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.

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.