As a big fan of Fourth Wing, you can only imagine my happiness while reading this book. We got what we were promised. Amazing adventure filled with dragons and interesting characters, what more can you ask for?

The sky on fire by jen lyons is a slow moving fantasy that unfortunately does not grip me. The characters were not interesting enough to keep me in the story.

"The Sky on Fire" offers an imaginative journey into a world ruled by dragons, with a unique blend of heist and adventure that will appeal to fans of high fantasy. The premise is intriguing, and the world-building stands out, particularly the dragon society and its customs. I appreciated the originality in the portrayal of the dragon-rider bond and the way the story explores a society beholden to these powerful creatures.

However, the book has its flaws. While the plot is engaging and the pacing kept me interested, the characters felt underdeveloped. I struggled to connect with them, and their actions often seemed to lack depth. The story also jumps around quite a bit, which made it hard to follow at times, and the magic system could have been better explained.

The action sequences, especially those happening off-page, felt like missed opportunities to add more excitement and tension. The ending, while satisfactory, didn’t leave a lasting impression.

Overall, "The Sky on Fire" is a fun read with an interesting premise, but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me. It’s worth checking out if you’re a fan of dragon-filled fantasies, but it may not be everyone’s cup of tea.

The Chorus of Dragons is one of my favorite series ever, in comparison I knew a standalone heist book could not meet those highs but I did have a delightful time with this adventure fantasy standalone. If you like messy dragon rider relationships, that is touched on here and the characters are loveable archetypes that will make you feel grounded while exploring a fairly unique fantasy world, where the world building is not always spelled out for you on the page. That said a lot happens in 400 pages so if you like to sit in a fantasy book and not feel things passing you by, you might be more disappointed with this one than I was.

Things that checked my boxes:
+Dragons
+Queer rep
+Heist
+Standalone

The only real criticism I have is that the world-building is a little shaky when it comes to describing The Deep, an area that we do spend a decent amount of time in at certain points in the novel. However, Lyons does a fantastic job fleshing out the people and dragon societies up in the sky enough to paint a unique fantasy setting but not so much that it bogs down the story. Anahrod is a very compelling character with a colorful past and a well-rounded personality with strengths and weaknesses; I also loved that she's on the older side for a fantasy protagonist at 32ish. The pacing is a little slow at first, and we don't really get to any heisting until well past the halfway point, but once the group starts coming together I got properly immersed and didn't mind that the heist isn't really the main focus of the story, even if it's the plot driver. Overall though a great fantasy standalone in my opinion!!

Ahoy there me mateys! With the pretty cover, dragons in control, and author, I was sure this was going to rock.  Alas I decided to abandon ship at 32% right before Part 4.  I have been trying to finish this since July 1st and has been over a month.  I read some crew reviews for encouragement.  Instead, I have no urge to read more.  The reviews with spoilers cemented its doom.

This book is fast-paced to its detriment.  There are too many settings, too many underdeveloped characters, too many plot points, and confusing politics.  The book feels incredibly disjointed and aimless.  While I sort-of liked the main character, Anahrod, I never quite understood exactly what she wanted.  She just seemed to get thrown around by the plot.  She was rather bland.  Ris, a dragonrider, arrives for some insta-lust and frankly has awkward sexual tension with Anahrod.  There is a dude who talks in lines from plays, a girl who wants to fight with everyone.  A drake (that I liked) that is abandoned for "reasons."

I will stop here because I have honestly spent more time trying to force myself to finish the book, marshal my thoughts about what I read, and write this review then I did reading the 32% of the book.  To call this a disappointment is an understatement.  Arrrr!

First off, the cover is fantastic! As for the content of the book, there were alot of things about the book I really enjoyed. The dragonrider and dragon dynamic was fun and the heist narrative was exciting, but unfortunately this book doesn't really feel like it knows what it wants to be. The plot jumps around a lot and makes it difficult for the reader to keep up.

I wish this book got more hype on Instagram and tiktok, because I was pleasantly surprised by it. Dragons are definitely hyped right now, and this one fit right in. Loved it

*The Sky on Fire* by Jenn Lyons is a gripping fantasy novel with dazzling world-building and intricate plots. The story unfolds with rich, dynamic characters and intense, imaginative storytelling. Lyons’ vivid prose and complex narrative make for a captivating read, though some plot threads may be challenging to follow. Overall, it’s a compelling addition to the genre that leaves readers eager for more.

Anahrod is on the run for crime she didn't commit. Enter in a diverse cast of characters who pull her out of hiding against her will to help with the ultimate heist. There is plenty of action, twists, and dragons! This is a fantasy adventure. From the beginning readers are thrown into the action. There is magic, danger, romance, betrayal and, again, dragons. It was a pretty fun reading adventure.

I enjoyed the book. I did struggle with the pacing in the beginning and connecting with the characters, but I stuck it out and in the end really enjoyed the ride. Each of the characters is very distinct with their own quirks. While some are more fleshed out, those that hold smaller roles are pretty cookie cutter. There isn't any big surprise or development where they are concerned. There is romance, though it's a bit all over the place at times. It develops quickly and feels a little like an unnecessary side story. I'm glad it was included as it added flavor, but there was somewhat a lack of emotional intimacy that might have added to the story.

I really liked the world and magic system. While there isn't a lot of explanation for the magic elements, there is just enough to give a general idea of what is happening. The dragons are pretty interesting, too. While this is a stand alone, the epilogue leaves it open for a possible sequel.

This was a really enjoyable dragon heist story. I was pleasantly surprised to find a decent amount of depth to the characters and their underlying story.

I've seen this compared to Fourth Wing but since I haven't read that one and I cannot comment if they are similar or not. On its own, I found this to be a really fun story.

I would recommend this to someone looking for a lighter, but worthwhile fantasy story. I have read the entire Chorus of Dragons and felt this had a very similar tone. If you love that series, you will very likely enjoy this book too

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

I was super excited for this book since I just got into my romance/romantasy era but I really struggled with getting captured into this world.
I felt that I didn’t get enough time to truly develop “relationships” with the characters and places.
I believe this book is an amazing one for those who may struggle with a lot of world building and need something fast paced and go straight into the action.

This book should have been everything I wanted in a fantasy novel: A standalone (yes, please, we need more of these!), band of misfits/found family, DRAGONS, cool magic, and supposedly older MCs. However, I was left feeling disappointed. I felt there was very little worldbuilding or explanation of anything--we're just plopped into it. And the plot was all over the place. First we're lead to believe it's all about dragon politics, but then all of a sudden we're in the jungle, and then a flying ship with a motley crew (which I loved because it was major Stardust vibes), but then we're at a dragon riding school for a heist?! Don't get me wrong, I love a good heist, but the school setting was never really fully developed to me.

Then there's a character who speaks in only poems/quotes, which got old, really fast. I was so excited the MCs were supposed to be in their 30s, but instead they acted like immature, horny teenagers. And speaking of which, a society where you wear your smexual preferences as rings for all to see gave me an immediate ick. And the 'late blooming man/woman' ring as a way to akwardly include trans characters just felt a bit off to me.

Then there's the super awkward spice out of nowhere, instalust, and more that I can't even get into here. I was not a fan. The ending was also a bit rushed IMO.

So overall, I was really hoping to love this one, and there were definitely parts that I did, including when the action really got going towards the end, but this isn't one I'll be rereading. Have to also call out: the narrator did a fantastic job with the different characters, and I really enjoyed listening while reading along on my Kindle.

Quote I loved:
"Why do intelligent beings always take having power over another as an excuse to do their worst?"

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing an advanced copy. This is my honest review.

The Sky On Fire is a fantasy story set in a world ruled by dragons. There’s a heist, an adventure, queer characters, jungles, dragonriders, magic, romance, found family trope… what’s not to like? And yet it was kind of a flop for me.

I was really exited about the dragons and the heist. But this book was a 3/5 stars for me. I really tried to love it.

The main reason why I didn’t love it was the pacing, it was bad. The book started off in the middle of an action we’re given a hint that it’s a political fantasy, which I loved but then too many characters were introduced at the beginning, too much was happening at once, I was confused. You’re dropped off in a jungle, there’s an adventure and then suddenly you’re on a ship, new characters are introduced (which aren’t really important and won’t be mentioned again until close to the end), then a heist is planned, the ship crew is forgotten. The book jumps from place to place to place.. it felt directionless and unfocused. I didn’t know what Anahrod’s (the main character) motive was, she just seemed to be following other characters’ interests.

Overall, it wasn’t all bad, I liked Gwydinon (Anahrod’s brother), the good dragons and the relationships they had with their riders, the main gang (found family trope will forever be one of my favorites), the use of magic.

Anahrod was a teenager when the dragons declared her a traitor and had her executed, but she survived and thrived in the Deep jungles far below the peaks where dragons ruled over society. Her past comes back to haunt her many years later as her survival is discovered, and the First Dragon, Neveranimas, wants to finish the job. The Sky on Fire by Jenn Lyons is a whirlwind of drama and action involving dragons, dragonriders, magic, and romance that both feel familiar to those who read her A Chorus of Dragons series but treads new grounds and new challenges as a stand-alone book.

The way Lyons writes dragons has always been one of my favorite parts of her writing. I prefer larger-than-life dragons, linked with magic but still connected to the world and a part of it. The Sky on Fire does this in spades. The society in which the Seven Crests has been built upon where dragons are above humans in the hierarchy, is essential to the plot and the relationships. Anahrod’s strong feelings about this and the bond between dragonriders and dragons is the part of her character that spoke to me the most. Exploring the politics, bonds, and relationships between dragons and humans stood out as a shining example of how world-building, plot, and character development should intertwine and build upon one another.

The bond between dragons and dragonriders is a fascinating part of the human-dragon relationship. Dragons need to bond with a rider so they don’t go rampant, a kind of berserker rage that doesn’t end when a dragon is overloaded with magic and yet treats the humans below them. I find the actual bonds in the story to be the most fascinating part. Between Jahmeh and Tiendremos’ abusive bond, Ris and Peralon’s close bond, and both Anahrod’s and Neveranimas’ disdain for the bond, no bond is the same. The conversations about the disparity between dragons and humans while dragons need human riders between the characters is a highlight of the book for me, along with getting to know more about the dragons dragonriders have bonded with, like Peralon and Tiendremos.

Another highlight of the book was the straightforward romance. The Sky on Fire, being a stand-alone, jumps into it quickly, as opposed to A Chorus of Dragons, which had five books for the romance to brew in, but not so quick as to feel rushed. Rather than anticipating when they will get together, the story explores how they build trust to make the relationship work. This is explored in the world-building as well with the Social and Garden Rings Skylanders wear that tell one another their preferences for partners and relationships. Sex in fantasy is often talked about when it is done so poorly that it is comical, but the way sex and sexuality are explored in The Sky on Fire should be praised for its creativity, tact, and the skill with which it is written.


The author writes an exceptional heist, and this novel does not contradict that. Much of the book revolves around the heist, which tells us plenty about our main characters, the cities, and the politics of dragons. Lyons does not skip any steps to get to the heists. We, as readers, get the recruitment phase, the planning, the adjusting of the plan when there is a setback, the execution of the plans when the window of opportunity opens, and the abandoning of the plan when it goes awry. Without spoiling it, Lyons makes great use of the no plan survives contact with the enemy trope that heightens the tension on the ride to the climax of the book.

Jenn Lyons continues to pack heartfelt character moments intertwined with superb world-building, which leaves me ultimately happy with The Sky on Fire but open to returning to the world and characters I’ve fallen in love with. The pacing is brisk, as it is a stand-alone, without sacrificing any character interactions that pack an emotional punch. When an author whose previous series became one you belove, it can be not easy when they write a new book in a new world with new characters. The Sky on Fire exceeds my expectations for the follow-up to Lyons’s finale to her last series, The Discord of Gods, and will be a book I pick up to read many times in the future.

It's like a dagger to the chest everytime a dragon-focused story dissapoints me.

Anahrod, in the Deep jungles with her titan drake, is reluctantly rescued from a warlord by an adventuring party. Instead of returning to the Deep, she is dragged into a scheme to steal from the dragon regent of the cloud cities, Neveranimas, who has a deadly vendetta against her. Caught between her desire for freedom and the looming threat of the dragon’s wrath, Anahrod faces a daunting challenge.

The author did an incredible job building a unique world. From the landscape and creatures to the magic system and daily life, Lyon explained everything naturally without info-dumps. The concept of humans serving dragons? Perfectly executed. Every aspect of world-building was flawlessly handled.

I’m usually a fan of misfit groups, but I struggled to connect with the characters here. They felt shallow, and I found it hard to discern their motivations. The limited information we receive about them is conveyed through surface-level dialogue and planning, lacking depth and nuance. Anahrod could have been a great female lead. She had the backstory to create rage and intense emotional conflict, but the author spent more time focusing on the shallow parts of her journey. As for the rest of the characters, I don't feel one way or the other, since none of them are particularly interesting to read about.

The pacing was abysmal. I love a steady paced plot balanced by character development and context. While the prologue suggested a fast-paced, action-filled adventure, by 20% into the book, I was forcing myself to keep reading. What began as a compelling read soon became a chore. It’s a shame, as I love heist and quest novels.

Overall, it’s unfortunate this book didn’t work for me. However, if you prioritize world-building over character development, and are willing to slog through the middle, this might be worth your time. Also, this is a standalone, so no need to be too dissapointed if it doesn't work for you!

Thank you, NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group, for the advance copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This was a fun adventure with many twists and turns that kept the story interesting! However, when these twists were not being revealed, it sometimes felt like the plot was being dragged out, and you were just waiting to get back into the action. With that being said, I really liked the idea of the storyline, and the heist and magic system was something that intrigued me.

I really liked Anahrod as a main character. Her determination to survive despite the challenges she faced was endearing and her magic was so interesting. I didn’t bond much with the other characters though, especially Ris. It was said in the book how Anahrod knew she was a good person, but all we saw was Ris lie to her until she had no other choice but to tell the truth. I liked all the characters, I just didn’t love them!

I would recommend this book to lovers of the heist storyline, fans of badass FMC’s and if you’re wanting a unique and interesting magic system.

This book was an absolute delight from the first word! I loved the world, with its dragons and magic, thieves and schools - basically think of any fun thing in a fantasy world and they appear here, including sky pirates. I loved the various interactions between Anahrod, Ris and the rest of the gang and thought that the characters were really well constructed. The plot is fast moving and constantly evolving without ever becoming too confusing or bogged down, which I really appreciated and it was lovely to read a standalone that was completely satisfying. Would I read more books set in this world with these characters? Absolutely, but this story has a clearly defined ending, which is so refreshing. Overall, this has cemented Jenn Lyons as one of my favourite fantasy authors and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was a fun adventure with many twists and turns that kept the story interesting! However, when these twists were not being revealed, it sometimes felt like the plot was being dragged out, and you were just waiting to get back into the action. With that being said, I really liked the idea of the storyline, and the heist and magic system was something that intrigued me.

I really liked Anahrod as a main character. Her determination to survive despite the challenges she faced was endearing and her magic was so interesting. I didn’t bond much with the other characters though, especially Ris. It was said in the book how Anahrod knew she was a good person, but all we saw was Ris lie to her until she had no other choice but to tell the truth. I liked all the characters, I just didn’t love them!

I would recommend this book to lovers of the heist storyline, fans of badass FMC’s and if you’re wanting a unique and interesting magic system.

Come for the dragons, stay for the snarky heist

This was a fantastic story that flips the script on the current dragon book market. What is one thing that we know about dragons? They have hoards...and that is often missing from the current books featuring dragons. This is a world with dragons, their chosen riders...and each dragon hoards something different. And the dragons aren't very nice.

This was a non-stop story that goes from the depths of the valleys to the cities above the clouds where the dragons rule. Anahrod is hiding in the jungle valley, but everything comes crashing down when she meets a crew sent to find her. This has a little bit of found family, queer normalized society with rings for identity/preferences, a dragon rider school, magic, dragon hoards, sky pirates, and so much more.

Highly recommend, also if you loved Anne McCaffery PERN series, then this is a do not miss read.