I enjoyed the book thoroughly. It was short, well cultivated fantasy world and great characters. I can’t wait for the sequel. There were no unnecessary storylines and no unnecessary writing (like long winded monologues).

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/🌶️🌶️ A Fire In The Sky by Sophie Jordan was a surprising find! I got sent an ebook of this as an ARC, and I am so disappointed I didn't pick it up sooner.. It was very different and so, so good. Arranged marriage, moody, broody MMC, betrayal, magic, dragons, MY WIFE... Lots of angst and tension in this one! And can we take a moment to appreciate the cover and sprayed edges?! I love the bright, rich blue, and the silver writing in the title is actually foiled. 😍

THE. LAST. TWO. CHAPTERS.
THAT. LAST. SENTENCE.

HOLY COW. I NEED MORE NOW.
i was getting worried as i read that there wasn't enough left in the book for everything and there wasnt. i can't wait for book 2. but i was NOT AT ALL disappointed in how this ended. i just need more. wowieee.

thank you to netgalley for a review copy! ♡

Although this book was a really quick read, I found it to be more romance than fantasy. Too much more romance, for my taste. I also felt as if the pacing was a bit off; the final act of the book seemed rushed in comparison to the opening and middle sequences. I wish the author had spent more time in Borderlands, but hey, I guess that's what sequels are for, right?

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (3.5/5 stars)

Dragons may be extinct, but in A Fire in the Sky, Sophie Jordan serves up plenty of intrigue, deception, and hidden magic to keep the flames of fantasy alive. Tamsyn, the royal court’s go-to scapegoat, is used to living a life caught between two worlds: punished for the princesses' mistakes yet still raised among them. But when a beastly warrior, Fell, descends upon the kingdom and forces her into a fake marriage, her entire life gets a lot more dangerous—and a lot more complicated.

Tamsyn is an intriguing protagonist. She's tough enough to endure the constant punishment for others’ crimes, yet there’s a vulnerability to her that makes her relatable. Her relationship with Stig, Captain of the Guard and her only friend, is sweet but simmering with unspoken tension. Enter Fell, the Beast of the Borderlands—rough, brutal, and surprisingly layered—and the story shifts into an intense tale of duty, deception, and discovery.

The setup is classic fantasy fare: the reluctant bride, the hidden secrets, and a kingdom teetering on the edge of war. While some of these tropes feel familiar, Jordan adds her own twist with the hint of forgotten magic lurking beneath the surface of Tamsyn’s world. The dragons may be long gone, but their legacy still looms large, and as the story unfolds, the sense that magic isn’t as dead as everyone thinks grows stronger.

The chemistry between Tamsyn and Fell is another highlight. Their initial meeting—a wedding night full of unexpected passion followed by near-violence when her deception is revealed—sets the tone for a tumultuous relationship. Fell’s acceptance of Tamsyn as his bride, even after discovering her trickery, adds complexity to what could have been a straightforward enemies-to-lovers story. The push-and-pull between them is tense and fraught, and you’ll find yourself rooting for them even as they struggle to trust each other.

That said, the pacing can be uneven at times. The first half of the book sets up the world and characters well, but there are moments where the plot slows down, and it feels like you’re waiting for the action to really kick in. When it does, the stakes are high, but getting there takes some patience.

Still, A Fire in the Sky delivers on its promise of hidden magic, court intrigue, and an ordinary girl with extraordinary potential. The world-building is rich, even if some fantasy tropes feel familiar, and Tamsyn’s journey from royal scapegoat to a woman who holds the kingdom's fate in her hands is one worth following. It’s not a perfect read, but it’s an engaging one, especially for fans of slow-burn fantasy romance and secret powers waiting to be unleashed.

A Fire in the Sky by Sophie Jordan is the first book of the series of the same name. If you like magic, dragons, and romance, you might consider picking this one up. I have to admit, I sped through this as I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen with these characters and when I got to the end, I was annoyed I got through it so quickly.

Tamsyn is our fmc and while technically an orphan, she has grown up with the royal family. While they all view her as part of their family, her role as the princess's whipping girl made it difficult for me to truly see her as a family member. That said, I get why Tamsyn needed to have the connection - it's the love she has for the princesses (who she considers her sisters) that lead her into her future. The other person she has a friendship with is the Captain of the Guard, Stig. He is the one who has pushed her to realize that when she is done being a whipping girl she has choices and sometimes Tamsyn thinks he wants more than friendship from her too.

When Fell, the Beast of the Borderlands, descends on her home, Tamsyn’s world becomes even more dangerous. To save the pampered princesses from a fate (some would consider) worse than death, she is commanded to don a veil and marry the brutal warrior. She agrees to the deception even though it means leaving the only life she’s ever known behind.

The wedding night starts well —and ends in near violence when her (truly the royal family's) trickery is exposed. Rather than start a war, Fell accepts Tamsyn as his bride but not everyone in his party is as accepting and when they hit the road to head for the Borderlands, Tamsyn is aware that some in Fell's camp aren't going to go out of their way to help her if she ever needs it. In fact, Fell's most trusted man, Arkin, is one that thinks they need to get rid of her. While Fell isn't ready to leave her behind, he does refuse to fully trust Tamsyn and when something eventually happens to hear that Fell believes is his fault (not truly knowing what has occurred), he is determined to do whatever he needs to in order to avenge her.

Little does he know...Tamsyn is more than what she appears and as her secrets start to come to light, everything begins to change for the kingdom and everyone in it. Fell has some things to come to terms with himself and I can't wait to see how everything comes together in the next installment of this series.

I know some of this sounds super vague but that's mostly because I don't want to ruin any of the plot for you. Just know that there is plenty of magic, angst, and dragons to keep you turning the pages of this one. If you enjoy those things, I highly recommend you pick it up. I'll definitely be waiting impatiently for the next book in the series.

I really enjoyed this book! I devoured it in one day because it was so engaging. I’d been in a bit of a book slump before reading it and this really brought me out of it. The plot was interesting and unique.

There were some aspects that I didn’t love though. For example, I didn’t love the third point of view that was not the MMC or FMC. It didn’t really feel necessary and could in all honesty be cut without impacting the story at all. Additionally, I didn’t love the repetitiveness of the MMC and FMC when talking about their pasts. In the early chapters it was mentioned a lot for both characters. That stopped about halfway through the book though.

All in all, I would highly recommend this book to others to read. I can’t wait to see where the series goes!

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon for the e-arc!
I have been craving more dragon books so I was so excited when Avon offered me a copy of A Fire in the Sky! With witches, dragons, magic, and marriage of betrayal., this sounded like such an exciting read. We follow Tamsyn, a servant/pawn of the royal family, who is made to switch places with the princess at her wedding to Fell, a dangerous and brutal warrior. When her betrayal is revealed after their wedding night, Fell decides to keep Tamsyn, but will her secrets ruin their newly kindled relationship before it can begin?
I was really excited about the dragons and the arranged marriage aspects, but overall, it fell a bit flat for me. I was a bit confused about the dynamic between Tamsym and the royal family and felt as though the world needed a bit more fleshing out. The romance ended up not being for me; it was very instant, and I just didn't feel a connection between the characters.

THIS BOOK WAS FREAKING AMAZING OMG. It was honestly one of the best books I’ve read all year and I’ve read a lot of them. I can’t wait for the next one!!

Despite the predicability of many things in this story, and the fact that I just couldn't get over Tamsyn's blind obedience, I actually really enjoyed this book. I love me some dragons and give me band of fierce warriors as well, and I'm totally in.

Tamsyn was found as a baby at the castle one night and the queen immediately decided to keep her and raise her as her own. Her own, but to be used as the whipping girl for her own real daughters. Which I guess was a tradition in that kingdom. I know she is fiction, but I was just floored at how Tamsyn willingly took any and all punishments as if it was the most natural thing in the world. And she still thought of the three princesses as her sisters even so. Sure, these girls did feel bad about it to varying degrees, but this whole setup is completely bizarre and I couldn't understand why she was totally okay with it all. I get that that's all she's knows her whole life, but you'd think at some point she would question something. She even goes so far as to marry and bed the Northern brute that came to the king and demanded one of his daughters as a wife.

I really did like Fell. He too was found as a child, but he was found in a cave with a dragon over him. Obviously the humans thought the dragon was going to kill him, so they kill the dragon and the leader raises Fell as his own son to take over when he's gone. Fell does end up being much like his father in many ways. But the one major difference is that Fell refuses to just be used by the kingdom to protect them from various invaders, he wants his opinions heard and he wants to really make changes. To do that, he needs the power that comes with marrying a princess.

Deceived by the king into bedding the royal whipping girl and not one of his true daughters, Fell is understandably furious. But he still can't deny the attraction he feels towards Tamsyn, nor the connection they had when consummating their marriage. So it's a very long and tense ride back to the North. Thankfully there is one female among Fell's party and she has more or less befriended Tamsyn, so she's not entirely alone. When Fell and Tamsyn start to decide to see if they can make their marriage work in some way is when everything changes. What happens with Tamsyn was painfully predictable. But it does make Fell realize how much he already cares for her, so he gives chase believing that he can rescue her from a dragon. Who were long thought eradicated. I was annoyed when I thought that Tamsyn would stay away from Fell for a long time, but things happened and it wasn't that long at all so I was happy. Once back together, things are again tense, but not bad. Until a stupid guard that apparently had loved Tamsyn since childhood marches an army on Fell's fortress believing that Fell killed her. Honestly, I kind of hated Stig and the more we got of him the less I liked him. Especially with what he does at the end, which causes nothing but even more trouble for Fell and Tamsyn. But it does lead to the ending with was also painfully predictable, but I didn't mind all that much.

I'm definitely looking forward to finding out what happens next. Especially considering Fell's station and how loyal most of his men were.

Thank you Netgalley and Avon Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have so many conflicting feelings about this book. There were so many parts I really enjoyed and loved (especially Tamsyn and Fell 😍). My main problem was the pacing. Nothing really happens for the first 60% of the book and then BAM everything happens. And once the story really got going it was great and I couldn’t put it down and I’m very interested to see how this world progresses. Overall though I think this was a pretty good first book to a series and a world that is very interesting and I can’t wait to see more of Tamsyn and Fell (especially Fell).

A Fire in the Sky was a fast read and entertaining fantasy focusing on Tamsyn. She's the adopted daughter of a king and queen but also serves as the resident whipping girl. The Lord of the Borderlands, Fell, visits the royal home and requests to marry one of the princesses as a trade. He is tricked into marrying Tamsyn and they travel home to his native land.

Tamsyn always feels a strong bond to Fell and the tension between them is strong as well. She also feels herself changing since parting from get home but her true self isn't revealed until she in under intense pressure. Once she discovers what she is, she has to decide whether to hide or embrace the change.

I really enjoyed this book and had no idea what to expect. It was an easy read and a nice change from other fantasy books. I can't wait to read more of the series!

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I really can’t say much about the book without giving away plot points. Dragons were thought to be gone from the land of Penterra, only Tamsyn is about to discover that those stories of the eradication may not be true. A love triangle. Dragons. Secret babies. Princesses. Dragons. Witches. Did I mention dragons? Look, I just plain loved this story and have so many questions for a sequel to answer.

4.5
It was so good that I bought it! I can't wait to read what comes next because that cliffhanger!! I loved everything about this - characters, story line, and even the steamy parts. This book had all the things. Dragons, secrets, arranged marriage, betrayal, and multiple pov's.

Thank you Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon for providing this ARC in echange for an honest review.

I absolutely LOVED this book!
This was my first Sophie Jordan book and I cant wait for the next installment in this series.
Tamsyn’s story was raw and beautiful and heartbreaking. She is such an incredible character. The way that Jordan wrote her felt so natural and real despite the fantasy setting.
This is a lush and imaginative world and I can tell that there is still so much that will be uncovered as we continue on with Tamsyn and Fell’s story.
This book draws you in immediately with its fluid prose, excellent pacing, heart pounding adventure and swoon worthy romance. The world wasn’t overly complicated and I appreciated that instead of trying to decode everything, I could enjoy the story and characters.
The characters had such heart and I found myself brought to tears multiple times throughout the story. Tamsyn is a FMC that every reader can love and root for. Her inexplicable connection with Fell and watching their relationship develop was so beautiful.
This is everything I want in a story and I can’t wait for book 2!

You’ll enjoy this book if you like themes/tropes of
-Arranged marriage
-Dragons!
-Secret identity
-Quests
-Multi POV’s

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Maybe I'm extra picky because I'm trying to pull myself out of a reading slump, but I DNF'd this at the 15% mark. The writing style felt very juvenile, and I couldn't keep pushing myself through.

I did some issues with this book but overall I really did enjoy the ride and overall plot line of the story......
At times I felt like it was rushed and would have liked for it to slow down a little and give a little more lore and backstory (especially for the MMC, Fell). Tamsyn, the FMC went through so much and at times it was a bit hard to read especially at the beginning so check your trigger warnings. It is a first in series and does end on a cliffhanger but I will definitely read book 2 despite my issues with the first .

Oh. My. Goodness. The way I devoured this book! I was hooked from the first chapter. A multiple POV with fully fleshed out characters, an amazing storyline, spice, and a cliffhanger that truly is still eating me alive. How am I expected to wait until next year for the rest?!

This had me hooked from the first chapter. I loved Tamsyn right away and was intrigued by Fell as well. I also enjoyed that we get more than just their 2 POVs. It makes the story feel more complete. The adventure and twists of this book along with the spice had me unable to put it down! This book should definitely be the next viral sensation. I absolutely adored it and I’m impatiently waiting for the next! I need to know what happens next!

Please tell me the next book will be releasing sometime in 2025?! Yes that’s, right this book ends on a cliffhanger and we’re teased with “coming soon!”

Tamsyn is a royal whipping girl who is treated like a royal princess expect she is not royal and accepts punishment for at least 2 out of the 3 real royal princesses because the youngest is actually the nice one. She is treated as a member / is called sister in the family. She was basically an orphan as a babe from 2 days olds found in the royal courts alley. She is also friends to the royal guard Stig whom admitted his feelings for Tamsyn a bit too late.

Fell, a strong fearless warrior, known as Beast of the borderlands, has been keeping Tamsyn’s family’s kingdom safe as his is the northern kingdom border fighting off sieges. But it’s time to collect his prize for his all his efforts keeping that kingdom protected and he wants one of the royal princesses to wife. But sadly, he gets betrayed by the king and wasn’t given an actual true royal daughter. The king would rather have his real daughters be arranged with others dignitaries and not someone who’s basically a savage. Fell won’t forget as we learn his true reason for marriage which makes me love him even more and now takes his wife Tamsyn as they have a long, treacherous journey back to his homeland with his warriors abound. Don’t worry Fell has a future revenge plan in the works. Tamsyn and Fell both seemed different in a way from others but slowly wonder if each other has a deeper connection some how. There’s more to say but I don’t want to give it away you’ll be swept in the story.

This story read so fast and I very much enjoyed the setting. It has a bit of a Viking feel to it and quite a few fighting scenes.

I received this book at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.