This novella is excellent. Lee has such a way of getting you into a story, letting you really feel the characters. I loved the worldbuilding of the rocs, and the way she was able to use the roc as an animal. A lot of stories like this would make sure the bond between a human and their bird was the most important thing, but Lee gives this world such a realistic view by reminding you that their bond only goes so far. I adored reading this book and am so happy she took this challenge on!

What an amazing novella! It’s incredible what Fonda Lee was able to do in such a short story. I would love to return to this world. The characters and their relationships are so well done. You feel attached to Ester in a short amount of time, and feel her joy and pain. It’s truly a testament to Lee’s writing. The action sequences left me in suspense and I found myself reading through this very quickly. This story is different from Lee’s Green Bone Saga, but I think fans of hers will enjoy this as well. Thank you NetGalley and Tor for this arc.

Short, sweet, and heartbreaking. The worldbuilding is, like Ester, single-mindedly focused on rukhing details, and you can really tell that there was a lot of effort put into falconry research to make life in the mews believable.

I did feel a weird mix of wanting to see both more of rukhing and more of the outside world. The rest of the worldbuilding isn't nearly as fleshed out, but at the same time I wanted to know the tricks of the trade, what the feeding schedule is like, how they care for their equipment... The whole idea of rukhing is very compelling!

We really only see three characters, but for this novella, it's just about enough to hit you where it really hurts when tragedy unfolds. Lee does a great job sketching out their relationships and what they mean to each other before crashing the party, so all the consequences feel real and believable. I just wish there were fewer ominous quips at the ends of most of the later chapters.

We follow Ester, a girl tragedy has imbued with a singular, obsessive purpose: to be a ruhker, someone who trains and hunts with rocs (think mythical, gigantic birds of prey) to bring down monsters and other creatures that terrorize the villages of the kingdom, vengeance with wings hurled down from the sky.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read. On a personal level, I'm taking ABA classes, and the training sequences incorporated behavioral principles in a way that just blew my mind.

This is a novella, and Fonda Lee leverages the shorter length of the medium masterfully. She doesn't rely on smoke and mirrors here; the writing is compact, precise and as laser-focused as a bird of prey.

I've read Jade City, the first in Fonda Lee's Greenbone saga, and the thing that stood out to me there was that it was basically martial arts put to page. This is to say that Lee can write an engaging action scene and she transposes this to the beauty and majesty of wild animals in Untethered Sky.

Thematically, I loved the discussion around the question of with wild things and nature, can we really attach any sort of morality to it?

Overall, if you're looking for a fast-paced, engaging, action-packed, quick read about wild beasts, this is definitely one to check out!

I got this as an ARC through NetGalley. The book was exactly what I was hoping for. Short but impactful. We know from the beginning that there's gonna be tragedy, and I was constantly waiting for it to strike. I really like the way it ended, sad but still hopeful. I'd like to read more about this world, and the ruhkers and their rocs.

HIGHLIGHTS
~old-school manticores
~rocs are the real rockstars
~passionate people are just more interesting

You know when a book is a perfectly lovely reading experience, there’s nothing to criticise, but you kind of instantly forget about it when it’s over? The Untethered Sky was like that for me – an objectively good book, but one that didn’t leave much of an impression. I don’t have any strong feelings about it. This review definitely isn’t going to be an angry rant, but it won’t be all passionate praise-poetry either.

This is a novella about a woman who hunts the manticores that plague her kingdom with the roc – a supernaturally large bird of prey – that she raised and trained from chick-hood. (Is that a thing? Chick-hood? It doesn’t sound like it’s a thing.) Although the deaths of her mother and brother at the hands of a manticore definitely helped nudge her towards her career, this really doesn’t feel or read like a revenge story. Rather than being obsessed with hunting manticores, I think it would be much more accurate to say that Ester is obsessed with Zahra, her roc.

And I actually thought that was a pretty interesting angle: Lee makes it very clear, through Ester, that rukhers are generally pretty odd people; obsessed with their rocs and the munitae of their rearing, training, and care; insular and isolated, serving society but not really a part of it; and mostly indifferent to the world outside of the Royal Mews. I love getting to hear from people who are very passionate about their Thing, whatever that might be, and I liked the approach of making rukhers out to be oddball obsessives rather than revered badasses. It felt more believable, and for me at least, it made the rukhers much more interesting.

It was easy to read them all as autistics sharing a special interest, really. Ester herself definitely comes across as autistic-coded, but I’m not sure if that was intentional. It made her easy for me to relate to, anyway.

It’s very clear that Lee did a lot of research for this story – or possibly is into falconry herself. But I admit to being a bit disappointed by all that realism – I was hoping the rocs would be a little magical, a little more intelligent than ‘normal’ birds, and that’s not the case. Which means Untethered Sky doesn’t really qualify as an animal-companion story, since it’s made very clear that the rocs are ultimately pretty indifferent to their handlers, and even sometimes abandon them. I need more of a bond between human and non-human animal to consider a book an animal-companion story.

But I really liked the worldbuilding, and how the rocs fit into it. The Persian setting is wonderful, and the manticores are properly terrifying – although I didn’t need much convincing there, since I’ve been scared of manticores since I was 8! On which note, it’s worth mentioning that Lee’s manticores are the old-school, traditional kind, not the winged-lion-with-scorpion-tail creatures that dominate if you do an image search for ‘manticore’. I’m not sure where this winged kind came from – maybe Dungeons & Dragons? – but I can assure you that the traditional kind are FAR scarier!

The plot features a surprisingly (but delightfully) modern kind of ‘quest’ – a celebrity roc tour; and now I write it out I see the pun! – and I genuinely adored how predictable the great climax of the story was in hindsight; Lee crafts a foregone conclusion that still took me by gut-wrenching surprise, and I can do nothing but applaud. Untethered Sky feels carefully- and well-crafted; all the pieces coming neatly together, all of the story fitting perfectly into the low page count. This is not one of those times when a novella feels too short for the story it contains; here, it’s exactly right, with an ending that also managed to be completely correct – even if it wasn’t at all the one I wanted!

A good, solid read for those who don’t want their narrative conflict to always mean combat, and anyone looking for a story where the animals are the stars!

“My love was entirely possessive. When you love a person, you are expected to give them their freedom, but when you love a monster, you keep it caged.”

Untethered Sky by Fonda Lee fiercely tells the story of Ester and her roc, Zahra in a magnificent novella of grief and obsession, of friendship, and finding companionship in the untamable.

Imagine Falconry – the sport of pursuing live prey through the relentless training of falcons or eagles but instead of the common birds you see today, think of giant legendary beasts of prey called rocs, beasts popular in Middle Eastern mythology. In this world, rocs are captured at a young age and trained to hunt man-eating manticores.

I will admit that I’m not a huge fan of novellas because I always feel like there’s never enough balance in something that is written with the intention of being short however, in this case, Untethered Sky had everything I could ask for in a novella. I thought the characters so full bodied, and the world was beautifully developed, the pacing was on point, and there was a perfect balance of entertainment and emotional damage.

Lee masterfully illustrates the varied emotions in training a wild animal and the consequences of letting your guard down for even one minute. And beyond that, Ester’s character arc! Her journey and growth and all her gentle, bittersweet realizations throughout the novel were just sheer perfection.

There wasn’t a word wasted, and not a single sentence was out of place. For somebody who hasn’t read a single Fonda Lee novel yet (yes, hush, I know), I am SOLD. This author has now moved into my auto-buy list and I am so excited to read her other books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for allowing me an advanced reader copy of this book.

I absolutely screamed when I got my hands on this. Fonda Lee's storytelling and world-building are on display here as she manages to convey a fully-realized world, dynamic characters and friendships, and the stakes of the adventure in less than 150 pages. Friendships with full arcs, a protagonist with passion and motivations - one of the most fully formed novellas I've read in years.

Recommended for anyone who loves animals and stories of adventure.

I just finished this book and I truly don't know what to say other than wow. For the few hours that it took me to read this book, I was wholly and completely immersed in the world that the author had created. I started it when it was light out and didn't even notice that, by the time I finished it, the sun had already set and I was sitting in my room in darkness.

The writing in this is absolutely beautiful and the worldbuilding in such a short novella is truly unmatched. This gave me everything I wanted from the story in roughly 150 pages – it wasn't too long and it wasn't too short, either. That sort of balance is a difficult thing to do in novellas but this one went above and beyond all of my expectations. I would love to read more novels set in this world and learn more about it.

Overall, this novella is 5 stars from me (just like everything else Fonda Lee has written)!

Untethered Sky by Fonda Lee is a neat novella that flies slow and low to the ground. Inspired by Persian and Arab mythology, the central focus of the story are rocs, enormous birds of prey. Or, more specifically, it follows Ester, a young woman who rises from apprentice to full-fledged ruhker, someone who raises and trains a roc. Rocs are trained to hunt for manticore, beasts that kill people indiscriminately and with little reprieve. Somewhat reserved, she is driven by her purpose with little interest in much else, her love for her bird almost as fierce as her hatred of manticores.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC and for supporting SWANA reviewers!

The novella was an enjoyable read. The first half stalled, relying heavily on the spectacle of the world Lee wove together from inspiration. Lee herself is not SWANA. I am. I am often critical of Persian representation from non-Persian authors, a very common occurrence. That being said, there was nothing wrong with the cultural elements in this story. As an Asian author, Lee is probably well aware of how to avoid orientalism in her writing and she took care when describing the food and culture. I am not Zoroastrian myself, so I cannot speak to its accuracy, but nothing jumps out to me there. Unfortunately, it was all just a bit soulless. I had no sense of love for the setting or culture. It's not a requirement of writing a good story, but it is a requirement of writing a great one.

All the love of this novel was funneled into that bird. The roc. Ester's roc, Zahra. I like birds. I liked reading about Zahra. Of course, it was not simply Zahra, but what Zahra represented to Ester and how she brought people together. The day-to-day of ruhking could get repetitive at times, causing the book to drag, but for the most part, it was interesting lore. Although the first half is paced slowly, it pays off in the second half. Tension rises, and I started to become afraid for the main characters. The last quarter goes by in a blur and culminates in a satisfying ending that pulls the entire novella together. My nerves frazzled out, I felt truly connected to the characters. It puts everything so far neatly into place. The end elevates the ranking of this novella an entire star.

There isn't much more to say. Untethered Sky is a solid, quick read. I wish there was a flame beneath it that eagerly encouraged me to place it in the hands of my friends, but all I can say is that you should read it if the premise seems interesting to you. Some passages were raw and jumped out at me, threatening to pull at my heart, but I wish a bit more of the fat was trimmed.

Fonda Lee shows off her writing skills in this epic fantasy novella! It was a nice change from an urban fantasy to a high fantasy setting. Although the format of a novella can hinder on a fantasy world, and that is what happened in Untethered Sky for me. The world seemed fascinating with these giant hunting birds known as rocs and the main character, Ester, becoming a ruhker - the handlers of the rocs, but the world didn't have enough of a chance to develop. I did grow to care for Ester and her story, and although, short-lived, it was easy to develop an attachment. For other characters, the novella is too short to truly come to care for them except for Zahra, Ester's roc. I want more from this world and this novella felt too much like a teaser!

Untethered Sky tells a lot of story in 160 pages while also feeling unrushed. Ester tells us her story with occasional bits of foreshadowing to let us know that we are hearing about something that happened in the past. How distant the past, I couldn’t tell. While I was fully invested in Ester’s story, Lee maintains an emotional distance between the story and the reader.

The story opens with the moment Ester meets Zahra. Zahra is a fledgling roc, an enormous bird of prey stolen from her family to become a manticore hunter. A central element in the story is that humans who pair with rocs, ruhkers, love a creature that can never love them. Rocs remain wild creatures.

“ When you love a person, you are expected to give them their freedom, but when you love a monster, you keep it caged. A monster can’t love you back, so there’s none of the guilt of a reciprocal relationship. You’re already subjugated. You’re already holding yourself captive in a cruel way, so you justify whatever unusual bonds you level in return.”

Fonda Lee is telling a different story than Ester while giving Ester voice. Ester and the other ruhkers respect nature in a way the king and military do not, I think Lee highlights the ways in which they do not respect it enough. Stories of humans and very large creatures that fight as a pair often present the pair as mutually bonded, either through choice or impression upon hatching. In those stories, the creature is a partner in their use in a way that Zahra is not. Zahra is trained, but that training goes against her nature.

For a relatively short novella, there’s a lot to chew on. I’ll be thinking about this for a while.

CW: deadly animal attacks, death of a child in an animal attack remembered, miscarriages referenced, death of parent off page, major injuries on page.

I received this as an advance reader copy from Tordotcom and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tordotcom for providing me with a digital ARC of this book!

Untethered Sky is a solid, engaging fantasy novella inspired by Persian and Arabian folklore which details the story of a young girl, Ester, whose mother and brother are lost to the brutality of a raging manticore. In this world Fonda Lee constructs, there is only one natural predator that can rival and potentially cull a manticore: the roc, a giant falcon featured in Persian myth. Ester then resolves herself to a life of hunting and killing manticores by training to become a ruhker, a highly skilled roc trainer.

Told from the first person perspective of Ester, the story follows her as she slowly develops a trusting relationship with the adolescent roc she is tasked to train named Zahra and shifts from apprentice at the Royal Mews to a fully-fledged manticore hunter. The trusting—yet deeply tenuous—relationship between Ester and Zahra is the cornerstone and highlight of the novella. Lee plays heavily on this concept of the relationship between humankind and nature through the complex dynamic ruhkers have with their rocs. Ruhkers build an intensely personal attachment with their rocs while also maintaining the understanding that these are wild creatures who cannot be owned or reciprocate such attachments.

Despite its length, Untethered Sky is full of complexity and a luscious, intricately carved world tattered by the existence and destruction of manticores. This is my first foray into Fonda Lee’s work and I’m impressed by her concise yet deeply evocative writing style here. The prose never feels understated and deftly conveys the complexity of Ester’s narrative journey which culminates with her killing the heterochromic-eyed manticore... at a cost.

A sharply earnest coming-of-age fantasy story about finding one’s calling, the power of mythical beasts, and how our love for a wild animal cannot restrain them—yet we care for them anyway.

Untethered Sky is a captivating novella that tells the story of Ester, a young woman who has dedicated her life to avenging her family's death at the hands of manticores.

The bond between Ester and her roc, Zahra, is both powerful and heartbreaking, and Blake's writing beautifully captures the complexities of their relationship. As a reader, I found myself really connecting with Ester's character, particularly as she navigates the challenges of her job at the Royal Mews and the emotional toll it takes on her. At times, her description of the thankless but impressive work with the rocs reminded me of academia, the way she (and others) treat her success.

My only criticism of Untethered Sky is that it's too short! As an e-reader, I didn't realize it was a novella until I reached the end, and I wanted more. However, despite its brevity, the story is incredibly well-crafted, with a richly-drawn world and nuanced characters.

Overall, if you're a fan of fantasy (and even if you're not), I highly recommend giving Untethered Sky a read. It's a powerful and emotional story that will stay with you long after you've turned the final page.

I got an E-ARC for this from Netgalley.

Fonda Lee with this one proves, that she's not just great at writing complex series, but also shorter, simpler standalone stories.

I almost have some mixed feelings about this one because on the one hand I feel like the world and the characters deserve a longer story and the space to be explored fully. On the other hand i very much think that the themes and message of this story were very well served in the short format.

I really enjoyed the focus on the MC and her roc as well as the glimpses we got of other rukhers and their rocs. I loved the message and themes of obsession, loving and letting go.
Also obviously, Fonda Lee's writing is once again really good.
I think with this one it's important to go into it, knowing what you'll get. I saw a few reviews talking about readers being disappointed bc they came into this story with a greenbone-hype. This Novella is not the Greenbone Saga. It is more character focused (but of very specific aspects on the MC), it is not political and it's just short and sweet.

Overall, I very much hope we'll maybe get some more stories in this world in the future and that we'll maybe get to see more of Ester and Darius!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this arc in an exchange for an honest review!

Fonda Lee's Green Bone Saga is one of my favorite fantasy series ever so when I saw that she was releasing this new book, I knew I had to read it right away! I really enjoyed this world. It was so different from the Green Bone Saga world yet still so beautiful and amazing. I enjoyed that Untethered Sky was more character driven than her previous series but it still took a second to get used to that fact.

If you want a quick novella set in a beautiful world filled with magical creatures, then give Untethered Sky a go!

Received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I went into this one nearly blind. I wanted to love this as much as I love the Green bones saga. I did not. Now I will say this book is still beautifully written as I would expect from Fonda Lee. I think that for me it just was a miss. I think that many others will like this book, it was just ok for me. I would recommend that if it interests you to check it out, because it is still a good novella, with an excellent writer.

"We are partners in our captivity, each perfectly monstrous in our own way."

Untethered Sky is a character study in growth, love and letting go. There is such a beautiful bond between Ester and her Roc Zahra and we get to see how it changes over the years of Ester growing up. Let me not get ahead of myself though.

Ester only has one focus in life -killing manticores after one killed her brother and mother - which ended any sort of family bond that once existed. To do that she joined the royal Mews, those who raise and train Roc's - giant birds to hunt and kill Manticores. She enjoys the easy country lifestyles this provides her as a teenager until she gets paired with her first bird - Zahra.

From this moment onwards - their lives are forever intertwined. Nothing is more important to her than this bond - which almost mimics that of a child to her. This dual sided irony is that Zahra like all giant Roc's only sees her as a food source, often acting like a perpetual child. The entire story has Ester knowing that Zahra's love for her can always be eclipsed with her urge to be free.

The bittersweet moments of a novella are always on how short they are - since Fonda made me care so much about these characters, I now want more of them.

cw// child death, gore, blood, animal death, miscarriage

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC! I loved this one, it was so unlike most of what I've read in the fantasy genre lately! It was a really nice length and the worldbuilding was AMAZING. I wish Ester could have been a little more obsessed in general, she was described as monstrous and obsessive a lot but I didn't see it come through as much as I would have liked. Almost everything about this really worked for me, though, and I can't wait to recommend it to customers!

First of all, that cover is gorgeous! This was my first time reading anything by Fonda Lee, but I will definitely be picking up some other stuff.