This is more like 3.5 stars. I really enjoy Fonda Lee's writing and that was still the case with this novella. However, this being a short book it just left me wanting more development. I loved the concept and I just wish it was longer.

I feel like I did Fonda Lee a disservice by starting with this novella rather than the Green Bone Saga. On the other hand, things can go only up from here, right?
As I read, and especially after I finished, I struggled to see the point of this novella set in a completely new world over the course of a huge portion of the main character's life. As a result, no one specific aspect of the narrative could be explored in any sort of meaningful depth. The narrative also lacked a satisfying arc for the plot, no real conflict to build to a resolution for. I have absolutely no quibbles with the writing itself, just all the pieces inside.

This is my second story by Fonda Lee, and it was almost like reading from a completely different author. I always respect when writers do things so drastically different from what they've done before.

About the story itself: it was fantastic. I find novellas to be almost more challenging than full-length novels, due to how quickly you have to pull the readers in, and Lee did that exceptionally. The world was interesting, the characters were engaging, and I felt for them, in the small things and the big.

If this stays as a standalone novella, that would be completely fine, but I also hope Lee writes more in this world. Really enjoyed it.

Ester’s family was torn apart when a manticore killed her mother and baby brother, leaving her with nothing but her father’s painful silence and a single, overwhelming need to kill the monsters that took her family.

Ester’s path leads her to the King’s Royal Mews, where the giant rocs of legend are flown to hunt manticores by their brave and dedicated ruhkers. Paired with a fledgling roc named Zahra, Ester finds purpose and acclaim by devoting herself to a calling that demands absolute sacrifice and a creature that will never return her love. The terrifying partnership between woman and roc leads Ester not only on the empire’s most dangerous manticore hunt, but on a journey of perseverance and acceptance.

I adored this book. Fonda Lee is a fave author of mine, so my opinion might be a little biased :)

I'm not usually a fan of novellas, but this one felt complete for the most part. Considering the length of the book, there were no issues with pacing or character development. Fonda's writing is exquisite; I was able to envision this world and often felt engrossed in the story and the setting.

The main character's voice was enjoyable, though depressing at times, because of the nature of her story, I would recommend this book to anyone who loves epic fantasy with a found family trope. My only wish is that this were longer!

I liked the basic premise of this book, but just as the book starts to get interesting - it just ends. While I went into this knowing it was a novella, it felt like it would have greatly benefited by being a full length novel.

Watch my video review by clicking here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84iDineWpzY

Gorgeous. I didn’t realized how much I had missed Fonda Lee’s writing until picking this up. She is phenomenal!

In the back of my ARC of Untethered Sky, there was a short section from Fonda Lee about how she went to a con and got encouraged by authors there to try her hand at writing a novella. She said she had an idea for a short story about a girl who rode cool giant birds. And you know, if that isn’t the best way to describe Untethered Sky I don’t know what else is. This isn’t the deepest or most profound story, but it is a fun tale about really big ass birds called Rocs.

Ester’s family was torn apart when a manticore… well… literally tore them apart. A painfully common monster in this world, these leather-backed scorpion lions are impervious to pretty much all small arms. You would need swords the size of doors to pierce through them, good thing there is a local variety of birds called a roc that has said door swords attached to its feet and has a penchant for manticore killing.

After devastation takes Ester’s family, she decided to give her life to the King’s Royal Mews, where the giant rocs of legend are trained to hunt with dedicated ruhkers. Paired with a fledgling roc named Zahra, Ester finds purpose in her now empty life as she dedicates her entire being to murdering the scourge that took her family from her.

If I had to say the best thing about Untethered Sky it would be vibes. Ester’s entire deal feels frantic and hollow this entire story and it reads like the dark downward spiral of someone who has lost everything and hyper-focuses on something deeply unhealthy to cope. Lee conveys roc training like falconry, which is already hard, but now you have an animal that can kill you at the slightest provocation. On top of all of this, the ruhkers hunt manticore by getting on a horse and using themselves as bait and hoping their roc gets there fast enough. This entire story exudes a miasma of stress and I love it for that. The supporting cast is also delightful. It’s primarily composed of two other ruhkers of very different temperaments and through them, we get to see a deeper look into the different ways that people bond with these monster birds.

As for the negative, the biggest issue is that I don’t feel like there is a lot here other than a cool atmospheric story about birds (which is sometimes all you need). There is some subtext around the inherent nature of monsters and their morality/uses, but it’s not as front and center as it could be. Because of this, Untethered Sky comes off as surprisingly lighthearted despite its very dark vibes which puts it in a strange, but interesting position.

Untethered Sky is a weird little novella that showcases a thick atmosphere and Lee’s renowned prose. It lacks a little substance, but it makes up for it with fun giant birds. If you are looking for A story about ultimate falconry, or if you are a fan of Fonda Lee’s other work, you will probably enjoy this short tale about the healing nature of murdering giant scorpion lions.

Rating: Untethered Sky – 7.5/10
-Andrew

This is the first time I've read a Fonda Lee book and good God, it won't be the last. I really liked this novella. Untethered Sky is inspired by creatures from Middle Eastern mythology, particularly Persian mythology.

I really liked the main character Ester and the side characters, and despite being a short story Fonda Lee manages to develop and build the fantastic world very well. My only complaint is that I feel like Untethered Sky had more potential to be a full novel. I would have loved to read more of the characters and their adventures with the rocs.

But overall Untethered sky is a brutal but beautiful tale that needs to be in your TBR.

a lovely, brutal and haunting story. full of equal parts gore and beautiful prose and intense action.

Ester dreams of being a ruhker, a trainer of rocs, creatures that hunt manticores, a monster that killed Esters family. The training leads her through the challenges of becoming an expert and learning the skills that she needs to bring her first roc through a season of hunting, triumphs, injuries, and losses. Altogether turning her into the hunter she wants to be.

This is a coming-of-age story about a girl who has had a singular goal and passion for a long time and how the connection with her career and animal and people with like minded people and connections that are made an lost. And growth into the hunter and trainer that she wants to be that comes with hard work, successes, and loss. The writing in this is really tight. There is a while world here, so this novella could've gotten much more broad into the politics and the relationships between the various groups, so this really did feel like a small view/slice into the world. Overall, I enjoyed this story.

Thank you to Tor Dot Com Pub and Fonda Lee for partnering with B2Weird for a book tour and the gifted copy!

my only gripe is the cliche damsel-in-distress ending, but otherwise, it almost brought me to tears, and I loved the writing and world-building! I wanted to dip my toe into Fonda Lee's writing before going into the Green Bone Saga, and I now feel well-equipped lol

"People have admired rocs for centuries. Artists paint them, sculpt them, tell stories about them. I wanted to be one. I wanted to be the monster that kills other monsters."

---

I am amazed by my love for this 150 page story. Fonda Lee's Green Bone Saga is one of my fantasy series, but my goodness, what she's created here with this short novella is a marvel. Just tell me what I need to do for this to become a full length novel because I need more!

I became so enraptured by this world and its lore. The qualities and characteristics of the rocs and their unique bond with their riders had me turning page after page. I think most people dream of entering a fantasy world and becoming a dragon rider, but after this, I want to be a ruhker.

I think this would be a great entry read for anyone wanting to dip their toes into the fantasy genre. And any person who is a fantasy veteran will eat this up!

Thank you NetGalley for sending me an eARC of UNTETHERED SKY in exchange for my honest review!

I’ve been having a very hard reading these days, so all my arcs and books have fallen on the wayside. But when I found an audiobook for this book, I thought it would be a good short one to accompany me during my resting periods. And it worked very well.

For a novella, this book is emotionally very strong, evoking so many feelings in me like joy, shock, despair and more. The writing is just sublime and very easy to read, while also getting to know the details of this world full of monsters, where you can’t be sure of even the monsters that are supposed to be on your side. The relationship between the rocs and the ruhkers was shown very beautifully, through multiple characters and their companions, but ultimately it was the fact that the animal companions are never gonna feel the same as their human handlers was what made this a heartfelt but ultimately bittersweet tale of unlikely friendships.

This book shows that Fonda Lee is amazing in any format of books, capturing so much in such a short book and leaving a strong impression on the reader. And it was strongly supported by very emotional narration by Nikki Massoud. Definitely recommend this if you wanna be carried away into a new world but are short on time.

• 𝕭𝖔𝖔𝖐 𝕽𝖊𝖛𝖎𝖊𝖜 •
When a manticore killed Ester's mother and infant brother, her family was torn apart, leaving her with nothing except her father's agonising silence and a single, overpowering desire to destroy the creatures that had slain her family. Ester's journey takes her to the King's Royal Mews, where the heroic and devoted ruhkers of the legendary huge rocs fly them to hunt manticores. Ester discovers her mission and success by dedicating herself to a cause that calls for total devotion and a being that will never return her love, together with a young roc named Zahra. In addition to embarking on the most hazardous manticore hunt in the empire, Ester is also led on a journey of acceptance and endurance by the horrific relationship between woman and roc.
Untethered Sky is a fun read with interesting characters. Characterisation is commendable. Every characters are well sketched. The flow and setting of the story is interesting. Though it's a short read, Fonda Lee could evoke throbbing emotions with her writing skills. The author uses first person point of view of the protagonist Ester. So, we get the entire psychological pictures of her mind. We can see all the reasons behind her actions.
The prose quality is elegant. It's a story of love, sacrifice, friendship and vengeance.
Overall, it's a short powerful fantasy read that deals with bond between people and fantasy creature.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC

Untethered Sky ends up feeling like quite an intense story, a story of obsession and single-minded dedication to something that doesn't love you back. Ester is a ruhker, trained to hunt with and manage a roc in order to hunt monsters, obsessed with her bird and everything about her. Her only friends are ruhkers as well, and she's barely in contact with her family -- everything is about the rocs, and especially her own bird.

I really enjoyed it, because it felt like Fonda Lee really sank into the character and how she'd view the world. There's a lot we don't know about it, because Ester only cares about rocs and the monsters they hunt, and that makes complete sense for the character. Her love for her bird, her feelings about her friends, it's all perfectly thought out, and Lee does beautifully with making it feel real.

I love as well that it doesn't take the easy way out: the ending is more than a little heart-wrenching.

[Review link live on 14th May.]

While I love Fonda Lee’s worlds, this one definitely needed more time. By the end, I hardly even cared about the main character, let alone anyone else. I understand it’s a novella and saying that it should be longer defeats the purpose of a novella, but this should have maybe just focused on the beginning of Ester’s journey rather than skipping through years at a time. I’d love a full novel of something like this.

I loved the setting of this book, the world of the ruhkers and their deadly avian partners was so well thought out, if felt very real. The writing style had a touch of a retelling. The whole book is very focused on character development and world building. The plot takes a backseat to that.

This was a good novella. But I went into the story thinking it was a full length novel. This left me feeling like the story was rushed. But I think that was more because of my expectations, not the actual story. I loved the world and the lore and training. I definitely would read more in this world.

I always adore reading about any flying being and when we meet Ester in Untethered Sky she is just beginning her apprenticeship to become a Ruhker, a trainer of giant bird-like animals called rocs. And that's only the start of this epic story that just might be the best novella I’ve ever read!!