4.5/5
I found this book through TikTok. The author had posted his live reaction to the cover reveal of his first novel along with his students in an auditorium. Any teacher who gets that emotional over his work gets a "yep" from me. I'll read it. But the kids getting so pumped in the background meant a little more because they were just as excited for their teacher and his accomplishments. Pretty cool.

So the book...YA for sure, clear sides of good and bad with a few people who ride the line between or move from one side to the other. Characters weren't stagnant, they changed their attitudes throughout based on the plot development. You've got all the normal YA tropes, nothing too cliche, but what got me was the story. The whole time I was wondering what the monsters' motives were. Why do they destroy cities? And that was fully fleshed out by the end. The mechanics to fly a ship were unique, the roles in their class structure made sense, the character relationships were great, and the ending was an actual surprise. I always enjoy when an author decides no character can cheat death. There's no plot armor for anyone, but also the deaths made sense. And they were pretty gruesome. I feel like the pacing was perfect, action with consequences, deal with the aftermath, onto the next piece of action.

Why not 5/5? Some things were too drastic. At times, tempers flared and characters made wild accusations that I guess teenagers would make, but I felt like they were made just to move the plot; that maybe it felt TOO outlandish. Sometimes characters didn't stick up for themselves when accusations were thrown their way and they should have. Their character would have, but didn't. The masters felt too involved in the MC's training and didn't interact with the others much, which gave it almost a "chosen one" trope. And I really couldn't grasp what the ships looked like by the end of the novel. Could be a me thing.

I'd definitely recommend this to younger readers interested in fantasy or adult readers who enjoy YA. I'm very excited for the author to continue writing because if this is his debut novel and there's a chance for a second in this series, I'm totally there, cheering him along with his students.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an advanced copy!

.5/5 rounded up. Enjoyable and well paced. Good action sequences. A little predictable and a little too YA for my tastes.

This book really surprised me because I hated the beginning. It didn't catch me off the bat, the writing felt weird, and the naming structure for the world... high, medium, low? It felt like everything was a place holder.

That being said, the second Conrad leaves his home island, I was hooked. I really loved the little rag tag group that became a family in the end. I like that there are full character arcs of learning to bond with people you didn't think you could and all those lessons. Could they have been deeper? Sure. But for a book marketed towards teens it was perfectly fine. I would have loved this book so much at that age.

I think fans of Red Rising will really enjoy this book. There was something about the writing style that reminded me of that series but without all of the issues I had with it.

I will say though, there seems to be some minor editing issues like towards the end when Conrad is thinking back to what he's learned over the course of the book he mentions that his mother's love taught him compassion but it repeats the sentences twice.

I don't read a lot of adventure/YA but this was such a fun ride. Conrad is a very lovable protagonist and it was so gratifying to see him grow throughout out the book.

Thanks netgalley for the arc and congratulations to Marc on his debut. This book sort of reminded me of Hunger games but with more Sci-fi elements. Enjoyed this YA debut and am looking forward to reading the rest.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc! The crowning achievement of this book was its character developed. None of the growth was forced and was all very natural.

While I found the “caste” system a little underwhelming the rest of the story swept me away. I can’t wait for the next book to go hunting with the crew of the gladius.

This is a very promising start to what may be YAs newest space opera .

Sky's End gives us our hero Conrad, who has to quite literally, fight his way back to his rightful status. This YA Novel is filled with action, politics, and fantastical creatures. I found myself thinking of the Percy Jackson & Hunger Games series whilst reading this, so if you loved those series, you'd enjoy Conrad's journey in Sky's End. My only criticism is that the writing was sometimes a bit repetitive, otherwise an engaging and nonstop exciting read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC to review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!!! This is my favorite kind of book. Somebody that has been at the top and now is at the bottom and must fight their way back. Plus it has family drama, a tournament arc, and the makings of a war on the horizon. Along with that, there are flying ships that hunt gigantic beasts. What's not to love?

An Exciting YA fantasy Featuring a Dynamic Plot, Diverse Characters, and Unique Power Systems. I am thrilled to have received an advanced reader copy of this action-packed fantasy novel. The world-building was exceptional, with every detail carefully crafted to avoid confusion. The cane duelling system was especially fascinating, and the author's attention to detail made it easy to understand.
The revenge plotline was equally captivating, and the character dynamics were compelling. Watching the characters grow throughout the story was truly satisfying, I'm looking forward to the next book in this series!

It's a strange feeling being dragged to your death under a serene night sky.

Thank you Marc J Gregson, NetGalley and Peachtree Teen, for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts are my own and left voluntarily.

Actual rating: 3.5 ⭐

The blurb summarizes main details well. Sky's End is a first book in the 'Above the Black' trilogy. It's a great Sci-Fi & Fantasy debut. This action-adventure story is perfect for teens, as it keeps younger reader's attention with its twists and turns. It does not end on a massive cliffhanger, but it does let you ponder of how the threat will be dealt and how the draft went.

You may wonder, why did I read this book, if it's truly for teens? Well, hard to say. Firstly, this sold me: ''This action-packed series is reminiscent of Attack on Titan and The Hunger Games—a great pick for fans of Pierce Brown, Scott Westerfeld, and Veronica Roth.'' I am die hard fan of AOT and loved THG. Secondly, look at the cover! It's so inviting and gorgeous!

I was tempted to give this 3 stars, because of 'cuss', 'birdshit' and other childish callings, but ok. Maybe teens are talking like this nowadays.. I don't want to drag rating down, as I know this story is not meant for old grumps like me. I still managed to enjoy the action, even though I'm sadly over 30 haha. So, I rated this higher because I think that younger audience would be entertained by sky-ships, duels, deadly competition etc.

What to expect:

* Found family (enemies x friends x enemies x friends x family)
* Action - Adventure
* Interesting monster builds (sky-serpents, prowlon's etc.)
* Duels, sky-ships, a deadly competition
* Who is the villain?
* Violence & mayhem
* Interesting world-building and politics

2010s nostalgia is here. Kenneth Oppel, Suzanne Collins, Marissa Meyer, Pierce Brown, and 2014 dystopia fans this one is for you. This combines so much

What I liked:
- Found family! Angry boy turns out to be a wonderful person (you know this from the first page but the other characters don't).
- Enemies to friends to enemies to friends to family. And some nice betrayals.
- A small, reasonable amount of romance that wasn't forced.
- Side characters who were well developed and had their own motivations.
- steampunk x deadly game x monster hunting

What I didn't like:
- The story feels just a bit tropey, so if you're looking for something super fresh, it may not be for you.
- Conrad is a very realistic teenager, which made the reading experience somewhat frustrating.

This book was so good. I enjoyed this story so much and honestly loved Conrad and the team and family he created. The characters are well written and I was so invested in each and every one of them. I had character I hated, characters I loved and characters that got the redemption they needed. The story flowed and was so easy to follow and get invested in. Sometimes it felt like the writing was missing a word or two and that took some getting used to but besides that I have noting but amazing things to say about this book. I am excited to get to read the second book and the first isn't even out yet. Amazing job by MJG and thank you for the opportunity to read this before its release.

This books has everything I look for in a fantasy series!

I thought it was a book about a boy trying to rise and get revenge on his uncle, but it turned into so much more. There are deep characters who evolve over time and grow to meet the situation. The depth of character arc goes beyond the main character of Conrad and includes so many intriguing secondary characters. If you love found family then you're going to walk away happy. The villains are complex and layered and really make you hate them.

The plot evolves as well and continues to escalate through the entire story, growing every more complex and urgent. There's twists and turns that will surprise. And I haven't even mentioned the unique world building yet--the reader is introduced to some truly interest takes on monsters.

I look forward to the next.

First of all, I wanna thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this in exchange of an honest review.

For me this was a 4.5. I really really really liked this a lot! It keeps you reading start to end nonstop. It has an intricate class system but easy to follow. It's adictive. It has drama, it has action, betrayal, rivalry... It is an awesome nover and the start of a really promising saga. The author makes something new and fresh with already seen motifs on YA literature. The story leads you to the most jawdropping plot twists.

My cons (personally): i didn't like the begining (like, at all). It was extremely cliché with no personality. Thankfully it gets way more better by the 30%. The characters are difficult to recognise during the first few pages as they have nothing distinctive in their personality, This is fixed later. Normally these reasons would have caused me to knock a book down a couple of points, but the rest is so good that I can forgive it.

To finalize, I know the "The Hunger Games meets Attack on titans" is probably a marketing decision, but it can't be more wrong. If I could give this book a better and fair comparation it would be "Red Rising meets Skyward"

P.S: Please, Marc, Conrad and Pound have such intense tension that I swear to god if you don't make something gay happen in the next book between them....

Rate: 3.75

I have been following the author on Tiktok for some time, and was surprised to see this show up on my dash. I simply love the cover, and the author has worked for so long to get this published. Thank you to netgalley, the publisher, and the author for making my ARC copy possible. All opinions are still my honest thoughts, and I am willingly leaving this review.

I really liked this book, and I noticed it was not hard to get into nor to follow. It's writing style flows so easily that you can quickly get through it with no issue. I also really liked it, Conrad is intelligent and willing to take action when he needs to. The publisher likened this to AOT, and Conrad DOES resemble Eren Yeager in his ruthless tenacity.

This didn't mean the book was perfect to me though. I noticed it was written very simply, And it DOES show it's target age range very clearly even though it has some cussing. A lot of angst, and the main character can be immature and difficult - which isn't a problem within itself. But was harder to read as a 25 year old. And the angst really undermined the story. Some of the lines could also be very confusing, and stall you as you were reading.

This was overall very good, and would REALLY work for a middle-grade reader.

I had really high expectations for this book but unfortunately I just couldn’t get into it. I got over half way through and wasn’t reaching for the book so I dnf. It just wasn’t my thing. Thank you for the opportunity to read an arc nonetheless!

Very well written, the characters were engaging and well rounded. My one issue is you reach a point where the angst is lessening and the interpersonal relationships are leveling out and then BAM, you get your one dimensional “evil” pops up just to bring back the drama/angst and that personally annoys me.

It’s been a while since I’ve been able to give out a 5 stars and this was an easy one to give as I was fully swept up reading Sky’s End and I am desperate for the next installment! I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect going into this - it sounded like a mix of sci-fi, dystopia, and maybe a dash of the hunger games. Which in itself wasn’t a bad thing but this genre is currently saturated with poorly done tales and so I was a bit apprehensive going into a debut novel here but Sky’s End was a wonderful surprise! Sky’s End had me hooked from the first few pages and it didn’t put me down, in fact it left me searching for when the next installment is going to be coming out as I want more Conrad in my life!

Sky’s End is set in a world of floating Islands, ruled through a brutal meritocracy and harsh classist system. In this world giant gargantuan (sky serpents with scales of metal?!) hunt and it’s one sect’s job to hunt them in turn. In steps our MC, Conrad. Conrad has already experienced a lot in his life by the time we meet him but we get swept up in his journey of revenge, self discovery and ultimately his growth as he embarks on the Hunter’s Gauntlet (a deadly competition between sky skips racing to kill the most of these gorgantaun!)

Conrad is a really solid MC and he is a refreshing step up from the saturation of childish and petulant MC in the YA genre right now. Conrad is young and he makes mistakes, plenty of them (which was welcome to see as there’s nothing more off putting than a dauntless MC who magically always makes the right decisions), but through these missteps he learns and he grows. While there is an element of this being a classic ‘coming of age’ tale, I think there’s enough here to make Sky’s End more than that.

I would say that Gregson’s character development is a real stand out of Sky’s End and I actually really bought into all of the characters. Even side characters felt ‘real’, they had back stories and motivations it wasn’t a simple case of ‘he’s completely bad and he’s completely good’ there was real contextual nuance which was lovely to read.

Alongside these well thought out characters is a rich and detailed world that is just epic. Gregson’s world building was just great and I really loved how he just interwove facts about the world into the narrative - little details about different islands eating different foods for instance was just a really nice touch. I definitely had lots of questions about the world as I was reading but I do appreciate the author’s decision to not info dump and rather show us the world (although I don’t mind the odd info dump and it might have been nice to have had a little more context to the wider world at some points).

As delightful as the characters and world building was, the plot was ok. I enjoyed it and I appreciated some of the twists and turns. There was nothing too unpredictable but I think that’s mostly because the author set the scene really well and so the twists slotted into character development quite nicely. I also didn’t love the last quarter of so - it felt a little rushed and I think I would have rather had the book be a bit longer so things could work themselves out a little less perfectly.Truthfully the plot was interesting and engaging, but it’s the characters and the world that really make this a 5 star read for me.

Overall:
I still can’t believe this was a debut novel - Sky’s End has everything; action packed, fast paced, solid characters, developed character arcs, an interesting plot and an absolutely captivating world. I will absolutely be reading the next installment.

Sky’s End releases on 2nd January 2024

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

WOW! 4.5 stars for me, first of all I want to thank Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Going into this i was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I did, the plot was engaging and interesting and there a few twists in there that I have to say completely threw me. This gave me very similar vibes to Red Rising in which it’s a story initially about revenge but then it turns into something more and if there’s one thing I love more than anything in a book, it’s the found family trope, which there was plenty of! The only thing I would say is around the 60/65% mark it started dragging ever so slightly for me only because I find it hard to stay focused on a book when the characters are in the same location for a long period of time but overall this book absolutely blew me away!

Reading Sky’s End was a fun little sprint through dragon hunting. This is Book 1 with two more in the works.

The skies are filled with floating islands and people get around by pirate-type ships that sail on the winds. The people of the islands are categorized as a High, a Mid, or a Low. Under the floating islands is a thick wall of black clouds known to disintegrate anything that passes through. Best not to fall off a ship. Best not to get yourself thrown off the side of an island by your enemy.

16-year-old Conrad, a High who’s been exiled to Low, must fight his way back to the top to save his sick mother and find his missing sister. He enters The Selection, where the twelve Trades (think like Scholar, Art, Hunter, Disposal, etc) choose from the pickings to join their team which will end up being their forever job.

Conrad gets selected to join Hunter...
Hunter’s job is to hunt gorgantaun; sky serpents with scales made of metal.

While this book says it’s for teens and YA (it has some language), I felt it read more like a middle-grade book. The banter is silly yet immature; calling each other “birdshits” and of mentions of farting and turds. Do teens talk to each other this way in real life? I think so?? It’s been compared to The Hunger Games meet Attack on Titan, and yes, I agree some but not entirely. I can't imagine Katniss and Cato talking to each other like this. I would be curious to see how the story would feel with the elementary, playground language being taken out, and the immaturity polished up to a more grownup level if it truly wants to be on the YA shelf. It really is a great story but the potty talk dumbed it down for me.

The hunting scenes were super cool.

For fans of The Hunger Games, Divergent, Maze Runner, and Percy Jackson.

Thank you to @NetGalley and Peachtree Teen for this free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.