I devoured this book in one day!! Granted it starts off really slow and the opening scene had put me off initially but after the third part, it picks up really quickly. The ending was definitely a scene to remember and I immediately want to know more!

I love seeing Fell and Tamsyn's individual character development throughout the book and the multi POVs gave great insights to the characters.

I wish we got to see more knowledge of the dragons and witches but it seems that will probably come in the next book. Overall it's a very easy romantasy book to read, though nothing super specific and new in the genre specifically.

A FIRE IN THE SKY is the start of an Adult prequel series set prior to the author's Young Adult Firelight series. The reader does not need to read the YA series beforehand to enjoy this new book set in the same world. In A FIRE IN THE SKY, Tamsyn is the royal whipping girl, a long-standing position where one takes punishment for the royal heirs. Though otherwise treated as well as the princesses she calls sisters, not all of the royal court views her as important. When Fell, the Beast of the Borderlands, demands to marry one of the princesses, the king and queen trick him and send Tamsyn instead. Despite the trickery, Fell and Tamsyn are drawn to each other, each making a startling discovery about themselves.

A FIRE IN THE SKY is hands down a faste-paced, bingeable fantasy romance. Although the writing style is a bit repetitive and curt, it is very approachable and easy to dive into. The plot is incredibly predictable and the world building simple, but even so the vibes vibe and I kept reading. There are plenty of tropes to appreciate in this book, from arranged marriage, to one bed, a little love triangle, dragons, to a history of cleansing a land of all things magic.

However, while I enjoyed this book, there are a number of things that resulted in my lower rating. Again, it was predictable. This is not necessarily a bad thing, nor did it bother me all that much, but it offers almost no element of surprise. When reading a new book, it's nice to have some unexpected plot twists. The heavy-handed foreshadowing instead highlights exactly where the author intends to drive the story.

Second, the world building is minimal. Readers who prefer a more robust explanation of the various kingdoms might not appreciate that absence of that here. A FIRE IN THE SKY is a fast-paced novel in which Tamsyn and Fell spend most of the book journeying from her home to his. There are interludes that break up the pace, but overall this kind of plot doesn't lend itself to understanding the continent.

I also felt the characters were a little flat. However, since there are various first person points of view, this provides an intimate look into Tamsyn's, Fell's, and Stig's (Captain of the Guard) thoughts and emotions. The POV feel somewhat like a stream of consciousness, which, coupled with the fast pace, muted their analysis of their situation and, thus, their characterization.

There are also a few smaller things that I felt needed improvement, but the aforementioned predictability, world building, and characterization are the big three I narrowed in on. While I can be objective with my subjective opinions about perceived weaknesses with this book, I actually did still enjoy it. Sometimes it's nice to just sit down and read a book that doesn't require my brain to figure out a puzzle.

Fantasy romance readers who want to ride that dragon trend should jump on this bingeable new series. A FIRE IN THE SKY offers a fast-paced adventure, a sympathetic character, and the kick off to characters' origin stories.

This book just seemed to drag out. The actual plot could have unfolded in a few chapters, but all the emotional turmoil of each character took away from the story unfolding to its obvious conclusion. Not my most favorite read this year. Took too long to get to a cliffhanger ending that was pretty anticlimactic. Many better dragon books in my opinion.

I did like this story - especially the beginning. The detail was excellent and it played out like a movie in my mind. I loved how the heroine starts out as a whipping girl and just thinking through what emotional trauma (and physical) really captivated me as a reader. I also love the connection between Tamsyn and Fell and how they handle their relationship throughout the entire book. it is written in both of their perspectives.

The narrators do a wonderful job between the two characters. I can't wait for the next one to come out!

Wow what an incredible start to this story and what I can only guess will continue as a series.

Jordan does a wonderful job of setting the scene for our underdog Tamsyn, who’s a whipping girl as a part of the royal family, and what is to come for her in a world where dragons are extinct and magic is is dying. Treated as a part of the royal family but also a servant, she isn’t sure where she fits in. As she is used to forgoing her own rights and protecting others, it is a natural progression that she would take the place of one of the princesses when the Beast of the Borderlands comes to wed a wife. The only thing is that he doesn’t know she’s not actually one of the princesses….

This romantasy is the perfect blend of enemies to lovers with marriage of convenience, under dog tale. There’s magic but not where you expect, and the yearning between the two MC is delicious. Their spicy scenes are done really well and I loved when Fell first calls her “my wife” and wants to claim her his own. He’s the dark, brooding, protective type that we all love. She’s incredibly stoic and strong, gives strong Cinderella vibes.

“The only one who can help me, is me”

Perfect for readers who love bad royals getting their due, an underdog FMC who is strong, and dragons.

Vibes:
Enemies to lovers
My wife
Marriage of convenience
Love triangle
Touch her and die
Woman who is more than she seems
Care taking
Spicy

Tamsyn is the royal whipping girl. She is treated as a member of the royal family and considers the three princesses to be her sisters. When the Beast of the Borderlands, Fell, arrives and demands to marry a princess in exchange for protecting the border, Tamsyn is forced to marry him. She has to pretend that she is a princess until the marriage is consummated. As Tamsyn travels to Fell's hometown, she comes face to face with magic that she never knew existed.

I was okay with the book for the first 75%, but then it just went off the rails. The writing was not great, and the plot felt laughably predictable. I was intrigued with the setup and the initial worldbuilding. I will probably skim the second book. This writing in this book reminded me of Twilight, but with dragons.

Content: sex scenes, violence

If you are looking for a good romantasy with dragons, look no further! There is political intrigue, betrayal, spice, and some fun twists. The ending left me so excited for the next book in this series!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my review.

*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

Quick and easy shapshifter romance perfect for fans of arranged marriage trope. It was executed well but felt a bit draggy and wish there was more focus on the romance.It also seemed more character driven rather then the plot which is fine just thought fans of big world building might be slightly disappointed .overall fun and interesting read with a cliffhanger. Intrigued to see where it goes next!

The world was interesting and the characters on their own were engaging. As a romantic couple there wasn’t much to go on. Most of the book they are apart for one reason or another and I knew what was happening as a romantasy reader but their chemistry wasn’t there for me. It felt like by the time I reached the end, I had just barely gotten to the meat of the story and suddenly it’s over. I really wanted to sink my teeth in.
Still, if you’re fantasy romance reader, this book is going to check a lot of boxes and I would encourage you to give it a read. There were no surprises but I still enjoyed the ride.

I literally blazed through this book so fast (literally finished in under 2 days)!!! This is romantasy at its finest truly. Scorching romance with spine tingling tension, threats looming around all corners, a push and pull that has you turning the page. I devoured this. I highly recommend and was lucky to have received an earc as well as an ALC and the audiobook was so so so good!! Def recommend adding it to the TBR!

Appreciated this ARC! My best summary of this book is that it’s like a mafia arranged marriage shapeshifter romance. There’s a bit of a slow burn and a lot of focus on the romance, but it also somehow feels rushed. The fantasy aspects are intriguing. I enjoyed the main characters’ attitudes and their interactions with each other, although I wasn’t super invested. The story is linear and reads easily. I wish it delved a bit more into the fantasy and world building. Some plot points were so outlandish that it was hard to keep up willing suspension of disbelief, but those aspects may get further explored in a sequel.

I was so excited to read this as soon as it was announced. Sophie Jordan's Firelight series was one I loved reading years ago when it was popular. Unfortunately, I did not love this new spinoff. I think too many common tropes were used here, and none of it felt original. I did like the world because it felt familiar yet different, but I didn't love or care for the characters. This was action packed, so it wasn't boring, but it just lacked originality which is what made this forgettable for me.

Thank you NetGalley, Sophie Jordan, and the publisher for this e-book ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A Fire in the Sky is an adult romantasy about an arranged marriage between a royal “whipping girl”, a fierce warrior who protects the kingdom's border and their discovery that magic isn't dying - it's only sleeping.

Overall, I didn't dislike the book; it was decent. However, I couldn't engage with the characters or the plot sufficiently to consider reading the sequel, despite the intriguing cliffhanger. The characters were passable, but they seemed to be merely going through the motions of the plot rather than being integral to it.

It seems as though it was written with the expectation that the reader is familiar with the Firelight series, which I am not. The combination of fairytale creatures and their interaction with humanity was intriguing. The female main character (FMC) experienced a distinctive development arc. Her character was crafted in a way that allows the reader's perception of her to evolve alongside her, which I believe is a common objective for authors. The narrative cleverly manipulates emotions through context, yet the writing style lacks originality. It emphasizes character evolution via events, leading to some discontinuities in the timeline.

📚 A Fire in the Sky is available now to preorder! This book will be released on September 24th , 2024

3.5 rounded down to 3

Raised alongside the royal daughters, whipping girl Tamsyn is part family, part servant. When Fell, the Beast of the Borderlands, demands a royal bride, it is Tamsyn's hand he's given. Still stinging from the deception, Fell and Tamsyn return to the borderlands. Can they form an alliance, or will secrets tear them apart?

Read if you like:
-Arranged/Forced Marriage
-Dragons & Witches

I liked this book, but it also felt a little long. While the story was compelling, I do wish there had been a little more action. Some parts were given too much time; while others felt rushed. I did really like Fell and Tamsyn as characters. I'm interested in continuing on with this series to follow their journey.

I have a major problem with this book, and it’s the fact that I just finished an eARC so there’s no chance a sequel is coming my way anytime soon 😭

I ate this book up in 24 hours!!! The world pulled me in from the start (dragons, magic, say lesssssss) but I stayed for Fell 🥵 This gave me everything I would want from a romantasy, but I loved that it felt fresh and had its own twists to keep things interesting. I will absolutely be reading the next book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this eARC!

I admit, I was most likely not the audience for this; I'm not a fan of shifter romances, and I have no idea how I didn't realize that when I was requesting and beginning this. Light on the world-building, heavy on internal monologue, slightly repetitive, and incredibly rushed for me.

While this was a nice quick read, there was quite a bit I was left confused by. The story is basically a Beauty and the Beast retelling mixed with Cinderella which is totally fine - no issue there. I was, however, confused about the shifting. Some characters very fully shifted while others didn't have as robust descriptions, so I'm not sure if that was intentional or not written well. It was fairly short, so maybe some more time would have clarified some things. Otherwise, it was fun.

I LOVED! 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I did feel like the book moved very fast and was over just when I wanted a bit more
I wish the book was either longer or had a sequel, I feel like there is so much more this book can do and more places the story can go!
But the short ride was awesome and I loved every minute of it
Great world, magic and character building
I can’t wait to read more by this author

📚ᎪᏒᏟ ᏒᎬᏉᎥᎬᎳ📚

A Fire in the Sky is an adult romantasy about an arranged marriage between a royal “whipping girl”, a fierce warrior who protects the kingdom's border and their discovery that magic isn't dying - it's only sleeping.

Thrust into a world where dragons are said to have been driven into extinction and witches were hunted down to eliminate magic, I was completely intrigued by this book & devoured it in a day. This was the 1st book I've read by Sophie Jordan so I never got to read her ‘Firelight’ series that introduced this world, but the world-building here is easy to grasp, fast-paced and keeps your attention.

If you're looking for an exciting romantasy full of tension, chemistry, intrigue, secrets, betrayal, royal intrigue and a lust for power then this is the book for you.

I really enjoyed the differences in royal traditions that were portrayed in the kingdom for this story. Although their traditions seemed cruel and sadistic, they made the storyline stand out and give an enthralling twist to the royal intrigue theme.

Tamsyn, our FMC, is a strong, fierce heroine whose strengths are derived from the harshness of these traditions and it shows in her character. I loved seeing her development throughout the story and the secrets she unravels on her journey. Fell, the Lord Dryhten & our MMC, whose fierce brutal appearance is intimidating will make you swoon from his strength, kindness and loyalty. I love how tender-hearted he is to Tamsyn from the very beginning and when he falls, he falls hard.

In the beginning, I thought I knew where this story might lead, but the twists and turns it takes were very unexpected and the ending will leave you with a series of reveals, nagging questions and “oh shit” moments. I look forward to seeing where this story goes next!

5⭐️ - Amazing

Highlights/tropes
- Found family
- Touch her and you die
- Instalove (not really any enemies to lovers, though I think that might have been what the author was going for initially?)
- DRAGONS 🐉
- Spicy right off the bat

I think the description for this book leaves a lot of room for interpretation, so I went into this book with an open mind. I also haven’t read anything else by Sophie Jordan, so going into this book I really had no idea what to expect.

Having been re-ignited into my love for dragons in books by Fourth Wing, I really had limited hopes that this book would come close with its storytelling and romance. I was wrong. As much as I devoured Fourth Wing, I also devoured this book. The plot twists just kept coming, but with enough of the hints that I love to keep you reading into the details of every chapter. For people who hated how predictable Fourth Wing was, you won’t like this book, as it is very similar in hinting to a lot of the story (and a lot of similarities could be drawn overall to Fourth Wing, but I won’t go into that here). I personally love that, as it makes me really think about what each hint could mean, so it was welcome.

I also think the MMC is incredible. Fell is the right kind of “rough and tumble” but also incredibly protective of Tamsyn, and I am just a sucker for that. I loved the romance of this book, and every scene where Fell is soft and caring for Tamsyn just made me fall in love with him even more.

Now, I don’t want to go too much into detail, but I really disliked Stig from the beginning. I think the author was just building contempt for him in this book to be used in future books, as his character really isn’t that endearing even from the beginning. I immediately likened him to be Tamlin 2.0, just due to how he is described and how much I disliked him. I think there could be a lot more effort put into Tamsyn and Stigs relationship at the beginning just to make it more apparent how they are connected, as I think he could be cut entirely from this book and I wouldn’t miss him at all. Also, the name Stig makes me think of the driver “the Stig” from Top Gear, so thats pretty much my mental picture of this character regardless of the book description 😂.

Overall, I’d recommend this book to anyone who loves a dragon romantasy and that doesn’t mind a bit of predictability. I think with some editing this ARC will really be amazing, and I will be purchasing a physical copy of this book when it releases.

P.S. the ending killed me and I already need book 2