It's rare to read a standalone epic fantasy, let alone one that really has all its aspects worked out well. This one is a good example. This book provided me with a unique world, an empire ruled by dragons, magic, and the unusual concept of dragon riders.

Apart from that, I also encountered an interesting heist subplots with all the complicated characters, intriguing background, sarcastic banter, and top-notch action skills. Most importantly, this book also gave me a strong female main character, family themes, and a promising polyamorous romance.

Thank you Netgalley and Tor from Pan Macmillan Publishing for providing copy of this ebook. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Expecting release date: 9 July 2024

Another one for the 'promised so much and yet...' pile, I'm afraid. To be perfectly honest, I'd given up by the end of book 1 of her extremely wordy series, so didn't hold out massive hopes for this though the premise sounded interesting. I've been reading but not keeping up with reviews, so I can't even remember if I made it to the end of this one either.

The basic premise of The Sky on Fire is that it's a world where dragons bond with humans but mainly because they need them as servants (those opposable thumbs are handy, tbh) and our protagonist gets caught up in a heist where people want to steal from one of their hoards. It's been a while and so little has stuck in my memory about this book, other than how bored I was at times with it and how little the semi-mandatory instalove relationship interested me. If you like doorstoppers, this might still be for you, but there's better out there that does more in fewer words.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, via Netgalley. This is my honest review of the book in question.

Although I loved the idea of this book I didn’t like it as much as I thought I was going to. Unfortunately the writing and the plot was a little bit slow in my opinion which was a let down. I found some parts of the story to be quite confusing and felt that they dragged.

The characters were probably my favourite part of this book. I really enjoyed the relationships and found family aspect!

This is absolutely the best fantasy of the year, I loved this book so so so much!!! I have wanted to read a book by this author since Ruin of Kings came out and I am absolutely in love and will read her shopping lists

I don't tend to read fantasy books so this was new for me, but I really enjoyed it! The characters are well thought out and I enjoyed their journey. The reason for three stars is because I didn't find it that well written, I often had to read pages multiple times to work out who was being spoken about, and some aspects were just never explained at all.

I have no doubt that many fantasy fans will love this book especially ones who love fantasy, dragons and heists as this book is a dragon heist. The book has plenty of action ,magic, romance, humour and of course dragons- there is even a sort of magic school for anyone who enjoys a touch of academia.
But unfortunately, I found that I struggled with The Sky on Fire. I loved the author’s Chorus of Dragons series ( series review here), so I was really looking forward to this but the elements that really made me love her previous books just didn’t seem to work for me here – a bit too much flirting ,too many characters, too much action .I struggled to keep up with the story and when things started to get interesting, the romance got in the way ( although that could just be me).
This is a standalone book.

I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!

I did not want this to end. I can’t believe it’s a stand alone?! I’m hoping that’s a lie and there will be more to come, there certainly seems like there could be by that ending…

God this was so brilliant. I loved it. The world building was fantastic. The settings were beautifully described, they were so vivid and atmospheric, each one of them sprung to life in my imagination so easily. Even now I can picture scenes from the book with little effort, it was that good.

There was such a beautiful and brilliant diverse selection of characters. Funny, murderous, poetic, stabby…loved it. And oh my god the romance!! There was a point where I was like “ugh, why does she always have to choose” and then the book was like “guess what, not that type of book” and I was living!! BEST THRUPLE EVER.

The plot was great and I loved how Anahrod completely pantsed her way through everything. Such a mood. For someone with such a villainous reputation, she truly doesn’t know what she’s doing.

My only issues with this book would be that at sometimes it would be a little bit contradictory. So we’d have Anahrod mention how dragons can see through walls so she wouldn’t be safe, and then a few chapters later the crew and Anahrod would be mad at Ris for not mentioning the dragons could see through walls, therefore endangering Anahrod who is being hunted, yet Anahrod knows this?? Just a few inconsistencies like this kept occurring.

Overall, really loved this book and I’ll definitely be reading more of Jenn Lyon’s’ work.

This book was an absolute delight from the first word! I loved the world, with its dragons and magic, thieves and schools - basically think of any fun thing in a fantasy world and they appear here, including sky pirates. I loved the various interactions between Anahrod, Ris and the rest of the gang and thought that the characters were really well constructed. The plot is fast moving and constantly evolving without ever becoming too confusing or bogged down, which I really appreciated and it was lovely to read a standalone that was completely satisfying. Would I read more books set in this world with these characters? Absolutely, but this story has a clearly defined ending, which is so refreshing. Overall, this has cemented Jenn Lyons as one of my favourite fantasy authors and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I was sent a copy of this book via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.....for a full review please see my Amazon and Goodreads accounts

This was my first Jenn Lyons book and I was drawn in by the promise of dragons and found myself reading the interesting story of an outcast drawn back into the world she once knew through a complicated series of events. Anahrod is clever, brave, and resourceful. All these traits come in handy on her adventures in this book, with a heist to take on and perhaps a few lives to save. It's hard to say much without giving anything away or going into any complicated explanations but I will say that there were some good characters in this book and interesting dynamics between a band of misfits. I would have liked to feel more of the emotion in this story, as well as the chemistry, as it didn't feel convincing to me. I also found it really confusing trying to keep track of all the different characters, though especially the dragons. It's a fairly long read so lots of different names introduced throughout and I was boggled, which detracted from my enjoyment of the story and understanding of the plot.

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

This was the first Jenn Lyons book that I've read, and it did not disappoint! However, in the first part of the book, the side characters kind of blended together and I couldn't tell them apart; there is also a lot going on in the book and I wish it was either longer or even a series. It gets confusing at times and it had me take long breaks every now and then because I couldn't get fully immersed into the story.

Overall it was a very interesting take on dragons and their interaction with humans, different from most fantasy novels with dragons that I've read until now, so it was a breath of fresh air from me.

As a huge fan of Lyons' A Chorus of Dragons, I was extremely excited to find out she was writing a standalone with dragons! And it delivered - its a fun adventure with great worldbuilding, interesting characters and with a queernorm society.

Overall I really liked this one. The only drawbacks for me is that for half the book the side characters kind of blended together and I had trouble separating them, which made the first part of this book harder to get into. On the other hand, I adored the dragons! It's so rare to see a world where the dragons are the greedy overlords of society like here, and it also provided a good social commentary.

All in all, I recommend this to those that love dragons, unique worldbuilding, fun characters and an exciting plot!

Last year I finally read The Ruin Of Kings and I was amazed by it. I loved that book to pieces and so, when I saw that the author was publishing a new series I just had to read it. And okay, I know, the most logical thing would have been continuing the first series (and I am planning on it, I have the second book waiting for me on my shelves, and I have all the intentions of going back to it pretty soon), but I am just a little bookworm, and my will power is nowhere to be found when we talk about books. And we have dragons! And it is a shiny new book!! And have you looked at the cover?? It’s beautiful! So… how could I resist?? It was a lost fight from the start.

Anyway, back to the book. I think that if we compare Ruin of Kings to this one, this new baby will come out as the “loser”, because the first book is really complex and deep and layered. And these things were all things I loved about it. And my emotional investment in the characters and in the story was really high. The Sky On Fire is a bit lacking in this respect. I am not saying that this is a bad book (I loved it!) but it is less. It is not as complex and the emotional investment wasn’t as high, to be honest.
But still, it has a fascinating and deep world-building, and I enjoyed the characters. And all in all, reading Ruin Of Kings was, from time to time, a bit of work (and I am saying this in the best possible way, but it was a demanding book) while The Sky On Fire is easier to follow, reading it was a more relaxed endeavor, if this makes sense to you. As a whole, reading this book was a nice experience, almost a relaxed one (if we compare it to the other book. I am not saying that this is a cozy book. It is not. By any means. We have high stakes, a lot of action, dangers, and twists, and all that. ) and I couldn’t have enough of it. Every time I put it down all I wanted to do was pick it back up again. But life can be so cruel!! But still, even with all the things that real life demands of us, I devoured this book!

I know that comparing books is not always a good thing to do, because our expectations can be our worst enemy, but it is so hard sometimes. But now that is out of our way, so let me tell you a little bit more about this book. It is its moment to shine!
We have a complex world-building, diverse and full of details. The author did a pretty good job with it, I think. I loved that we have a lot of different cultures, and I loved the part about the rings. It was a really complicated side of the culture, and it is a bit confusing, but people wear rings to show their identification (like their pronouns), their romantic status, their preferences, and all that. And I wanted to know more about that. I think that it was a bit confusing at times, sure, but I loved it! And maybe we would learn more in the sequels?? (I really hope there will be other books in this series, and I hope to learn more about this world! And the characters!!). Also, we know that there are different cultures, and I just wanted to explore more!
And we have dragons!! Let’s not forget about that!

We have also a diverse cast of characters, and every single one of them has their own personality. They all feel real, even if, to be completely honest, my emotional investment in them wasn’t as high as it could have been. I don’t know what it was lacking, but even if I enjoyed all of the characters, and even if I was interested in them and invested in them, I wasn’t all in. For example, at one point one of them dies. I won’t say who or how or anything like that, just this. And I was sad, sure, but not so moved by it as I could have been (and as I wished to be). So there was something lacking here, but still, I enjoyed all of them, and I really really liked Ana and Sicaryon (I hope I got his name right!). Especially this last one, I wanted to know more because he was like an itch to scratch, you know what I mean? He is a character with so much potential, and I just wanted to know more about him, to see more of him around because he just shimmers with all the unexpressed potential.
And let me tell you that all the characters are still worth meeting. I had a lot of fun with them.

And last, but not least, the plot. I think that this book can be compared to some action movies, the ones you watch with popcorn, to chill out and have fun. Because we have so much happening here! A heist, twists and turns, a bit of political intrigues, dragons, and magic! There is a bit of everything or almost everything, and it was fun! Also, it has quite a fast pace, so I didn’t have a single moment of boredom. I was constantly engaged in the story and I always wanted more!

I think that if you read this one expecting something as complex and deep as the other series, you may be disappointed, because this is simply not what this book is. But if you are in for some fun, a lot of action, dragons, and good characters, with a vivid and diverse world, well… you would not be disappointed!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.
4 stars book from me. Loved the plot and the stories in this book. Loved every single second reading it.

I loved the premise of The Sky On Fire unfortunately it didn't work for me. The world was interesting as was the set up but the writing style - the word choices, sentence structure, dialogue really kept me from being fully immersed in the story and for that reason I DNFed this book.

The Sky on Fire by Jenn Lyon starts strong with the epilogue hooking you in to an execution under unusual circumstances, as well as a dragons wrath and determination to find a human who has betrayed her. Neveranimus will destroy everything in the Crystalspire if Anahrod is not returned to her.

Anahrod has found a way to survive in the Deep which is full of predators, death, amazing creatures. That is until she is near kidnapped and her animal companion is injured. She finds herself helping a group of people through the Deep.

This little rag tag team of found family was the best. The banter brought by Claw and her relationship with Kaibren was really heart warming. I loved the way they all had saved each other and stuck together.

There were a lot of surprises I didn’t see coming and I really enjoyed the relationship between dragon and rider and the political fights between them.

This has a little bit of a romance subplot and a tiny bit of implied spice - more of a wake up in the morning and some kissing during the book. It didn’t take away from the main part of the story but added to it. It features a unique relationship and was interesting to see the dynamic change through the course of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

“Never correct an enemy when they make a mistake”

This is an adult fantasy standalone with dragon overlords, a group of misfits and a heist!

I really enjoyed the book and I highly recommend the audiobook. The narrator did such a great job bringing the characters and the story to life and I was hooked from the beginning.

The story begins with MC, Anahrod, being saved from a local warlord only to be told she is being recruited by them to steal a dragons hoard. A dragon that wants her dead.

The world building was incredible, it was vivid and immersive and I loved seeing how the world worked and we get to see quite a lot of the world as we travel with Anahrod.

The group of characters were all developed really well and had distinct personalities and motivations that drove them. They were also a range of ages and had a great dynamic in the group.

Anahrod is witty & sarcastic, has great survival skills and I loved seeing her slowly open up to others after being alone for so long.

The story was action packed from the beginning and the author does a great job bringing all the threads of the story together at the end in a satisfying way.

There’s so much packed into this standalone which was both a positive and negative for me! I wasn’t sure where I officially landed but I think I would’ve preferred either a longer novel, or for this to be a biology. I loved the plot but found myself getting a bit confused with what was going on, and who all of the characters were. This absolutely could be a me-problem though, and I won’t hesitate to recommend this!!

An incredible story packed full of heists, adventure and twists. Like many others this is my first read by author Jenn Lyons and the early premise immediately drew me in, and to save I loved it is an understatement.

Everything in this story felt well explored and fleshed out. The characters, the dragons, the actual plot itself. I was glued to the page and didn’t want to put it down, and I found the inclusion of romance and storyline elements to feel well balanced with neither overshadowing the others.

This was such a fantastic standalone that if the opportunities arose, I would absolutely love to revisit this world in a sequel!

They Sky on Fire is the latest from Jenn Lyons who wrote one of my favourite Dragon series of all time - so there was a lot of pressure on this book to continue the trend.
But have no fear, Lyons manages not only to create a fantasy world that feels unique, fresh and most importantly distinct from her previous books, but also manages to maintain a large number of tropes and ideas that make fantasy books with dragons feel fun. There are so many cultural, geographical, small and large world-building details within this book that I won't spend hours naming here. One that stood out for me was the idea that no two dragons could hoard the same thing, so dragon hoards become increasingly esoteric- genius.
Alongside that world-building, there is a wonderful plot - who wouldn't want to read a dragon heist? This is paced and planned out perfectly for maximum excitement and tension. Finally, Jenn Lyons her trademark deeply queer and messy (positive) romantic storylines throughout. I just thought that was wonderful and I'm pleased those elements continued on from Chorus of Dragons.
Overall I'd recommend this book both to existing fans of Jenn Lyons' work but also to those who might have felt intimidated by reading a five-door-stop fantasy series.
I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.