3.5 stars rounded up

Dangerously intelligent dragons, an infamous woman who was supposed to be dead, secrets, betrayal, and a magical heist! The Sky on Fire is a standalone fantasy novel with intricate world-building (honestly, I would be surprised if we don't get more books set in this world), rogues, plots, and lots of dragons. Lyons' background is in D&D and I feel like that comes through in her writing- it feels like you're following the twists of a campaign through the perspective of a main character and occasionally others.

Anahrod supposedly died after committing a crime and has gone down in infamy, except that she says she's innocent and has been hiding out in the Deep. But two groups are trying to kidnap her for their own reasons and she is drawn back into the messy politics she ran from. Because she has a secret ability that someone doesn't like...

Because this doesn't totally follow a typical plot structure, I found it a little frustrating at times even though I liked the characters and the overall story. I've seen other reviewers say that this needed space to breathe and I agree. It feels like a LOT crammed into the book and I would have preferred to take more time with the characters, world, and relationships.

You may know I tend to be a hard sell on a heist story, but in this case it was only a part of a much larger plot and I think it works. This was pitched for fans of Fourth Wing, and while I enjoyed that book this is VERY different. Sky on Fire is high fantasy, not a popcorn read with a lot of romance. It's not an easy entry point to the genre for people who are mostly reading romantasy. That said I liked it and the audiobook is good. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

This book sounds absolutely fantastic and I was so excited to read it because of the dragons and the heist. Unfortunately, it just didn’t work out for me. This one drops you right into the magical world and action without any time to orient yourself to what is happening. I was really hoping for some found family vibes, but instead it felt like the characters weren’t well developed. It also felt like there were too many characters to keep track of. I think this one could benefit from some editing to shorten it up and fix the pacing issues. I did like the concept of the dragons. The overall premise sounds so cool and has so much potential.

I listened to the audio and appreciated that the narrator gave the characters their own distinct voices.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

This is a captivating standalone fantasy set in a world ruled by dragons. The story follows Anahrod, who prefers the solitude of the jungle with her titan drake, but her past catches up when an adventuring party rescues her from a warlord. Reluctantly, she joins these misfits on a mission to steal from a dragon’s hoard in the cloud cities, where the regent, Neveranimas, wants her dead. Lyons masterfully weaves action, intrigue, and rich world-building into a thrilling narrative. I enjoyed the fast-paced adventure, complex characters, and high-stakes heists. This book is a must-read for anyone who enjoys dragon lore and epic fantasy tales.

✔️ Dragons
✔️ Heist
✔️ Fast paced

This book hooks you in from the beginning, were we meet our MFC, Anahrod. We meet many people on the way that are wanting revenge and joining the heist. The dragons and their magic are unique and possibly the best part of the book. There are dragon overlords, kings that want revenge, and dragon riders that have ulterior motives. It’s a fast paced fantasy adventure, that unfortunately falls short of its potential.

I enjoyed the dragon conversations and related to them almost more than the other characters. The character development fell flat for me. I wasn’t able to connect with some of the characters and it made reading the later half of the book a project.

The concept is exceptional, I just wish I had more of a reason to cheer for Anarhod, Ris, and company. I would suggest this book to fans who love dragons. There is plenty to love about this book! The narrator does an amazing job and is one of the biggest highlights of the book. 3.5 stars

This was a mixed bag for me. The audiobook narrator did a fantastic job. The world felt creative and nicely formed, with fascinating settings, a unique culture, and an intriguing magic system. I especially enjoyed the parts set in The Deep. The dragons in this world are absolute powerhouses, but they need human riders to keep them from going rampant, which was a cool twist. Peralon’s relationship with Ris and his perspective on the world were definite highlights.

That said, the book felt like it should have been split into two or three books. There’s just too much going on, and it suffers from being an unfocused mess. The characters and their relationships are really underdeveloped. Anahrod, for instance, had no real characterization or motive. Her relationships, especially the romantic ones, felt rushed and shallow, making it hard to connect with or care about any of the characters. Anahrod’s exile seemed like it should’ve been a big deal, but we barely got any background on it, which made it hard to care about her.

The pacing was all over the place. You get thrown into the action right away, some political drama, jungle adventure, a journey with a band of misfits, random spicy scenes, and finally a heist. It felt like the plot was just carrying Anahrod from one place to the next without any clear direction. The last 25% of the book was especially chaotic, with so much happening that it was hard to get invested in any of it. This lack of focus made the narrative feel directionless and hard to follow.

The garden rings concept was interesting but felt pointless to the storyline, even though they were mentioned a lot. The idea of social rings indicating one’s profession, place of origin, and marital status was cool, but rings that reveal your sexual or romantic preferences? Not for me. I love a queer-normative fantasy, but this book was all about labeling, which felt off.

"The Sky on Fire" had so many good ideas, but it needed more space to develop them. When it was good, it was great, but the bad moments really took away from the good. It could have been so much better if it had been stretched over two or three books to give the story more room to breathe. Despite its flaws, the creative world-building and intriguing magic system make it worth a read, but it could’ve been so much more.

I enjoyed listening to this well paced epic fantasy. The narrator did a good job with the narration - it provided a good flow to the story and the voices were well done which lent well to getting a deeper sense for the characters. This is also a testament to the authors writing. I really liked getting that second POV towards the end from her brother (I do not want to butcher the name since I listened and did not see it in print). I would have liked even more as he was probably one of my favorite characters - Claw was right up there too. However, I did not feel the romantic connections as I would have liked to. That part didn’t capture me, but could for other readers. This is, in my opinion, the weak part of the novel, but fortunately, it is not an essential point to the story and does not pull the reader away from the overarching plot. The representation of sexuality was well done and I liked the way the characters used to identify themselves in that respect.
This is a world ruled by dragons, where the humans and other beings are actually secondary. This was so cool and different from other dragon fantasy out there. The plot was good, the story flowed and was captivating, keeping the reader engaged from the very beginning.
I recommend this book for readers that enjoy epic fantasy with a fun, everything that could go wrong goes wrong, heist.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an audio-arc of the book. The opinions expressed are honest and my own.

I did not finish this book. I read about 50% before stopping. The pacing of this book was very start and stop for me. I loved the dragons and the action but I could not stay caught up.

I read this during Pride month and absolutely loved it. While I explicitly focus on Queer and LGBTQIA+ books during Pride month, don't forget to read queer all year.

Loved the beginning of this book! The different dragon types were so interesting to learn about! Loved the different magic choices the author made, and stellar characters.

The different zones in this world felt unique and wholly their own. There’s a bit of romance sprinkled in. (LGBTQ+ friendly). The story is adventure focused instead of romance, which I love! With our heroine at the head.

The reason I bumped it down a start was for some story lulls. Wasn’t quite as well paced as I’d like. But I still highly recommend.

Lets start by saying that this narrator was great. Her voice range was incredible and I could clearly hear the difference between every character.

With that said, this book just did not grab me. I kept hanging on in hopes that my attention would be pulled back in, but it just never happened.

There wasn't a single character I related to, not a single character I really scared about, and so I found myself comparing this book to other books with dragons and what I was missing from this one.

I know that there are readers who will devour this book, but it wasn't for me.

Thank you to netgalley and MacMillan Audio for the advanced copy.

Whether you loved or hated Fourth Wing you’ll certainly enjoy this action packed adventure involving dragons, an epic heist, magic & a dragon rider academy in a stand-alone novel with no insane cliffhangers & no spice. A solid stand out fantasy novel! Amazingly fleshed out characters, epic world building and an engaging plot with lots of twists and turns. I was expecting it to be a little more sci-fi with it being harkened as “ Dragonriders on Pern for a new audience”. As someone who devoured those books I didn’t get quite the same vibe, but that did not detract at all from my overall enjoyment of the book. Lauren Fortgang did a smashing job in the narration as well, bringing the story and characters to life.

The Sky on Fire by Jenn Lyons is a book that I liked but did not love. I found the pacing to be completely wonky. I really liked the main cast of characters. I did not like the rings. They sound intrusive - a lot of people are more private than that. I don't know it felt disingenuous. The last third (?) of the book the pace really picks up and there are more characters introduced (what? why?) and a magic system introduced (hellooo? it's late!!). It's a good story that could use some cleaning up and some good editing. I would like to thank Net Galley #netgalley and Macmillan Audio for my advance copy. I gave this book 3.75 stars.

I feel in love with this whole story. Dragons and a heist? A BA female main character? What is not to love? If you haven’t read this one you need to immediately add it to your list.

A fun dragon filled heist adventure! This one is fun if you’re up for a fair amount of world building and characters to keep up with. I enjoyed the adventure and alternated between reading and listening. I preferred listening so I could hear the names pronounced and the voices of the characters!

If you’re into high fantasy, heists and dragons, check this one out!

Thank you to Tor Books and Maximillian audio for the ARC/ALC.

Thank you to NetGalley, MacMillan Audio, and Jenn Lyons for an arc of this audiobook narrated by Lauren Fortgang.

I was extremely excited to receive this book and enjoyed it overall, but it took me almost half the book to really hold my attention. The first half has very intricate and in depth world building that I may just have had trouble keeping straight, but if that is your cup of tea, then you will absolutely love it! I’m still not sure I completely understand the magic and ring system.

Once the story got into more action, it really picked up for me and I couldn’t put it down. I really enjoyed the story once they got to Gwydion’s school and as the cast of character were planning and executing the heist. The plotting and planning had twists and turns that kept my adrenaline running and I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. I wish we had gotten a bit more action as it felt like everything wrapped up quickly since a majority of the book was setting up the world and back story.

I also loved the LGBTQIA+ and polyamory representation, however I feel like it could have been fleshed out a bit more. There was one scene of explicit “dirty talk” that felt like it came out of left field for this book. I read erotica/“smut” in addition to fantasy, so it was not a matter of me not liking it, but rather it felt like it didn’t belong with the rest of the tone of the story and was just unnecessary to the plot.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and will definitely listen to it again to help me learn the world more for any future books. If you are a fan of dragons, heists,The Aurelian Cycle series, Six of Crows duology, or The Empyrean series then I would definitely check this one out!

This was my first Jenn Lyons book and if the others are anything like this then I have a lot to look forward to!

The Sky on Fire follows Anahrod who lives a fairly solitary life in the jungles of the Deep until her past catches up with her. She's soon thrust into a world full of dragons, heists and banter with a certain attractive dragonrider.

This book is full of non-stop action which I LOVED but it also doesn't come at the cost of character development. I enjoyed the group of unlikely allies that came together in this book from different backgrounds and with very distinct personalities. It made for an entertaining and gripping story.

The settings from this book were so vivid in my mind and I loved having the scenes playing out in my head for this. It's a fairly large scale plot, particularly for a stand-alone, but it felt so cinematic and had so many twists, turns and hijinks that there was no way I'd be able to predict everything that was going on.

There is a bit of a romance going on in this book but it's minor compared to the main plot line. I enjoyed having it there and thought the banter and flirting added a nice depth to the story and character dynamics. It's also LGBT+ which I didn't know before going in but it is a queernorm world which I love in fantasy.

I loved this world so much that I hope we get more stories set here. There was definitely a bit of a loose thread left in the epilogue on purpose so I am hopeful! I'd also love to see more from the dragonriding school and dragonriders in general, I loved that element.

I really enjoyed the audiobook for this and thought the narrator did a great job of enhancing the experience.

Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for my audio ARC to review.

The Sky on Fire by Jenn Lyons
adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5 stars

I received an audioARC thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Dragons rule the world and humans are pretty much just there to serve. And at the top of the dragon power structure is the worst of the worst - the dragon that condemned Anahrod to death 17 years ago. Unfortunately for Neveranimus, she survived and has been living in the deeps ever since. Even more unfortunately, a group of people have tracked her down to help them pull off a robbery of Neveranimus’ vault. Hijinks ensue.

I really liked book. It’s largely a heist story, with political intrigue, found family and a romantic subplot that is queer and poly. There was an interesting system of rings to indicate job roles and sexual preferences. The world building was very well done, giving enough information to enable me to not feel lost without becoming info-dumpy. The magic system made sense and held together. The character building - meh - many of the supporting characters were not very developed beyond archetypes. But it worked for me, as this is not a character story. It's a seat of your pants adventure.

This is a fun ride, and isn’t trying to be anything more. And I was here for it all the way. It’s billed as a stand alone, but the possibility of further adventures is hinted at in the epilogue. I’d be there for that as well should it happen.

Firstly I want to thank NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for proving me with an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is 2.5 stars for me. I was really excited for dragons, heists, and a band of misfits! But what I got was so meandering and anticlimactic.

What I didn’t like:
- The “heist” didn’t really happen until around the 50% mark and it was over in what felt like a blink.
- All of the action and what should have been suspenseful moments felt glossed over. Things were solved way too easily and quickly.
- The character relationships were questionable. They met, they found each other attractive, they fell in “love”. It just wasn’t believable or compelling at all.
- The overuse of the word “sunshine” to express that something was amazing or awesome
- Lack of world building. I never got a real sense of the Skyland or the Deep. Just that one was a sky city and one was like a jungle.
- Lack of character development. I did not feel connected to any of the characters (except for one), and the side characters all blended together.

What I did like:
- Guidinion (? not sure how to spell his name as I listened to the audiobook). He was interesting and I wanted to know more of his story. My only complaint with him was his previously mentioned use of “sunshine” as an exclamation of amazement.
- The dragon/rider relationship and the abilities they could share (no spoilers)
- The audiobook narrator was really fantastic

Overall this one was a miss for me. I do think that Lyons can write a story. I think maybe this would have been better as a series or a duology, rather than a standalone. It would have given more time to flesh out the world, show character depth and development, and given us the dragon heist we deserve!

3.75 rounded up
Spice level 🌶️/4

Anahrod is supposed to be 15 years dead, but she's been living in Deep, avoiding the life she was forcibly exiled from and surviving with her titan drake. An adventuring party helps her avoid capture from a local war lord, but this band of adventurers led by an attractive dragon rider are not what they seem. Anahrod is about to be coopted into studying their heist of a dragon's hoard. The problem is the dragon hoard in question belongs to three dragon that wanted her dead in the first place .

Looking for bonded dragon riders? A hodge podge crew planning a heist? Dragon court politics? There's a lot of characters and threads here that mostly resolve neatly. I had a hard time in the audio book initially clocking all the characters, but picked them up eventually as the story went along. Please don't test me on spelling any names because I would fail. I enjoyed certain world elements like the garden rings, but other elements of the works didn't feel as complete as I'd like for a standalone novel. Lauren Fortgang narrates and does a great job.

Thank you to Macmillian Audio for an ALC on NetGalley. All opinions are my own. This book is due to be published 7/9/24.

I was so intrigued by the premise of dragon overlords, a heist and a standalone book to wrap it all up. It had very high stakes points and I loved getting to know the dragons but I struggled to feel like I knew the characters. I wish there was a bit more depth there. I will say this might be a book that was better for me to read vs listen to. The lazy 20% was amazing though! Thank you for the preview arc.