Dragons, Dragons, Dragons.

The story was narrated well and I enjoyed the world building. But I felt like something was lacking from the characters or the story. I wasn’t truly whole heartedly sold. I can’t quite put my finger on why. But nonetheless good read but could be a bit better.

Thank you, NetGalley, PanMacmillan and Tor, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

Anahrod is only able to survive in the harsh jungle of the Deep with her own titan drake. Even when saved from capture by an adventuring party, she only wants her solitary life. But the party has other intention: they want her in a dragon-ruled city, her help to steal from a dragon's hoard. The problem is the hoard belong to the regent Neveranimas and he wants Anahrod dead.

The sky on fire is a brilliant and spectacular standalone fantasy set in a world ruled by dragons and who could ask for more?
An heist, sexy with a bit of drama and heat and perfect for those who loves amazing main characters, dragon and a very original worldbuilding.
Truly fantastic!

"The Sky on Fire" by Jen Lyons is a thrilling, high-stakes dragon heist that delivers both action and heart. The story follows a daring crew as they attempt to pull off an impossible theft—stealing from one of the most fearsome creatures in existence. What starts as a dangerous job quickly unravels into something much bigger, as hidden motives and past wounds come to light.

This book is fast-paced and fully immersive, with a smooth writing style that makes it easy to get lost in the adventure. The terrifying settings and the variety of fantastic beasts create a rich, cinematic experience, and the heist-driven plot keeps the tension high throughout. What truly elevated the book for me was the surprising depth of the characters—their backstories and relationships add emotional weight beyond the thrills of the job.

The audiobook version was also a highlight, with a strong narrator who enhanced the experience. If you’re looking for a lighter yet satisfying fantasy that blends adrenaline-fueled adventure with solid character work, The Sky on Fire is well worth the read.

3.5 stars rounded up ✨

I’m copying and pasting straight from my notes app, as I seemed to have a lot to say/jot down as I was reading this book 😂…

- Definitely more high fantasy than Romantasy - so bear this in mind before reading

- 32 year old FMC, Anahrod, a sorceress that is able to control animals - she is able to transfer her literal consciousness into the body of an animal, and is able to fully possess/control them.

- Dragons/Dragon overlords (if you’re looking for your next fantasy read which is heavily based around dragons, you should definitely give this a go)

- Dragonriders (dragons are able to possess their riders and speak through them to communicate with humans)
- Sorcery and magical inscriptions (sorcerers and inscribers) - A unique and intricate magic system with the difference between inscribers and those with physical magical abilities

- A daring heist
- A group of misfits (enter found family trope *chefs kiss*)
- Diverse characters
- Queer rep
- Political intrigue
- Revenge

- Detailed and intricate world building - an aspect of this I found really interesting and refreshing was that citizens wear rings to denote various aspects of their identity, such as, gender, sexual preferences, careers, etc - would actually be super helpful to have something like this in the real world making it a bit easier to work out who to date 😂

- Chaotic plot pacing - thrown into the action from the second chapter. Some would likely describe the pacing as chaotic (which I personally quite enjoy), but for others this may be an issue. I will say that it felt like A LOT happened around the remaining 20% mark, with some elements of the plot that felt a little rushed. If I’m being honest, I think this standalone book could have made a good duology, maybe even a trilogy!

- Had me intrigued from the first chapter - had me hooked from the second. And even though the plot had good pacing and had so many elements that I enjoy in an epic fantasy, sadly I just couldn’t completely connect with the characters and therefore didn’t really feel invested in what happened to them. It felt like something was missing almost, and I couldn’t completely immerse myself in the story - though I can’t pinpoint exactly what was missing… which is very frustrating 😅. Maybe it was me and the mood reader in me just wasn’t completely vibing and it was poor timing? I DON’T KNOW?! 😩 haha. That being said, if there was to be another book set in this world in the future, I would definitely be adding it to my tbr list, as the world building in itself was so intricate and exciting.

Thank you to Pan MacMillan and NetGalley for an E-ARC of this book ✨

Dragons everywhere but those in this books were proper ones and there's a proper fantasty story with some romance and kink.
I had fun, enjoyed it and love the storytelling.
Will surely read other books by this author
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Dragons? Dragon riders? A heist? Queer rep? Political intrigue? THIS BOOK HAD EVERYTHING. This was a really gripping and thoroughly enjoyable book that I struggled to put down so thank you so much for the ARC of this!

This book started very strongly and I really respected the different take on dragons as portrayed in this world. However, the start was only partially successful in delivering. The pace was slow and the bonding between the characters, unconvincing. Many thanks to NetGalley for an arc of this book.

This was a confusing read. It had elements I found really exciting and interesting. A world ruled by dragons and it's dragon riders feels like a lot of recent fantasy I've read and enjoyed, with a political twist and dragon and rider relationship I could get behind. However I found the overall world building itself to be really lacking, and there was little to no exposition at the start of the story to help settle the reader into the world. I felt very lost and aimless throughout the first half of this, as I had no idea what was going in in the world.

I also thought the characters were a bit lacklustre and I think they suffer as a result of this being a standalone. With limited words, the story or the characters had to take a backseat and it was definitely the latter here.

Some really entertaining elements that add a fun spin on a current over saturated dragon fantasy market. However this probably would have worked better as a duology to help flesh out and develop the characters.

I ate this book up, barely could put it down...so all the responsibilities I had, had to wait.
This is an epic dragon-filled adventure that soars from start to finish. With jaw-dropping battles, fierce and complex dragons, and a story bursting with heart and fire, it’s a must-read for any fantasy lover! The descriptions made the world come alive, granting an immersive experience for me. I hope to read more from this author in the future!

The Sky on Fire is the first Jenn Lyons book I’ve read, and it won’t be the last. This is a fast-paced adventure which includes a heist, magic, dragons, secrets, action, intrigue, and romance. I wanted to read this because: dragons, but the story is so much more than that.

In this world, the dragons are akin to gods, and most of them ride heavily in their egos and arrogance. There are dragonriders, but it’s clear that the dragons are in the driving seat and their riders more servants than companions. If you’ve read The Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey, then the dragon-human bond in The Sky on Fire is about as far away as you can get from the one in McCaffrey’s beloved series.

That said, there are some dragons (and their riders) who are bonded more closely and really are a cohesive, caring unit, and I wanted to cry at the relationships that were akin to this. The whole dragon-human magic, also, had a nice twist to it.

The characters were well-crafted and I loved the banter in the main group/found family. They were funny, shy, bold, stabbity, compassionate, mysterious, and more. The core (poly) romance was handled so well, and the way the world was queer-normative warmed my heart. There was some sadness, but this was also written sensitively.

The world-building was fascinating and I really enjoyed the different locations. And the heist at the centre of the plot (along with the big mystery) was twisty and meaty enough to really have my cogs turning. I did see some reveals coming, but not all of them, and I appreciated that. This is one book that I keep thinking about even six months after reading it, and it’ll be a staple of my library for years to come. Highly, highly recommended.

I received an e-ARC from the publisher, Tor, through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really tried to get into this but unfortunately I struggled a lot which is such a shame as I loved the premise and the sound of this book so much. I did like the writing, I’m just so sad it didn’t grip or engage me as much as I was expecting it to.

Struggled to finish this one. Perhaps the author was trying too hard. It just felt forced and unrealistic to me (and yes, I realise I'm saying that about a Fantasy novel!) Characterisation was simple, the plot a series of events where X led to Y which led to Z. When I can feel / sense the joins, I realise that it is not a great read. Even the 'twists' were not really surprising. Disappointing.

I ended up DNFing this book because the plot kept switching around too much and the cast of characters kept changing and there wasn’t enough time to connect with any of them or anything that was going on for me personally :(

I really wanted to love this book, and while I did enjoy it, I did find it a bit of a struggle to keep up with the plot. It is high fantasy and I found it confusing at times.

Thankyou to Netgalley for this proof copy! I really enjoyed The Sky on Fire, such a fun read with heists and dragons galore! Definitely reading more from the author.

I found this novel to be promising but unusually executed. It starts with a fast-paced adventure, where the reader is thrown in the middle of the action without much introduction. This was slightly confusing but enjoyable, as the characters and world-building were fascinating. The world is complete with complex history, myths, and stories. There are also unique creatures and an interesting take on a divided society.

The problem is the pacing is all over the place in this novel. The initial plot is suddenly abandoned. We then have a slower storyline introducing the reader to politics and expanding on world-building, just to be abruptly abandoned again in favour of the heist plot and then the dragon rider academy plot. The shifts in pacing and storyline were too sudden and confusing, making the book seem almost like a collection of discarded stories woven together without an overarching storyline. Some characters disappear from the pages, reappearing somewhere towards the story’s end.

Also, I’ve seen this book described as romantasy, which is confusing, as there is very little romance within.

To sum up, I loved the world-building, but the pace and storyline were too chaotic for me.

I tried to get into this but unfortunately had to soft DNF it. I got half way through but wad quite confused for a lot of it unfortunately.

I did enjoyed this book but I felt the pacing was off and also I struggled to connect to the characters as much as I had hoped.

I probably will read the second book as hopefully it will improve on the first.

This book is 3,5✨ for me. I feel like it had some really good, as well as bad sides.

Overall, the story was interesting and I've loved the world. I think the thing that kept me from getting immersed in the story was the pacing and a feeling of not being fully connected to the characters.

That being said, I'm intrigued to see where the story goes, so I'll maybe reach for the second installment in this series. However, for me it's a book I've been reading and not a world I've been transported to, you know? The fact I was reading was always apparent to me, and I prefer sinking smoothly into the story. It felt a bit like a fever dream to be honest, and I feel like the bones of the book were really strong, but I'd personally vibe more with a bit different execution.

Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for giving me access to the e arc.

I couldn’t get into this, but I really really tried. I wanted to love this book but unfortunately it was a dnf for me.