1 star
Thank you publisher and netgalley for this ARC.

I really wanted to get into this book. It sounded right up my alley, but unfortunately I was unable to finish this book.

Starting off “strong” with the whipping girl was not what I expected for this novel. This alone, with the description of the abuse and how there was an art to it made me uncomfortable and I thought this would have been a DNF. I decided to push through, give the first chapter a chance and let it prove itself outside of that one moment. I wasn’t a huge fan of Stig’s POV and could have lived without it as it didn’t add much to the story other than him treating Tamsyn as an object.

There was so much going on, it was hard to keep track of characters and what was happening. It lost me a little bit in the middle during the journey, where it became more “romance” than fantasy. The end picked up again, but still felt like things were rushed together, not allowing for time for things to build up and happen naturally. So much was thrown into the ending that it was a lot to take in and I didn’t feel like it came together nicely.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED this book! It was the perfect combination of adventure and budding romance. I loved the portrayal of dragons and what might be a dragon shifter. I want more in this world and to see more about the mythical dragons and possibly witches. This is my new favorite dragon novel!

What the heck. What a wild ride this book was. I was pretty much intrigued from the very beginning. I loved everything about this book and cannot wait for the next one. The multiple plot twists in the end were so crazy and I had no idea they were coming. The world building in this wasn’t too crazy but it was enough that I felt like I was there with them watching a movie. Thank you so much for the opportunity to review and read this book!

~ Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review ~

Oh my gosh I loved this book. This was honestly such an entertaining read, and I had a good time reading it. A Fire in the Sky follows Tamsyn, the royal whipping girl, and Fell, the Beast of the Borderlands she is married off to. Tamsyn has been taking the punishments meant for the princesses, her sisters, for her whole life, and now she has to take the arranged marriage meant for one of them as well. Fell is supposed to be a horribly brutal beast as well as the main leader of the borderlands, and to continue keeping the kingdom safe on his part of the border he wants a princess for his bride. Instead of a princess by blood, he is given Tamsyn as his bride without his knowing. The trip back to the borderlands is a long one, with a lot of time for Tamsyn and Fell to get to know each other.

If I could forget everything that happened in this book, I absolutely would, just so that I could read it for the first time again. Without getting too spoiler-y, just be prepared for lots of traveling to the borderlands, grumping and growling from Fell, and Tamsyn breaking your heart with her childhood. There’s also lots of good romance in this book, but nothing that will melt your screen (yet, the series is described as an adult series, so we will hopefully get more there!), however I am loving reading Tamsyn and Fell’s interactions with each other. A lot of this book takes place during their travels to the borderlands, but I was having such a good time with the story and the banter that I honestly didn’t notice. I am not usually a fan of stories that take place solely while traveling (I actually have a list of locations I don’t particularly enjoy reading about, they’re probably weird reading opinions but I do have them) but I really didn’t even notice until I sat down to write this review. It’s honestly just another reason why I think Sophie Jordan is my queen of dragon romance books- I knew she knew dragons when I read her Firelight series almost a decade ago, and she has only further proved it to me with this book. There was awesome build up, good banter, an interesting conflict, and it was just a book that really sucked you in.

All in all, I am soooo excited to read the next book in this series, and I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who likes dragons, romance, fantasy, or any mix of the three!

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you end a book on a cliffhanger! I devoured this book in less than a day and I’m sad that I waited so long to read it and that I have to wait until October for the next one! I loved our FMC and her fierce desire to do what she thinks is right, often to her own detriment. I loved seeing her take steps to come into her own. I loved our MMC and his protectiveness, quiet moments of tenderness, and his growth in this book surprised me. Plus there are twists and that makes everything more enjoyable!! I can’t wait for book two!

This book feels like the author realized romantasy was trending and quickly grabbed all the tropes and characters to create her own novel. There's an arranged marriage to *vaguely gestures* help stop war and the political landscape worsening, the characters are one dimensional (I couldn't relate to any and their motivations felt shallow), and the plot fell flat. Yet I read it in one setting because it was laughably entertaining.

Let me preface by saying I actually did enjoy this book, but... I didn't love it. The concept? Really good. The execution? I'm not sure. I think my main issue was the writing itself felt very convoluted at points. Sometimes I found myself thinking, "Can we speed this up?" which is not something I want to think when I'm reading a book. This is a book I'm going to come back to before I read the second, I think it deserves another shot.

This book definitely surprised me. And I loved every part of it. It had everything you could want from a fantasy book. Dragons. Witches. Arranged marriage. I flew through it. Easy to read and follow along which can be hard to come by with fantasy books. Ending on a cliff hanger for sure! So ready to read the second book!
Thank you NetGalley for the read and thank you Sophie Jordan for the experience!

Okay my rating went anywhere from 2-4 stars depending where I was in the book.. It kept me reading and wanting to know more, while also being predictable and a little jumbled. I would’ve like to see more chemistry between characters.

This was a really fun read. It is quick and simple and had me entertained from the first pages. As a romantasy, I though it found a great balance between plot, world-building, relationship-building, and spice. I'm surprised that this one hasn't taken off as much as some of the other similar romantasy books. I am glad to see that the first print with the blue edges sold out! I expected to see more talk about this one on social media.

This ends on a cliff-hanger so I was excited to see the recent announcement of book 2: A Scar in the Bone.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing a digital ARC of this book.

Thank Net Galley for this ARC.

This was a fun read. The world building and magic system kept me interested. The deceitful marriage consummation was a bit much, but it really laid out the environment of this world. What little people thought of the FMC.

Okay wait, I loved this. I can't believe how many amazing fantasy books are coming out now. When is the second book coming out?

unfortunately i could not get into this book and ultimately ended up dnf’ing.

i think it was more me than the book. from what i read, i loved sophie jordan’s writing style!!

I'm SO surprised I'm not hearing more about this, I had so much fun reading it and absolutely blew through it!

This has a ton of fun aspects to it: arranged marriage, enemies to lovers, dragons, a warrior lord, a sheltered (not)princess, a wild snowscape, dying magic and witches. Its fast paced and the world-building is easy to digest but still expansive and exciting. I really enjoyed the writing style, and was totally taken by surprise by a good chunk of the plot points.

I really enjoy both Fell and Tamsyn as characters, they are distinct and believable, as well as easy to sympathize with and flawed in their respective ways. They have great tension and chemistry, and I really did believe the ambiguity they both have toward one another, as well as the struggle they both face throughout to manage their undeniable connection despite everything. I loved the lore and the direction the story is headed in. This gets a solid 4.5/5 stars for me, and I already cannot wait for the sequel!

Thank you so much to Avon & Harper Voyager and NetGalley for this eArc, I'm excited to look through this authors previous works and pick something up!

AHHHH I’M OBSESSED!!! The Scorched Court absolutely devoured me and I loved every fiery second of it!!!

Give me DRAGONS, arranged marriages, brooding warriors, and hidden magic and I will give you my whole soul, no questions asked. This book had EVERYTHING!!!

Tamsyn is such a compelling, complex FMC — caught between power and powerlessness, privilege and punishment. The whole “raised with royalty but treated like dirt” dynamic?? PAIN. Loved it. Ate it up. Her journey from invisible to ICONIC is just beginning and I am HERE FOR IT!!!

And the plot twist?? THE WEDDING?? The veil?? The deception?? I was GASPING. The tension between Tamsyn and Fell??? Absolutely feral-level stuff. Their dynamic is so intense, so messy, so deliciously dangerous — I couldn’t look away!!!

Also, can we talk about the WORLD??? It’s rich and deadly and full of secrets — the kind of setting where you’re always just waiting for something ancient and powerful to wake up… and I AM READY. The magic system, the history, the whispers of dragons still lingering?? I NEED MORE!!!

The spice?? Oh, it’s THERE. It’s not overwhelming but when it hits?? It hits. Slow burn with sharp teeth.

Yes, I saw a few twists coming — but honestly?? I didn’t care. I was too busy flipping pages and living my best “court drama meets dragon destiny” life.

5/5 stars. A firestorm of feelings. Would marry Fell under false pretenses too.

PS: Sophie Jordan, I see you. I respect the chaos.
PPS: I’m begging the book gods for the sequel.
PPPS: Tamsyn girl, light it up. Let the whole kingdom BURN.

READ IT. LOVE IT. LET IT CONSUME YOU.
(And then scream about it with me.)
Dragons. Secrets. Spice. YES PLEASE!!!

What might be my favorite dragon romantasy series, A Fire in the Sky, gives Tamsyn an arranged marriage, a stern borderland ruler, and a set of dangerous powers to deal with…and that was after a violent childhood as the royal whipping girl. Raised alongside the princesses as their adopted sister, the king sees the perfect opportunity to pass Tamsyn off as a real princess when a notorious borderland lord asks for a royal marriage in exchange for his continued military protection. Fell was looking to secure his people’s safety. Instead, he gets stuck with a fake princess he is incredibly attracted to. Fell and Tamsyn must quickly develop a secure partnership if they want to navigate a set of suspiciously dragon-like abilities that could doom them both.

This book had a few good things, but overall, it just wasn't it. Too much repetition and not a great plot. I also felt like I was just forcing myself to try and finish it. The synopsis was intriguing but the execution fell flat.

I honestly slept on this one. I did not expect it to be as good as it was. I don’t know what I was expecting, however–I LOVE Sophie Jordan’s historical romances and she’s one of my instabuy authors in that genre, but I guess it’s dragons? I’m relatively new. Late adopted to The Empyrean. I really need to stop being so hesitant to enjoy and indulge in less than cozy fantasy. This was dark fantasy at its finest, and so very spicy. I really love a good bonded couple and Fell and Tamsyn were delicious together. If I had to describe this book in food terms, I’d say it’s a dark chocolate lava cake with a dash of strong, spicy cinnamon. But that cliffhanger is going to kill me…

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Did not finish book. Stopped at 41%.
I'm disappointed because the book sounded really good. Witches, dragons, romance, forced marriage? Sounds amazing! Sadly, I'm almost half way through and nothing has happened. Both the MMC and FMC POV has contridicting writing that doesn't go with their personality. There's some sort of insta lust which I normally dislike. And then there was some weird having sex in a room with people watching that just felt icky. I can see why people may like this but this was just not for me.

Thank you Net Galley and Avon. I appreciate getting the chance to read this book and always appreciate any ARCs I get in trade for an honest review.