’s about to find herself swept into a far larger struggle, whether she wants to be or not.

Maren is exactly the sort of character I love to see in a book. Give me more angry girls who are mad about what’s happened and who are going to do something about it! She refuses to be deterred by the numerous times she’s told no and keeps marching forward even though stumbling blocks are constantly thrown in her path. Apparently one does not simply steal a dragon. She also never loses her softer side or sight of why she’s doing everything.

One of the things I loved the best about this book was its approach to dragons. Wells makes a well-trodden fantasy trope feel fresh by putting a twist on it. While bonds between dragons and riders are fairly common, the idea of using specifically manufactured scents to both help facilitate the bond and to control the dragons is new, or at least it is to me. If anything, I would have loved to see more of Neve and what goes into being an Aromatory. Hopefully that’s explored further in the next book(s) in the series.

It’s also incredibly refreshing to read a book with an entirely POC cast and to also have a mixed race protagonist. (I have A Type and I will not apologize.) I also loved getting to see queer relationships presented as just being a part of life. Kaia refers to her mothers in the same way that Maren does her mother and father. No one passes judgement or acts as if they are out of the norm which, quite frankly, is how it should be because love is love. I’d love to see even more fantasy and science fiction novels do this. Diversity is a part of life and it’s lovely to see it reflected on the page.

Shatter the Sky feels like the calm before the storm of whatever the next book in the series brings but it’s 100% worth it for the dragons and well handled queer characters. This is definitely a book I’ll recommend to friends looking for a fun YA. Consider me impatient for the sequel!

Shatter the Sky is an incredible novel that follows one Maren, a quiet girl with no delusions of grandeur as she embarks on an adventure to save her girlfriend from the corrupted grasp of the empire. It is a fast-paced story that builds and builds upon itself as it moves forward. This knitting pattern of storytelling allows the structure of the overall story to hold to together artfully and in the way the story stacks upon itself, mirrors the journey of the character. The setting and world-building structure blends the realism into the story, taking the fantasy and wrapping it in a world of realism. The mechanics of this world are easy to understand and engage the reader, allowing the reader to fully grasp how dragons and magic fit into this world seamlessly. The added political tension adds dimension and works to keep the story grounded and captivating for the reader.

The other part of the novel that makes it so compelling is Maren. She begins as such a soft-spoken character, but her evolution, the challenges she faces, the push against her and she pushes against them and past them to continue her quest. However, her journey and character development are not her most substantial assets, but rather, her identity is. Maren is a not only a QPOC (Queer Person of Color); she is also a biracial character. While Maren faces no outright racism, she has never felt as though she properly fit in with her small village. Her journey from her mountain top allows her to not only grow as a character, but it also allows her to grow more comfortable in her skin, sending a powerful message to readers.

The inclusion and representation do not stop with the depiction and texture of her skin, hair, and eyes, but also expands to her sexuality. Wells uses Maren and the world she has built to showcase the LGBTQ community in such a beautiful way. Her sexuality is never once frowned upon, questioned or demeaned but instead treated with the acceptance and normalcy it deserves in real life.

Shatter the Sky is a thrilling story that sucks the readers in with the dragons and representation that fills the pages with enthralling believability.

This young adult fantasy is somewhat melancholy, but with a dash of hope and defiance as embodied by it's protagonist, Maren. This is a coming of age novel, set in a time where the ruling class is feared and a revolt is brewing. Throw in an exiled prince and dragons, and you got the basics for a great start to this YA fantasy. Wells touches on some really interesting topics, including first loves (and potentially growing out of them), and fluid sexuality. It makes for a slightly deeper high fantasy than the typical swords and sorcery, and I do hope that it continues from its strong beginnings.

This book checked off a lot of things I like in books: dragons, sapphic girls, interesting worldbuilding. However, reading this book also made me realize a lot of things that I really don't like in books, so it was sort of a mixed bag for me.

The story's premise really drew me in. A girl stealing a dragon to save her girlfriend? Sign me up! I don't read enough F/F fantasy, so I had my eye on this title for a while. And there were a lot of things I enjoyed about it. The book's opening is very sweet and very gay, establishing the relationship between the protagonist, Maren, and her girlfriend, Kaia. It's wonderful to see a romantic relationship between two girls being portrayed like this in YA.

I also really enjoyed the worldbuilding. It didn't blow me away, but I liked learning the history of the world, and I appreciated that it wasn't a typical Western-European fantasy world. The different people and cultures were varied, and I enjoyed seeing how this was implemented, like Maren having to be conscious of her behavior to fit in, in each new setting.

The cast of characters was also really lovely. I loved Maren's family, and I loved a lot of the characters she met on her journey. Neve, a woman Maren meets later on in the book, is very intriguing and I want to learn so much more about her. And Sev, a boy Maren meets and who becomes her accomplice later on, starts off sort of mysterious and shady, but I ended up really enjoying his character as Maren got to know him.

However, as much as I loved a lot of the side characters, I just... didn't care much about Maren. To me, she felt sort of flat and her narration dragged when there wasn't anything exciting going on. She doesn't think much of herself and often compares herself to Kaia, who is brave and bold, everything Maren isn't (in her mind). This isn't terrible in itself, as it leaves lots of room for Maren to develop, but as someone who has read quite a bit of YA, it bored me. And as much as I liked Maren's motivation based on the novel's premise (saving her girlfriend! exciting!), reading this made me realize that I don't really care about established relationships that much (though this is definitely just a personal preference, and not a commentary on the actual quality of the novel). Also, I'm pretty sure Maren is bi(?) and it's sort of handled... weirdly? Not badly, but it made me feel weird.

The plot points also felt a little too easily resolved for me, and it felt like Maren was super competent when it mattered, while otherwise being generally insecure in her abilities.

As much as I found parts of this book not to my liking, I also realize that I'm an adult reading a book about teens that's also aimed at teens, and I think I would have absolutely loved this book when I was a teenager. I'm not sure if I'll pick up the sequel, but I'm not writing it off entirely, and I'm definitely interested in what Rebecca Kim Wells writes next. I'd recommend Shatter the Sky if you're looking for a young adult fantasy with a diverse world and dragons.

Thanks to net galley.com, author Rebecca Kim Wells and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for the advance PDF file copy for my honest review.

Not a typical genre that I read, but Niamh Murphy made me realize that dragons peaked my interest and thought I'd give this one a try. My first read from author Rebecca Kim Wells. While I found the storyline at times to be both detailed, the way too slow for my liking, unrealistic at times and will give the sequel a try. Also felt that you have very little chemistry between Kaia and Maren, compared to what you have between Sev and Maren . With that said, definitely will appeal more to readers who like this genre and enjoy it.

2.5 stars.

I had written most of this review earlier but then my internet decided to go crazy and I lost the draft so now I am less inclined to go into a long review again.

Before I read this book I didn't have much expectations for my reading experience, so I guess you could say Shatter the Sky performed up to them.

The biggest downfall for me was the writing. It was quite dry as it was very straight forward. There are no beautifully lyrical passages, nor is there are any play with structures, the prose is very plain and unadorned. Some people might like that but I want the writing in the books I read to have a bit more meat.

As a result I couldn't fully connect with Maren, nor did I become invested in the relationships she created or grew.

But I must say I applaud this book for its bisexual main character and for Maren to show her equal attraction to both sexes throughout this book, instead of just heavily skewing to one gender. There are some hints of an Asian background in the world building and I appreciated that too. It's always lovely when stories don't stick to the default - white.

The aromacracy section of this book was the best part and I wish there was more of it. I loved learning along with our main character on how to create scents and in turn how they affect the dragons when they are exposed to them. It's really neat.

The bond Maren develops with the baby dragon was so cute and I loved those bits. I wish there were more of them. I always like it when authors show these mythical creatures as highly intelligent because that's how I think of them instead of blood thirsty mindless animals.

It's a shame about the cover. It really did this book no favors. For a book with a premise on dragons, I would have thought there would be a bigger emphasis on having one included that is more obvious than a shadowy background figure in the clouds which could easily be missed upon first glance.

Overall, it's all right and probably quite enjoyable for those who haven't read too much dragon stories.

eArc provided by NetGalley.

I first heard about Shatter the Sky from Twitter and was intrigued because it had a bi protagonist. Then I read the summary; a quest to get your girlfriend back using dragons? Sign me up. Shatter the Sky was an intriguing read, with strong worldbuilding and great character development.

The whole concept of dragons was really interesting in this book. I will say that it didn't have maximum dragons, but I'm sure that will be remedied in the next book. They use oils and scents to somewhat control the dragons, influencing them to sleep or to feel rage. It was definitely a nice addition to the worldbuilding that made this book feel unique.

The worldbuilding is very thought out; Wells makes sure to describe the world in great detail, especially the different countries and who rules over another. It's a lot to take in, but she clearly put a lot of effort into it.

I liked Maren and being in her head, even though I wanted to scream at her sometimes. Her relationship with Kaia was so cute as well, and she is incredibly dedicated to rescuing her. Also, this book normalizes gay relationships! I find this rare in high fantasies in YA today, so I loved this nice little touch.

I found the writing to be very lighthearted; I'm not quite sure how to explain it but I lowkey got vibes like Poison by Brigid Zinn? Both have this airy tone that gives the book such a fun feel.

I don't really see how Sev likes Maren so much when they've only talked approximately ten times. I sense a love triangle in the future, not that that's necessarily a bad thing.

Shatter the Sky is a nice read, with intricate worldbuilding and great characters. I loved the normalization of same-sex relationships, especially in a high fantasy; if you want to read a book with a bi protagonist in a f/f relationship, this is the one for you.. I can't wait for book two to dive back into this world and Maren's predicaments!

**This review will be up on my blog Magical Reads on July 26, 2019.**

Maren just wants a quiet life with her girlfriend Kaia in the kingdom of Zefed. The Aurati seers visit different districts to do a population count, leave prophecies for the future, and sometimes take girls to become part of their ranks. Kaia is abducted by agents of the emperor and forced to join them. To save her, Maren wants to steal one of the emperor's dragons and storm the stronghold. In order to do that, she has to become an apprentice to the dragon trainer, which then leaves her privy to a host of secrets she was unprepared to learn.

With the opening chapter, we meet Kaia and Maren in their element just before the Aurati visit. That kicks off this story, which proceeds as most fantasy stories do. Our heroine just wants her girlfriend back, and willing to break with tradition in order to do it. She has to learn a host of skills along the way, make allies, and push herself past what she thought she would be able to do. As Maren learns more about the Aurati and the cliquish ways they interact, so do we. She has dreams that serve as a way of linking her to Kaia, who is always on her mind. For the reader, that deepens the mystery surrounding the Aurati and the urgency to find her.

Maren goes through a lot over the course of the novel, and it changes her. Kaia is different as well, and a lot of what we thought we knew about the Aurati over the course of the novel is different by the ending. Sometimes getting what you wanted isn't what you dreamed it would be, but that doesn't mean it's wrong. Prophecies can be interpreted in different ways, after all, and I hope that this is the start of a series. I can't wait to see what happens next.

Shatter the Sky
By: Rebecca Kim Wells

I read through this book in about 2 days, really enjoyed it. It was a great beginning for a trilogy, a lot of introductions and story building that I felt did not slow down the pacing of the book. I did see a couple of YA tropes, but it didn’t stop me from coming out of this book satisfied especially when I was reading about the dragons. That was the best part of the book, the dragon storyline and their oppression from the empire. Can’t wait to read the second book, I need more dragons!
Thank You to NetGalley for allowing me to read this novel for an honest review

This is a decent enough book but honestly aside from the F/F romance angle there is not much to set this apart from any other young adult high fantasy ~secret chosen one~ book on the market today. I'm sure the dragons will also be a huge selling point for many people, but I've never been that into dragons so while I thought the baby ones were adorable, it wasn't exactly a selling point for me. Also the main character is separated from her girlfriend for literally the entire book and even though she is trying to rescue her, I still don't feel like we really get a good feel for their relationship or Kaia in general so I had trouble connecting on that level as well. Also there's a part where she kind of starts falling for some guy with like NO basis for it whatsoever and I was just like ??? If you are just absolutely desperate for a F/F fantasy book [and honestly aren't we all] then this is an okay read, but I won't be continuing with the series.

I liked this book. It wasn’t a book that blew my mind or wow’ed me, but I still had a pretty good time reading it. Also, it only took me like two real reading sessions to finish it, so it held me interest well enough.

Here, I’ll just go ahead and say why I can’t rate this book higher than 4 stars. It was a short book, just barely over 300 pages (304 to be exact), and I felt like more of the story needed to be expanded on. I wanted more time getting to know the characters, joining them on this journey. I wanted more time with Maren training with the Aromatory. I wanted more depth during the travel periods. Things felt a little too simple and a bit predictable to me.

The concept is intriguing and I think the setup and the world and the characters have a lot of potential. The last 30 or so pages were especially interesting, which means that I’m very curious as to what will happen in the sequel.

What I did really like is that Maren’s relationship with Kaia is what drove her to go on this journey, because she wouldn’t have left her mountain home otherwise. Maren was fine being a plain and ordinary person, living in the shadow of the person she’s grown up loving. Through this journey I think that Maren has started to develop more, and she she is not just learning more about the world, but also about herself.

Part of that may include discovering her romantic/sexual identity. She loves Kaia and has pretty much always had feelings for her, but during this story she finds herself possibly having feelings for someone else, a masculine someone. So I’m curious to see if it develops into anything or not. Honestly I am cool whichever way it goes. I’m not so invested in one potential coupling or another, so it’s all okay to me.

Also, I kind of wish that there had been just a little more dragon in this one. There was barely enough, but I really like dragon stories, so more would have been awesome.

Sapphic romance and dragons with a protagonist who does not feel she can do the thing. Some of story can be standard by fantasy standards, but I can not wait for the sequel.

Yeah this one was just alright. The world building seemed to contradict itself a lot, the MC had no personality besides: "I gotta save my girlfriend!!!!", and the rest of the characters had little to no development.

What I did like was the dragons (I'm an absolutely hoe for these babies), the intense scenes were written quite well, and the LGBTQ aspects were cool.

Other than that, it was very underwhelming. Found myself skimming the last chapter just to be done with it.