Scorched Skies by @ejmellow is book one in the Way of Wings duology and inspired by the Icarus myth! It's a story of resilience, family bonds, forbidden love, and the struggle between duty and doing what's right.

As much as I tried to take my time with this story, I completely devoured it. It's a beautifully written romantasy following a woman who needs to save her father from a dangerous winged prince. The question is, what will she do to get to him, and who will get in her way?

The story is wonderfully paced with very high tense moments. I cried, and that doesn't happen often with books for me. The world building and magic system were done so well. The characters truly made this story so captivating! So many of them had depth and purpose. I just fell in love! The story also gives you slow burn, angst, forbidden romance, enemies to lovers, found family, secrets, dual pov, and more! I can't stop thinking about it!

I was a fan of the Mousai books, so this was an exciting discovery. It is over 500 pages but it goes fast and presents good characters. It does of course hit the tropes of romance books, but there’s a lot going on that keeps this enjoyable. I’m very eager to see the second part of this story!

Note: ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for the preview. All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars

“You are the brightest constellation in my sky, and I forever find myself searching for a way home to you.”

Oh this was so GOOD! We’ve got enemies to star-crossed lovers, an evil king, an Icarus/Daedalus retelling, palace intrigues and plotting, gods and magic, and SO MUCH ANGST AND YEARNING! Not to mention the tension, the emotion, and the edge-of-your-seat action at the end. I’m already rabid for the next book.

Tanwen and Zolya were great MCs. Both were frustrating at times, both made questionable but understandable decisions, but their chemistry was off the charts. There was definitely a major power imbalance between them, but it was handled well. I loved Zolya’s journey the most as he realizes how many more injustices those around him have been suffering than he knew. He’s in between a rock and a hard place the entire book, and I wish he could have defied his father openly, but I get that he probably would have been unalived if he did.

I loved the additional relationships Tanwen builds with Azla and Huw. Hopefully they’ll have a bigger role in the next book too.

There’s so much to love here. If you liked the Mousai sisters books, or if you’re a fan of emotional star-crossed love stories, I highly recommend.

TW for attempted SA, attempted suicide, and animal death.

Unfortunately for myself, I was unable to finish this book. I have full appreciation for the amount of work the author has placed into this book, and I did try to enjoy it and persevere however I just couldn't. I didn't connect with any of the characters. I found the plot lacking and really slow moving due to the huge amount of world building. I also struggled with the names of places, gods and characters. They just didn't roll off my tongue well. I also struggled with the lack of relationship building between the FMC and the MMC. She is sexually assaulted, and then the MMC finds her and becomes aroused while helping her clean herself up from a really traumatic experience? And then they begin performing sexual acts, this very same day? I just found that really poor.

I did enjoy the visuals at the beginning of the book, I thought they did add to it. And I also appreciated the in depth magic system. I can see this being liked by other readers, it just wasn't to my own personal like and I found I was speed reading it just to get it done. I have not acknowledged my attempt to read this novel on my goodreads or bookstagram profiles, so my negative review will only remain here.

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!