Jenn Lyons' A Chorus of Dragon series is my all time favorite series. The Sky on Fire is such a lovely surprise for me because I was not expecting it. I loved it so much. I mean it is a heist story and there are dragons - what's not to love about that? Jenn Lyons did not disappoint at all. This book is a standalone fantasy, but the only downside is that I wanted more of it, but it was fantastic. Jenn Lyons created an amazing world with a very diverse cast. I also enjoyed the writing - it had a humorous touch, and the action was intense. I highly recommend this book to every fantasy reader especially if you read the author's other works definetly pick this book up too. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an early copy.

Great book, really enjoyed reading this. This was my first Jenn Lyons and I'll definitely pick up more books from her.

This was my first Jenn Lyons book and if the others are anything like this then I have a lot to look forward to!

The Sky on Fire follows Anahrod who lives a fairly solitary life in the jungles of the Deep until her past catches up with her. She's soon thrust into a world full of dragons, heists and banter with a certain attractive dragonrider.

This book is full of non-stop action which I LOVED but it also doesn't come at the cost of character development. I enjoyed the group of unlikely allies that came together in this book from different backgrounds and with very distinct personalities. It made for an entertaining and gripping story.

The settings from this book were so vivid in my mind and I loved having the scenes playing out in my head for this. It's a fairly large scale plot, particularly for a stand-alone, but it felt so cinematic and had so many twists, turns and hijinks that there was no way I'd be able to predict everything that was going on.

There is a bit of a romance going on in this book but it's minor compared to the main plot line. I enjoyed having it there and thought the banter and flirting added a nice depth to the story and character dynamics. It's also LGBT+ which I didn't know before going in but it is a queernorm world which I love in fantasy.

I loved this world so much that I hope we get more stories set here. There was definitely a bit of a loose thread left in the epilogue on purpose so I am hopeful! I'd also love to see more from the dragonriding school and dragonriders in general, I loved that element.

Thank you so much to Pan Macmillan and Netgalley for my eARC to review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Publisher for providing eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Plot:
What starts as a gang of misfits with ulterior motive going on a heist with a couple of dragons, ends up being the trigger to reveal secrets to centuries long conspiracies. But, no one may survive to expose or help the future unless they use every card they hold to their advantage and win a very cunning opponent.
Thoughts:
The storyline was really amazing considering the relationship between dragon riders and dragons and the inequality between different races that live in this world. The revenge motive and secrets were really clever that I cannot not appreciate. There's a little bit of love triangle which fantastically leans towards a them becoming a throuple rather than someone ending up hurt.
All that said, the pace was so fast that there was not enough time to enjoy or savour the world or the magic. There were too many characters in picture and not enough time to give characters any depth rather than to rush the story along. If this had at least been a duology with a slower pace, it would've been exquisite. But still I enjoyed too much to not give this a 4 star.

Neveranimas, ancient powerful ruler of Seven Cities and of the dragons.

I love this depictions of Dragons, magical flying lizards - it makes sense that they view humans as lesser. Humans to dragons are tool, tools to maintain control both over small things and over themselves. Though it is hidden beneath smiles, the servitude is know, but only truly to those chosen by the Dragons.

Anahrod, the face of villainy for all of Seven Cities lives a life of wildness and danger in The Deep - and is definitely supposed to be dead. I feel the need to say this now that Overbite is definitely my favourite character and an absolute darling - and deserves more recognition.

Stolen from the life she has made, Anahrod is drawn into a heist which is almost certain to fail. Love me a ragtag team with an impossible mission - especially with dragons, magic, and a mystery.

There is some very *ahem* spicy spice here and there, but they kind of feel like weird interludes and I didn't feel like they connected much to the story.

This book has floating cities, hidden magics, epic dragons, found family, and animal companions.

4,5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for providing me with this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Anahrod is supposed to be dead, executed 15 years ago. When an evil dragon ruler finds out she’s alive and blames the wrong people, she’s soon kidnapped by these people, from the monster filled jungle she calls home. They pretend that she’s saving and guiding them but end up taking her with a very surprising reason!

This is a heist novel with dragons! And lots of them with so many different powers and a very unique bond with humans. And it’s good, it’s so good! It had several impressive adventures that made me think “this is the reason why I read”. And it was clever and funny!

A book of this size has to be good to keep me excited and actually just wanting to inhale the words in this case, for so many pages. I honestly could have kept reading about these amazing characters (especially the goosebumps inducing heroine origin story) and just everything else in this book, forever.

A lot goes wrong and that makes it even more believable, the characters feel real and I absolutely loved the magical dragon rider school and the teacher who reminded me so much of Snape.

The author succeeds in weaving, what could have been a series of books, together into one (I swear, so much happens!) and she does it in a way that was easy to follow and not with what feels like a million names and places to remember.

I want to tell so much more, like about the flying ships, the incredible character development and the inclusiveness (disability, mental health, different genders and sexualities rep,..)

We get more than a taste of the different kingdoms with each very different and very fascinating world building and many different dragons and other creatures and magical abilities and..

- : The author isn’t so great at creating romantic relationships but they weren’t very important to the story anyway. And unfortunately trying to be too inclusive backfired and made for some confusing moments that pulled me out of the story.

DNF, unfortunately even though there were aspects of this that I did enjoy it just wasn't gripping enough for me to stick with it all the way through

Rating: 4.5

The Sky on Fire is a fast-paced fantasy heist set in a world ruled by conniving dragons with a team of unlikely allies determined to steal a dragon’s hoard.

This book was SO good! I’ve been hearing nothing but great things about this book and rightfully so! The worldbuilding was awesome, the dragons, the heist, the CHARACTERS - they were all so full, unique and interesting.

There were so many twists and turns that constantly kept me guessing, especially towards the end of the book. My eyes were GLUED to the page in the last 100 pages or so, I was completely transported into the story and I had an amazing time reading it.

I think the level of romance in this book was PERFECT. It was enough to get me excited about the relationships but it didn’t take away from the story at all, which was great because I was super invested in the heist.

My ONLY sadness is that I wish this was split into two books! I adored reading about all of the characters, the hierarchy of dragons, the social norms and traditions. I would absolutely read another book set in this world, I need to know EVERYTHING!

I was so excited about this book. It’s got dragons and a heist. So it was right up my alley. However, it felt more like the first day of work at a new job. You meet so many new people so quickly that it’s overwhelming and you forget who everyone is straight away. I also found the halfway point to be sooooo incredibly slow. I believe this book still has potential and I definitely wanna give Jenn’s first series a go.

THE SKY ON FIRE is a standalone fantasy full of dragons, magic, and the fight against tyranny.

There is so much packed into this book that I don't quite believe the page count (448 pages listed everywhere.) I'm guessing the font must be small given the number of hours of audiobook (over 12) and also how much was in this book. There are chases, a heist, time for friends to become enemies and become friends again. There are multiple dragon attacks and a romance to sizzle up.

It makes for an action packed book, running from disaster to disaster (all while Anharod tries not to deal with her clear interest in two people and then does just before there's no time to deal with it.) It's very pacy and I was swept along in the fight to get revenge and money, and then to survive and defeat the dragon causing all the trouble.

The audiobook is narrated by Lauren Fortgang who does a great job at bringing dragons to life, giving them a gravely voice that doesn't quite feel human. The book is mostly told from Anharod's perspective, but I liked that Gwyneon got to speak a few times as he's precocious and clever and I wanted to protect him from the start.

I really appreciated getting to read a standalone dragon book that isn't almost a thousand pages long. You get a story in one go, reasonably short to listen to, while still getting all the magic and battles of dragons. The ending wraps up nicely and gives you enough information to imagine what would come next in the world without needing another book.

This book was a fast paced and fun fantasy ride! The story kept my attention from start to finish. The band of characters were interesting, and some were more likeable than others! The world building was unique and intricate. It was full of dragons, magic and all sorts of weird creatures! This was my first book from Jenn Lyons, but I can't wait to read more in the future!

I was already pretty interested by the fact this is a standalone by Jenn Lyons, full of dragons + a heist. By the time I'd finished the prologue I'd gone from interested to hooked. Dragons threatening a man due to a supposed bot ched execution by his predecessor and ordering him to find the survivor.

We skip forward a bit and get introduced to a new location, 'The Deep'. Full of different biomes as the rest of civilization live above we meet our protagonist, Anahrod. Soon after the rest of the diverse + quirky crew are introduced, with Ris being a fantastic standout.

The power dynamics between dragons & their riders is also a real unique take and I loved it. Overall, this was a really fun read and I'll be picking up more of Lyons' books!

This was an amazingly intense fantasy read!

I loved almost everything about this book (I wish we had more heated scenes between the main characters but the tension throughout the whole book was quite good).
The characters, the dragons, the places and the tension? Amazing, I loved it so much from the first page! I loved that it wasn’t really dragons vs humans or dragons vs dragons, but more like a mixture of it all.
You will definitely fall in love with the group we follow throughout the book as they are a very weird but loving group of strangers that become friends; and lovers for some. That ending though, I’m hoping to get something else after that!!

Thank you to netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange of an honest review!

Dragons! DO I need to say more! Seriously, if there’s a dragon in a book I’m there and I feel sorry for any author who promises and does t deliver on all that awesome, fiery, roar-some greatness! Then I hear there’s magic, corrupt leadership, secrets and a heist - Am I in heaven?

Well it doesn’t end there, there’s even more delectableness in the epic, high stakes, sweeping fantasy! An amazingly endearing queer romance in the background, a ragtag eclectic crew and of course, I may not have mentioned - Dragons!

Our protagonist Anahrod is just trying to survive, she doesn’t want anything from anyone but, everyone seems to want something from her! Anahrod just wants somewhere she can hide and escape from her complicated past but, she’s dragged into a heist, to steal from the Dragon Regent’s hoard, the same Dragon Regent that wants her dead!

Whilst this isn’t the book that’s quickest off the blocks when it comes to pace, Lyon’s has created an immense, vibrant and stunning world, populated by dragons and humans living side by side amidst a strata’ed society that ranges from the mountainous peaks that are home to the dragons down to the depths of society that is home to the least fortunate humans, the Deep.

Lyon’s explores the societies, the culture, the traditions and most importantly the relationships between humans and dragons, which feels much more realistic and far less altruistic than in other books that explore this relationship. Another fascinating aspect of this society are "garden rings", used to identify gender, sexuality and relationship status. The Sky on Fire delivers a reality feeling with its cast of diverse people and representation.

As I said, the plot doesn’t take off as soon as the starting pistol rings, it’s got pace that is more realistic, if you’re going to perform a heist, it needs to be planned and there are skills to be developed, information to be sourced and of course characters to get to know, and of course that romance sub-plot I mentioned.

There’s so much more I want you to know tell you but, that’s where I could go to far. All I will say is that you’re going to love the relationships and dynamic Anahrod, Ris and Sycarion and of course Pelaron the dragon!

Thank you so much Pan MacMillan, Tor and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Loved "A Chorus of Dragons" by the same author, writing style and vibes are great. I'm an epic fantasy fan and always enjoy a good standalone.
Short review because I'm burnt out.

Dragons, magic, corrupted dragon leaders, secrets and a dangerous heist bringing an eclectic crew together - what more could you ask for?! Oh, and not to forget the delightfully queer romance subplot, which is always a bonus for me! I mostly requested this book from Netgalley because I loved the dragon on its cover, and am now really happy I had the chance to read it.

In The Sky on Fire, Anahrod lives only for survival... until she gets kidnapped. Twice. Or three times? There's a theme there. Everyone in this book wants something from her - be it her help, or her death. Anahrod has a complicated past that she's tried to escape by hiding in the Deep, but it has finally caught up with her. The unlikely crew that drags her away from her hiding place needs her help to steal from a dragon hoard, and specifically from the hoard of the dragon regent, who would especially love to see Anahrod dead. What could possibly go wrong?!

The main strength of The Sky on Fire is the world-building, in my opinion. Jenn Lyons created a detailed, vibrant world filled with dragons and humans, living in a complex society that takes time to be understood but is then really interesting. Dragons live on mountain peaks alongside the "high society" of humans, while the less fortunate live in the Deep and are considered easily expendable. The bond between dragons and humans is quite different from how it is often described in other dragon-centred fantasy (much less friendly/trusting) and some of the dragons take on a bigger role as characters of their own, not necessarily attached to their rider (whether they have one or not). I also thoroughly enjoyed reading the parts about the Deep and their different customs - I wish there was of more chance to explore their society, although I guess it really wasn't a focus of this story! The magic system across the different parts of this world was interesting, too, with a mix of spells and inscriptions that could be learnt also by non-naturally-magical beings.

The plot took a while to develop. I felt the start was quite slow and only really geared up after about 25%. Once it did, though, it got really interesting and kept me hooked for the majority of the remaining pages! There was a lot of planning involved, with a big chunk of the book spent figuring out how to carry out this dangerous, daring heist. Perhaps not enough time is spent on the actual heist, but I did really enjoy all that happened after! The consequences of the crew's actions set so much in motion, including some rather unexpected revelations. Some of the obstacles were perhaps solved too smoothly, with pieces falling oh-so-conveniently into place (or people acquiring awfully quickly some very convenient skills)... but others were faced with really interesting ideas.

This book had a lot of characters and for a while I got a bit lost on who to focus on, but eventually the main ones were fleshed out more and more. The dynamic between Anahrod, Ris and Sycarion was excellent and I couldn't get enough of their scenes together (in pairs or all three at the same time!). I wish there was more of them, as their romantic interactions didn't feel quite explored enough, but a bit rushed, so I didn't quite get to feel the depth of the connection between them! Among the dragons, Pelaron and Neveranimas were obvious standouts - one as an incredibly trusting and reliable ally, the other as a powerful and highly intelligent enemy.

I also really liked the fact that characters wore "garden rings", used to identify one's gender, sexuality and relationship status. The Sky on Fire included a diverse cast of people, with great LGBTQ+ representation, ranging from trans, to bisexual and homosexual characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I'd recommend this to anyone who loves dragons and epic heists in a high fantasy world!

Dragon
Heist sign me up

The world building was a tiny bit too much but I loved it
Like I’m un my dragon era and this did not disappoint

Headlines:
Exciting but slowly paced
World building density
Heisty-dragon fun

Lock in your concentration because there's a lot to The Sky On Fire. It started out with full on excitement but settled into a more slowly paced journey over jungle, seas, courts and tribes. There was a cast of characters to get your teeth into that promised and delivered on found family and romantic connections (more on that later).

The characters in this book were different species, with a range of gifts and magic; we got drakes, trolls, dragons and dragon riders, then some more average folks too for balance. Lyons painted a vivid picture of the lands, sea and air, almost to the point of sense and smell. It was a gritty tale and not that fun for the characters in parts.

I spent some time in trust during this book...where was it going...what was the end goal...who was conning who...who could be trusted. The heisty tones were well done, the cast of characters stretched my capacity for who's who a little but it ended up worth the ride.

I'm not sure I got wholly invested in the romantic elements but kudos to the author for what they did with the emerging love triangle. I did like the core characters and was intrigued how they forged their way out of scrapes repeatedly.

Overall, lots of depth and world building with a solid story underpinning.

Thank you to Tor for the review copy.

3.5 stars rounded up.

The Sky on Fire by Jenn Lyons is her first novel since the excellent Chorus of Dragons series, and if you wanted even more dragons, you’ll be in luck. A group of thieves recruits (or kidnaps) the protagonist in hiding to help them steal a dragon’s hoard – the same one she stole from as a teen. The problem is, she never actually did steal from the dragon, she’s considered a villain by the general populace, a powerful warlord wants her captured, and dragons are known for going on unpredictable murderous rampages.

It’s a fun heist novel that relies a little too much on late in the game revelations. I could have done with more down time with the characters to see their full facets, but the fact I wanted more is a positive, and the worldbuilding was familiar and fresh at the same time. As a fan of her existing series, this is a far more accessible starting point that should hopefully pull more people into her work.

This review is for The Sky On Fire by Jenn Lyons which releases in the UK on the 11th July! Thanks so much to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan/Tor for giving me an eArc copy for this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is the first book I have ever read by this author, but have heard so many good things about this book as well as their other series!
As soon as I heard this had dragons, heists, magic and romance… you know I was in.

Let’s start with the things I loved. I loved the main character, and that she wasn’t the stereotypical 18 year old saviour of the world. She was older, grouchier, sassier and a little bit of a badass. She’s also super independent, and we find out she can communicate/possess animals. I loved watching her learn to trust again after what happened in her childhood (no spoilers, you’ll have to find out). The story had a great range of characters, all diverse coming from different backgrounds and upbringings. The ring system they had was also great, where everyone wears rings showing their ‘preferences’ not just for their partners but also just for themselves, to show others how they like things and how they are as a person. It was super interesting and I’ve never read anything like it before! I also loved the pacing of the book, it never felt rushed or slow and flowed really well.

However what I didn’t like was that most of the other characters, and the main characters relationship to them, felt super flat and superficial. There didn’t feel like there was any depth to them and felt super one dimensional. You don’t end up feeling connected to them for most of the story, until about maybe 70-80% way through the book, then the high stakes make you feel a bit more for them. The magic system was also a little confusing as well, and didn’t seem well explained. I’m not sure if this will be part of a series or not, as I finished the book with a lot of unanswered questions.

I would still recommend this to any fantasy readers out there, especially any lovers of dragons. It was a wild ride with plenty of twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat!