Sophie Jordan’s A Scar in the Bone is a captivating mix of "romantasy" and supernatural suspense. The world-building is rich and readers get immersed in a dark, magical realm where the line between curse and survival is thin. The protagonist’s emotional journey is complex and relatable, and Jordan excels at creating an atmosphere filled with tension and intrigue.

However, the pacing felt a little uneven, especially in the middle where the plot slows down, and the romantic subplot didn’t fully resonate with me. While these elements hindered my overall enjoyment, Jordan’s writing and the vivid setting kept me engaged. Ultimately, A Scar in the Bone is a solid, atmospheric read that will appeal to fans of historical fantasy, though it might leave some wishing for a bit more momentum in the narrative. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

YOU GUYS 😭😭😭
🌶️
After the way A Fire in the Sky ended I needed this book SO BAD. I stayed up until 1AM reading this (that’s a lot for me okay?!) and this is one of those books that gives you that giddy really-great-Romantasy feeling.

(𝓢𝓹𝓸𝓲𝓵𝓮𝓻𝓼 𝓫𝓮𝓵𝓸𝔀 𝓲𝓯 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮𝓷’𝓽 𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓭 𝓫𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓸𝓷𝓮!)

With Fell gone, Tamsyn works hard to find her place in the pride. She trains, eats, and flys with the 29 other dragons but of course it’s not enough. They seem to only want to keep her there for breeding necessity, though the alpha (and Fell’s brother!), Vetr, is more than eager to make her feel more at home. But Mr. Steal Yo Girl’s biggest weakness is how much he underestimates Tamsyn.
And without saying anything specific, there’s two VERY dangerous adventures, one that infuriated me beyond belief, and both broke my heart a little 🥲
I reviewed A Fire in the Sky last year and raved about how much I loved it, and I genuinely love this one even more (I did NOT think that was possible). If you haven’t read these, please do because I need to talk to people about it 😭 You’ll love it if you enjoy:

🔥 dragoooons!
🔥 fated mates
🔥 training arc
🔥 GRIEF

Thank you to Avon for this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

First off, thank you Harper Collins for the ARC of this book.

I really enjoyed this continuation of A Fire in the Sky. The book picks up a year after the ending of book one and a lot has happened off page. It makes for a bit of confusion in piecing together what happened, but I think that’s where Tamsyn is as well so being in her POV her confusion is palpable.

The way this story ended leaves a lot of room for a third book in the series but also maybe spinoff series? At the same time it was a satisfying ending for the events of this book.

I enjoy Sophie Jordan’s writing and I will be looking for other of her books to pick up.

I loved this. Sophie’s writing is easy to read, it doesn’t drag or get boring and kept me entertained. I don’t think there will be another one but I would love to see another. I wish we dive more into what happened between Vetr and Fell. The prologue tore me apart!!! I was sobbing thinking of their mother being slain before them. Stig got a very satisfying ending, the rage from him made me rage at him while reading. The ending felt slightly rushed, what happened to Alise? Is there going to be a third book to wrap up a few things? Overall it was very enjoyable and a an easy fast read.

Despite the first book being a really great kickoff to a romantasy series, this one just didn't work for me because of the pacing. Everything felt wildly off and nothing that happened in the first 75% of the book really seemed to ultimately matter or feel different enough to the journey that Tamsyn went on in the first book to merit the amount of time spent there. Perhaps I'm tired of love triangle that involve brothers, but Vetr really didn't work for me.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

If I had to rate the book based on the first half-ish it would not have been so high, but Sophie knows what she’s doing and did a total redemption once the “real” storyline picked back up. Vetr is a total jerk and I really didn’t like him from the beginning how just lets harm come to someone they supposedly have in their pride? The twist was everything I hoped it would be even though I was scared at first, but so happy with how it turned out. The epilogue was very vague and leaves the continuation wide open.

I wasn't a huge fan of the plot line in this one. It was still well written, but it didn't really have me rooting for Tamsyn. It felt more like stumbling in the dark.

Thank you for the ARC! A Scar in the Bone felt like a book 3 rather than a book 2. I would've loved to see the time Tamsyn and Fell spent with the dragons rather than flash backs from the one year later. I think if we were able to see more of her grief and the slow falling for a new romantic interest that it would be a bit more interesting. I did enjoy the plot twist/reveal midway through the book. I thought the ending of the book was a good wrap up to Tamsyn's story leaving it in a place that feels complete, but also gives possibilities to continue in this world. All in all, the writing was great, but I wish that we were given more in that year without Fell.

I feel like I missed something….That’s the overarching emotion I had while reading this story.

I enjoyed A Fire in the Sky. It wasn’t my favorite, and in rereading my review I noted areas I thought could be fleshed out more, but I was excited to see how the plot and world would expand in A Scar in the Bone. Instead, I got even more confusion.

Where was Fell? What was happening? What had happened over the last year? I had to go back and reread the ending of A Fire in the Sky to make sure it wasn’t just my memory - nope, he was very much present at the end of that book. I’m inherently not a fan of books where the couple is separated, especially when it feels like their relationship hasn’t been solidified in any meaningful way, and then to spend nearly an entire book apart, I basically was reading for the reunion. It was just a very interesting choice on the author’s part. Add that to the fact that I’m still not sure what this story is ultimately supposed to be about, and I checked out. I had high hopes for this story, but it ultimately fell flat for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I adored A Fire in the Sky, it was one of my favorite reads of 2024. But A Scar in the Bone really missed the mark for me. The one-year time jump at the start threw me off hard. It felt like I’d walked in on Day 365 of a story I’d never seen before, with very little context to bridge the gap.

Because of that gap, I didn’t feel connected to what Tamsyn was going through. I expected to see her grow in her dragon life, to experience her grief and adapt in small steps. Instead, so much of it was summarized or mentioned in passing as the story progressed.

The emotional gut-punches in the first book were replaced by a slow pull-back kind of plot that dragged in places and never reached the same intensity.

Also, the romance (when it showed up) felt like it was more of a backdrop than a driving force. I missed the strong connection between Tamsyn and Fell that made Book One so compelling. Here, his absence loomed large, but we rarely got the real heart-to-heart moments or the chemistry that felt earned.

That said… there were bits I liked. Sophie Jordan’s dragon lore and worldbuilding remain interesting, and I did care about Tamsyn and her struggle to belong. But ultimately, because the setup felt confusing and slower, this sequel didn’t feel like the satisfying continuation I hoped for.

If you loved Fire in the Sky, you’ll probably want to give A Scar in the Bone a try, but go in knowing it starts with a lot of unpacking, and might not deliver the same emotional punch for you.

I was excited to dive back into this world. I had the amazing opportunity to meet the author last year and wow she is incredible! This was a great book, and the world is amazing.

As someone who absolutely adored AFITS I was SO excited for book 2! I have no idea why the author decided to go the direction that she did in this book. I loved Tamsyn and Fell’s love story in the first book and this just felt like a very weird decision for book 2.
I’m super disappointed and was hoping for something more along the lines of the first book.

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

hey I’m disappointed in this rating too.

Fire in the Sky was an easy five stars for me. It was fast paced and cute and smutty and where the writing lacked, it was made up for with my fave tropes.

I did not read the description of this one before starting, expecting to love it as much as I did AFITS so the first 30 pages hit me out of left field but like…what even was this??? It literally felt like bad fan fiction lol

I can’t really explain *why* I didn’t like it without major spoilers, and thus, from here on out is spoiler city.

Okay so I’ve always hated romance tropes where the main couple we are rooting for the whole first book spends the entirety of the next book separated. It throws away all of the development from the first book and just reads a lazy writing.

The way AFITS ended gave absolutely no hint as to how this book was gonna start and the time jump was truly awful. If AFITS had ended with another 50 pages of Fell going missing or getting hurt, this might’ve been a lot less frustrating, but all of a sudden Tamsyn is just grieving the death of her husband and getting the hots for his rapist brother?? (he literally betrayed her and lied to her to get in her pants and the steamy scene between the two of them was nauseating)

Like we did not meet Vettr until the last page of AFITS so the entire time I had no emotional connection to this guy and all of the connections that we forged in the first book were just thrown out the window. We don’t get to see Fell again until the last 50 pages and it makes the reunion so heartless and it makes the smut and HEA so boring because we didn’t really get to see them fight for it.

Everything else that happened in this book was pretty decent but without Fell present, it felt like the stakes did not matter. Unfortunately the absolutely horrible intro into this book put a bad taste in my mouth and did not make up for the few good parts.

I have never been more disappointed in a book. 😭😭😭

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

However; this was a huge NOPE for me. I promptly DNF'd at the understanding of this somehow being cheating mixed with romantasy? That's a weird combo, but it's also a huge no from me.

I really enjoyed Fire in the Sky, and Scar in the Bone as well. However, there’s a large time gap between books where things happen, and it made it a little difficult for me to get back into the book because it was somewhere totally different than where it left off. The flashbacks were more about the year that had passed and not so much what had happened in the previous books, which I usually need to be able to remember and follow the story.

That’s not to say A Scar in the Bone isn’t good. It was entertaining but I feel it would have benefited from actually telling the story of what happened during that year and then finishing up with this what happened in this book. I also feel the ending was tidied up way too fast.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for the advanced copy of this book.

This book is a heartfelt exploration of identity, healing, and self-acceptance. Tamsyn’s background as a whipping girl left deep scars, stunting her ability to see her own worth or claim a place in the world. Watching her slowly grow—while navigating grief, mistrust, and her complicated past—was both moving and inspiring. I also loved the dual nature of the dragons, especially their ability to shift into human form, which added a fascinating depth to the worldbuilding. That said, I found myself wishing Fell had a stronger presence in the story. His perspective and struggles felt more like a footnote, when bringing them to the forefront could have elevated the book even further.

Buckle up because this story is a ride! A Scar in the Bone picks up a year after the end of A Fire in the Sky. Our main characters, Tam and Fell, settled with a "pride" of dragons led by Fell's twin brother, Vetr. Prior to the start of the book, the brothers went on a journey of some kind and Vetr returns, saying Fell has died. This leaves Tam solo, which was a little stunning at first, but separating the partners who got together in the first book is a standard tactic to add to the tension in then second. It works here, even though I would been equally entertained by keeping them together.

Tam is on the outside of the pride, as the one raised in the human world, but she's making strides to adapt to her new life. Her bond with Fell is a constant, but Vetr reassures her that it will fade if she moves on and partners with someone else. He wants to be the someone else, of course!

There's so much more to this and there are some incredible action scenes. We get to see young, female dragon help Tam as she goes on a journey and I think there's potential for her to be a main character in the future.

Of course, a villain or two must get their due and we see Stig again. He's even worse than in the first book and his arc is satisfying.

It's hard to write a review without spoiling this book, as a lot happens here. I enjoyed the ride!

A Scar in the Bone is the second book in the romantasy A Fire in the Sky.
This book takes place a year after the first one ended. Tamsyn is living with dragons led by Fell’s twin brother Vetr. Fell was killed a year ago when he and Vetr met with another group of dragons but Tamsyn can’t believe he is gone. Tamsyn is learning to be dragon - once again she is the outsider.
I enjoyed reading about Tamsyn - I did think she was rather naive at times and it cost her.
Sophie Jordan has crafted an excellent series. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can not wait for the next.

A Scar in the Bone by Sophie Jordan
-A Fire in the Sky Series, Book 2-

3/5⭐️
1.5/3🌶️ (spice: 2-3 scenes)
1/3🦋 (swoon)

•My Thoughts•
I enjoy Sophie’s writing style and found this book easy to consume. This is a unique world where a whipping girl was forced into an arranged marriage (book 1) and the cliffhanger had me anticipatingggg. The start of this book takes place about a year after the first book ends and BIG things have happened. It was a bit jarring because we, the reader, weren’t present for those events but they are huge to the plot of this story. I enjoyed the Tamsyn discovering more of her heritage but didn’t love the introduction of a love triangle after the events of book 1. The way this love triangle is set up also gave me a bit of ick and I wanted more romance. The ending was really abrupt and I was left wanting more, did this couple’s story end or is there more? I did enjoy a few of the friendships and our FMC’s ability to empathize with all the different groups at odds with each other. I also loved the magical creatures and the lore of the world! I realize this review is vague but I’m trying to be conscious of spoilers. Even small details of this book would spoil book one soooo feel free to DM me (IG: @bookishbyrenee) for more information!

Thanks you to Sophie Jordan and HarperCollins Publishers for the early copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really loved A Fire in the Sky! It felt unique and I adored the love story between Tamsyn and Fell. So naturally, I was excited to dive into book two… but it just didn’t work for me.

The story picks up a full year later after Fell’s death (revealed in the blurb), and from the start it felt disconnected from book one. Almost like I’d jumped into a completely different series. The first chunk of the book was slow, and I found myself putting it down often. By the time things started moving, I realized I was more bored than invested.

By the end, I had more questions than answers, and the twists felt predictable. Overall, this book read more like filler than a continuation of the story I fell in love with. It’s clear the story will continue but I’m not sure I will. No one is more disappointed than me.

I’m extremely grateful to have received this advance copy though! Thank you!!