*Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the chance to review an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

Rated 2.5, rounded up.

I had a hard time with this book. For me I think it was because I had not read A Chorus of Dragons by Lyons, and perhaps if I did I might not have been so confused. I found myself re-reading many parts trying to understand the terminology and world this book was set in. This took me out of the book just too much. The writing itself was great and the plot was interesting, I just couldn't get into like I would have hoped. I plan on reading A Chorus of Dragons, and then trying this again. I have hopes that that might change my review!

In this standalone novel, we delve into a world where dragons reign supreme, and danger lurks at every turn. Our protagonist, Anahrod, possesses a rare gift—the ability to control animals—but she’s been living in hiding since defying the draconian rulers years ago. Fate intervenes when she’s kidnapped by a band of cunning misfits, embarking on a daring mission to pilfer from a dragon’s hoard.

Lyons’ writing is masterful, weaving intricate character arcs that remain both complex and endearing. Anahrod’s transformation from a survivor to a world-changer is compelling, and the diverse cast adds depth and authenticity.

The world-building felt very well thought through. From sweeping landscapes to ancient magic, Lyons painted a vivid tapestry of that world. And the dragons are not just mere mythical creatures; they’re awe-inspiring forces of nature.

Also, amid the fantasy heist, there’s romance—a tantalizing blend of passion and restraint, so be prepared for some interesting romantic moments.

“The Sky on Fire” is a perfect read for those seeking escapism, adventure, and a touch of magic.

The Sky on Fire by Jenn Lyons is a fantasy read that hooked me from the start. The plot centers around a thrilling heist for a magical artifact, with dragons playing crucial roles as actual characters, not just props.

One of the book's standout features is its rich world-building. Lyons has crafted a society ruled by tyrannical magical beasts, creating a compelling and immersive setting. The characters are quirky and distinct, each with their unique backgrounds and motivations, contributing to a delightful band of misfits vibe. There is also so much diversity in age, species, motive, life experience, and skills, that make it such an interesting dynamic.

Anahrod, the main character, is fiercely independent and stubborn, making her a standout. The romance element is fresh too, with a love triangle turning into a polycule—something you don't see often and was done well. !!Publishers and Authors!! We want more of this in our books!

However, there was a bit of a lack of chemistry, and I think that is largely due in part to having so much packed into such a short story. Some of the romantic aspects felt a bit juvenile at times, with playful teasing about who likes who. It was apparent what Lyons was trying to do, but for me, it missed the mark ever so slightly. I also struggled a little with pacing. Another small issue was pacing. At times, the narrative moves too quickly, glossing over scenes that could benefit from more detail, while at other points, it slows down too much, reminiscent of the pacing issues in The Priory of the Orange Tree.

My recommendation; The Sky on Fire is a must-read for fantasy fans. Its rich world, engaging characters, and innovative take on romance make it a standout in the genre. Jenn Lyons has delivered a story that is both enchanting and thought-provoking, that left me wanting more. It can easily be read as a standalone, but the epilogue does hint a little more

I read a lot of (primarily) fantasy books. Of course I enjoy dragons. But would I be so inclined if many of them were jerks? Say, society only really existing because they allow it, we do come up with clever things. So when I was able to get my paws on "The Sky on Fire" by Jenn Lyons (out July 9th, 2024) who made some nutty dragons in her series, A Chorus of Dragons, I was as pleased as a wyrm in its lair. Did get audio as well so I didn't have to stop reading once I started.

Anahrod has a problem. That problem being her past has crashed into her current life. When a meeting goes absolutely sideways and she ends up being absconded with by a crew from the sky cities (did I mention they are down in the jungles) to carry out a plan based on her (alleged) crimes, and require her (alleged) knowledge to do so. See, she was tossed out/executed years ago, but didn't exactly die. Now they need her to steal from the hoard of a dragon. One who is kind of in charge of all the other dragons. And is incredibly magically competent. And is the one who had Anahrod executed (didn't take though).

Narrated by Lauren Fortgang, always a pleasure. Fantastic vocalizing of banter. Why does spice on audio always start when I'm in the grocery store???

Reasons to read:
-Big dragons doing stuff with crazy powers, just fire breathing is boring
-Banter
-Overbite
-BPPT confirmed!
-Sometimes folks just need a good stabbing
-Did magic grammar save the day?
-The characters are fantastic

Cons:
-No dholes, but I already knew they weren't in the story before I started

You are going to need to take several seats after finishing this book. The concept… A WORLD RULED BY DRAGONS… I couldn’t ask for something more intriguing. The beginning gripped me so hard I could not stop reading, because I needed to know what happened. Ris and Anahrod were my favorite characters and really the only ones that I connected to. I definitely got Fourth Wing vibes at times but it was completely new and refreshing.

This book was so great.
I loved the character. The dragons.
I also loved the twist with the dragon roders-dragon relationship .
The characters where well developed and the storyline was great.
Highly recommend for fantasy readers

This book was absolutely wonderful. I have to say when I was halfway through I went to Waterstones app and pre-order it because god. One of the best books I've read this year. It is a chunky one and took me a few days to read. I usually read at night and I would spend the whole day checking how long until it was time for bed again. 
I fell like the characters are old friends I will terribly miss after finishing the book. They are so likeable, I just want to feel my studio with character fan art, I need it so much. 
The representation is fabulous, there are all kinds of queerness and disability rep that made it a joy. 
I love that this is a stand alone, it has complex world building beautifully explained along with the plot without info dumping, it made you want to keep reading not only to know what would happen but also to know more about the world. And specifically to know what the garden rings mean!! I love the rings, both social and Garden, and I think we should use them in our society. It will make life much easier, and fun too, actually. 
At the epilogue a door opens where there is a possibility of further books in this world and I have to say I would absolutely love to read more.

This book was slow for me to get into but I really enjoyed the pacing, the depth of the characters and how the author wove the story together!

Anahrod is believed to be dead, instead she is hiding in the jungles of the Deep. When the local warlord tries to capture her she is saved by an adventuring group, but her past catch up to her and the group of misfits need her help to steal from a dragon who wants her dead.
I have mixed feelings about this book. There were times when I felt the plot was too fast paced and other times when it was too slow. Something I really liked was the world building and the author's creativity.
This world has so much potential, but it still didn't meet my expectations. My biggest criticism is that I did not connect with the characters. We are introduced to too many characters at once, which not only confused me but also made it difficult to get to know them individually. Compelling characters are really important to me, so when the characters are lacking, I also lose interest in the plot.
There were times when I wanted to DNF, but the story was engaging enough for me to finish the book.
Overall, I liked the world, and I can understand how some people will like this book, but I also can't say I'm not disappointed.

Epic High Fantasy about a woman with the magical ability to control animals who's kidnapped by a party of cunning misfits to help them steal from a dragon's hoard.

4/5 stars: This is Lyons' Epic High Fantasy stand-alone that features a woman with the magical ability to control animals who has been living in hiding after escaping a death sentence 17 years ago for defying the dragons that rule her world is kidnapped by a party of cunning misfits to help them steal from a dragon's hoard and winds up upending her world. Lyons' writing and character work are excellent; the characters are well-rounded, complex and yet remain incredibly likable. Anahrod's a complex character who's just trying live her life but finds herself changing the world. Lyons' cast contains a diverse array of 2SLGBTQIA+ characters who hold their own and have distinct voices. Additionally, the world building is extensive, inclusive and well-done. Oh and the dragons are awesome! And while this is very much a fantasy heist story there is some very kinky and steamy fade-to-black off-page sex. Lyons touches on some serious subjects; so take care and check the CWs. A great read!

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group | Tor Books in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

Man I really wanted to love this but unfortunately let me down. I feel like there was barely any world building and what there was focused on the wrong things (we know all about the sexuality rings barely anything on dragons or magic) plot felt very rushed in some places extremely slow in others. I really loved Jenn Lyons Chorus of Dragons series so this is very sad for me.

Dragons? Heists? This book sounded amazing! I found the world building fascinating and loved the magic/creatures. However, I was disappointed that this book didn't shine for me. I struggled to connect with the characters, and sometimes their interactions with each other felt surface level or forced. The book felt more like watching a movie, which is entertaining, but lacked the depth I turn to books for.

This book has all of my fav things! Dragons who are badass, evil queens, a fun love story, heists, adventure, and more dragons and beasts! I also loved all the banter and overall humor this book gave. This is a standalone novel everyone needs because sometimes we just need a kick ass dragon story to get us through the day!

3.75 Stars

Full transparency: A Chorus of Dragons is one of my favorite series of all time. Because of that this review is probably going to be biased both in a positive and in a negative way. In a positive way because I might be more lenient towards Jenn Lyons in ways I might not realize. In a negative way because I have to admit that I somehow felt slightly disappointed by this book and I am not quite sure if it might not be because I wasn't as obsessed with this as I was with her debut series.

First for the negatives. I almost want to pick up this book right away after publication to see what of this was due to it being an ARC. The reason for that is that my main gripe is that a few things about the writing and worldbuilding/storytelling details just felt unpolished. Every now and again details were mentioned (or on the other hand didn't come up again) where it felt like a step was missed in telling the reader. Nothing that was important to the story tho.
My other main thing was that I just could't stand one of the love interests which made the romance kind of uninteresting to me (a tragedy since Jwenn Lyons is one of the few authors that writes romance I enjoy /j). And while I don't mind some instalove in the right books, those right books are not epic high fantasy, so that was also an aspect of the romance I didn't love.
I do also think some of the nuances in the worldbuilding and oppressive dynamics between skylanders, the people from the deep and dragons were lost in it being a standalone and could've benefitted from a series.

Now for the things I loved. To noones surprise the characters (aside from the afore mentioned one). I am not a reader who gets heavily emotionally invested in characters a lot, but Jenn Lyons just doesn't miss. I loved Anahrod. Gwydinion was adorable as heck and Sicarys was to die for especially.
I also really enjoyed the way the dragons were done, which imo was fairly new and unique.
I loved a lot of the details to the worldbuilding, especially when it came to queer worldbuilding.
And the last one: while the big "twist" was set up fairly obviously (on purpose) I did really appreciate how Lyons managed to make the exact details of that storybeat playing out interesting and unexpected.

** Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for providing me with an advanced reader's copy in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own**

I am a huge fan of this author and I love her Chorus of Dragons series. This is a very different book than that series. This is a heist novel, that takes up the majority of the story. If you do not like heists you will not like this story. I appreciated the queer representation that this author has in all of her stories and this one is no different. My favourite part was the dragons! The dragons can possess their riders and talk through them and talk to them telepathically. I still love this authors Ruin of Kings books more as they are favourites but I enjoyed this new world and that its a standalone...I think. I will continue to read anything this author writes.

Epic High Fantasy ✅
Dragons & Dragon Riders ✅
A world where Dragons rule ✅
An evil Dragon Queen ✅
An outcast rebel thought to be dead ✅
A ragtag crew set to attempt the biggest heist in history ✅
LGBTQ+ representation ✅

I loved this book! Thank you Tor Publishing, Jenn Lyons and NetGalley for this ARC because it’s been one of my favorite reads of the year!

If you are a fan of banter/bickering, found family, loveable characters, humor and a dash of spice…you’ll love this.

It’s also so rare to see high fantasy standalones that truly tie the entire book up with a pretty bow at the end. But I’m really hoping we’ll see another book set in this world.

Much like Jenn Lyon’s other fantasy series. The Sky on fire is a very unique fantasy novel, so much so that I haven’t read anything similar!

The novel centres around a whole were dragons are seen as god like creatures and human are bonded to them as a sort of servant to stop the dragons going crazy and killing. I really like this angle of dragon riders as it’s more of a servitude bond rather than one of affection that is often presented in these novels.

Another element of this book that I really enjoyed was how people’s pronouns and sexual preference were stated through the use of “garden rings” where each flower/vines/leaves would represent a certain preference. This was highlighted throughout the novel and really added an extra layer to the society that Lyon’s presents us with.

I have seen some reviews saying that the characters in this story weren’t as strong as her previous novels.
I did find this to be the case in the first half of the novel, as within the first hundred pages we are shown three separate locations. Due to that pace it made it hard to connect to the main cast of characters.

However by part 3 the pacing and locations of this world have been explained and connecting to the characters became much easier. There is definitely a found family/ rag tag crew trope within the main story line.

I throughly enjoyed this and will be looking forward to continuing this series.

“The Sky on Fire" by Jenn Lyons is a riveting tale that transports readers to a realm where dragons reign supreme and the struggle for survival is as fierce as the creatures that dominate the skies. The story unfolds through the eyes of Anahrod, a character whose very existence is a testament to resilience and tenacity. She thrives in the perilous jungles of the Deep, with a titan drake as her steadfast companion. Her life, a solitary dance with danger, is upended when a band of adventurers rescues her from the clutches of a warlord—a rescue that is far from altruistic, as it entangles her in a plot brimming with intrigue and treachery¹.

The characters in Lyons' world are etched with a fine brush, each stroke revealing their multifaceted personalities. Anahrod, independent and wilful, is a beacon of strength, her ability to communicate with animals underscoring her connection to the wild world she inhabits. The adventurers, a motley crew of misfits, bring their own quirks and charms to the narrative, creating a dynamic that is both bold and endearing¹.

Set against the backdrop of the cloud cities, the novel's setting is as grand as it is imaginative. The sky cities, ruled by dragons, offer a contrast to the untamed jungles below, highlighting the dichotomy between civilization and wilderness. The problematic at the heart of the book is the heist—a daring attempt to steal from a dragon's hoard, a feat as dangerous as it is alluring. This central conflict drives the narrative forward, weaving a tale of high-stakes adventure¹.

Lyons' writing is fluid, her prose carrying the reader along with a rhythm that mirrors the beating wings of the dragons that fill her pages. The editing is sharp, ensuring that the story's pace never falters, and the reader is kept on the edge of their seat. The dialogue crackles with wit, and the banter among the characters adds a layer of levity to the otherwise tense proceedings¹.

In terms of critique, while the novel is a page-turner, some readers might find the plot occasionally predictable. The tropes of dragon-riding and heists, though well-executed, are familiar grounds in fantasy literature. However, Lyons' fresh take on these themes and her ability to craft a world that feels both expansive and intimate is commendable.

Rating this book, I would give it 4 stars out of 5. It's a solid addition to the fantasy genre, offering a story that is both entertaining and thought-provoking. The minor predictability does not detract significantly from the overall enjoyment of the book. Lyons has created a world that is sure to captivate readers who are drawn to tales of dragons, adventure, and the eternal quest for freedom and survival¹.

This book had the allure and promise of dragons and all the things I love about fantasy, however I found it to fall short in the storyline. I enjoyed the fantasy elements and creatures and abilities, but as far as a comprehensive plot that I could follow and find intriguing? This just wasn’t the case for me the majority of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for providing me with this ARC.

The Sky on Fire is a supremely fun book centering around heists, dragons, and magic with fantastic world-building. In a year when books can barely hold my attention, I was immediately hooked on The Sky on Fire and never wanted to put the book down.

For me, the standout of The Sky on Fire was definitely the world-building. The world is divided into high and lows, with the rich and powerful living high up in the mountains, where dragons like to live, and the poor and otherwise undesirable living down on the hellishly hot and lawless jungles of what is called The Deep. The Deep is where people go to disappear and that's no exception for our protagonist, Anahrod, who hides there from a world filled with dragons who want her dead.

Ever since playing Skyrim for the first time, a game where an evil dragon, Alduin, seeks to take over the world, I have always wondered what it would be like to exist in a world ruled entirely by dragons. What kind of decisions would they make? How would they view humans? What would their ruling system or class divisions look like? The Sky on Fire gives an incredibly intriguing version of that world. In this world, humans are considered lesser than dragons, largely in part due to religious reasons, and humans with magic potential are forced to attempt to become a dragonrider in a pact that usually looks a lot like lifelong enslavement for the human.

“To become a dragonrider was to be all but a slave, perpetually locked in obedience to a single master, from whom one could never be parted. Not in the human's lifetime, anyway."

I really enjoyed this more nuanced portrayal of dragons, which I fear are usually depicted as wise and benevolent or malicious and greedy with no in between. The Sky on Fire imagines a world where dragons have different breaths, religions, and attitudes on humans. It was nice to see dragons depicted as actual characters over mythological beings that merely offer human characters something. I especially loved that each dragon has his or her own designated item that they—and they alone—can hoard. That's the kind of unique quirk that I love about Jenn Lyons's works. It also adds another interesting challenge to the already daunting premise of stealing from a dragon's hoard.

Even with all of the layered world-building, The Sky on Fire is definitely a plot driven book. As someone who typically lives and breathes for character development, you'd think I would consider that a negative, but I was so enthralled by the world and the fast paced events that I wasn't bothered by the characters not being the most developed. Characters have one or two defining traits, mostly from much-loved archetypes, and there's just not a whole lot of actual depth to go around. The idea of all of these characters are great, but their execution is not—simply too much of the writing relies on the reader recognizing these familiar types of character and knowing what that trope typically entails to know the idea of the character.

Even though the character building in The Sky on Fire as a whole is not ideal, I really enjoyed seeing multiple female characters at the forefront of a heist novel. So often books featuring heists are always run by men, with maybe one female character involved as a love interest or as a side character who is clearly not a love interest and has a quirky ability, like hacking. This is not at all the case in The Sky on Fire, which features three female characters involved in the planning and carrying out of the heist itself, and the ultimate final say on the plan goes to a female character.

Despite my joy at having all of these female characters wearing the pants of this operation, I felt like I had whiplash from a lot of, "but actually" moments concerning the plot and the heist itself. There were constant surprises, quick changes, and last minute discoveries, which kept things incredibly exciting. However, the characters were always able to pivot in order to meet new challenges with little to no panic, no matter how dire the situation. Their reactions and ability to meet any possible catastrophic situation or knowledge bombs being dropped felt quite unbelievable to me.

I also struggled to get on board with the romance of the novel. Anahrod has insta-lust for the sexy female dragonrider, Ris, but still has a thing for her ex, self-proclaimed king Sicaryon. As someone who really love a slow burn romance and the build up of characters realizing and later acting on their feelings, I was disappointed with how the romance played out. Instead of Anharod picking between the two characters, these three characters are all coincidentally mutually attracted to one another and have no problems sharing one another with each other, without so much as having even one single serious conversation about pesky things like feelings, expectations, or boundaries. While it's nice to not always have to read a love triangle and the jealousy and other complications that come with it, I honestly think this novel could have benefited from some of the tension and conflict that results from a love triangle.

"She groaned and rubbed a finger into her eye. Why make a single bad decision, she supposed, when could make two at the same time. Much more efficient. Ris and Sicaryon both. Why not?"

The romantic relationship between the three characters just felt way too random and easy, even if the author threw in what felt like obviously contrived moments of Anahrod telling herself that she shouldn't get involved with either Sicaryon or Ris. And with all of the characters rather underdeveloped, I was rather indifferent to who ended up with whom and the constant "will-they-won't-they," when it was very obvious that they were all going to act on their urges. It just didn't work as well for me as the throuple relationship between Khirin, Janel and Tareath in Lyon's other series, A Chorus of Dragons. This could be because there just isn't as much time in a standalone novel compared to a series to do the same amount of setup to make this type of relationship feel natural.

Regardless of the parts of the novel that didn’t work as well for me, such as the character building and romance, I really enjoyed The Sky on Fire due to its unique portrayal of dragons, interesting world-building, and fast-paced story with lots of surprises. I would wholeheartedly recommend The Sky on Fire to people who are looking for a more light-hearted and fun fantasy read that doesn't take itself too seriously. I think fans of Rachel Aaron’s The Legend of Eli Monpress and James Logan’s The Silverblood Promise would enjoy this novel as well.