Dragons, magic, corrupted dragon leaders, secrets and a dangerous heist bringing an eclectic crew together - what more could you ask for?! Oh, and not to forget the delightfully queer romance subplot, which is always a bonus for me! I mostly requested this book from Netgalley because I loved the dragon on its cover, and am now really happy I had the chance to read it.

In The Sky on Fire, Anahrod lives only for survival... until she gets kidnapped. Twice. Or three times? There's a theme there. Everyone in this book wants something from her - be it her help, or her death. Anahrod has a complicated past that she's tried to escape by hiding in the Deep, but it has finally caught up with her. The unlikely crew that drags her away from her hiding place needs her help to steal from a dragon hoard, and specifically from the hoard of the dragon regent, who would especially love to see Anahrod dead. What could possibly go wrong?!

The main strength of The Sky on Fire is the world-building, in my opinion. Jenn Lyons created a detailed, vibrant world filled with dragons and humans, living in a complex society that takes time to be understood but is then really interesting. Dragons live on mountain peaks alongside the "high society" of humans, while the less fortunate live in the Deep and are considered easily expendable. The bond between dragons and humans is quite different from how it is often described in other dragon-centred fantasy (much less friendly/trusting) and some of the dragons take on a bigger role as characters of their own, not necessarily attached to their rider (whether they have one or not). I also thoroughly enjoyed reading the parts about the Deep and their different customs - I wish there was of more chance to explore their society, although I guess it really wasn't a focus of this story! The magic system across the different parts of this world was interesting, too, with a mix of spells and inscriptions that could be learnt also by non-naturally-magical beings.

The plot took a while to develop. I felt the start was quite slow and only really geared up after about 25%. Once it did, though, it got really interesting and kept me hooked for the majority of the remaining pages! There was a lot of planning involved, with a big chunk of the book spent figuring out how to carry out this dangerous, daring heist. Perhaps not enough time is spent on the actual heist, but I did really enjoy all that happened after! The consequences of the crew's actions set so much in motion, including some rather unexpected revelations. Some of the obstacles were perhaps solved too smoothly, with pieces falling oh-so-conveniently into place (or people acquiring awfully quickly some very convenient skills)... but others were faced with really interesting ideas.

This book had a lot of characters and for a while I got a bit lost on who to focus on, but eventually the main ones were fleshed out more and more. The dynamic between Anahrod, Ris and Sycarion was excellent and I couldn't get enough of their scenes together (in pairs or all three at the same time!). I wish there was more of them, as their romantic interactions didn't feel quite explored enough, but a bit rushed, so I didn't quite get to feel the depth of the connection between them! Among the dragons, Pelaron and Neveranimas were obvious standouts - one as an incredibly trusting and reliable ally, the other as a powerful and highly intelligent enemy.

I also really liked the fact that characters wore "garden rings", used to identify one's gender, sexuality and relationship status. The Sky on Fire included a diverse cast of people, with great LGBTQ+ representation, ranging from trans, to bisexual and homosexual characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I'd recommend this to anyone who loves dragons and epic heists in a high fantasy world!

I really wanted to love The Sky on Fire, The Chorus of Dragons series is one of my favourites but this book was just missing that one ingredient in all aspects to make it successful. The scope of this book is very ambitious and it struggled to get everything across in only 450 pages. Either this needed to be longer (or even a series), or the scope needed to be toned down to make the book shorter.

Starting with the characters, I really liked each of them individually but because there is so many people involved in the story we don’t get enough character development or even enough time to know some of the side characters. The issue then becomes when the book tries to make it so we care about them where the story itself did nothing for me to be attached to them. Similarly I didn’t care for the relationships between the characters, be it romantic, familial or platonic. The main romantic relationships came out of nowhere, the characters were unable to resist each other and falling in love even before I realized they were supposed to be attracted to each other. Since there is so much focus on how strongly these romantic feelings are affecting decisions the fact that I didn’t believe the romance took me out of the book and made me read this much slower than anything else.

The world itself and the dragons was my favourite part of the book. Jenn Lyons knows how to build a unique and complete world. I wanted to spend more time getting to know all the different settings and the intricacies of how these societies work. But with the plot and characters fighting for page time we didn’t get much of the detail I wanted.

The main plot itself is quite solid, a pretty basic heist story with a big battle at the end. I loved the way it was built all the preparation for the heist, the things that always go wrong in them and our characters trying to figure out how to get out the situation safe. But there was a lot of side plots that made the book needlessly complex. We kept moving from one location to another and meeting so many new characters at each location only to leave them behind I couldn’t catch my breath and find something to hold onto to make me invested in the story.

Overall this was a very average book for me that unfortunately didn’t meet my expectations. The Chorus of Dragons series is a very complex and well built series that is 5 books long and Lyons tries to do similar levels of complexity in a 450 page standalone that falls flat.

This book was solid fun! I have read 4/5 books in Lyons' Chorus of Dragons series and thoroughly enjoy my time with them. If you've tried that series out and aren't a huge fan of the footnotes or the puzzle-box nature of the narrative structure, you may well enjoy this standalone better. It's a romp through and through, it doesn't let up, and there is nary a footnote to be found.

Doesn't mean it's a straightforward read, though. The Sky on Fire holds back key information in what I'm understanding is characteristic of Lyons' storytelling style. What would be considered a huge plot beat, perhaps deserving of a flashback chapter, in other novels is slipped into dialogue here in blink-and-you'll-miss-it fashion. I find this way of unravelling things refreshing and fun, but I've heard others call it frustrating. You have to be willing to bob along with the tides here.

The pace was so breakneck here that I don't feel I got as invested in the characters as I could've done given more time (yes, I'm aware of the page count). Some potentially heavy-hitting stuff just didn't get me like I wanted it to, and while the relationships were objectively great, they weren't subjectively affecting. Could just be a me thing.

Another 'me thing' is hating when pacy books move things along by knocking the characters out and having them wake up in another location next chapter. The characters being aware of this in-text does not negate my irritation. I think it's a fairly lazy choice.

Overall a fun read! Not a hard-hitter, but one for lovers of twists, heists, and – you won't be disappointed here – dragons.

3.5 rounded up to 4.

First of all - the world-building in this book is incredible, with a unique blend of fantasy and adventure that had me hooked from the start. Lyons’s vivid descriptions of the jungle and the sky cities were absolutely gorgeous.

I also appreciated the LGBT themes woven throughout the story, which added a welcome layer of depth to the narrative. Anahrod’s sexuality is very nuanced. It’s not essential to the plot, but is still an important aspect of her character. This is something I usually champion in fiction - the normalization!

The primary characters are all complex and multidimensional, with Anahrod being a particular standout. Her tough-as-nails exterior hides a deep vulnerability that makes her all the more relatable.

The constant action and adventure were a major draw for me, and Lyons delivers on that front. There’s never a dull moment in this story, with battles, chases, and daring heists keeping me on the edge of my seat. The stakes are high and the tension is palpable, making for a thrilling read.

However, I did find some aspects of the story to be a bit hit-or-miss. At times, the pacing felt a bit uneven, with some sections feeling rushed or disjointed. Additionally, some of the supporting characters felt a bit one-dimensional, which made it hard for me to become fully invested in their stories.

Overall, I’d recommend “The Sky On Fire” to fans of fantasy and adventure who enjoy complex characters and high-stakes action. If you enjoyed Six of Crows or Fourth Wing this may be a good choice for you.

A dragon sweeps into the city of Crystalspire and demands Anahrod Amnead, a girl who was supposed to have died seventeen years ago, after being cast to her death for crimes against dragons. The dragon claims she is still alive. And Gwydinion, the fifteen year old son of the mayor decides to go find Anahrod. This begins A Sky on Fire - a dramatic opening which turns into a heist, questioning of the social order, and a series of events which shaped their history.

This was fun but the pacing was all over the place. The last third of the book was most riveting, but there were huge chunks throughout that were painfully dull and needed to be tightened up. The twists were pretty good, the world building was interesting and well-fleshed out, but the pacing made this harder than it needed to be.

This is a high stakes fantasy heist. With dragons, magic, and secrets!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! This was my first Jenn Lyons book, I have seen her other series and was intimidated, I saw this and figured a stand alone would give me a taste of her writing style.

The plot was really fun! She created a rich and interesting world. The dragon and human politics are intriguing. It has a unique magic system that was fun to learn about.

I really loved the LGBTQ inclusion and the characters that were created in this book. Everyone was unique.

I do wish that this story would have been spread across two books. I feel that there was a lot more that could have been flushed out and explored.

The heist was fun and the banter was awesome!

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc copy!

4.75 stars
Temeraire series meets Six of Crows

I picked up this book for the dragons, but kept reading for the rag tag group of characters. However, I pronounce most of name as Asfhjiyfgdd in my head, and will definitely need the audiobook for help before I attempt any of them out loud.
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Jenn Lyons once again proves why she is a top tier world building queen, although not as heavy as A Chorus of Dragons, The Sky on Fire delivers. Although, rather a slow start for a new series the dragonlore, the two distinct worlds (Skylands and the Deep), the characters, and the heist kept my attention.
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Not wanting to give anything away, I will only say that the reveals were veeeeeeerrrrry satisfying. And! I was a big fan of the complete third act to finish this book, with a promise for more only teased.
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Thanks to Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Just not for me. I felt out of touch with the world - it was too large and not explained well enough. Made me feel like there was a whole trilogy before this, that I had missed. And the characters didn't draw me in either. So there wasn't much to capture my attention.

What an amazing captivating fantasy book filled with found family, heists, DRAGONS, magic, and a pinch of romance. Anahord was smart, clever, and badass. Her relationship with Gwydinion was so sweet and cute that my heart was soft for them. Also, her relationship with the whole team was the perfect found family. And lastly, the romance between her, Ris, and Sicaryon which could have been a love triangle (and thankfully it wasn't) was turned into the perfect thruple and I could have not been happier about that. All of the adventures and the heist were so fun and it continuously showed how smart and powerful the group was. The dragons were great as always, Peralon specifically was one of my favorites and I loved his bond and dynamic with Ris. The epilogue did leave me with some questions about "what now" but this book was so well done and thought out that I enjoyed every minute of it. I laughed, swooned, blushed, suffered, stressed myself out and just had an amazing time while reading this book! If you like Six of Crows or Fourth Wing then definitely give this book a chance.

This was a DNF and wasn’t a good fit for me. The writing style, and magical concepts built were confusing and was unable to keep interest up to 40% of the way through. I wish this would’ve have worked since I like Dragons and heist // mission-esque plots in books, yet it wasn’t hooking me enough with the direction it was going.

A fun story with dragons and other magical creatures, an intricate world resembling (kind of) hell and heaven and a bunch of misfits.

Anahrod was cast out of the Skylands for crimes she did not commit. Years later they are visited by a dragon rider who affirms she is very well alive and justice has not been made. It turns out, that our main character has survived her fall and now lives in the Deeps with her "pet" Overbite and soon will have to choose who to side with, a self-proclaimed king who is also her ex or a sexy dragon rider, the choice is a no brainer but oh well.

The book is fairly slow-paced, especially in the beginning when it focuses more on the heist, this is something to have in mind if you don't enjoy slower books. However, if you don't mind, you are in for perfectly developed characters with lots of backstories, a credible romance, great chemistry between characters and a great story which almost reads as epic fantasy at times.

If you're often concerned with the lack of representation in books or where the representation falls into stereotypes then this book is also for you, The characters are real, loveable and represent the community well.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3,5 rounded up

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

I devoured The Sky on Fire and could not put it down. I recommend this for fans of fantasy, dragons, heists, and complex worldbuilding.

The Sky on Fire is an exciting and thrilling adventure.

Anahrod is on the run - from everyone. Cast out of her home and in hiding, she runs into a pack of misfits when trying to evade a local warlord with whom she has a bit of a history. When it turns out that the group is actually planning to kidnap her and return her to the Skylanders at the behest of a dragon, Anahrod is furious, especially at the gorgeous red headed dragonrider Ris. But then they turn around and let her go. Back to surviving, Anahrod is later enlisted to help participate in a heist - the only downside, they are trying to steal from a massive dragon - the one who wants to see Anahrod dead. When the stakes are this high, who can Anahrod trust, if not even herself?

While this was an enjoyable story, I had a really tough time with this book. Even up to about 25% in, I was still really confused by the characters, the worldbuilding, and the direction of the plot. Normally I can settle into a fantasy series quickly, but something about this book was tough for me, despite really enjoying the writing style and fast pace. We have an unreliable narrator in Anahrod, who only gives us bits and pieces of her history, which made it tough for me to connect with and root for her as a character. We have multiple love interests and a really interesting queer/poly set up, but the connection between these characters was somewhat lacking. The plot seemed to meander quite a bit, and it took a while for me to settle into the direction of the story. Given my early confusion, I simply had a tough time connecting with this story and these characters. That being said, the premise was great - we have dragons, magic, and a heist, along with some steamy moments and a unique romantic set-up. All the loose threads do come together at the end, with some exciting revelations and plenty of action. The writing was really good - the prose was excellent and I enjoyed reading it, despite my early struggles. So do not discount this book - the issues I had are my own, and I did enjoy most of the book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

10/10!!
I don't think I was even halfway through this book before realizing The Sky on Fire was going to be a 5-star read and trying to see if there was going to be a special edition I could add to my collection.
I loved everything about this! The dragons are dangerous and powerful. One in particular seems to be the most of both and happens to be the one our ragtag little group is going to be robbing. And is the one behind what happened to our main character Anahrod. The setting is amazing from the Deep, to Crystalspire to Duskcloud and beyond each differnet place was unique and perfectly described and I felt like I was right along side Anahrod and the others. I loved the characters Anahrod was an great MC. She is a survivor, and a total kickbutt heroine that you can really rally behind. The secondary characters are all unique and felt like real people. Gwendinion and Sicaryon in particular are my favorites. Although everone else is a pretty close second.
This book was so much fun from beginning to end, full of action, adventure, and a heist of a dragon hoard that could lead many kind of gruesome deaths.

A fun heist book that involves dragons and a ragtag team that would never find themselves together under typical circumstances. The world is rooted in dragon politics with dragons clearly presiding over the human population. Dragons have magic, as do their riders and some other trained people including sorcerers. The "Deep" feels like our own world in its more natural state, and the "Skyland" area feels like an advanced society that grew out of the modern world. I loved how the narrative began at a brisk pace and never truly slowed down. Romance is very light as a slight subplot but does end up as a minor driving force for some characters' motivations to persevere and keep loyalty. Anahrod is the epitome of a survivor who stops at nothing to continue on. While several obstacles steadily block the team from their goals or force them to alter courses, many solutions seem very (too) convenient to not be planned ahead when they could not have been foreseen. I had a great time reading and enjoyed the shorter chapters. Even longer chapters move quickly with the amount of action and dialogue. One qualm I have is Gwyndinion being 15 years old but most of his behavior and language portrays him as closer to age 10, so picturing him as a teenager was difficult at times.

4 stars. I was drawn to request The Sky on Fire partly because of the gorgeous cover, but also because I've been reading and enjoying a ton of fantasy/ romantasy lately, and I am truly a sucker for dragons. And I have to say, this is one time where picking a book based on the cover did not let me down! I know that the blurb describes that this would be perfect for fans of Fourth Wing, but apart from there being dragons and dragon riders, I don't necessarily see the connection. To me, this felt more similar to Assassin's Blade (from the Throne of Glass series) or Six of Crows, given the heists, the twists, the turns, and the found family vibes.

It's hard to truly describe The Sky on Fire because there is SO much going on. A friend of mine who also received an ARC stated that it's oddly super fasted paced but also simultaneously a slow read, and I think that's 100% true. This book is non-stop action. Literally, something excited felt like it happened in every chapter. But, there was a lot of world building, a lot of characters, and a lot going on, and I think that ultimately made it a slower read for me. But being a slower read does not mean this was a bad read, it just meant that there wasn't much fluff, and I needed time to absorb what was happening. At the heart of this story is essentially a conflict between dragons and humans. Humans do learn to ride dragons, but in doing so, they become essentially subjugated slaves to the dragons, and what should be a symbiotic relationship is really more parasitic. So the crux of this story is about a power struggle between dragons and humans, and this manifests in heists but also all out battle. I wouldn't classify this a romantasy, but there is a romance. In fact, it's a bit of a throuple, and I was TOTALLY HERE FOR ALL OF IT. Honestly, I really enjoyed this book. I would totally read more books in this world, and in fact, I'd love to read a prequel book about a certain red-headed dragon rider to learn more about her and her dragon's past adventures. All in all, I think fans of fantasy, especially those with dragons, heists, and found family vibes will find a lot to enjoy about The Sky on Fire.

Thank you so much to Lyons, Tor, and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I'm so sad I didn't love this! I really wanted to. I love the premise and the world building but the characters lack so much depth to me. I could not truly discern motivations or truly much about them at all.

Genre: fantasy

Anahrod has been in Exile for 17 years. Now in her 30s, she has lived in the jungle while people have assumed she's dead, and her name is equated with the darkest kind of treachery. But, it's kidnap Anahrod season, and a Dragonrider and random band of people have snagged her as a part of an elaborate heist plan... to raid the dragon lair Anahrod was originally put to death for allegedly robbing 17 years ago.

The Sky on Fire is a standalone fantasy novel with a strong sapphic romantic arc, but the romance isn’t the central plot-driver. The central plot revolves around planning the heist, and the central conflict revolves around the dragon’s protecting their hoard and controlling their riders. Dragons require riders only to maintain their own sanity, their minds balance on the razor thin line between control and the unhinged plunge into uncontrolled rampage and destruction. Nothing is worse than a rampaging dragon who has lost their mind.

For a standalone novel, The Sky on Fire has expansive worldbuilding. Jenn Lyons is a seasoned writer, and she gives us the right amount of detailing for daily life and the backdrop of this world dominated by dragons. She weaves more modern components, such a rings to signify gender and sexual preferences, into a classic-feeling fantasy with mountain and cloud dwellers.

Living in the Deeps means living a life full of danger - but at least it's a life that doesn't include dragons. It's why Anahrod has spent nearly two decades surviving on her own in the deadly jungles far below the mountainous peak cities where dragons rule. In the mountains, humans live at the whims of dragons, with the threat of a dragon going on a murderous rampage constantly hanging over them. But Anahrod's past catches up with her when a group approaches her with a bold plan: they plan to rob the hoard of the dragon regent, and they believe Anahrod is the missing piece to pull of the heist. But it's going to take a lot to convince Anahrod to go along with a plot she believes is near suicidal - especially because the dragon regent will personally kill Anahrod if she ever lays eyes on her again.

THE SKY ON FIRE is a roller coaster of an adventure ride, throwing readers into a world where humans live only so long as the dragons of the world tolerate them. The story is one escapade after another, as Anahrod has to survive everything from mercenaries to trapped vaults to riding through a storm in a sky ship. The author has a knack for writing great action, and from the moment the actual heist kicks off until the final pages, I was thoroughly hooked on the race to the finish.

The book was weaker when it came to the actual characters. We get a lot of time to understand Anahrod, as the story is largely told from her perspective. The rest of the crew, however, is largely left to be one dimensional side characters. One character for instance, speaks purely by quoting various plays (think someone from our world who only speaks lines of Shakespeare), while another is neural atypical in a way that sometimes leaves him debilitated from overstimulation - but aside from these two broad descriptions, I could tell you almost nothing else about their personalities or backstories. Other characters have a bit more depth to them, but not much.

The other thing I wish had been engaged with more is delving into the dark nature of dragon bonding as presented in this world. I read a quote from the author where she said she wanted to explore the inverse of how dragon bonds are normally presented. Instead of humans either taming a wild beast or entering into a partnership with an intelligent creature, what if the dragon was the dominant force in the relationship, and the human was little more than a slave?

But aside from a side character who is a dragon rider, we don't really get an extensive first hand look at this bond in a way that makes it personal. Anahrod herself is someone who ran away from being a rider; only one significant side character is in one of these toxic dragon rider relationships, and they're off screen for large chunks of this book. I would have loved to have seen these bonds explored in a way that was more personal than what we got.

On the flip side, the idea of living in a society where dragon rampages are so commonplace that there are built in bunkers and evacuation protocols in place is terrifying. One such attack towards the end of the book is truly breathtaking in its devastation. The author made the high level stakes abundantly clear, and that helps balance out some of the areas I wish I could have seen more of.

THE SKY ON FIRE is a great standalone that will whisk you away for the time that you spend with it. While the characters aren't memorable, the action set pieces definitely are. If you're fine with a plot-first-everything-else-is-gravy kind of story, THE SKY ON FIRE is worth picking up.

Note: I was provided a free ARC by the publisher in exchange for my fair and honest review.

After the blazing success of her epic A Chorus of Dragons series, Jenn Lyons is now back with another delightfully queer dragon adventure in The Sky on Fire. Set in a richly imagined world ruled by moody dragon overlords, this brand-new standalone is a flaming fun take on a heist fantasy!

The Sky on Fire opens with one hell of an intriguing prologue which immediately sets the stakes and reassures the reader that: yes, here there do indeed be dragons, and they have dark demands about a certain previously believed dead woman. Enter Anahrod, our wayward protagonist with animal communion skills who has quietly been surviving in the murky jungles of The Deep for the past seventeen years. When a motley crew of morally grey misfits saves her from capture by the local warlord, she realises that the time of running from her past has come to an end. Against her will, she is whisked back to the deceptively lustrous cloud cities and conscripted into their schemes to rob the most powerful dragon’s hoard; a dragon that wants Anahrod dead.

Look, with the ambitiously epic A Chorus of Dragons being one of my all-time favourites, I was nervously excited to see what Lyons could deliver in a contained standalone. And honestly, while this story is not nearly as complex as her previous series, Lyons’ wild imagination and quintessentially quirky storytelling is still on full display in The Sky on Fire.

A divided society ruled by tyrannical dragons with all kinds of unique magical powers, an religion based on humans being thrown out of heaven to serve the dragons, a twisted history written by the victors, and an extremely nuanced and refreshing take on the familiar dragonrider trope which explores consent, co-dependency and power in terrifyingly fascinating ways; how there is so much rich world building packed into such a fast-paced standalone is truly beyond me, but I was gobbling it all up!

Not to mention, Lyons has once again crafted a casually queer-normative world full of beautifully diverse characters who are embraced just the way they are. I especially loved the concept of people expressing their gender, sexuality, and bedroom preferences through wearing different types of rings; we should do ourselves a favour and steal this idea to make dating infinitely easier.

All that said, I personally would not have minded if the pacing had slowed down a bit to let us fully appreciate all these amazing concepts in their full glory. The Sky on Fire zooms along at breakneck speed, and there is truly not a single dull moment to be found. On the one hand, I really liked the utterly addictive ‘just one more chapter’ quality, but on the other hand I found it a bit exhausting that neither the characters nor the reader gets any time to just sit, breathe, reflect, and process for a while.

Don’t get me wrong, I think Lyons has a true knack for creating vibrant, quirky and distinct characters whose clasing identities and motivations make for a very fun dynamic. Yet I also have to admit that I never felt overly invested in any of the characters here, as I barely got any time to get connected to them. Moreover, while I loved the little teases of a beautifully queer poly romance here, I personally think that relationship deserved a lot more development; the feels just weren’t feeling.

Ultimately, the fun factor and highly engaging storytelling made up for some of these quibbles for me, and there’s no denying that Lyons delivered an impressively ambitious standalone story here. True, some of the plot beats and resolutions might have felt a bit overly convoluted or suspiciously convenient, but I think Lyons gets away with it by delivering a story that is just so refreshingly unconventional and inventive in every other way.

If you liked the dragonrider bond in Yarros’ Fourth Wing or Novik’s Temeraire, but also want some heisty action and queer goodness like in M.J. Kuhn’s Thieves duology, then you better try The Sky on Fire. Filled with loveable anti heroes, complicated family drama, brutal beasties, immersive settings, exhilaration action, and a dash of queer love, this fast-paced and action-packed fantasy heist is a smoking hot adventure from start to finish.