3 stars with the potential to be a 4 or 5

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

There is a great story here, but it needs editing and polishing. There's still some time until its release date, so I hope that happens.

I liked the main characters, best friends Sofia and Cara. Their relationship was central to the story and held a lot of it together. The other characters were good too, I especially liked Lek and Cara's competetiveness. However, my favourite character, despite his generally gross description, was Plaek. He just needs a big cuddle, and I'm prepared to give him it! Justice for danger bunny.

I was a bit disappointed at the end. I felt like everything led up to a big battle that never occurred. Muet seemed to just give up, and honestly, she wasn't very scary at all. Her character could definitely be developed, especially with such an interesting backstory.

I'm excited to see what happens with this one, I'll have to reread it once it's out!

2024 52 Book Challenge - 42) Author Debut In Second Half of 2024

This was a really cute story about a young girl and her friend who end up in a world in the sky. While I'm not the target audience, I think that it will suit middle school age very well. It wasn't massively deep, but the characters were engaging.

Skylight follows two best friends, Sofia and Cara, who find themselves in a magical land reminiscent of Castle in the Sky. It is a unique world that is easy to follow perfect for middle grade readers. The story is told from different POVs we even see glimpses of the villains as well.

Sofia is a very relatable character. She is a young girl learning who she is and not liking when adults make decisions for her without discussing it with her. I remember feeling like that when I was her age.

The story does move quickly which I felt hindered it. It felt like I was in the middle of the story with no back story to help explain what I was reading. I would have liked more explanation of what was going on around the characters.

I am interested in the next in the series in hopes that we get more exploration of this world. This is a good read if you like fantasy in the same vein as a Studio Ghibli film.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of Skylight.

Got an eArc with NetGalley and this is definitely a series that I want to follow, there were some problems with pacing, but it's an eArc, thats kinda expected it will probably have some changes in the final version, but this one is really interesting, the description says it's similar to Aru Shah but honestly the plot of the book reminds more of the Cameron Battle Duology. I'm latino so I didn't knew too much about Thai culture and I did had the same thing with the Cameron Battle series and Igbo inspiration, where in most of the book I was questioning "Is this a part of the irl mithology/culture of them or something that the writer created specifically for the series?" But honestly this book was great, I liked the two main characthers, the Muet and the shapeshifter were interesting villains, there's a lot of explore about them. I still don't know how Plaek is supposed to look, I imagined him kinda like Vilgax from Ben10, like an humanoid creature but with the face of a octopus, but some of his chapters were interesting, The second book seems like we are gonna see the mermaid kingdom, definitely will check it out.

A thoroughly enjoyable read. Skylight is a superb mix of teen angst, worlds connected yet separate, magic, mayhem, shapeshifting and trickery. I look forward to the next part of the story.

This book is such a heartwarming and enchanting story set in a magical Ghibli-esque world! Thank you so much to Netgalley for the ARC.

This was such an enchanting and sweet read! Skylight follows two best friends who are whisked away to a magical land where they begin a journey full of discoveries. I found the writing easy to follow and enjoyed the unique world building. I also loved the bonds that are developed between characters, and how the book touches on friendship and family.

I really enjoyed being reading from the perspectives of various characters, but there were moments I would find myself confused when the perspective shifted mid chapter. There were times I also wished the story would show rather than tell what happened between characters, which I think would've made me more invested in the story. However I did like how the last few chapters of the story unfolded, and how it all concluded nicely. Overall, this was a fun, lighthearted story that I think I would've loved even more when I was younger!

When I started reading the book I did not know that it was a middle-grade book. After about 2 chapters I realized it 😂. But I did not stop reading it because it was interesting. I loved the vibe and kept reading. I wanted to know about the story of Sophia and what will happen to her. The ending has somewhat of a cliffhanger. I hope the story continues. I would love to see the story of both princesses and Muet progress further. On the whole, the book is very well-written with no plot holes no discrepancies, or anything out of context. If you are trying your kids to get into the reading habit you should start with this one.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this e-arc.

What I like? I really enjoyed what seemed to be a breath of fresh air amongst the saturated market of YA fantasy that is out there. The dual POV from the FMC and the one villain was a nice change in pace, especially since that there is no resolve between good and evil. It also touched lightly on the emotions we feel and develop, and how we may feel isolated.

What didn’t I like? The lack of back story. I understand that this is more for school age readers and young adult, but it felt as though it was missing some things. Why did the main villain get banished? The timeline skipped around a lot. And though it was wrapped up neatly with a bow, children seemed to rule the narrative.

I would recommend this story to even adults. A solid 4 out of 5.

Skylight is the start of a magical middle-grade series focusing on Sofia and Clara. When they are whisked away to another world they never imagined existed, they find out that there is a lot they have to learn.

This book is truly magical. The world is interesting and unique.

The characters are truly the highlight of this book. The friendship between Sofia and Clara is strong. The villains have motivations that make it hard to root against them.

I do wish each chapter listed which point of view we were reading from, and it stuck to that POV for the full chapter.

Overall, I highly recommend it for the middle-grade reader looking to diversify their reading.

I didn't fully finish this book, but I had a pretty good time while reading- I think the prose is just a little too simplistic for me, which makes sense given the age group. I think younger readers would have a lot of fun with it!

The children enjoyed this magical book. They said that it reminded them of one of their favourite Studio Ghibli films. The main character was engaging and the adventure interesting. I can understand why they liked it.

A new promise.
This book contains everything it promises. It was so fun, cool, great to have read it. Time flew with me as I read each word.
It is wonderful and the author is incredible.

DNF at 13%.

I saw the description and cover for this book and thought ti looked great - but I found it browsing in 'Fantasy', and hadn't clocked it was a 'middle grade' book. I gave it a solid try, but this simply wasn't for me as the writing was too juvenile and the characters felt too one dimensional in that style for me. Things like both girls' parents moving jobs at the same time were glossed over, and we were told rather than shown that the two had such a close friendship.

I don't think this a problem with the advertising, this was simply my problem. I suspect this might be a really intriguing read for someone twenty years younger than me!

SKYLIGHT is a sweet story of two best friends who land a unique world they'll quickly become a part of. This book has an intriguing magic system and compelling villains that I found myself simultaneously hating and rooting for.

I am a person that really loves to read ya books or fantasy books for 9-12 year olds.
This book was a little chaotic to me.
I missed a lot of world building and because of that I couldn't transfer myself into that person.
I missed al little dept to the story. It was event event event. But not a lot about the rest of the story. Maybe make it a little simpeler or the book a little longer.

At the end of the book there is ecplained a lot about the why and how, but in the middle I was still clueless. Also the usage of the strange language is a lot and sometimes not explained.
That messes with the readability of the book.

The story behind the book was good, so I gave it 3 stars.

I haven't posted it anywhere, but I you like, I can make a review with the blurb and a little piece of my opninion. I can post on tiktok, storygraph and goodreads.

If you’re looking for a new, immersive world where characters grow into their own strength with each other, this book is for you. Skylight will sweep readers away into a world filled with magic, secrets, and friendships that make you want to turn the page and see what happens next.

Young readers who enjoying getting a glimpse into the mind of the villain as well as the main character will enjoy the multiple perspectives in this new novel. Not only do we get to follow Sofia’s journey, we experience the emotions of the friends who are supporting her and the magical beings trying to use her for their own ends.

Patchree Jones delights the senses in this middle grade story by weaving elements of Thai culture throughout Sofia’s journey. This adds depth to the intrigue and fun that readers will experience and want to be a part of.

I enjoyed reading Skylight a lot. It was a unique fantasy and I plan to continue the series. It did drag a little bit in the middle and there were moments where I wasn’t quite sure what was going on, which prevented this from being a five star read. But I enjoyed Sofia and Cara’s story and I enjoyed the complexity of the villains. The atmosphere of the world had a very unique feel.

— 3 ⭑

i know i would’ve been obsessed with it as a child, but unfortunately it's not for me anymore. but what i did really like was the world building. it's interesting because it's so completely different than all my other books.

💌- still thank you so much for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book has a unique and promising premise. I enjoyed the Thai inspiration though I wish I understood more of it because certain aspects seemed reminiscent of cultural fairytales or something with more history behind it
The basic storyline is a young girl who doesn’t fit in on earth finds herself being kidnapped and drawn up to a realm in the sky where she is actually royalty. Her kidnapper is thwarted by royal guards and she is taken to meet her parents, the King & Queen and lean the truth about who she is and why she was sent away. She finds herself caught up in a war much larger than herself and struggling to know who to trust in her new life.
Great potential story but unfortunately the book didn’t work for me. There were many holes in the story where things didn’t add up or weren’t fully explained. How did an hike in a skylight lead to not one but two girls being drawn up to the sky? How did her friend who was sleeping in an entirely different place also get brought there? I could go on. Often the author jumped to a key point without leading us there with careful facts. Also many of the characters are so underdeveloped that it’s just odd. The princess never once has a one on one moment with her mother after meeting her. The characters just don’t behave realistically and there are so many plot holes.
I could see this book being very captivating and fun with a lot of work done to make the storyline make sense and the characters truly come alive.

I was graciously provided this ARC by NetGalley and Sorra Books in exchange for my honest opinion