Shatter the Sky was a surprisingly quick read. I turned the last page and expected there to be more, but the book simply stopped after something major happened. The main plot was mostly resolved, but there was a lot left unsaid. I know it sets up a second book, but cliffhangers are annoying.

As for the quickness of the read, the story felt short and shallow. Maren travels all over the country in seemingly no time at all, and I wish there had been more details to fluff up the story. She's at the fortress for weeks, but it felt like we were only there for a few days. The overall concept was interesting, and I wanted to know more about Maren and her surroundings, but we jump from one thing to the next before really experiencing each place. It was almost like reading an outline, or a very well-edited rough draft. This was an ARC, so it's possible more was added before it was published.

The characters are faced with challenges and inconveniences, but everything felt like it clicked into place a little too easily. Something bad would happen, and then poof! A solution. Maren is trying to save her heartmate (love that word!), and is willing to risk her life to do it, but I never felt like her life was in danger. She lived with the enemy for weeks, and her time spent there was mostly unremarkable. I thought she would do something daring and heroic, but her actions fell a little flat for me. She was also a tad too predictable.

I was also disappointed with the lack of secondary characters. It's mostly about Maren and what's she's doing, and I wish there had been more meaningful friendships and relationships. It's either Maren, or Maren and Sev, and even then they barely got to know one another. They have secrets, they slowly reveal those secrets, and then they find out there were more secrets.

I loved the dragons, but hated their circumstances. I wish that had been elaborated on a little more as well. I wanted to know how their bonds worked, if they could communicate, how the emperor was able to make them do whatever he wanted... there were so many questions that never got answered. Again, I feel like this story had the potential to be more than it was.

I liked that this book included different F/F romances, and that it's normal and unquestioned. Love is love is love.

Despite Maren leaving home to fight for her heartmate, she stumbles into insta-love territory when she meets Sev. Yes, they were together for awhile at the fortress, but their encounters were few and far between. Once they start traveling together, some magnetic pull brings them closer, and I just could not get on board with it. I wish they'd remained friends and learned to trust each other without throwing romance into it. Now there's insta-love and a blooming love triangle.

I know it seems like I have a lot of complaints about this book, but I really enjoyed it overall. I just think there could have been more. The core of the story was incredibly unique and fascinating, and I really tried to immerse myself in the world, but I never felt like I was sharing the experience with the characters. Sadly, Shatter the Sky made me feel more like an observer than a participant.

Originally posted at Do You Dog-ear? on August 2, 2019.

Shatter the Sky is an exciting tale of love, adventure, and fighting for what you believe in. Leaving her home to rescue the girl she loves from an uncertain future, Maren assumes a false identity and must break into the emperor's palace and steal a dragon. Along the way she will discover others with secrets greater than her own and find her own inner strength to protect everyone and everything she loves.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions are my own.

Shatter The Sky by Rebecca Kim Wells has such a wonderful cover. I mean, I am obsessed with the pink and the excellent hair of the main character. I have hair envy. This is a book about a kingdom with a not so great Emperor, a lesbian relationship, dragons and a journey from home. It really has got some highly appealing elements.

Maren lives in the mountains with her family and loves her life. She doesn’t want anything more, she’s content with her girlfriend Kaia and home. One day, Aurati seers come to the village and end up kidnapping Kaia. So, Maren reacts of course by running away from home and vowing to save Kaia from the stronghold by stealing a dragon. Along the way she meets a few friends and not everything works out according to plan.

So, okay some honest thoughts here – I did think this book was kind of slow paced. I think because I had read a few reactions on goodreads beforehand. So I was expecting dragons immediately. I was expecting Maren to steal a dragon right off the bad and when that didn’t happen I was bored. Plus we only see Kaia and Maren together in depth at the very beginning of the book. FYI, the beginning of Shatter The Sky is compelling and fascinating and has strong world building. It’s when Maren leaves to go after Kaia that things get boring. And well, I am not sure how I feel about Kaia, she just seems like a crap girlfriend and not really worth all the journeying and dragon stealing.

On the whole, Shatter The Sky is sure to appeal to its target audience — which is NOT me and I am totally okay with that and acknowledge my experience with this book was more an April thing than a general all readers will feel this way thing. It is so so awesome that lesbian teens will have a mirror with this book so to speak. But maybe I also am having this reaction because I also read The Priory Of The Orange Tree and that book just completely blew me away.

Maren loves her home, but when her best friend and heart mate Kaia is captured, she leaves and goes to the dragon fortress to find a way to save her. Soon she meets Sev, and even though they misunderstand each other, they soon become unlikely allies. Maren uncovers some difficult truths along the way, and she must make some hard choices to save her friends and herself from the evil tyrant's minions. She will find that she has more strength and courage than she thought, and she must decide if she should stand up against tyranny or continue to run away from her enemies. Set in a unique world with dragons and a government with bad intentions, this book is an unputdownable adventure.
If you're looking for high stakes adventure, then you're going to love this book. I couldn't stop reading this book - it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. The perilous situations and exciting plot kept me reading, and I didn't get bogged down in the story at all. The characters are sympathetic and the descriptions are so realistic that they drew me right in the story. The small dragon was one of my favorite characters. Though I didn't agree with some of the characters' views or choices, the plot was so dominant that I truly enjoyed the entire story. That cliffhanger ending makes me want book two now. It will definitely be tough to wait, but it will be worth it.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. A positive review was not required, and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Will post to all links 7/30

Shatter the Sky by Rebecca Kim Wells is a fantastic book for those on the younger side of the young adult spectrum. It provides completely diverse cast, a fresh take on dragons that really surprised me, which is saying a lot. Plus, the romantic plotline didn’t overwhelm the plot, which coming from someone who would like to see less heavy-handed romance of any kind in fantasy/sci-fi (which is why you rarely find me talking about that aspect in any of my reviews), I found this refreshing.

The world building was well done with each part of the world that is visited. It is with character development and change over time that Wells really shines. From an excommunicated prince to rulers and most importantly the main character, Maren Wells' willingness to not just develop but change them throughout the story is poignant.

Maren's girlfriend, Kaia has a very strong and confident personality, while Maren is very much the opposite. Their relationship centers more around Maren's awe of Kaia's confidence and strength than actual love. Due to this, Maren never really can deal with and overcome her lack of self-esteem and confidence.
However, when Kaia is kidnapped and Maren becomes determined to rescue her, she begins to believe more in herself. As she must overcome many challenges along the way, Maren begins to learn what she is truly capable when she isn't living in Kaia's shadow. Additionally, she realizes that it isn't just Kaia she that needs saving. It isn't just Kaia she wants to save.

The dragons in this story are utterly priceless. How they are being treated is heartbreaking and enraging. They are a variety of ages and capabilities but enslaved through different oils that subdue them into submission until they are trained, if accepted by the dragon, through the open heart of their trainer.

Although this will save them from a life of sickness, living chained with no space, fighting in stadium-styled brawls. Entertaining the emperor at his and the palace’s whim, Maren knows that that there isn’t a piece of the system is right. Not for the dragons in the dungeons. Not for the dragons bonded to trainers.

“But the taming of the dragon- even this small first step- was a sight that rang inside me like a discordant note… These creatures would be nobility. But not free. Never free.”

Shatter the Sky moves through the rest of the story with Maren’s conquest to save Kaia while also trusting in her beliefs and trust in dragons. It is her developing core values in the dragons, the support systems she develops along the way and her own self-worth that steadies her step-by-step. It is the first book in a series that will have a loyal following as it develops into the next installment. With readers growing along with it.
it.

Shatter the Sky is the captivating first installment of a new fantasy series packed full of adventure, magic, dragons, and intrigue. I’ve been excited to read this one since I first saw posts about it because I am always looking for good LGBT representation in different genres–not the kind of representation about being LGBT or the struggle of coming out–but the kind that portrays characters being who they are while doing magic, fighting evil, and being generally awesome. I really enjoyed this book, and Wells had me hooked from the very beginning. Her writing is lovely and the world she has created is complex and interesting and I feel like the first book is only touching the surface of what is to come.

That being said, I did have trouble rating this one initially because of how the sexual representation is portrayed. Reading the jacket, you would likely think this book is about a lesbian character who goes on a quest to rescue her girlfriend after she is taken unexpectedly. What you probably do not assume is that she is actually a bisexual who, after finding the courage to risk her entire life in order to save the one she loves–and has loved since childhood–has her head so easily turned by a handsome dude she meets along the way. The queer spectrum is vast and diverse and representation for all parts of it are essential but should never come as a surprise, especially in literature geared for younger people. I read this book and struggled a little bit not to feel like I was baited into a lesbian storyline only to have it turn into a bisexual love triangle. It is not a spoiler to let readers know what they are getting into, especially when it comes to sexual representation.

Beyond that, I had trouble believing that after a lifetime of loving Kaia, Maren could fall for someone else. Is her heart really so fickle that it is turned at the first opportunity? This was my second reaction after the initial surprise. However, I do wonder if the author was trying to show the extreme character growth that Maren experiences on her journey. She spends her young life happily in the shadow of her larger than life girlfriend, always believing she is ordinary. Not until Kaia is taken from her, and Maren is forced out of her comfortable and safe village, does she realize that she is courageous, cunning, and actually quite extraordinary. She meets Sev while discovering and embracing all of these things about herself, and I do think it is believable that she could feel drawn to him because of that. But is that enough to draw her heart away from someone she’s loved for so long?

Maybe.

I’m very intrigued to see how this is handled as the story continues in the next book. I am not a fan of love triangles, and while I love romance in my books, I hope this is less of a focus than the incredible plot Wells has built up. A missing prince who could change the political landscape, dragons on the rise, people coming together to rebel against sinister magical forces–it is a recipe for a great and memorable story if it is handled the right way. Despite my misgivings and complicated feelings about the romantic aspect of this story, I am invested and looking forward to what comes next and have not felt this enamored by a dragon story since Eragon.

A big thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the advanced review copy in exchange for my honest review.

Shatter the Sky is an incredible novel that follows one Maren, a quiet girl with no delusions of grandeur as she embarks on an adventure to save her girlfriend from the corrupted grasp of the empire. It is a fast-paced story that builds and builds upon itself as it moves forward. This knitting pattern of storytelling allows the structure of the overall story to hold to together artfully and in the way the story stacks upon itself, mirrors the journey of the character. The setting and world-building structure blends the realism into the story, taking the fantasy and wrapping it in a world of realism. The mechanics of this world are easy to understand and engage the reader, allowing the reader to fully grasp how dragons and magic fit into this world seamlessly. The added political tension adds dimension and works to keep the story grounded and captivating for the reader.

The other part of the novel that makes it so compelling is Maren. She begins as such a soft-spoken character, but her evolution, the challenges she faces, the push against her and she pushes against them and past them to continue her quest. However, her journey and character development are not her most substantial assets, but rather, her identity is. Maren is a not only a QPOC (Queer Person of Color); she is also a biracial character. While Maren faces no outright racism, she has never felt as though she properly fit in with her small village. Her journey from her mountain top allows her to not only grow as a character, but it also allows her to grow more comfortable in her skin, sending a powerful message to readers.

The inclusion and representation do not stop with the depiction and texture of her skin, hair, and eyes, but also expands to her sexuality. Wells uses Maren and the world she has built to showcase the LGBTQ community in such a beautiful way. Her sexuality is never once frowned upon, questioned or demeaned but instead treated with the acceptance and normalcy it deserves in real life.

Shatter the Sky is a thrilling story that sucks the readers in with the dragons and representation that fills the pages with enthralling believability.

This young adult fantasy is somewhat melancholy, but with a dash of hope and defiance as embodied by it's protagonist, Maren. This is a coming of age novel, set in a time where the ruling class is feared and a revolt is brewing. Throw in an exiled prince and dragons, and you got the basics for a great start to this YA fantasy. Wells touches on some really interesting topics, including first loves (and potentially growing out of them), and fluid sexuality. It makes for a slightly deeper high fantasy than the typical swords and sorcery, and I do hope that it continues from its strong beginnings.

Thanks to net galley.com, author Rebecca Kim Wells and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for the advance PDF file copy for my honest review.

Not a typical genre that I read, but Niamh Murphy made me realize that dragons peaked my interest and thought I'd give this one a try. My first read from author Rebecca Kim Wells. While I found the storyline at times to be both detailed, the way too slow for my liking, unrealistic at times and will give the sequel a try. Also felt that you have very little chemistry between Kaia and Maren, compared to what you have between Sev and Maren . With that said, definitely will appeal more to readers who like this genre and enjoy it.

2.5 stars.

I had written most of this review earlier but then my internet decided to go crazy and I lost the draft so now I am less inclined to go into a long review again.

Before I read this book I didn't have much expectations for my reading experience, so I guess you could say Shatter the Sky performed up to them.

The biggest downfall for me was the writing. It was quite dry as it was very straight forward. There are no beautifully lyrical passages, nor is there are any play with structures, the prose is very plain and unadorned. Some people might like that but I want the writing in the books I read to have a bit more meat.

As a result I couldn't fully connect with Maren, nor did I become invested in the relationships she created or grew.

But I must say I applaud this book for its bisexual main character and for Maren to show her equal attraction to both sexes throughout this book, instead of just heavily skewing to one gender. There are some hints of an Asian background in the world building and I appreciated that too. It's always lovely when stories don't stick to the default - white.

The aromacracy section of this book was the best part and I wish there was more of it. I loved learning along with our main character on how to create scents and in turn how they affect the dragons when they are exposed to them. It's really neat.

The bond Maren develops with the baby dragon was so cute and I loved those bits. I wish there were more of them. I always like it when authors show these mythical creatures as highly intelligent because that's how I think of them instead of blood thirsty mindless animals.

It's a shame about the cover. It really did this book no favors. For a book with a premise on dragons, I would have thought there would be a bigger emphasis on having one included that is more obvious than a shadowy background figure in the clouds which could easily be missed upon first glance.

Overall, it's all right and probably quite enjoyable for those who haven't read too much dragon stories.

eArc provided by NetGalley.

I first heard about Shatter the Sky from Twitter and was intrigued because it had a bi protagonist. Then I read the summary; a quest to get your girlfriend back using dragons? Sign me up. Shatter the Sky was an intriguing read, with strong worldbuilding and great character development.

The whole concept of dragons was really interesting in this book. I will say that it didn't have maximum dragons, but I'm sure that will be remedied in the next book. They use oils and scents to somewhat control the dragons, influencing them to sleep or to feel rage. It was definitely a nice addition to the worldbuilding that made this book feel unique.

The worldbuilding is very thought out; Wells makes sure to describe the world in great detail, especially the different countries and who rules over another. It's a lot to take in, but she clearly put a lot of effort into it.

I liked Maren and being in her head, even though I wanted to scream at her sometimes. Her relationship with Kaia was so cute as well, and she is incredibly dedicated to rescuing her. Also, this book normalizes gay relationships! I find this rare in high fantasies in YA today, so I loved this nice little touch.

I found the writing to be very lighthearted; I'm not quite sure how to explain it but I lowkey got vibes like Poison by Brigid Zinn? Both have this airy tone that gives the book such a fun feel.

I don't really see how Sev likes Maren so much when they've only talked approximately ten times. I sense a love triangle in the future, not that that's necessarily a bad thing.

Shatter the Sky is a nice read, with intricate worldbuilding and great characters. I loved the normalization of same-sex relationships, especially in a high fantasy; if you want to read a book with a bi protagonist in a f/f relationship, this is the one for you.. I can't wait for book two to dive back into this world and Maren's predicaments!

**This review will be up on my blog Magical Reads on July 26, 2019.**

Maren just wants a quiet life with her girlfriend Kaia in the kingdom of Zefed. The Aurati seers visit different districts to do a population count, leave prophecies for the future, and sometimes take girls to become part of their ranks. Kaia is abducted by agents of the emperor and forced to join them. To save her, Maren wants to steal one of the emperor's dragons and storm the stronghold. In order to do that, she has to become an apprentice to the dragon trainer, which then leaves her privy to a host of secrets she was unprepared to learn.

With the opening chapter, we meet Kaia and Maren in their element just before the Aurati visit. That kicks off this story, which proceeds as most fantasy stories do. Our heroine just wants her girlfriend back, and willing to break with tradition in order to do it. She has to learn a host of skills along the way, make allies, and push herself past what she thought she would be able to do. As Maren learns more about the Aurati and the cliquish ways they interact, so do we. She has dreams that serve as a way of linking her to Kaia, who is always on her mind. For the reader, that deepens the mystery surrounding the Aurati and the urgency to find her.

Maren goes through a lot over the course of the novel, and it changes her. Kaia is different as well, and a lot of what we thought we knew about the Aurati over the course of the novel is different by the ending. Sometimes getting what you wanted isn't what you dreamed it would be, but that doesn't mean it's wrong. Prophecies can be interpreted in different ways, after all, and I hope that this is the start of a series. I can't wait to see what happens next.

Shatter the Sky
By: Rebecca Kim Wells

I read through this book in about 2 days, really enjoyed it. It was a great beginning for a trilogy, a lot of introductions and story building that I felt did not slow down the pacing of the book. I did see a couple of YA tropes, but it didn’t stop me from coming out of this book satisfied especially when I was reading about the dragons. That was the best part of the book, the dragon storyline and their oppression from the empire. Can’t wait to read the second book, I need more dragons!
Thank You to NetGalley for allowing me to read this novel for an honest review

This is a decent enough book but honestly aside from the F/F romance angle there is not much to set this apart from any other young adult high fantasy ~secret chosen one~ book on the market today. I'm sure the dragons will also be a huge selling point for many people, but I've never been that into dragons so while I thought the baby ones were adorable, it wasn't exactly a selling point for me. Also the main character is separated from her girlfriend for literally the entire book and even though she is trying to rescue her, I still don't feel like we really get a good feel for their relationship or Kaia in general so I had trouble connecting on that level as well. Also there's a part where she kind of starts falling for some guy with like NO basis for it whatsoever and I was just like ??? If you are just absolutely desperate for a F/F fantasy book [and honestly aren't we all] then this is an okay read, but I won't be continuing with the series.

I liked this book. It wasn’t a book that blew my mind or wow’ed me, but I still had a pretty good time reading it. Also, it only took me like two real reading sessions to finish it, so it held me interest well enough.

Here, I’ll just go ahead and say why I can’t rate this book higher than 4 stars. It was a short book, just barely over 300 pages (304 to be exact), and I felt like more of the story needed to be expanded on. I wanted more time getting to know the characters, joining them on this journey. I wanted more time with Maren training with the Aromatory. I wanted more depth during the travel periods. Things felt a little too simple and a bit predictable to me.

The concept is intriguing and I think the setup and the world and the characters have a lot of potential. The last 30 or so pages were especially interesting, which means that I’m very curious as to what will happen in the sequel.

What I did really like is that Maren’s relationship with Kaia is what drove her to go on this journey, because she wouldn’t have left her mountain home otherwise. Maren was fine being a plain and ordinary person, living in the shadow of the person she’s grown up loving. Through this journey I think that Maren has started to develop more, and she she is not just learning more about the world, but also about herself.

Part of that may include discovering her romantic/sexual identity. She loves Kaia and has pretty much always had feelings for her, but during this story she finds herself possibly having feelings for someone else, a masculine someone. So I’m curious to see if it develops into anything or not. Honestly I am cool whichever way it goes. I’m not so invested in one potential coupling or another, so it’s all okay to me.

Also, I kind of wish that there had been just a little more dragon in this one. There was barely enough, but I really like dragon stories, so more would have been awesome.

Sapphic romance and dragons with a protagonist who does not feel she can do the thing. Some of story can be standard by fantasy standards, but I can not wait for the sequel.

Yeah this one was just alright. The world building seemed to contradict itself a lot, the MC had no personality besides: "I gotta save my girlfriend!!!!", and the rest of the characters had little to no development.

What I did like was the dragons (I'm an absolutely hoe for these babies), the intense scenes were written quite well, and the LGBTQ aspects were cool.

Other than that, it was very underwhelming. Found myself skimming the last chapter just to be done with it.

Girl loves girl. Girl loses girl. Girl sets out to steal a dragon to get girl back. Sign me up! Marren has spent her whole life in a conquered mountain nation and has no plans to leave. She loves her family, her life, and her heartmate, Kaia. Kaia has always wanted to leave and see the world, and though Marren considers setting out with Kaia someday, all of that changes when Kaia is taken by the Aurati to serve the empire. To get her back, Marren will risk life and limb, and steal a dragon from the stronghold far from her homeland.

I knew going in there would be more than one book in this series, but still when it got to about 90%, I was worried things would end of a cliffhanger. Everything doesn’t get wrapped up in a neat, little bow, because the audience has to have something to look forward to, but the ending was satisfying enough, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

There is a bit of a love triangle, which is almost always a turnoff for me, but I did appreciate that Marren is bisexual, and I like the relationship building throughout the story, even if I wasn’t a fan of the more than one potential sweetheart storyline.

Dragons, though. Can we talk about the dragons? That is a big part of why I signed up for this book, and they did not disappoint! There are wild dragons, trained dragons, and even BABY dragons! If you’re looking for cool dragons, look no further than this book.

This one is out on July 30th, so keep an eye out for it, and I’ll be impatiently waiting for book 2, Storm the Earth sometime next year.

Howdy, howdy! It’s the last Wednesday of July, so you should all know what that means. It’s time for another book review! This month, I felt like getting into something fantastical, maybe with dragons or something, so that’s what I looked for on NetGalley. They recommended the young adult novel Shatter the Sky by Rebecca Kim Wells, which was released yesterday (July 30th). It sounded interesting, so I went ahead and requested it. I must thank NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for allowing me access to an ARC (advanced reader copy) in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Now, let’s get to the review.

Shatter the Sky follows Maren who leaves her secluded home in the hopes of rescuing her girlfriend, Kaia, who is taken by the Aurati seers. Maren never actually wanted to leave her home and always believed she was average, especially next to Kaia who was obviously meant for greater things than the mountains could provide. But when Kaia is stolen, Maren decides she needs to reclaim a dragon from the Flame of the West (the warlord who loves nothing more than conquering lands) and rain down fire and destruction upon the Aurati. But how is an average girl like her supposed to do that? With a little help from friends, apparently. But is Sev, a guy she meets along the way, really a friend? And can his allies really help her rescue Kaia? Maren doesn’t have any idea what she’s doing or who to trust, but she does all she can to keep moving forward.

The plot is pretty standard fantasy fare. An underdog rises above her challenges in order to achieve her goals, discovering along the way that she’s actually super special. Not only must she face physical obstacles, but there’s also a budding romance with the new friend despite her devotion to her heartmate, which brings up shame and all that good stuff. And there’s an adorable little dragon that gets sucked into the adventures. It’s a little predictable at points, but still enjoyable.

It’s not the plot that pulled me in, but the characters. Of course, in the beginning, Kaia is the obvious choice for a heroine, but then she’s abducted and we only get to see snippets of her in Maren’s visions. By the end, she’s so completely changed that it makes me want to read the next book to find out what she really becomes. Maren is headstrong and a little flighty. She rarely has more than a vague notion of a plan, but that never stops her. However, her insistence that Kaia is somehow better than her does become annoying. Sev is an ambiguous character that could either be really good or he could go really bad, which is fun. He’s adamant that his cause is the only way to a better future, which most villains feel the same way. But if he keeps with Maren, and lets her influence shape him, he could become a hero in his own right. This book is leaning toward the latter for him, but it doesn’t mean he won’t veer off in the next book. Otherwise, I love the dragons and want more of them.

The writing itself was smooth and a made for nice read. A lot of the description was beautiful and the pacing pulled me along at a good clip. The dialogue occasionally felt stilted, but not enough to really distract from the story.

Ultimately, I enjoyed Shatter the Sky so much that I’m looking forward to book two and am a little sad that I have to wait for it.

Overall, I gave it 4 out of 5 stars. Like I said, it’s standard fantasy fare, but the characters made it worth reading for me. If you enjoy character development and can get past some predictableness, this is definitely worth reading.

I tried really hard to get into this, but I couldn't find myself caring about the characters within the first six chapters. The pacing was kinda slow, and I felt like there needed to be a bit more worldbuilding. I was so excited for sapphic dragon riders, but was disappointed.