The Endless Skies is one of my most anticipated reads this year and I was so happy to be approved of an eARC! For fans of Adrienne Young and Wonder Women, what's not to like? If you enjoy the tropes of YA books, then this is for you.

The Endless Skies is a character quest, fantasy book for young adults. I found certain elements of the world and its characters interesting - I loved the concept of the floating island, Heliana and the shapeshifting race who live there! The Leonodai are a people who can transform into winged lions, who are in an ongoing conflict with humans. When a terrible sickness breaks out and affects their children, the Leonodai warriors are sent on a mission to find the only known cure, which happens to be in enemy territory.

I found this a fun and easy read. The main character Rowan finds herself torn between two love interests but the author handled this well - I tend to find love triangles a bit irritating in most books but this wasn't the case with The Endless Skies. I didn't really mind who she chose and I think that might be because the book is definitely plot-driven rather than character-driven and there was room for more character development. I could happily have read fifty more pages and sacrificed the pace for more time spent on the characters but that's just personal preference!

Overall I like the fact that this is a standalone (not everything needs to be a 'trilogy!) but because I really enjoyed the author's imagination I would definitely read another book set in the same world.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for approving me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

There was so much to like about this book, starting with the gorgeous cover.

However, I felt like too much was trying to be set up for the story to really hit the way it wanted to. The world is so interesting and held so much promise, and there could be many different ways to continue working in this world. But, I felt like all the world building was crammed into a story that didn't have room enough to breathe.

I liked how strong a character Rowan was, but there were multiple POVs and I don't feel like I got to know the other characters as much as I would have liked. Rowan stuck out the most to me, and I feel like she was the most developed out of all of the characters we meet.

The story is full of action, which I loved, but the romance aspect lacked a little for me. I think if the story had been broken into maybe two installments, it would have given readers more time to fall in love with the characters and to make the romance more believable.

I really think readers will enjoy this book for what it is, even if it may not exceed expectations. It is truly an original idea with a magic system unlike most things on the market. It has so much potential! It's still worth the read.

Thank you Netgalley and Tor/Forge for this Arc!

I love this idea. A floating city which is home to shapeshifter warriors. A strange sickness is taking root and harming the children so teams of warriors strike out to the human world to find the cure in the form of a magic flower. And, there is romance.

However, this was not my favorite read. I felt like the romance, which was actually a love triangle, did not feel real to me. It's hard to explain. The relationships did not feel sincere. I could definitely see other readers enjoying this fully though. I just don't think this story was a perfect fit for me.

If your a YA fan of Adrienne Young and Adalyn Grace then I’d recommend this tale.
Told from different POVs and hood world building this stand alone is a good introduction to fantasy if your wanting to get into this genre.
Could have more depth to the world building and character development but is a good story. Would be even better and stronger if the author decides to maybe do a duology with this world.

This was not a bad book, it just wasn't the book for me.

This story is about the Leonodai, a race of lion shapeshifters, facing a plague that is targeting the young. Told from three POVs, The Endless Skies shows how the race for a cure effects this new world.

Shirene is a part of the government, in fact she is the newly appointed King's Voice. As she navigates her new role, she discovers secrets and lies. Rowan is Shirene's younger sister who is about to make the transition from Warrior-Elect to Warrior. Callen is Rowan's best friend, who is a full-fledged Warrior.

Despite the multiple POVs, it soon becomes clear that this is Rowan's story. Callen's POVs are often centered around her because not only is Rowan his best friend, she's also the love of his life. Shirene's POV is not that focused on Rowan, and we see her practically disappear from the narrative when it comes to the middle of the story, which is a shame because I was really interested in her story line. Also, Shirene and Rowan's sister bond just felt lacking to me. Rowan has the most POV chapters and we see her POV dominate the story. It isn't a bad thing, I was just looking forward to multiple perspectives and seeing how the plague/pandemic effected different people in this world. (Shirene has 8 POV chapters, Callen has 18, and Rowan has 24)

Plus, there's a love triangle. It's probably the nicest love triangle I've ever read - the two guys don't duel each other, they're both nice, and they both seem content to let the girl (Rowan) choose. So yay for letting the girl decide who she wants to be with.

The Endless Skies is a good standalone YA fantasy novel with an interesting world. I can easily see many people enjoying this. But at the end of the day, I didn't love The Endless Skies, which kind of hurts because I really wanted to.

Special thanks to YALLWest and TorTeen for this eARC through NetGalley! I really appreciated the opportunity to read this.

Three and a half
I have to preface this review by stating that this isn't a terrible book my rating is a bit low simply because it took me quite a while to truly engage with this world.
Rowan is a lion shifter determined to help protect her people from humans. When the children start getting infected and dying its learned that a flower grows where the humans live that could save the rest. As Rowan hasn't yet fully qualified she's told she must stay home but Rowan quickly finds out that dangerous secrets have been withheld ! She knows she risks being branded a traitor but Rowan makes her decision to leave home and follow the warriors already searching for a cure .
I loved the idea of lion shifters living in a floating city and the story truly got interesting when Rowan stepped up. Sadly there is a YA triangle here which truly was neither needed nor actually really worked. For me a romantic triangle adds tension and perhaps causes doubt but both the male love interests are sweet, loving types so it didn't add much if anything. What I did like was seeing Rowan sally forward in the human world making friends and discovering just how strong she was. The world building perhaps needed work and honestly the lies and deception by those in power wasn't truly addressed but nevertheless I enjoyed the second half of this book and I'm sure many other readers will also have fun reading this book.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

I absolutely love reading this book! The fact that it is a standalone really keeps me pumped! Love Rowan in this story, so badass and strong and brave! Also the characters were really well-crafted!

This book was good but it should have had much more worldbuilding: the story and the characters were very compelling, but we lacked a lot of information.

Thank you NetGalley for sending this arc for an honest review!

I normally like fantasy but this wasn’t ideally my cup of tea. Perhaps because I was looking for something with more romance but I suppose I didn’t grasp the kind I wanted.

What I did enjoy about the book was the MC though. Rowan wasn’t boring or anything she was such a strong female warrior who fought for the greatest and I just kill for female action.

Rowan has trained her whole life to be a warrior, just like her father and sister before her. A Leonodai, Rowan is a shapeshifter – a human and a winged lion – who lives on the floating island of Heliana. On the eve of her oath, Heliana is struck by a deadly disease that is killing the islands children and warriors are sent into enemy land in search of the fabled cure, panacea. Angry to be left behind, Rowan accidentally stumbles on the truth of what is going on in her beloved city and now she faces an unbelievable choice: stay in the city as expected or risk everything she’s worked for to save those she loves most.

Despite the synopsis focusing on Rowan, this book is told in three perspectives: Rowan, her friend and fellow warrior Callen, and her older sister, Sentinel Shirene. While the multiple perspectives helped the reader to know fully what was happening in multiple places at once, I almost wish it had been solely Rowan’s perspective of just Rowan and Callen. I loved Shirene as a character, but her perspective didn’t offer much to the story and was lost in the action-packed chapters of Callen and Rowan. I wanted either more of her or none and nothing in between. None of the characters are particularly likable and the character development is minimal at best.
I could have done without the love triangle, too. It didn’t add anything to the story and felt unnecessary.

I love the author’s style of world building. The book drops you directly into the action at the first chapter and builds the world and characters around it. There could have been more elaboration, but for a standalone it was enough to carry the story and get the plot from beginning to end. The plot was consistently exciting, with a few plot twists to keep the reader on their toes, and it didn’t slump in the middle.

The Endless Skies was a fun, quick, action packed read. Perfect for anyone looking for a good action fantasy without having to commit to a series. Would recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This one had potential but fell flat for me. I enjoyed the story and background of the groups. Felt like it couldn't decide if he wanted to have a romance or not. Too many events seem just thrown into the book for convenience of the story. Rowan was a good character and she had a great fighting personality even though I didn't like the back and forth with her romantic feelings. It just wasn't developed enough for the flip flop. The General and the "evil people" weren't developed enough for me to feel the friction and causes of the animosity.

Cinematic, lush description leaving me mesmerized only to find hours had passed. Shannon’s worldbulding & magic systems were rich with in lore that made my nerdy self scream in excitement. This is a fast pace edge of your seat ride that will leave you wanting to soar high above the clouds.

Fun, fresh, and a must-read for all fantasy lovers! The ideas were unique and the writing really enhanced the book. It's always such a bummer when a great plot and characters are ruined by bad writing, and it was so nice that this book didn't have that problem!

A deadly disease is on the loose and killing children... and its up to Rowan and her friends/love interests to figure it out. The story revolves around a world where there are humans and shapeshifting warriors. Rowan lives in the city of Heliana, a place above the sea where winged-lion shapefshifters protect their kind from humans. Rowan has trained for years to become a warrior but on the day before her training is complete her best friend and the boy she is crushing on are both sent off to fight and she wants to join. Her childhood best friend confesses to her before he leaves and now she is stuck in a love triangle trying to sort out her feelings between the boy who has always been her anchor and friend from the boy who makes her feel alive. Along the way politics, secrets, and war are all unleashed. Rowan must find a way to stop the disease and protect her people, while also deciding who she belongs with. Overall a interesting story, I am usually not one for love triangles and so for me that just didn’t work so well in this story but otherwise it was an okay read.

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Teen for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

The entire premise of the story is very interesting and is very promising. Everything about a group of people called Leonodai who can transform into creatures who can fly.

If you enjoy books with love triangles and a fast-paced mission with a lot of strategy and action, this book could be for you. Personally, I thought it felt really rushed and I didn’t feel very connected to the characters. Part of this could have been because the story was told from three perspectives.

I really enjoyed Rowan and Callen’s perspectives. They were really interesting to me and providing a good balance of romance/emotions and action scenes. However, the other perspective of the sentinel didn’t really click with me. I felt like her perspective did not contribute to the overall story and I just didn’t really care about her as a character.

Also, love triangles aren’t usually my favorite romantic element unless they are done in a unique way and sadly that wasn’t the case in my opinion.

I always feel really bad saying anything negative about a book I know someone worked really hard on. Overall I loved the concept and I think the writing style was very enjoyable, there just were some elements that didn’t quite work for me.

I found this to be an enjoyable read. It had a good mix of adventure, romance, and interesting characters.

Thank you Netgalley and Tor Teen for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book is an adventure filled stand-alone but I almost felt that it could have been 2 books. I did really loved the world building it was unique and the concept of Leodonai warriors was wonderful. I normally don’t care for love triangles but this book included one that wasn’t done horribly. It was drawn out and it never felt that it was there just to add drama and further the plot. The main plot was interesting and engaging. It kept me on my toes and I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen to the main characters. There were a few things that kept it from being 5 stars. I didn’t feel like there was enough time to bond with the sisters and feel for their relationship. The final few pages the author did the thing I hate most by (spoiler alert) killing off a character. I hate when this is added for almost final drama. The death felt more of a thrown in shock than to further anything. I also didn’t really care for was the multiple POV’s. Usually I really enjoy them but this time it felt a little muddled. I’m not sure if it was because the POV’s weren’t the characters in the love triangle but maybe that would have been better to have those 3 characters POV’s. Or it could have just been Rowans POV and her learning of the deception while interacting with the others. Over all I did enjoy this book but it wasn’t an all time favorite. I would recommend it to those who want to read a magical book about adventure and lion shapeshifting warriors.

I enjoyed The Endless Skies quite a bit. There’s action, adventure, a splash of romance and so much more. I thought the world building was awesome. It was unique and intriguing. This was my first book by this author and I definitely recommend it. I’d read more of this author’s work.

The novel follows Rowan, a shapeshifting warrior, as she attempts to save her homeland and her people by finding a cure for a deadly disease targeting children. Along the way, she also must deal with her feelings for 2 different warriors, her family, and an unexpected betrayal as she races against the clock.

This was an okay read for me, but it was really hard to get through. When I first started this book, I had thought the book was focused around Shirene, Rowan's sister, as I found myself being more interested in her chapters, so I was a bit disappointed when I realized we were supposed to follow Rowan instead. I think having only one point of view would have helped a lot with the confusion. However, the worldbuilding in Shirene's chapters really helped me understand the Leonodai society and in turn become invested in their survival, especially with the interactions between the other kingdoms and the deserter. When it focused on Rowan in the second half, the small interpersonal conflicts seemed to pale in comparison, making it hard to be invested beyond wanting them to find a cure.

As a result, when the warriors were sent out, the deaths did not really bother me at all. I was interested in the interactions with the humans, but otherwise I was waiting tor the book to go back to Shirene and the king and queen. The ending was okay, but I did feel like the last death was just done for effect, and didn't really do justice to the character. I think it would have been better if they died in battle. Overall I wanted to like the book, there were many good elements, but I just couldn't connect with the main character.