The Sky on Fire features a brisk pace, eclectic characters, and an intricate, meticulously constructed fantasy world.
is a beach read in high fantasy skin. Think Elin Hilderbrand meets Anne McCaffrey . Efficient descriptors, breathless action, ruthless banter, sprawling action, and dragons grace the pages of Jenn Lyons’ latest, amounting to an accessible standalone epic adventure with more than enough “yes, and” to satiate both dragon fanatics and frothing, smut-hungry romance lovers.
The novel’s premise is hardly a tough sell. Lyons centers her story around would-be dragonrider Anahrod Amnead, whom the Dragon Queen Neveranimas attempted to kill after discovering the young girl’s gift for animal speak. A former sky-dweller, Anahrod is forced out of her element and into a lawless jungle fraught with rock wyrms, dragon-adjacent titan drakes, and mysterious locals. Thankfully, she quickly gets cuddly with the powerful Scarsea tribe and its king, Sicaryon.
Heist structures lend themselves especially well to standalone fantasy. Like the act of robbing a dragon vault, a story that’sbreaking into one requires focus, discipline, and cards kept close to the vest. Ever the craftsperson, Lyons accepts this challenge with aplomb while simultaneously making a well-rounded, big-hearted case for family, love, and staying true to oneself.
Lyons wisely avoids coasting on the book’s irresistible hook, instead staying aware of its appeal and determining exactly when to deliver what readers want, what they don’t even know they want, and what they won’t see coming. The heist itself is thrilling, but more effective—and satisfying—than Anahrod and co. pulling a fast one on a teleporting dragon is the build-up.
As sophisticated as the rest of Lyons’ prose is, though, it doesn’t quite offset the clumsiness of its romance. The flirting—especially between Anahrod, heartthrob Sicaryon, and the dragonrider Ris—carries the cadence of a teen trunk romance; ending each of their interactions with lusty sentiments is more than a little repetitive, which wouldn’t be an issue if it enriched their dynamic.
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