Oh this was not great. There really wasn’t much of a plot and the mc spent the first quarter of the book saying “no they are my sisters”, even when EVERYONE else was telling her that they really weren’t.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.25 stars)
This book falls squarely into my guilty pleasure category—and I mean that in the best way. Is it perfect? No. Is the writing always polished? Also no. But did I devour it in basically one sitting and immediately want more? Absolutely.
The story follows Tamsyn, a young woman raised in the shadows of the court—loved just enough to be useful, but never truly free. When she's married off to the infamous "Beast of the Borderlands" in a political move meant to save the kingdom, what begins as a sacrifice slowly evolves into something far more complicated. Think forbidden magic, royal secrets, dragons (kind of), and a slow-burn romance with just enough bite to keep things interesting.
Yes, the romance is rushed in places, and Tamsyn's inner monologue gets repetitive at times—but there's something undeniably addictive about it all. Once the story finally hits the plot promised in the synopsis (which, admittedly, takes a while), it really takes off.
If you’re looking for:
✨ Adult romantasy
✨ Marriage of convenience
✨ Court intrigue
✨ Slow-burn romance
✨ Dragons (sort of—for now…)
✨ A heroine learning to claim her power
—this one might hit the spot.
It’s not the most original take in the genre, and I do wish the pacing were tighter early on, but there’s something refreshing about how it doesn’t take itself too seriously while still keeping you emotionally engaged. I’m already excited for the sequel and to see how dark and twisty things get next.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All thoughts are my own.

After finishing this book it falls under into the guilty pleasure category of books! I found it oddly addictive and couldn’t put it down. I knew the writing wasn’t top tier but I didn’t care!

The inner dialogue was quite repetitive, especially for the FMC, and the romance was rushed/came out of nowhere but I still enjoyed this book and I can’t wait for the next one so I can see what happens to these characters! I think I found it enjoyable because it is different from all of the books I have been reading lately so it was a breath of fresh air.

4.25 stars

I really enjoyed this book—it was well-paced, easy to get into, and the characters were super engaging. The story kept me hooked the whole way through. I’ll definitely be checking out more by author.

I thought this was an easy read and great for newbies entering into the romatasy world. I did finish the novel but it was nothing new. I’m not sure if I will continue with the series in the future.

Wow this book was amazing!! I loved the world and the dragons! Very interesting story with a great magic system! Well done story that kept me entertained! I would recommend this book to everyone!

I have enjoyed Jordan's historical romances, so I had high hopes for her foray into fantasy/romantasy. Unfortunately, this just didn't do it for me. The plot takes a really long time to catch up to the synopsis, and I didn't appreciate having to wait until nearly half way through the book for the story on the back of the book to happen IN the book.

A promising start to a new series - with dragons(my favorite!) and more! I loved watching the heroine become more confident in her self and though I guessed some of the twists it was still fun reading them! I'm hoping for more romance between the protagonists in the next one!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In the mood for an adult romantasy with dragons, forbidden magic, court intrigue, and a fierce heroine caught between love and destiny? Look no further!

Tamsyn grew up as both a whipping girl and an almost-princess—loved, used, and ultimately sacrificed to marry Fell, the Beast of the Borderlands, to save the kingdom. What starts as deception quickly turns into something deeper, tangled with hidden truths, betrayals, and a spark of ancient magic that refuses to die.

This was such a fun, fast-paced read! The world of dying magic, veiled dragons, and royal secrets pulled me in right away. While some parts felt a bit familiar for the genre, the slow-burn romance, layered secrets, and Tamsyn’s journey to finding her power kept me hooked. It’s a solid start to what feels like it could become an even darker, twistier series—and I can’t wait to see where it goes next!

✨ What to expect:
✧ Adult romantasy
✧ Forced marriage / marriage of convenience
✧ Dragons (kind of… maybe more to come!)
✧ Court politics & secrets
✧ Slow-burn romance
✧ A fierce heroine stepping into her power

I can’t wait for book 2!!! I also purchased a physical copy for my shelf. I loved the chart to and world building.

I was so excited by the synopsis and the idea of this book, but it fell a little flat for me. I'm not sure if it was the story itself or the mood I was in when I read it. It wasn't bad, it maybe just wasn't the sort of story I was looking for at the time. It felt like it was half directed at ya, and half for adult audiences. Tamsyn is one of those MC's that you want the best for because their life has been utter crap so far. Open door romance on this one, so know that going in. I would definitely be interested in reading the next book in the series, just to see what happens, cause this one leaves us on a major cliff hanger.

Thank you to Harper Collins for the E-Arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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!