Great retelling of Icarus. I love the drama with this, and the decisions that had to be made. Such a great rollercoaster of emotions and I cannot wait for the second half.

Emotional, engrossing and epic, Scorched Skies is a beautiful and unique retelling of the Icarus myth, with a twist.

With great world building, well written characters and captivating plot, this story is so well paced, fully rounded, and wonderfully flowing.
The struggles of the characters are real, their decision while sometimes hard are never foolhardy, and the magic, gods and political intrigue are top notch and form the perfect backdrop to a beautiful love story - that is imperative to the plot progression, but not overpowering and overtaking the plot.

Extra special brownie points go out to narrators Dominique Salvacion and Andre Santana - for breathing life into these intricate, fierce characters, helping this rich world and tale come to live even further.

5 stars and a sacred flower

This was a unique Icarus inspired Fantasy Romance with an amazing enemies to lovers tension filled story between our two main characters, Tanwen and Zolya.

I really enjoyed the multiple characters we were able to follow outside of just our two main characters, I think it really added to the depth and understanding of the story. It also helped with the world building as this is only a duology, world building has to be done in a quick and precise manner.

The main love story was not the only one we got to follow and understand. I think the amount we got from the side characters with their relationships to the main characters and each other is what really drew me to this story and made me feel for the characters as a whole. The romance was built up in a very "realistic" way considering their connection and what drew them together in the first place.

This had the perfect amount of yearning, suspense, and pain that I love in my fantasy romance books.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for this ARC and I cannot wait to read the conclusion to this story!

I may have shirked some responsibilities to finish this book.
The world and plot feel fresh and I loved all the characters from the family to the friends to the mouse. The complexity of the characters and the choices they grappled with felt grounded in reality and often had me on the edge of my seat or were tugging at my heart. I'm inpatiently awaiting book two!

4.25/5

This is my first E.J. Mellow read, and an overall wonderful introduction that has made me eager to read more of her books.

"Scorched Skies" brings us to a world of divided races: the Volari, the winged highborn of the world; the Süri, the horned lowborn; and the Mütra, who are considered worse than low: an abomination to society, whose very existence is punishable by death. As one who appreciates political intrigue in a book, I thought that it was very well done but not too steeped in it. "Scorched Skies" makes it approachable but not overwhelming, if you find yourself getting lost in books that have high-stakes politics involved. I also enjoyed reading about the magic system and the Süra clans, but I had hoped for a bit more fleshed-out world building than what I was given, based on the amount of information given in the. beginning regarding the world (which was incredibly helpful and interesting).

I very much loved the portrayal of the main protagonists. FMC Tanwen is no shrinking violet, but she is not an overcharged superhero (but she does have a pretty cool magical gift). She lies somewhere in the middle: a very clever woman who has a seemingly insurmountable task set before her, tackling it the best she knows how and drawing strength from her friends along the way. MMC Zolya, the heir to the throne, has seen plenty of the world and has a mind of his own with how he believes it should be ruled. I wouldn't say that their relationship is slow burn. I'd classify it is, "medium burn, with a fast burn lust." To me, a true slow burn romance takes more than one book to develop. But I don't mind an enemies-to-lovers trope, which Mellow does well here. There is also some pining, which is always a win for me; but I personally prefer my romance to have a bit more angst.

As a side note, I also liked the cast of side characters overall. Azla is definitely a favorite, and I hope that she gets more time in the next book. I look forward to getting to know Huw in the next installment.

Overall an enjoyable read. Pacing was well-done, and I appreciated the different POVs. The pictures at the beginning of each chapter denoting whose POV you are reading was an interesting but not unwelcome choice. I also loved the story of Nocémi and Ré. It was a brief part of the book, but lovely.

Thank you Montlake and NetGalley for an e-ARC. All opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I wasn’t sure about Zolya at first. Being the Prince of an unjust kingdom he did things I didn’t agree with. Nonetheless, throughout the book, we got to see more of his POV and got to truly know him and I just wanted to hug him lol. I loved seeing him struggle with his soft heart and what was expected of him. EJ Mellow did an amazing job with his character development and I honestly cannot wait to see more of him.

I loved Tanwen. She’s strong, brave, stubborn and she was exactly was Zolya needed. I loved that she would literally do anything to help, protect, and save those she cared about and then some.

EJ Mellow always does an amazing job with the world-building and creating a unique magic system. She played with my emotions, making me happy then sad then angry then happy again. I might have sent her a DM screaming because of it 🙈🤣 She was also the author who truly came close to making me cry while reading, which if you know me you know I’ve NEVER cried in a book.

Each character had layers, making the story even more touching and captivating. Although this is a Fantasy, it touches on a lot of concepts that are important and affect us daily. I think EJ Mellow did a fantastic job navigating these topics, even though it made me feel all kinds of emotions. I truly cannot wait for book 2!

If you like slow burn, angst, forbidden romance, enemies to lovers, and found family, then I highly recommend you add this one to your TBR!

This is without question the best world building I have ever read. This is the first book I’ve read by E.J. Mellow but it certainly won’t be the last. I’ve never read a high fantasy before, so I got off on a pretty slow start trying to wrap my mind around all of the details. I found myself having to refer to the glossaries in the front of the book.

Thank you to Montlank and NetGalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Scorched Skies by @ejmellow is book one in the Way of Wings duology and inspired by the Icarus myth! It's a story of resilience, family bonds, forbidden love, and the struggle between duty and doing what's right.

As much as I tried to take my time with this story, I completely devoured it. It's a beautifully written romantasy following a woman who needs to save her father from a dangerous winged prince. The question is, what will she do to get to him, and who will get in her way?

The story is wonderfully paced with very high tense moments. I cried, and that doesn't happen often with books for me. The world building and magic system were done so well. The characters truly made this story so captivating! So many of them had depth and purpose. I just fell in love! The story also gives you slow burn, angst, forbidden romance, enemies to lovers, found family, secrets, dual pov, and more! I can't stop thinking about it!

I was a fan of the Mousai books, so this was an exciting discovery. It is over 500 pages but it goes fast and presents good characters. It does of course hit the tropes of romance books, but there’s a lot going on that keeps this enjoyable. I’m very eager to see the second part of this story!

Note: ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for the preview. All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars

“You are the brightest constellation in my sky, and I forever find myself searching for a way home to you.”

Oh this was so GOOD! We’ve got enemies to star-crossed lovers, an evil king, an Icarus/Daedalus retelling, palace intrigues and plotting, gods and magic, and SO MUCH ANGST AND YEARNING! Not to mention the tension, the emotion, and the edge-of-your-seat action at the end. I’m already rabid for the next book.

Tanwen and Zolya were great MCs. Both were frustrating at times, both made questionable but understandable decisions, but their chemistry was off the charts. There was definitely a major power imbalance between them, but it was handled well. I loved Zolya’s journey the most as he realizes how many more injustices those around him have been suffering than he knew. He’s in between a rock and a hard place the entire book, and I wish he could have defied his father openly, but I get that he probably would have been unalived if he did.

I loved the additional relationships Tanwen builds with Azla and Huw. Hopefully they’ll have a bigger role in the next book too.

There’s so much to love here. If you liked the Mousai sisters books, or if you’re a fan of emotional star-crossed love stories, I highly recommend.

TW for attempted SA, attempted suicide, and animal death.

Unfortunately for myself, I was unable to finish this book. I have full appreciation for the amount of work the author has placed into this book, and I did try to enjoy it and persevere however I just couldn't. I didn't connect with any of the characters. I found the plot lacking and really slow moving due to the huge amount of world building. I also struggled with the names of places, gods and characters. They just didn't roll off my tongue well. I also struggled with the lack of relationship building between the FMC and the MMC. She is sexually assaulted, and then the MMC finds her and becomes aroused while helping her clean herself up from a really traumatic experience? And then they begin performing sexual acts, this very same day? I just found that really poor.

I did enjoy the visuals at the beginning of the book, I thought they did add to it. And I also appreciated the in depth magic system. I can see this being liked by other readers, it just wasn't to my own personal like and I found I was speed reading it just to get it done. I have not acknowledged my attempt to read this novel on my goodreads or bookstagram profiles, so my negative review will only remain here.

I really wish I could say I enjoyed this book, but to be honest, I struggled with it.

After having read and enjoyed the ‘Mousai” series by the same author, and having an appreciation for tales like Icarus, I came into this book with high hopes that it would be a new favourite. However, I found the characters hard to relate to, I felt scenes dragged for a long time, and, for our main love interests, there wasn’t the relationship build-up that I was hoping for. Yes, there was attraction on both sides, but the dialogue pre-relationship was lacking something. Also, I can’t get behind the circumstances in which they first get together.

Saying that though, I appreciate the amount of work that has gone into the world-building and magical systems in this book.

𝗦𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗲𝘀 follows the divide between the land of Cadra and the skies of Volaris. When Tanwen, whose very existence is forbidden, sets out to rescue her family she instead falls into a dance of death with Zolya - The Crown Prince.

-~-

The world building was so intense and well done that to have my eyes off the Kindle feels disorienting.

More than fast action (of which there was enough) this book holds a good amount of political intrigue. All of which was beautifully carried out.

The romance has got to be one of Mellow's best yet. The forbidden nature of it all, the angst, the slowest of slow burns? the electricity??? Gorgeous.

While there was NO cliffhanger, it is an open ending so we're for sure getting a sequel. Which is fortunate because I NEED more of these two.

~

3.97 / 5 ★

Thanks to Montlake and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

this book was... interesting. not sure that it was fully my speed but it was different and i kind of liked it.

Thank you to Montlake and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. Scorched Skies is the first in an Icarus inspired duology about Zolya, the winged prince, and Tanwen, the daughter of a Volari and a Sura (a Mutra). Tanwen’s very existence is forbidden by the Volari. After her father and brother are taken by Zolya to serve the king, Tanwen decides to infiltrate the palace as a servant to rescue them. I believe a lot of readers will enjoy this one and be eager to see Tanwen and Zolya’s story continue. Overall, 3.5 stars rounded up.

Great fantasy book! The worldbuilding was excellent, the character were well developed, the love story was believable, and the pacing kept things interesting. Would highly recommend!!

I didn’t doubt for a second that I wouldn’t be absolutely enamored by this book! The writing was perfection especially for a forbidden romance. The slow burn was delicious and the yearning between the characters had me at the edge of my seat! The world building was fantastic and the overall plot was great. I was so emotionally invested in so many of the characters and found myself close to tears it absolutely brought to tears at some points. I am excited to see how everything unfolds in the next book. This is definitely a must read!

E.J. Mellow is potent, purposeful, and eloquent. I loved every page of this book.

I think with fantasy you can usually tell from the get go if a book is going to hit the mark. From the very beginning I knew Scorched Skies was going to be good, and boy was I right. Beautiful language and world building made me excited to learn about the world Scorched Skies is set in and the inner monologues of Tanwen and Zolya made me fear for their love the entire way.

I love a Greek retelling when its creative and this was such a refreshing take on the myth of Icarus. I loved everything about Tanwen and loved cheering for her the entire time.



P.s. Spoiler...
I will never trust E.J. Mellow again. Eli forever <3

Scorched Skies completely enraptured me as it was a novel infused with high stakes, forbidden romance, political intrigue and SO MUCH MORE. The premise and cover are what originally caught my eye, and from the first chapter, it captured my attention fully and was completely unputdownable. The world-building was phenomenal and executed to perfection. This is my first book I've read by E.J. Mellow and I will definitely be checking out her other series because I love her writing style.

Tanwen, the FMC, is fierce and determined with all the female rage you ask for, and with good reasons. Zoyla, the MMC, has so much internal conflict with his duty as Prince, his moral beliefs, and his feelings for Tanwen that he makes for the perfect counterpart to our fiery and determined FMC. The romance between them is filled with tension, yearning, and a will-they/won't-they vibe that will have you screaming. It does become a little spicy but I didn't think it took away from the plot at all.

There isn't any huge cliffhanger but it ended with a burning desire for book two that I can't wait for!

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for providing the ARC.

Anyone who reads my reviews knows that E.J. Mellow is an automatic buy and read for me. Her writing always captures me. She is one of the very few authors who can effortlessly world build in tandem with the most excruciating yearning and budding romance. I find that very few authors can execute a true fantasy romance that has the perfect world and plot AND romance. This is something Mellow an always do. I was an arc reader of her Mousai series and this series and everything else that Mellow writes will be no different.

This book was amazing, it was longer than your typical first installment of a new fantasy series, but the characters blew me away. The FMC, Wen or Tanwen, must face the impossible choice of sacrificing herself and her way of life to save her family. Whilst attempting to save her family and keep her true identity a secret, she meets none other than the son of her enemy. Immediately, there is undeniable attraction to them. They are incapable of staying away from each other regardless of how dangerous it could be if they were caught. Wen's journey is filled with laughter, anger, tears, and love but may ultimately end in having to choose between her love or her family.

This book took me longer to get into because there was a good bit of world building compared to Mellow's last series, but she blew out of the water (no surprise). This book swept me away especially with the different POVs of Tanwen and Zolya. It is chalk full of crowd winning tropes like:
-forbidden romance
-enemies to lovers
-slow burner
-Greek myth inspired
-a war between the gods
-winged MMC

I think Zolya is a new book boyfriend because DAMMMMMN I cannot wait to see the fanart of him because I know it is going to be so good. The cast of characters in this book are soooo good and I cannot wait for book two to see how they develop more. The synopsis does not even come close to how good this world is. The fantasy aspects of this book are really in the driver seat for the first 50% of this book and then as the plot begins to further the romance unfolds. This romance was soo good and the yearning and interactions would excite me every time I knew they would interact. The first 20% was slow but after that the book MOVES and about the 50% mark it is impossible to put down. I picked this book back up today at 38% and COULD NOT put it down. I finished it one sitting it was that good. The entire plot of this book kept me on my toes, and I was constantly anxious that something terrible was going to happen, despite nothing too terrible happening to Wen plenty of terrible events occurred.

I could not recommend this book more or any of EJ Mellow's writing. Her writing makes me feel the same way that Carissa Broadbent's or Sarah J. Maas. Thank you to EJ Mellow for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.