This is such a great world! These books are fun and engaging, adventure with solid themes, heart, and soul in them. I’ll be looking for hard copies for my classroom library!

J. M. Frey https://jmfrey.net (AKA Peggy Barnett) is the author of more than a dozen books. The Skylark’s Sacrifice was published in 2019 and is the second book in her Skylark Saga series. This is the 4th book I completed in 2023.

Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to scenes of violence and mature situations, I categorize this novel as R. The primary character is 17-year-old Robin Arianhod. Arianhod has escaped from the Coyote with the rocket pack and is on the run. She uses it to strike out against Klonn’s war efforts. She is surprised when the Coyote tracks her down. She is surprised and thrilled when he joins her anti-war efforts.

Soon it is not only the city guards that are after her. The Coyote is wounded in a struggle with the Night Watch. Arianhod struggles to get him and herself to the safety of Madam Rose. Rose is one of the leaders of the Klonn rebels. They seem to want the war to end as much as Arianhod does.

As the Coyote recovers and begins to assist Arianhod with her strikes against the Klonn war machine, they grow closer. Soon the two are married. Arianhod concludes that their efforts are having little effect on the war. There is only one option to bring the war to an end. The King of Klonn must die.

Arianhod and her allies devise a daring plan. For it to work, she must rely on Madam Rosa and the Coyote. But can she really trust them? A substantial reward is being offered for her capture. Her husband is an aristocrat. Will he be able to turn his back on the throne and support her plan to assassinate the King?

I enjoyed the 9 hours I spent reading this 356-page young adult, steampunk novel. I had the opportunity to read the first novel in the series, The Skylark’s Song in 2022. Both novels have been enjoyable reads. Before reading this novel, it would be best to have read The Skylark’s Song. The plot is a little slow, but there is an exciting ending with a twist. I like the chosen cover art. I give this novel a rating of 4 out of 5.

You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

I have elected not to read and review this book due to time constraints. Thank you for the opportunity.

A good continuation of the previous story. The protagonist has a case of Stockholm Syndrome and thinks she can save her world. Is she right to believe? Or she she simply naive? Plot progresses naturally to its conclusion.

THE SKYLARK'S SACRIFICE is a book that was fun and quick to read, but - on reflection - was not a great story. The more I reflect and write this review, the more holes I find in the book. I did enjoy reading it (it comes under the "a good waste of time" category for me), but it's not a stellar example of consistent, logical plotting.

The main thing that frustrated me about this book, and rather undermined it all, was the Coyote's "big secret" - aka, his identity. It is such a typical YA twist that I saw it coming from miles off, which means it wasn't a surprise at all. Plus there were so many attempt to conceal his identity, as if trying to signal THIS IS A BIG REVEAL TO COME.

The attempts to conceal his identity were so ridiculous. For example: the rebels were willing to let him keep his mask on. When Robin and the Coyote sign their marriage contract, they both use their <em>real</em> names, but make sure to not look at the other's name (which was <em>WHAT?!?!!</em> I mean, if you're not trusting each other with names/choosing not to find the truth, that screams TOXIC).

Naturally, when the truth comes out, it causes a big argument. And lots of "don't you love me? Then trust me!" when the whole secret keeping is not conducive to trust. Oh, and we get this whole sequence of events/pattern <em>twice</em>. And the second one was just plain confusing - trying to pull too many twists at once.

The ending was also a little... unrealistic. Oh no - the King is dead. Let's just accept this foreign rebel as Queen because of our late king's wish. A king we had for alike 4 hours. WHY would anyone just accept that? The nobles would all scramble for their own power, because Robin had <em>no</em> real claim on their throne and she was a foreigner who's spent the past book blowing up factories.

And then the romance... I think I mostly covered my thoughts in my review of the first book. Basically, because of it's start, I couldn't get behind it. So in this book I was watching them kiss despite him <em>literally threatening to kill her in their first interaction,</em> and not getting it at all.

I received a free copy of this book and I'm leaving an honest review.

The Skylark's Sacrifice picks up exactly where the first book left off. Robin just fled the palace of the enemy country, Klonn, taking Klonn's most important weapon with her. After being alone for a while, with nowhere to go and nothing to do, she encounters a rebel group that has the same goal as Robin: to stop the war between Saskwya and Klonn. But to do so effectively, she must put her trust in others. Will Robin be able to manage her Sealie temper, stop the war and finally go home?

Okay, where to start. At first, the story didn't grip me. Unfortunately that's always the case for me when the main character is on his/her own in the first few chapters. But as soon as Robin encountered the rebels, the story picked up and I couldn't put the book down! Robin really grew as a character and started making sacrifices to do what's right. I admire that in her!

The romance in the book however, annoyed me incredibly in the first half of the book. It was too much of pushing each other away and going back to each other, but without the slow burn aspect that I would have liked to see. It was kind of distracting from the plot, and I don't say that easily. I started caring less and less, until there was a twist that I LOVED, and then I started caring less again.

The plot wasn't clear. I'll be honest, when I was about 75% in the book, I had the feeling that the plot I thought was there, wasn't there at all (I'm probably not describing this very clearly but it's hard to explain). I rushed through the last part of the book however! BUT I still don't know what I feel about the ending.

In short, I did love this book but there were quite a few things that bothered me. It's a fun, gripping read and a fine conclusion of the duology. I just wouldn't consider it GOOD. But as I loved the characters so much (even though they annoyed me sometimes), I still give it 4 stars.

The Skylark's Song (The Skylark Saga, Book 1), by J.M. Frey (REUTS Publications) and The Skylark's Sacrifice (The Skylark Saga, Book 2), by J.M. Frey

These two are really a single story, broken into two. After a great social and environmental collapse, two neighboring nations endure decades of war fought mostly in the air. Gliders from Saskywa take on motorized Klonnish airships, while the populations in each descend further into poverty. This is especially true for the indentured Saskywan underclass, the formerly nomadic Sealies, who must often rely upon scavenging the wreckage of the past for survival (shades of children picking through rag heaps in today’s desperately poor countries).

Robin, a Sealie mid-flight mechanic, lives for her time in the skies, resisting at every turn the relentless pressures to conform and bend to the will of others, particularly men, and always the ruling Benne class. When a brilliant Klonnish pilot dubbed “The Coyote” shoots down her ship, she ends up, by dint of skill, bravery, and luck, being promoted to pilot. Thus begins a battle of strategy, skill, and courage, fought first in the skies, then through captivity and escape.

The brilliance of this two-part novel lies in the skill with which Frey layers and echoes themes. The first, obvious parallel is the resonance between the situation of the Sealies in Saskwya and that of women in Klonn, although the latter live in a gilded prison of silken gowns. The Sealies are pantheistic, the rituals of their faith woven into the fabric of their lives, while the Klonn consider themselves as superior atheists, devoted only to rationalism and the practice of the Arts.

Robin is sick of taking orders and bowing to the expectations of others, whether it’s pressure to retire and marry, or become a “proper” Klonnish lady. She’s an exceptionally stubborn character, which is at times a bit exasperating, but is absolutely true to a world in which a woman of her talent and history must rely upon her own judgment and intuition above all else. Whenever pulled in different directions by the demands of duty, friendship, and love, she always manages to create her own solution moving forward.

Same as with book 1, I messed some depth and the flat characters were a bit annoying. It's still a great fantasy because of the setting. Which continued to be super strong. Same for the writing style. I really liked the way the author described different surroundings.

This was such an interesting series! Not at all what I was expecting but I thoroughly enjoyed it! I loved the steampunk aspects and am looking forward to reading more of Frey's works!

i really enjoyed reading this book, the characters felt like the same characters from the previous book. It was a really good storyline and the author had a good writing style.

Thanks to Netgalley and REUTS Publications for my Arc.

So it's been over a week since I read this and I'm still struggling with how to write a review and idk if I'll be able to get my feelings across but we'll see!

So I really enjoyed the first book, as I said, it felt like a warm hug or a nice cup of tea or a comfy jumper in a book and I therefore had quite high expectations for book 2.

I adore Robin but she made a lot of questionable decisions in this book, especially when it came to romance.
I loved the revolution aspect, I loved that Robin tried to cause the most damage with little to no causalities, even to her own detriment.
I really liked the rebel spy network and that it was based in a Brothel and how in Klonn, the Art of Love is sacred and something to be done by consenting adults and for enjoyment, rather than anyone being exploited.

My main issue with this book was that I was routing for Robin (Skylark) and The Coyote (Velph) so hard, even though it was maybe a little bit Stockholm syndrome-y in book one, I loved their chemistry. So I was really looking forward to them being in an environment where neither of them were prisoners... But that didn't quite happen. Velph becomes a prisoner in the brothel for a bit before eventually convincing Robin that his feelings for her are true, which is something she goes back and forth with a Lot in this book. And I can understand why because his actions can be Soo toxic.
I never doubted his feelings but at some points I was just like, Robin you need to get out of there because he is acting like a controlling psycho.
We also never got a satisfying explanation for why he flipped so often, I genuinely think he may have had MPD. I hoped the reveal at the end would explain his behavior but all it did was raise more questions for his actions and how easily manipulated he could be. I wanted Robin to be able to confront his behavior but unfortunately that didn't happen.

The ending for me was confusing and very sad, which obviously I was expecting with 'Sacrifice' in the name of the book but I just didn't know what to feel.
I feel like Robin sacrificed so much and then wasn't even happy. Which I guess it probably more realistic but still!

I still loved the world, I loved Robin, I loved the chemistry and sexual tension, I loved the characters at The Rose, I loved the Steampunk aspect and I loved how they tried to enact the most disruption to the war effort with the least loss of life. But overall I wanted a better explanation for Velph's behavior and for my girl Robin to be happy!

I really enjoyed the sequel to this series. As Robin now finds herself embroiled in the machinations of a mysterious underground rebellion. As the action and mysterious story continues. An overall great book

*I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

I am having an extremely difficult time rating this book. On the one hand, I loved it . . . until it was 90% done. And then I hated it. Although there are quite a few books that I haven't liked, it is rare that I am so profoundly disappointed and angry about the way a book ends. I remember reading Ann Patchett's Bel Canto in college and literally throwing the book across the room once I finished it. Veronica Roth betrayed my trust so fully in Allegiant that I still, to this day, have not read anything else she's written (and am unsure I ever will). I Shall Be Near To You (Erin Lindsay McCabe), Wolf by Wolf & Blood for Blood (Ryan Graudin), and The Grace Year (Kim Liggett)--these books wrecked me because the authors completely obliterated and totally destroyed everything. So congratulations, J.M. Frey, for joining their ranks and absolutely gutting me with that last 10%. I hope you're happy--I am not.

So that's where I am. Do I reward it with 4-5 stars for the 90% that got it right? Or does it deserve a measly 1 star for that 10% that was horribly wrong? I honestly don't know. I guess I'll average it out to 3 stars, though that doesn't feel right, either.

Emotional turmoil aside, the writing is good. There may have been an excessive number of fake-outs (betrayals, deaths, etc.), but I could have gotten over that. I genuinely cared about Robin (18) and the Coyote (20) in the first book and even more so in this one. I realize what I'm about to say is risky and will likely get me booed of stage by a bunch of people, but I don't particularly care. This second book felt like it made an intentional shift based on real-world politics in regards to LGBT+ issues through some side characters. It just felt weird and disrupted the story itself, in my opinion. And I understand that it is considered acceptable to use they/them as a singular pronoun now (much to the ire of my English grammar brain), but something inside of me breaks every time I see it. It just feels so awkward. So I'm sure I'll offend someone when I admit that when I saw the author slip and use "she" to refer to Grier one time, I replaced all respective uses of they/them with she/her. I've never used this hashtag before, but #sorrynotsorry. (Now that I think of it, that may be the first time I've ever used a hashtag.)

Anyway.

If you want you heart torn out in front of you, I highly recommend you read this book. Sure, there's the nice offer of a blood transfusion at the end, but what good is that if you don't have a freaking heart anymore?! I would have thrown this book across the room, too, but 1) I didn't want to break my Kindle, and 2) My kids were in the room, and that's not the best example to them, is it?

Note: Some language. Some innuendo. Off-page sex. A stupid, stupid, horrible ending that will make you want to throw the book across the room.

WOW. If you started reading Skylark’s Song, you HAVE to read Skylark’s Sacrifice right to its heart-wrenching ending. I mean, I don’t see how you can stop.

Robin Arianhod is free. She can’t return home, but she’s doing what she can to bring the Klonn down by sabotaging their supplies and causing chaos from within their own borders. Her enigmatic captor is dead… or is he? Robin nearly gets captured, Coyote nearly dies saving her, and so she bolts to the only safe refuge she can think of—with the Klonn rebellion. With them, the tables are turned—her captor becomes her prisoner, and the Skylark gains new meaning.

Skylark’s Sacrifice is a twisting kaleidoscope of shifting loyalties, cultural clashes, and unexpected yet inevitable revelations. All the symbolism that Frey has layered in from the start of Skylark’s Song gains additional weight and unexpected importance. There’s so much that Robin (and the reader) has missed because she isn’t Klonnish, and so much that Rosa and the Coyote cannot understand because they are not Sealie. Yet as they work towards the same goal—to end the war—they need to start trusting each other.

Threaded through the story, and yet integral to it, The Skylark and the Coyote’s fraught courtship reads like a bittersweet fairy tale; they battle both the world around them and each other, always second guessing the other’s actions, and their true motives. Does Coyote truly love her? Or does he only want WINGS? Does the Skylark truly love him? Or is she just trying to use him to end the war so she can go home? Which one must give up their cultural identity and beliefs or can they find a gentle balance between the two?

But most of all, does falling in love with the enemy mean you are a traitor to your self and country?
Skylark’s Sacrifice delivers a sharp emotional punch. You gotta steel yourself for this one.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from REUTS Publications via Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This one was even better than the first! Now that we've spent time with Robin and the Coyote, we really get to see them shine together. Their first meeting in this book is breathtaking, and it just keeps getting better.

I always love a good ensemble cast, so the addition of Rosa and Thorne rounded it all out.

Not to mention the ending. Often I think "wouldn't it be gutsy if the author did that" and they almost never do. This time, Frey made the gutsy choice and it made for a great ending. It's a perfect conclusion to Robin's arc and I won't soon forget it!

Well, it started off promising. A lot of action was packed into the first hundred pages, and I thought it would be as good as the first, but then it quickly went downhill. The relationship between Robin and the Coyote was so rushed it didn't feel real. Then, it takes 70% of the book for Robin to finally, actually come up with a plan. And then, the plan was so obvious it made no sense that she hadn't thought of it earlier. Like, uh duh!! And then, everyone thought it was the most hilarious and ridiculous thing they'd ever heard. It made no sense, unless it was just a way for the author to show how no one takes Robin seriously, which she does so much throughout the book. Then, there was still no world building. I thought maybe we'd get more in the sequel, but I still don't know the differences between the countries/races. Klonn's don't like contractions, and the Seelies like honey. That's all I've got. There's literally nothing else, and the animosity and the hate don't make any sense.

This was an action packed sequel that answered all of the questions. And yet, part of me wishes I could go back to the first book where everything was simple.

Skylark/Robin maintains her strength and determination despite the challenges thrown at her. With the aid of her device, she continues her effort to affect the Klonn/Benne war.

The story still remains clean and still full of espionage. I do have to admit that I was disappointed by the author’s ending choices. I would have preferred a different outcome. However, I understand that it was the best fit for the situation. (This is a really difficult review to write without including spoilers.) Read the book and make your own decision about the ending. I wonder if you will agree with the author or with me. Post a review so I know what you choose!

After reading The Skylark's Song, there was a small surprise with the whole storyline. A good change, giving the book a different direction to its predecessor. Overall a great book with many plot twists to keep you turning the pages, all the way to the end. Recommended.

Review by 14-year-old reader.

I am much happier with this book than the first, the feelings of uncomfortableness I had with the first books seem to have mostly left in this book. It was more enjoyable to read and you feel a bit more for the MC than I did in the first book. However I wasn’t very keen on the ending and would have preferred a more closed definitive ending

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

The Skylark's Sacrifice is the second installment in author J.M. Frey's The Skylark Saga. As a summary, Captain Robin Adrianhod grew up in the shadows of a decade-long war which tore her people from their homes and left them with little money and struggling to survive. As a Saskwyan flight mechanic with uncanny luck, she found herself as the first Sealie promoted to pilot of her own aeroplane after encountering the dreaded Coyote and flying her damaged ship home.

As a Saskwyan Air Patrol Officer, she completed many successful missions until she was shot down and captured by her nemesis, the Coyote who had been waiting for her. Robin ended up escaping thanks to a jet pack she named WINGS. In her hurray to escape, she left the man called Coyote behind to his own devices. A man who she never knew who he really was or why he was so enamored with her. As the story opens, it has been two months since Robin escaped.

She's now deep in enemy territory in the capital of Klonn been doing her best to stay hidden while also trying to take out enemy munitions and factory's and airfields that the enemy uses to attack her home. After all, with WINGS at her back, she can accomplish remarkable feats. But, is it enough to change the outcome of the war which she desperately wants to end? Is it enough for Klonn to order a cease fire and end the decades old war? With wanted posters bearing her image and an obscene amount of money offered for her alive, Robin needs to find friends.

After meeting a woman calling herself Rose, Robin finds herself embroiled in the machinations of a mysterious underground rebellion—Klonnish citizens as tired of the war as she is. The adage of the enemy of my enemy is my friend as long as we have the same goals are in evidence in this story. For a while, Robin considers becoming one of the nowhere folk who have no place to live but has the ability to go anywhere they want. But what she never counted on was the appearance of Coyote now calling himself Velph.

Robin, who has dark skin, and shocking white hair after her crash in the previous installment, isn't exactly invincible. She needs to come up with a new name (Skylark), she needs to come up with a new disguise, she needs to learn how to trust others like Rose, Taddeus, and yes, even Velph if she is going to remain free from a determined enemy who will do anything to capture her. Under a new name, Skylark continues to hit strategic targets in the country. But, will anyone else help the rebellion? Are the so-called rebellion just playing a game because they can? Or, are they just gadflies who have no clue how to do anything to cause the war to come to an end?

But, what she never once counted on was falling in love with the man called Velph, or the secret that he has been carrying that will either crush Robin's spirit, or make her fight even harder to end the war even if it means her own life is sacrificed in the process. After all, it's not like she can go home. They would likely treat her as a traitor or a spy. I would say I have a lot to say about the ending, but I would be giving away huge, and I do mean, huge spoilers. The ending left me with so, so, so many questions. I understand that this is the final installment in the duology, but I'm kind of sad we don't learn what happens next. We are expected to open our minds and figure out what Robin will accomplish in the future.