This is my first Jenn Lyons book, and I had high expectations since A Chorus of Dragons series is so popular and beloved in the fantasy genre. Unfortunately I was a little disappointed. This story moved slowly; I found myself getting bored during some parts. I also didn't feel much attachment to the characters.

This book wasn't a hit for me, but I still plan on reading A Chorus of Dragons series and hope that series is better for me.

Thanks so much for allowing me access to this audiobook.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan audio for this opportunity to listen and rate and review this audiobook which RELAEASED TODAY!

Dragons, heists, quick witted banter(swoon!), some heavy high stakes intrigue and a teeny bit of heat that is narrated by the ever talented Lauren Fortgang and you have a standalone fantasy novel that slaps.

Thoroughly enjoyed Lauren bringing this book to life for my ears. She has yet to narrate badly

Definitely a different take on dragon riders! Yes there is a bond between dragon and rider, but dragons are in charge here. I thought the magic was interesting and found the main character compelling. I love a heist story, and the set up to the heist took a good portion of the book. The ring system to designate preferences was such a cool idea. I would have loved this to maybe be a duology- then I could have gotten more background in the group of characters, the politics of the world, and the dragon lore. The ending was left where the world could be expanded and I would be interested to see more.

AUDIOBOOK- Lauren Fortgang is the narrator for this book and I think it was wonderfully done. The characters were brought to life and I loved the nuances between characters. There were a couple times I had to pause the audio and rewind or go to the ebook simply because I got lost. But that was a me problem, and I found I needed to less the further I got into the book. I enjoyed the narration and I would recommend it.


Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

This was so much fun! A little bit hard to get through in the beginning, with lots of characters and world building happening as you are thrown into the story. But once you grasp the politics and magic system, it unfurls into an engaging story with a lot of heart, sass, and dragons! I loved the narrator/reader’s voice, and thought she captured the character’s individual personalities very well.

While I wasn’t expecting the heist plot, it added more interest to the story beyond a usual “good dragon vs bad dragon” arc. The characters are lovable (and detestable), with unique backstories, personalities, and identities. I thought the garden rings system was a novel idea and executed well, although a cheat sheet might have been helpful.

My one gripe with this book was that some bits were bogged down by details, and thus hard to get back into after a reading break. Overall, I think this book will be a satisfying and enjoying read for lovers of dragons, fantasy, and found family.

I really enjoyed this entertaining fantasy about a heist involving dragons. What a fun read.

The world building in this book is fantastic. Of the many locations this book takes place in, you really get a feel for the atmosphere. Characters were well developed, and there were quite a few of them, but you felt as if you knew them all well. Even the dragons.

I listened to the audiobook of this, and I felt like the narrator did a great job with the different character’s voices. Her pacing and tone were great, and she did a great job expressing the emotions from the characters.

Overall, this was a really great book about dragons, with some found family, romance, political intrigue, and lots of action! Highly recommend.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for sending me the audiobook to listen to for an honest review.

Dragons always get my attention. Dragons and a heist? I'm definitely intrigued. This novel has an interesting cast of characters with a web of interactions that are slowly revealed as the book goes on, but action starts quickly. Although it takes some time to understand the rules of the world and its magic, the explanations are happening as the characters are attempting to solve the various problems that come up along the way. Anahrod is easy to root for, but all of the characters seem to have both good and bad characteristics. The world is huge, almost too much for a single novel, but I enjoyed it anyway.

The narration by Lauren Fortang helped immensely with the pronunciation of names (always the most challenging aspect of fantasy books).

From the publisher:Enter a world ruled by dragons…

The Sky on Fire is a daring new fantasy heist adventure that will thrill fans of Temeraire, Fourth Wing, and Dragonriders of Pern

Anahrod lives only for survival, forging her own way through the harsh jungles of the Deep with her titan drake by her side. Even when an adventuring party saves her from capture by a local warlord, she is eager to return to her solitary life.

But this is no ordinary rescue. It’s Anahrod’s past catching up with her. These cunning misfits—and their frustratingly appealing dragonrider ringleader—intend to spirit her away to the dragon-ruled sky cities, where they need her help to steal from a dragon’s hoard.

There’s only one problem: the hoard in question belongs to the current regent, Neveranimas—and she wants Anahrod dead.

From Jenn Lyons, the acclaimed author of the Chorus of Dragons series, this soaring standalone fantasy combines conniving dragons, lightning banter, high-stakes intrigue, and a little bit of heat.

I've had my eye on reading a book by Jenn Lyons for awhile now, and when the opportunity to get a preview of the new standalone The Sky on Fire came along, I jumped at the chance. Unfortunately, it just didn't work for me.

The story is summarized pretty capably in the publisher's blurb. Anahrod lives on the very dangerous surface of her world. She has an mysterious background that is hinted at in the book's opening, but at this point neither she nor anyone else knows who or what she really is. She is wanted by a kind of warlord (I think) and goes on the run with her pet (friend) titan drake. She also has some power where she can communicate or assume control over animals. When she is attacked by the warlord's men, she is rescued by some people from the sky "world", or those who live on the very tall mountains (I'm a little unclear about this). This starts a tentative partnership, with potential romance (same-sex for those who care), and an attempt to take Anahrod to the sky.

I pushed through the first 50 or so pages but really had to force myself to read. I didn't find myself caring about what was happening at all and the characters weren't really very intriguing to me. I can't comment on how the story resolves because I just couldn't keep at it. There are too many other books I want to read to continue pushing through one I'm not enjoying.

The writing style was okay and I'll still probably try Lyons's Ruin of Kings series, hoping to be sucked into the story sooner.

I had the opportunity to preview the audiobook, as well. While the story is the same (obviously), I thought the performance was fine. Lauren Fortgang was the narrator and she did a nice job. It did not really stand out as poor or excellent, either way.

Overall, I can't really recommend The Sky on Fire by Jenn Lyons. It just didn't work for me.

I received preview copies of both the print and audiobook of The Sky on Fire by Jenn Lyons from Netgalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

I went into this book without many expectations, and pretty much fell in love with it. Really solid use of pulling together a lot of disparate plot points and using POV jumps for maximum dramatic potential with big moments - felt very cinematic in scope. Delightful cast of character, who albeit fell a little flat on occasion. This was extremely ambitious in scope for a stand alone, even with the world-building boost of (I assume?) being set in the same world as the author's other series (which I have not read), and I think it mostly stuck the landing.

The audiobook narrator did a 10/10 job, which didn't hurt

I've been wanting to read a book by Jenn Lyons for a while, but I was daunted by a lot of what I had heard about her debut series, A Chorus of Dragons. So I was thrilled to have an opportunity to read The Sky on Fire early.

The story follows the character Anahrod who lives in the Deep, but is drawn away to use her particular skills to assist with a heist. Even though I didn't connect as fully to her character as I would have liked to, I loved following her adventures. The world that Lyons has built here, too, is very cool. The Deep is a jungle populated by dragons, there are cities in the sky, and the queer representation in the book was nuanced and handled well. I loved the way that rings were used to denote gender and relationship status, and it's such a relief to read such a wonderfully queer-normative world.

It's important to note that I read The Sky on Fire via audiobook, and Lauren Fortgang's narration was fantastic. Fortgang is a narrator I've listened to before, and her performance is always spectacular. I will definitely be checking out some of Jenn Lyon's backlist after this.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and to Netgalley for granting me and audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun audiobook to listen to. I loved the quirky characters, dragons & a heist. Perfect story for getting lost in

Anahrod has been in hiding in The Deep, doing her best to mind her own business. Until she finds herself hunted and capture by a group of eclectic people, one of whom she finds unreasonably attractive. The reason they’ve taken her? To steal from a dragon’s hoard. Anahrod finds herself stuck between a rock and a hard place, and begins trying to find a way to free herself before she’s in too deep.

This book moves at a very slow pace for the most part. I made a note that having finished the first 15 percent, I still hadn’t learned anything meaningful about the characters and their motivations and feelings beyond things that came up in conversations. The heist plot was only just getting talked about at around 30 percent through, and it wasn’t until closer to 70 percent through that action relating to that happened. The only part where it didn’t feel slow was near the end with the resolution of everything, where it felt like it moved much too quickly. I think this book would benefit from a heavy editing to tighten up the pace and plot.

The worldbuilding relating to the setting is quite strong at the beginning. This made for a solid backdrop visually, but the worldbuilding relating to everything else was lacking. Unfortunately, the characters were also weak. The character development was extremely light, which made it almost impossible to keep the secondary characters apart. It also made it impossible to really care about the pages and pages of dialogue and interactions.

I did like the dragons and the concept surrounding dragon riders. It was fun to read a fantasy where dragons are powerful and generally rule even the human world, but even this concept wasn’t utilized strongly. This YA fantasy had a few decent aspects but was mostly underwhelming. My thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to read this work, which will be published July 9. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

2.75

Jenn Lyons' Chorus of Dragons is one of my all time favorite series, so when I learned that her next release would be a standalone heist set in a world run by dragons it immediately became my most anticipated release of 2024. And no one is more disappointed than me that I didn't love this. I'm giving it 3 stars because it physically hurts me to think I would rate it lower but in actuality it's probably a 2.

Listen, this isn't a bad book and maybe my expectations were too high but I struggled through the first 50% of this. I actually listened to the first 20% at least 3 times trying to figure out if I was missing plot elements or if there were actually jumps in the narrative making aspects of the plot feel too rushed. The world is fascinating but I think Lyons suffers from trying to include too much in her work and while that worked for me when she had a 5-book series to flesh out some elements, in a standalone there just wasn't enough time. The world is fascinating and queer normative, including casual trans representation and a burgeoning polycule between three of our main characters. The various cultures and dragon overlords are intriguing.

What is most disappointing to me, however, is how hard I found it to connect to the characters. Khirin, Teraeth, and Janel are some of my favorite fictional characters of all time and while there were hints of the loveable and multidimensional characters I know Lyons can create here, I just never really cared about any of them or what they were doing.

Lauren Fortgang's narration is quite good. Those who have listened to Lyons' other work will recognize her work on the last four Chorus of Dragons audiobooks.

The narrator was enjoyable. The story was fun and I enjoyed the characters. I would have like a bit more world building and fleshing out of the magical connections- dragons vs. sorcerers, etc. but overall it was an enjoyable read that kept my interest.

This book was soo much fun to read. I really love the relationships and twists that unfold between the characters and the sassy temper tantrum throwing dragons. I also really appreciated that this was a stand alone with the possibility of future books in this world. Despite it being a stand alone, Lyons does a great job making you attached to the character while giving world building, which not a lot of authors can do.

5/5 star dragon book if you love Fourth Wing, Eragon, or Dragonfall

I’m always looking for my next dragon fix and this one was close to scratching that itch. I loved the plot, a dragon heist! A unlikely group of people have to come together to complete a mission and there is magic, the main character can talk to animals, and there is spicy tension between three characters. I really liked the first 30% the world building was fantastic and the ring system was super clever (I want rings). I knew there would be a love triangle of sorts from what I’d hear of the book but I didn’t know this would be a why choose book (and I’m not really into those) and I didn’t feel very connected to the main characters. On top of that I was never convinced of their chemistry. We kept being told they were into each other but why, besides looks? Maybe it was supposed to come across as fling-ish and not a strong long term relationship. I also don’t feel like many of them had much character development or growth. That being said it wasn’t a bad book, it just wasn’t what I was hoping, and maybe that’s a me problem.

I have so many books to read and not enough time to do it. So when I'm one fifth into a standalone and have 0 investment -to the point that I forgot I was reading it- then it's time to abandon ship.

The concepts of the rings that reveal your gender/etc is kinda cool, though I think wearing your kinks out in the open is... certainly a weird choice? Not sure how it makes sense in their culture.

First of all - the world-building in this book is incredible, with a unique blend of fantasy and adventure that had me hooked from the start. Lyons’s vivid descriptions of the jungle and the sky cities were absolutely gorgeous.

I also appreciated the LGBT themes woven throughout the story, which added a welcome layer of depth to the narrative. Anahrod’s sexuality is very nuanced. It’s not essential to the plot, but is still an important aspect of her character. This is something I usually champion in fiction - the normalization!

The primary characters are all complex and multidimensional, with Anahrod being a particular standout. Her tough-as-nails exterior hides a deep vulnerability that makes her all the more relatable.

The constant action and adventure were a major draw for me, and Lyons delivers on that front. There’s never a dull moment in this story, with battles, chases, and daring heists keeping me on the edge of my seat. The stakes are high and the tension is palpable, making for a thrilling read.

However, I did find some aspects of the story to be a bit hit-or-miss. At times, the pacing felt a bit uneven, with some sections feeling rushed or disjointed. Additionally, some of the supporting characters felt a bit one-dimensional, which made it hard for me to become fully invested in their stories.

Overall, I’d recommend “The Sky On Fire” to fans of fantasy and adventure who enjoy complex characters and high-stakes action. If you enjoyed Six of Crows or Fourth Wing this may be a good choice for you.

Lyons responds to the newly reawakened dragon craze with her own spin on things. The magic, the mayhem, the plucky band of allies just trying to make it to their next task alive... it was so good! I absolutely loved this, and I am hoping this turns into a long, epic series.

“𝙄’𝙢 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙮𝙚𝙩,” 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙞𝙢. “𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙗𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙣 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚, 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙤𝙧 𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙤𝙣, 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙚𝙩, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚, 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙖𝙫𝙤𝙧.”

Anahrod was supposed to be put to death 17 years ago at the age of 15, but she’s still alive! And the head dragon is NOT happy about it!

Ok, first of all, I love love love how dragons were used in this story. They don’t serve at the whims of humans, THEY are in charge!

I also really loved this queer normative world. It’s not a main driver of the story by any means, but the way everything is presented was just a fun way of going about it.

There’s romance, sapphic and hetero /“why not both”, but it’s not a main driver of the plot. The plot/heist/action is definitely the main focus here.

It took me a bit to really get into the story, but once I hit ~15% I was in, and was definitely invested from that point onward.

Audiobook notes: Lauren Fortgang!! 🙌 I know her voice well from all the entire 𝘎𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦 series, and oh I just love her narration. 10/10 here once again.

Thank you to @macmillan.audio for providing me an ALC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What this book is giving:
✅ Fantasy
✅ Standalone
✅ Dragons
✅ Queer Normative World
✅ FMC in her 30’s! 🙌
✅ Heist
✅ Dragon Battles
✅ Magic

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½ / 5
🌶️½ / 5

It was a good book, but something was missing for me. I’d give it a 3.5 overall.

I was very excited for this read. It's got everything for a fantasy adventure! We love anything with dragons.
It starts really strongly with a fantastic prologue, a diverse cast of characters, but then it felt slow paced for a bit. 

The story was well crafted, and the narrator for the audiobook is amazing. I just couldn't connect to any of the characters because it felt like so many were introduced so fast, so that left me kinda just there for the story instead of feeling like I was in it.