I really wish I could say I enjoyed this book, but to be honest, I struggled with it.

After having read and enjoyed the ‘Mousai” series by the same author, and having an appreciation for tales like Icarus, I came into this book with high hopes that it would be a new favourite. However, I found the characters hard to relate to, I felt scenes dragged for a long time, and, for our main love interests, there wasn’t the relationship build-up that I was hoping for. Yes, there was attraction on both sides, but the dialogue pre-relationship was lacking something. Also, I can’t get behind the circumstances in which they first get together.

Saying that though, I appreciate the amount of work that has gone into the world-building and magical systems in this book.

𝗦𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗲𝘀 follows the divide between the land of Cadra and the skies of Volaris. When Tanwen, whose very existence is forbidden, sets out to rescue her family she instead falls into a dance of death with Zolya - The Crown Prince.

-~-

The world building was so intense and well done that to have my eyes off the Kindle feels disorienting.

More than fast action (of which there was enough) this book holds a good amount of political intrigue. All of which was beautifully carried out.

The romance has got to be one of Mellow's best yet. The forbidden nature of it all, the angst, the slowest of slow burns? the electricity??? Gorgeous.

While there was NO cliffhanger, it is an open ending so we're for sure getting a sequel. Which is fortunate because I NEED more of these two.

~

3.97 / 5 ★

Thanks to Montlake and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

this book was... interesting. not sure that it was fully my speed but it was different and i kind of liked it.

Thank you to Montlake and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. Scorched Skies is the first in an Icarus inspired duology about Zolya, the winged prince, and Tanwen, the daughter of a Volari and a Sura (a Mutra). Tanwen’s very existence is forbidden by the Volari. After her father and brother are taken by Zolya to serve the king, Tanwen decides to infiltrate the palace as a servant to rescue them. I believe a lot of readers will enjoy this one and be eager to see Tanwen and Zolya’s story continue. Overall, 3.5 stars rounded up.

Great fantasy book! The worldbuilding was excellent, the character were well developed, the love story was believable, and the pacing kept things interesting. Would highly recommend!!

I didn’t doubt for a second that I wouldn’t be absolutely enamored by this book! The writing was perfection especially for a forbidden romance. The slow burn was delicious and the yearning between the characters had me at the edge of my seat! The world building was fantastic and the overall plot was great. I was so emotionally invested in so many of the characters and found myself close to tears it absolutely brought to tears at some points. I am excited to see how everything unfolds in the next book. This is definitely a must read!

E.J. Mellow is potent, purposeful, and eloquent. I loved every page of this book.

I think with fantasy you can usually tell from the get go if a book is going to hit the mark. From the very beginning I knew Scorched Skies was going to be good, and boy was I right. Beautiful language and world building made me excited to learn about the world Scorched Skies is set in and the inner monologues of Tanwen and Zolya made me fear for their love the entire way.

I love a Greek retelling when its creative and this was such a refreshing take on the myth of Icarus. I loved everything about Tanwen and loved cheering for her the entire time.



P.s. Spoiler...
I will never trust E.J. Mellow again. Eli forever <3

Scorched Skies completely enraptured me as it was a novel infused with high stakes, forbidden romance, political intrigue and SO MUCH MORE. The premise and cover are what originally caught my eye, and from the first chapter, it captured my attention fully and was completely unputdownable. The world-building was phenomenal and executed to perfection. This is my first book I've read by E.J. Mellow and I will definitely be checking out her other series because I love her writing style.

Tanwen, the FMC, is fierce and determined with all the female rage you ask for, and with good reasons. Zoyla, the MMC, has so much internal conflict with his duty as Prince, his moral beliefs, and his feelings for Tanwen that he makes for the perfect counterpart to our fiery and determined FMC. The romance between them is filled with tension, yearning, and a will-they/won't-they vibe that will have you screaming. It does become a little spicy but I didn't think it took away from the plot at all.

There isn't any huge cliffhanger but it ended with a burning desire for book two that I can't wait for!

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for providing the ARC.

Anyone who reads my reviews knows that E.J. Mellow is an automatic buy and read for me. Her writing always captures me. She is one of the very few authors who can effortlessly world build in tandem with the most excruciating yearning and budding romance. I find that very few authors can execute a true fantasy romance that has the perfect world and plot AND romance. This is something Mellow an always do. I was an arc reader of her Mousai series and this series and everything else that Mellow writes will be no different.

This book was amazing, it was longer than your typical first installment of a new fantasy series, but the characters blew me away. The FMC, Wen or Tanwen, must face the impossible choice of sacrificing herself and her way of life to save her family. Whilst attempting to save her family and keep her true identity a secret, she meets none other than the son of her enemy. Immediately, there is undeniable attraction to them. They are incapable of staying away from each other regardless of how dangerous it could be if they were caught. Wen's journey is filled with laughter, anger, tears, and love but may ultimately end in having to choose between her love or her family.

This book took me longer to get into because there was a good bit of world building compared to Mellow's last series, but she blew out of the water (no surprise). This book swept me away especially with the different POVs of Tanwen and Zolya. It is chalk full of crowd winning tropes like:
-forbidden romance
-enemies to lovers
-slow burner
-Greek myth inspired
-a war between the gods
-winged MMC

I think Zolya is a new book boyfriend because DAMMMMMN I cannot wait to see the fanart of him because I know it is going to be so good. The cast of characters in this book are soooo good and I cannot wait for book two to see how they develop more. The synopsis does not even come close to how good this world is. The fantasy aspects of this book are really in the driver seat for the first 50% of this book and then as the plot begins to further the romance unfolds. This romance was soo good and the yearning and interactions would excite me every time I knew they would interact. The first 20% was slow but after that the book MOVES and about the 50% mark it is impossible to put down. I picked this book back up today at 38% and COULD NOT put it down. I finished it one sitting it was that good. The entire plot of this book kept me on my toes, and I was constantly anxious that something terrible was going to happen, despite nothing too terrible happening to Wen plenty of terrible events occurred.

I could not recommend this book more or any of EJ Mellow's writing. Her writing makes me feel the same way that Carissa Broadbent's or Sarah J. Maas. Thank you to EJ Mellow for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In the divided kingdom of Cadra, people are marked and blessed by the gods, and others are hunted and forced to live in disguise and keep their magic a secret.
And our protagonist, Tanwen, is one of those people whose birth is punishable by death.
And her destiny will collide with that of Prince Zolya so devastatingly that there is no room for anything else.
I could barely see the hours passing as I was absorbed by this book. The universe was brilliant and expressive. A world with different types of desires and impulses that built the totality of what was a deeply twisted court.
The result was a stimulating story, full of political stratagems and lethal choices.
It was even more extraordinary to see how Tanwen could be soft, fierce and heroic and so undeniably herself.
She and Zolya were caustic enemies, and you could only feel the urge to slide between them until you were consumed by both.
One of the best things about this book truly lies in Mellow's writing, once again so beautiful and exuberant that it's as if you're ascending into a dream.
Scorched Skies is another one of those narratives that enchants and resonates so resonantly that you'd like to live a thousand lives, to read it for the first time a thousand times.

OH MY GOSH. WOW! I adored this one. It didn't feel like it was over 100 pages longer than my normal reads, and I was in shock when it ended! Easily a five star read for me, and even though I read the ARC, I will be purchasing a physical copy to reread and for my shelves. Truly an amazing job - it had all of the elements that make up a wonderful romantasy - and more! Not to mention, the world-building was so seamlessly woven into the plot and dialogue, I didn't feel lost or like the author was info-dumping. I cannot wait to see what happens in the Way of Wings series next!!!

I loved EJ Mellow’s first series, so my hopes were sky high for this one. Dare I say, a little too high? I think this one was fine, but I really couldn’t get into the story.

I love Mellow’s writing style and storytelling, and I’d still recommend this to others. I’ll likely read on in this series, but this one was just fine for me.

Scorched Skies filled the gap left by good romantasy for me lately. The world-building throughout slowed down the pace, but the action was actioning. I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers with an unconventionally strong FMC and a prince MMC who chafes under others' expectations for him. I am hugely looking forward to finishing the series when the second book in the duology is released! When???

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’m probably closer to a 3.5 here but will rate it as a 3 on GR/Storygraph. I loved the parallels between Icarus and the story, but something was missing here for me. The timing and circumstances of Zolya and Tanwen’s first encounter bothered me, but aside from that, I didn’t find their connection overly believable. I think so much time was spent world building, that the romance aspect felt rushed. I think this will work for lots, but just wasn’t for me!

Desafortunadamente, Scorched Skies era uno de los libros que más esperaba este año. Estaba encantada de haber conseguido un ARC y no pensé que terminaría siendo una lectura decepcionante.
Tanwen, nuestra heroína, no brilló en absoluto. Perdió de vista sus objetivos en cuanto el príncipe le puso ojos de cordero degollado; su determinación era débil como el papel. Como protagonista, dejó mucho que desear. Zolya, el héroe, tenía tanta sed de la aprobación de su padre que pasó por alto muchas injusticias, leyes discriminatorias e incluso la venta de su propia hermana, como si fuera un objeto de intercambio. Esa fue una de las pocas tramas en las que sentí un verdadero dilema emocional y esperaba con ansias ver cómo se desarrollaba. Sin embargo, Zolya no actuó en consecuencia con lo que sentía que era correcto y simplemente dejó que las cosas pasaran a su alrededor. Además, la química entre la pareja principal era inexistente, todo se sentía muy insípido.
La protagonista sufrió una agresión SA, y eso fue ignorado al instante como si nunca hubiera pasado. Te hace pensar que la única razón de esa escena era hacer que el héroe se viera bien al salvarla. ¡Eso fue una completa aberración! Debería haber tenido un impacto mucho mayor en ella. Y, para colmo, hubo una escena de smut justo después de que casi la R-word. En ese momento, mentalmente desconecté del libro.
Si bien la historia se tomó su tiempo en construir el mundo y establecer el lore—que fueron de las pocas cosas rescatables—era evidente que los personajes no estaban bien desarrollados y carecían de profundidad. Por último, hubo una muerte innecesaria al final que no tenía sentido y fue demasiado abrupta.
Esta es una bilogía, y no sé si tengo suficiente interés como para leer la secuela.

Scorched Skies takes the bones of an Icarus-inspired myth and builds a lush, divided world where winged Volari rule over the earthbound Süra. It’s got everything I love in a romantasy—political intrigue, forbidden love, and a slow burn that actually burns. Tanwen, a girl whose very existence is a crime, infiltrates the royal court to save her family. Prince Zolya, the heir to an empire built on oppression, is her captor—until lines blur, and choices become impossible.

The world-building is rich without being overwhelming, but the pacing takes a minute to find its stride. The first half is heavy with setup, but once things click into place, the story soars (pun absolutely intended). Tanwen’s magic—her ability to communicate with animals—was one of my favorite aspects, adding a layer of tenderness that balanced the harsher themes of classism, racism, and resistance. And Zolya? The man is a poet with wings, delivering lines that should be illegal.

While I was invested in the romance, I wanted more organic tension between them before things escalated. There’s a lot of telling instead of showing, especially early on, but by the time the stakes hit their peak, I was all in.

If you love a slow burn with weight, court politics, and a hero who is just as trapped as the heroine, this one is worth the read. Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

SCORCHED SKIES was such a fun read. I loved the different set pieces, both on the ground and in the sky, and the slow-burn enemies-to-lovers relationship between the MCs. The ending set the stage for the next book to ratchet up the tensi0n even more, and I can't wait to read what happens next!

Thank you to NetGalley for an Advance Reader Copy of Scorched Skies!

I feel like the first few chapters paint a grim picture of the state of Tanwen’s world. Starting out so strong with rejection, doom and gloom, her father’s history, and having her and her brother be essentially outcasts didn’t make me want to jump in with both feet.

There’s a trigger point in the first third of the book that changed the pace, changed the setting, and kickstarted the storyline, and that’s where I started really reading. The first 10% of the book took me nearly a month, the last 90% I finished in a day and a half.

Once it picks up, it gets good very quickly. I liked the intrigue of Tanwen fitting into her new environment, making friends and a couple of enemies. I like how the story didn’t focus too hard on the nuances of her job, because I wanted it to keep moving, keep evolving.

I enjoyed the slow-burn, forbidden-lovers romance, even if it was a little bit predictable. I liked how principled Zolya was, but I feel he fell a little short of executing any plans of his own. He follows his orders and doesn’t push back. Good mind, poor follow through.

There are a couple of fairly major plot holes, some of which didn’t get any further explanation, and the death of a character really felt rushed, unnecessary, and brushed under the proverbial rug. The actual death scene happens SO quickly that I almost missed it, and the following chapter just brushes over the whole thing like it’s so far in the past. The character naming structure and names of towns sometimes didn’t roll off the tongue, they felt a little random, although I do really like the name Tanwen. Zolya and Zomyad got me mixed up in the first few chapters, I thought he was the forest.

I don’t think I would read this book again, it was a bit long for the amount of satisfaction I derived from it, but it did draw out some strong emotions from me, I shed a few tears. It was also strong in its world-building, and I like to feel immersed, so for those reasons, I rated this book 4.0/5.0 stars (e-book, NetGalley advance reader copy)

When I started this, I thought the world building was great. It seemed like it could be something fresh and I was looking forward to reading it.

Then, I stopped reading it for a week and... I just wasn't feeling it anymore? The fantasy names introduced were too much to remember and the characters never seemed to develop further than they had.

I've seen several reviewers saying that it gets good at the 50-70% mark but I didn't get there. Maybe I'll try to finish it at some point but not anytime soon.

So, it's a 3 star DNF for me right now. It wasn't great, it wasn't terrible.

Wow, Scorched Skies, wow.

I was curious about this book when I first read its synopsis, but nothing prepared me for the tidal wave of emotion that would overwhelm me upon experiencing this journey. I was stunned, numbed, awed, beat down, and I still flew to the highest of highs. I entered this story with no expectations, yet the narrative somehow still surpassed, exceeded, transcended them all. Scorched Skies took my breath away. It went from a story I knew nothing about, to a story I want to know everything about.

This fantasy romance is set in world where winged people called Volari rule in the skies above the earthbound people Süra. The Volari rule all, and they certainly are not meant to mix in any way with the Süra below; for such a union is deemed criminal. And yet products of this very union exist and grow, and come into magic they are told is impossible. Our heroine Tanwen is one of these impossibilities. Her family must live in hiding to survive, but when her once winged father and brother are taken by the prince of the sky to serve the kingdom above, Tanwen will do whatever it takes to get them back. Under the shroud of servant in new employment, Tanwen enters the kingdom with one goal, but unexpectedly discovers far more than ever intended. And Zolya, prince and captor, is at the heart of this unexpected discovery.

What follows is a delicate forbidden romance, a high stakes plot, and a journey that will change the very core of our leads.

Tanwen is a wonderful heroine. Her nature is to heal, to help, to live. And the guilt she feels at the captivity of her father and brother drives her to infiltrate the enemy in order to reunite her family. That drive highlights her courage and resolve. Her goal is single-minded, but life is anything but. Tanwen comes to know her fellow workers and forge into tentative friendships. She comes to know the princess she serves, and sees a kindred soul who yearns for more just as she. And she comes to know Zolya, the prince, seeing him not as the captor of her nightmares, but as a man who is in his own prison, and who possess a kindness that is most unexpected. It did not take me long to sympathize with Zolya. He must navigate a fine line, between trying to do what he find is morally right, to protecting his sister, and to begrudgingly acquiescing to the demands of his tyrant father. He is not in a position to be selfish, and yet when he comes to meet Tanwen, he, for the first time, wants something all of his own. The connection between Tanwen and him is electric, impossible, and inescapable.

What a romance! This is a truly forbidden love story. Tanwen's very existence is the result of such a union and it's left her family hiding in the dark. There is a tangible danger with what brews between Tanwen and Zolya, yet they cannot stay away from one another. They are like magnets, pulling towards each other at every turn of the page. I will say, if I could change one tiny thing is, I wish there had been a touch of more romancing. I also felt some discomfort when the first romantic interlude took place, given what had just occurred prior. Nevertheless, I absolutely relished the yearning, longing, and fiery desire felt between Tanwen and Zolya. Their connection is poignant and powerful, and it's one every reader will want to see fortified, and one every reader will beg to see triumph.

The plot kept me on my toes, it's filled with high tension, pulse-racing action, swoon-worthy romance, jaw-dropping surprise, and tremendous, heartbreaking loss. Oh how that loss that had me truly mourning. In fact the first significant loss had me needing to put my kindle down to wipe the tears blinding my vision, rolling down my cheeks. I so rarely cry during reads, I'll get misty-eyed and my heart will cry, but the cheeks stay dry more often than not. That wasn't the case here at all. I had to bring out the tissues, I had to calm my erratically beating heart. I felt so pained by what I read, and yet with that loss came the understanding this plot is sincerely high stakes. No one, no thing, no absolutely anything is safe. What is to come cannot be so easily predicted, and that charges the air with a true sense of fear and worry. I was so scared for the characters I loved, especially our leads. I was literally at the edge of my seat. That’s the kind of feeling that stays with you well past the turn of the final page.

It’s the way I need the sequel like I need air. I need it so badly, I need it right now! I'm not sure how to move on from this ending without knowing what comes next. It's going to be a tough wait, I'm going to be impatient, but I know whatever wait is ahead will be worth it.

What an incredible read, it surprised me in the very best way, even when it made me sob. I loved this one.

Thank you NetGalley and Montlake for this advanced complimentary copy, I leave this honest review voluntarily.