From the synopsis, I was expecting a story like “Six of Crows” with a dragons and that’s what I got but also didn’t get. Overall, “The Sky on Fire” was a good story concept but not well-written. Prepare for spoilers below.

The writing:
This book desperately needed to provide a glossary. It’s fine the story plops you right into the action but you need to provide readers with some sort of context and understanding so that they can build a better connection to the world and characters. I understood some parts of the magic but it was pure speculation. There was mention of social rings and garden rings and it would’ve been great if we had a break down of the types of rings EVEN if not all of them were mentioned in the story. It would’ve immersed me more into the world and then I could understand the connotations better of why people wore certain rings and what it meant. While not absolutely necessary, it would have been great to have a pronunciation guide. Again, I’ll sound like a broken record but it allows readers to build that repotoire with the characters if they can say the names right rather than straight gibberish in my head (which is what it was).

While a strong foundation for the world was lacking, the direction of the story was also poor. There were too many characters and no clear distinction between all of them. None of them were overly unique to make them memorable. It also didn’t help that I didn’t like the FMC, which I will get into later. I found the ending to be dragged out and skimmed the last 20% of the book.

The characters:
I’m just going to focus mainly on the FMC, Anahrod. Most of my notes on her were simply me being irritated at her drooling over Ris.

I feel like it was a smack in the face that she suddenly had a romantic connection - there was no build-up to provide a context or explanation that this was happening. It just popped out of no where and I didn’t find it believable. Again, because of the lack of a strong foundation of the world and plot, Anahrod’s romantic endeavors lacked development. What also made this romance irritating was how Anahrod was so blind to Ris’ actions and motives but was happy to let Ris get away with murder…Anahrod is meant to be mistrustful of people so why did she suddenly feel ok to trust Ris other than she’s hot?

Let’s take the time to talk about Anahrod and Sicaryon. We’re led to believe he is this big, bad guy who’s hunting Anahrod down to force her to marry him and he’s not that at all!? He was actually the only likable character and apparently had some romantic history with Anahrod. How was I able to figure that out? Connecting random dots in my head and again…speculation. If Anahrod spent all these time thinking he was so bad, why was she so quick to also trust him in their heist? Was I missing something? Yes! All of background information. The author chose to create a polyamorus situation with Anahrod, Ris, and Sicaryon and it was again odd because to put it short, there was no development.

Overall takes:
My main take is that I didn’t like Anahrod and that’s a good part of why I didn’t enjoy the story. She was inconsistent and not well-developed. Again, it was a missed opportunity to not include a glossary or explanation of the world, creatures, magic, etc. After I finished this, I looked up reviews and did feel validated seeing other reviewers saying the same as me and one of the words used to describe this was that the story “lacked depth” and that’s so accurate. Not a book I would recommend in its current state.

The Sky on Fire by Jen Lyons is a fast paced heist story featuring a fun cast of characters. The chapters were all very short which helped keep the pace moving.

I really liked our main character Anahrod, she felt very real to me and I was very invested in learning about her past. The planning and execution of the heist was well done, nothing ever felt too convenient, there were plenty of times where plans fell through and we got to see the group brainstorming together on next steps. I especially like that we got to see everyone play a part in how the story played out, none of the side characters felt redundant.

The magic and the dragons were awesome and I’m left feeling like we’ve only just scratched the surface, there is definitely potential if Jenn Lyons ever decides to tell more stories in this setting.

Overall this book was fantastic and I could see myself rereading it in the future!

⭐️ 3.85
🌶 0.5

Guard your hoards, dragons! Anahrod the Evil is coming for you 😈

After being falsely accused by the Dragon Regent of breaking and entering into her hoard vault, Anahrod the dragonrider cadet is sentenced to death. Only, she miraculously survives her execution and goes into hiding using a new identity in the Deep - the sea level jungles that no Skylander has been known to survive.

Seventeen years later, her survival is discovered and both Skylanders, Deep dwellers and dragons are after Anahrod. She is offered a place in a secret rebel group in exchange for her participation in a deadly heist - stealing from the very same vault she was accused of robbing as a teenager.

This epic tale is packed full of detailed worldbuilding and dragon lore, which is slowly introduced and built upon over time so as not to overwhelm the reader. The queer-normative culture, BIPOC Skylander society and disability representation throughout was flawless.

I especially loved the garden rings concept (using specially-coded flowers for feminine and leaves for masculine), which allowed Skylander adults to openly indicate their gender identity and sexuality, as well as any sexual preferences/kinks they felt comfortable sharing. For example, a transgender woman could wear a floral ring to indicate her gender was 'late-blooming', which is such a poetic way of expressing her identity and chosen pronouns. No LGBTQIA+ character was ever mislabelled, not even by their enemies.

Another aspect I loved were the interactions between the dysfunctional found family members. The witty banter, sarcastic humour, sibling-like squabbles and flirting were all very fun and heart-warming. While there wasn’t any open door spice, the tension and connection between the developing throuple were great.

Of course, the dragons were intimidating, especially when one would go rampant (enter into a beserker-like, murderous rage that would ultimately get them killed by other dragons). The mystery of the frequency of rampancy was an intriguing sub-plot. For me, the depiction of dragons being not only superior in class and status, but also often as abusers of their dragonriders was a refreshing take on a classic trope.

One element I did find a little disappointing was the author's seeming hesitation to write certain action sequences. There were several occasions where the plot seemed to set up a battle or other intense action scene, only for the author to literally write it off as uneventful, without providing details and move on.

Overall, I had a lot of fun reading this story. While the twists in the plot weren't particularly surprising, they were still well-delivered by the author. Ultimately, I recommend it, but I'm not likely to re-read it (unless the epilogue leads to another book - IYKYK).

2,5 stars

The Sky on Fire has all the elements that I would normally like in a book. (Ruling) Dragons, various cultures, queer normative, witty mc, a group of misfits. Yet I struggled immensely with this book.

We meet Anahrod as various parties try to capture her in the jungle of the Deep. Why? Well who knows because it takes until the mid of the book to actually get to the point. I don't mind a slow build but the first half felt very aimless. From running in the jungle, to being captured, going on an air ship but apparently being afraid of heights, being captures but then a heist. Yeay. It felt inconsistent. I wasn't quite sure what kind of book I was reading until we hit the mid-way point. I didn't quite enjoy the ride.

It has an interesting world building with dragons who rule the world (except a few places here and there). Dragon riders are the main contact point with humans. But the actual ruling and council aren't overly clear. We don't get to see any of that. And I heavily wondered what Peralon's position in the world was.

I really wanted to like some of these characters but I sometimes struggled to make a connections. For the most part I liked Anahrod but sometimes something random would happen with her or that she would do that would pull me out of her character. She didn't always feel very consistent. There were random scenes of her searching out her father but then it wasn't mentioned again and it felt unresolved. Some other characters were one dimensional. Like Claw or the one that ended up dying (that seemed to be his only purpose).

As for the romance, as mentioned this world is queer-normative. They have garden rings which shows your profession and your sexuality and if you are seeking. Trans characters are considered late bloomers. Anahrod gets into a polyarmorous relationship with Ris and Sicaryon which is fine. Her relationship with Sicaryon had already started before this book and it was clear they had built a physical and emotional connection. With Ris however, it was instalust and it does not move away from that at all.

Adding on to that the spice level was inconsistent. There was a faded away threesome for instance. But later on in the book there is a scene where there is this weird explicite dirty talking happening between Anahrod and Ris. It was very explicite and not in all int he same line as the other sexual content we saw before in the book. Even worse, it felt completely out of place. They are literally heading off to rescue her brother. Like priorities maybe?

I really, really wanted to like this book for what it promised but in the end there was just too many inconsistencies for me to really end up enjoying it. Which is a shame because I do think that Jenn Lyons writing is good.

Dragon overlords, a heist plot, and a lovely group of misfits? The perfect mixture. The prologue had me hooked, and I found myself going on an incredibly pleasant journey--a fast paced plot, some kinkiness (we love to see it), and a really well-rounded diverse cast.

I AM BEGGING PUBLISHERS AND AUTHORS TO PUT OUT MORE FANTASY NOVELS FEATURING BADASS WOMEN AND DRAGONS. IT IS ALL I WANT.


anyways, I obviously thought this was incredible. Was really impressed with Jenn Lyons’ previous series and this is off to a promising start.

This one is a must read for all readers after a standalone adult high fantasy with "talking" dragons. This is in no way a fantasy romance before anyone else thinks its another Fourth Wing type story.
Jenn Lyon has managed to craft a fully fleshed world with fleshed out characters, epic battles and simple but effective plotline in under 500 pages. I loved every moment. In the same slightly humorous and quirky tone as Chorus of Dragons, this is a story with a heist on a tyrannical dragon's hoard. Dragons are the dominant egotistic species and are only bound to humans in order to starve off madness that takes them over their long lives. Jenn Lyons has again managed to craft a queer-norm world full of diverse characters. We have a hodgepodge group, anti-hero's, snappy dragons, dragon riders, lost families and shock betrayals.
this is one of those books i wished was longer!
Thanks so much to @netgalley and TorBooks for a eARC.

The Sky on Fire is a fast-paced dragon fantasy with a twist. The relationship between dragons and human dragon riders is not equal, dragons are essentially the masters and use their riders as a way to conduct their magic through in order to keep themselves from going rampant.
If you are looking for a fast-paced standalone, this is a fun book to pick up.
Pros
-The dragon and Dragon rider relationship was very interesting and I enjoyed that it was deeply explored.
-There was never a dull moment! It was incredibly entertaining, which definitely helped me keep reading when I didn’t know what was going on.
-I really enjoyed the relationships within the plot. I was unsure at the beginning because I thought it was a little insta-lusty, but I ended up really liking where it went.
-Anahrod has to deal with her complicated feelings towards her family and navigate new & past relationships with those around her, familial, platonic, & romantic. It added to the character development.
-The way that their society views gender, sexuality, and how they use rings to signify these things was also super interesting! I would have loved even more info on that.
Cons
-I felt like I was always missing something. One of my notes at 53% was “I feel like I’m just now learning info I should already know and still expected to know things that haven’t been explained.” Once I accepted that I was just going to be kinda confused, my enjoyment definitely increased.
-The characters didn’t feel very fleshed out. Besides Anahrod, Gwydinion, Sicaryon & Ris, the other characters had very little personality aside from their one defining characteristic.
-The story starts off with a bang and is flying from the beginning, but I was constantly thinking “wtf is going on” for the first 20% of the book. And then the ending was also confusing but for different reasons. Instead of feeling like I was missing something, the explanation of the magic was going way over my head. It felt like when my roommate tried to explain her organic chemistry homework to me. My brain could not compute.

Overall this was a really fun world with an attention-grabbing plot. I had a good time and would recommend to those who don’t mind being a little confused in exchange for a compelling plot.

Stars: 3.5/5

The Sky on Fire by Jenn Lyon starts strong with the epilogue hooking you in to an execution under unusual circumstances, as well as a dragons wrath and determination to find a human who has betrayed her. Neveranimus will destroy everything in the Crystalspire if Anahrod is not returned to her.

Anahrod has found a way to survive in the Deep which is full of predators, death, amazing creatures. That is until she is near kidnapped and her animal companion is injured. She finds herself helping a group of people through the Deep.

This little rag tag team of found family was the best. The banter brought by Claw and her relationship with Kaibren was really heart warming. I loved the way they all had saved each other and stuck together.

There were a lot of surprises I didn’t see coming and I really enjoyed the relationship between dragon and rider and the political fights between them.

This has a little bit of a romance subplot and a tiny bit of implied spice - more of a wake up in the morning and some kissing during the book. It didn’t take away from the main part of the story but added to it. It features a unique relationship and was interesting to see the dynamic change through the course of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

I had such high hopes for this. Dragons, a heist and a band of misfits? Sign me up! However it fell a little short for me. I really enjoyed the premise and the set up of the story, but I felt like it never quite followed through. I think the pacing was off and nothing was ever fully allowed to play out and develop. Because of this I felt I couldn't connect with the characters & therefore didn't care what came of them. I felt there was no chemistry between the love interests and I outright did not like Ris.

I feel like this would have benefited from being a duology so we could have focused on the character development and the dynamic between the characters. I do feel it a had a great baseline story and plot, however it just needed expanding and furthering developing.

This book gave me quite a ride! I absolutely loved that the dragon/rider aspect was discussed so much in the story. It allowed me to really feel the strength and need for the connection and explained WHY going rampart happens. What can I say other than I truly loved it?

Oh, and the reconnecting with the MC (I’ve tried to write her name and autocorrect sucks) and her mother at the end HAD ME SOBBING.

This book was so intriguing! I loved the magic, the dragons, the characters. It all flowed well for me, and the storyline itself was amazing.

The Sky on Fire is the standalone fantasy novel that I have been searching for.

Dragons, magic, intrigue, and captivating characters—plus daring heists—make this engaging from the very first page and will keep you turning page after page. I’d happily take more stories set within this world but did really love the standalone component of it.

The premise of this book reminded me of Six of Crows mashed up with The Hobbit. It was something else entirely, but I loved the themes of a found family, unique sexual/relationship dynamics, and some witty banter.

I have been searching for a standalone fantasy book for a while, so I was so excited when a friend told me about this one as she read the ARC.

One of the things I adored about this novel was the unique twist on dragons. We had dragons manipulating and controlling humans, each with different powers (from breathing acid to ice and everything in between).

Another thing I thought was well done was the world-building. I could smell and see the bog. I could hear the sounds of Crystalspire. It was all richly described with vivid imagery. This is so hard to do in a standalone book without info dumping, so my hats off to Lyons for conquering this obstacle with mastery.

The pace is one of the things that made this only a 3.5-star read for me. While Lyons puts the reader right into the action (literally), I had whiplash at some points and had to reread sections to figure out what was going on. First, we had a political drama. Then, a jungle adventure. Then, a heist. Oh, wait, now we’re on some kind of flying ship crew. Then we have mega lust? If you think that’s fast-paced, wait until you read this one 😅 I almost wish this book was longer so we had more character development and some slower-paced sections to breathe.

I need to call out the relationship dynamic in the book. While it was an incredibly unique system that I have never seen in a book, I did not enjoy the throuple aspect of this one. It felt like insta love and I wanted more development or at least a discussion around the relationship dynamics.
Overall, this book was entertaining; the plot twists and reveals delivered, and I was invested in the dragon-rider relationships. If you want a standalone fantasy book with tons of action and a found family, try “The Sky on Fire.”

This is my favourite book of the year. Dragons, found family, heists, sexy drama, magic and secrets. This has it all
I adore Jenn Lyons work already, but I know her other series is long and can be difficult to approach, and that's where this book shines. Its a standalone and a beautifully approachable size. I will recommend this to anyone I can.
The queer rep is phenomenal, and in this world gender and sexuality are flexible and open to everything and changeable, and it is all accepted. You truly get to figure out who you are and be yourself.
There's also a good element of class views and discussions on prejudice and privilege, and how views can be distorted depending on where and how you're raised. Add dragons this conversation and it will always make for an interesting take!
And in my opinion the additions of dragons, riders and bonding will always add to a story!

I have fallen in love with so many of the characters, and already want to be a part of the ragtag crew, and spend more time with them all. They all have their own goals and motivations and are very distinct which I liked, I could tell everyone's reasoning for their actions and loved uncovering more about their pasts.

An absolutely fantastic book overall, and my only complaint is I want more of this world, its so fantastically crafted and in-depth I hope we get more adventures in this world, both with the same characters, but also with characters in different times!

This story was very interesting. It has dragons and heists which are two things that always convince me to read a book. Unfortunately I didn’t get to emotionally connect to the characters also think the the Poly relationship could’ve been left out. I was very excited to read this story but I wasn’t drawn to this book... I’m able to overlook that a little bit since the world building was very detailed and well thought out. But apart from that the story didn’t draw me in to read and find out what happens next, hence why it took me almost three months to finally finish this book … this book put me in a really deep reading slump.

Such a thrill! I really really enjoyed this one. Such a fabulously developed world and amazing characters who jumped off the page. I loved it!

Dragons, check. Group of Misfits, check. Heists, check. I’m a sucker for a good heist story and the cast of characters was diverse I just felt a disconnect between some of them. Overall I enjoyed the story and the world it was set in.

This was great! The sky on fire was exactly what i wanted in a dragon book. Everyone needs to read this!

They Sky on Fire is the latest from Jenn Lyons who wrote one of my favourite Dragon series of all time - so there was a lot of pressure on this book to continue the trend.
But have no fear, Lyons manages not only to create a fantasy world that feels unique, fresh and most importantly distinct from her previous books, but also manages to maintain a large number of tropes and ideas that make fantasy books with dragons feel fun. There are so many cultural, geographical, small and large world-building details within this book that I won't spend hours naming here. One that stood out for me was the idea that no two dragons could hoard the same thing, so dragon hoards become increasingly esoteric- genius.
Alongside that world-building, there is a wonderful plot - who wouldn't want to read a dragon heist? This is paced and planned out perfectly for maximum excitement and tension. Finally, Jenn Lyons her trademark deeply queer and messy (positive) romantic storylines throughout. I just thought that was wonderful and I'm pleased those elements continued on from Chorus of Dragons.
Overall I'd recommend this book both to existing fans of Jenn Lyons' work but also to those who might have felt intimidated by reading a five-door-stop fantasy series.
I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.