Thank you Netgalley and Avon Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have so many conflicting feelings about this book. There were so many parts I really enjoyed and loved (especially Tamsyn and Fell 😍). My main problem was the pacing. Nothing really happens for the first 60% of the book and then BAM everything happens. And once the story really got going it was great and I couldn’t put it down and I’m very interested to see how this world progresses. Overall though I think this was a pretty good first book to a series and a world that is very interesting and I can’t wait to see more of Tamsyn and Fell (especially Fell).

A Fire in the Sky was a fast read and entertaining fantasy focusing on Tamsyn. She's the adopted daughter of a king and queen but also serves as the resident whipping girl. The Lord of the Borderlands, Fell, visits the royal home and requests to marry one of the princesses as a trade. He is tricked into marrying Tamsyn and they travel home to his native land.

Tamsyn always feels a strong bond to Fell and the tension between them is strong as well. She also feels herself changing since parting from get home but her true self isn't revealed until she in under intense pressure. Once she discovers what she is, she has to decide whether to hide or embrace the change.

I really enjoyed this book and had no idea what to expect. It was an easy read and a nice change from other fantasy books. I can't wait to read more of the series!

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I really can’t say much about the book without giving away plot points. Dragons were thought to be gone from the land of Penterra, only Tamsyn is about to discover that those stories of the eradication may not be true. A love triangle. Dragons. Secret babies. Princesses. Dragons. Witches. Did I mention dragons? Look, I just plain loved this story and have so many questions for a sequel to answer.

4.5
It was so good that I bought it! I can't wait to read what comes next because that cliffhanger!! I loved everything about this - characters, story line, and even the steamy parts. This book had all the things. Dragons, secrets, arranged marriage, betrayal, and multiple pov's.

Thank you Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon for providing this ARC in echange for an honest review.

I absolutely LOVED this book!
This was my first Sophie Jordan book and I cant wait for the next installment in this series.
Tamsyn’s story was raw and beautiful and heartbreaking. She is such an incredible character. The way that Jordan wrote her felt so natural and real despite the fantasy setting.
This is a lush and imaginative world and I can tell that there is still so much that will be uncovered as we continue on with Tamsyn and Fell’s story.
This book draws you in immediately with its fluid prose, excellent pacing, heart pounding adventure and swoon worthy romance. The world wasn’t overly complicated and I appreciated that instead of trying to decode everything, I could enjoy the story and characters.
The characters had such heart and I found myself brought to tears multiple times throughout the story. Tamsyn is a FMC that every reader can love and root for. Her inexplicable connection with Fell and watching their relationship develop was so beautiful.
This is everything I want in a story and I can’t wait for book 2!

You’ll enjoy this book if you like themes/tropes of
-Arranged marriage
-Dragons!
-Secret identity
-Quests
-Multi POV’s

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Maybe I'm extra picky because I'm trying to pull myself out of a reading slump, but I DNF'd this at the 15% mark. The writing style felt very juvenile, and I couldn't keep pushing myself through.

I did some issues with this book but overall I really did enjoy the ride and overall plot line of the story......
At times I felt like it was rushed and would have liked for it to slow down a little and give a little more lore and backstory (especially for the MMC, Fell). Tamsyn, the FMC went through so much and at times it was a bit hard to read especially at the beginning so check your trigger warnings. It is a first in series and does end on a cliffhanger but I will definitely read book 2 despite my issues with the first .

Oh. My. Goodness. The way I devoured this book! I was hooked from the first chapter. A multiple POV with fully fleshed out characters, an amazing storyline, spice, and a cliffhanger that truly is still eating me alive. How am I expected to wait until next year for the rest?!

This had me hooked from the first chapter. I loved Tamsyn right away and was intrigued by Fell as well. I also enjoyed that we get more than just their 2 POVs. It makes the story feel more complete. The adventure and twists of this book along with the spice had me unable to put it down! This book should definitely be the next viral sensation. I absolutely adored it and I’m impatiently waiting for the next! I need to know what happens next!

Please tell me the next book will be releasing sometime in 2025?! Yes that’s, right this book ends on a cliffhanger and we’re teased with “coming soon!”

Tamsyn is a royal whipping girl who is treated like a royal princess expect she is not royal and accepts punishment for at least 2 out of the 3 real royal princesses because the youngest is actually the nice one. She is treated as a member / is called sister in the family. She was basically an orphan as a babe from 2 days olds found in the royal courts alley. She is also friends to the royal guard Stig whom admitted his feelings for Tamsyn a bit too late.

Fell, a strong fearless warrior, known as Beast of the borderlands, has been keeping Tamsyn’s family’s kingdom safe as his is the northern kingdom border fighting off sieges. But it’s time to collect his prize for his all his efforts keeping that kingdom protected and he wants one of the royal princesses to wife. But sadly, he gets betrayed by the king and wasn’t given an actual true royal daughter. The king would rather have his real daughters be arranged with others dignitaries and not someone who’s basically a savage. Fell won’t forget as we learn his true reason for marriage which makes me love him even more and now takes his wife Tamsyn as they have a long, treacherous journey back to his homeland with his warriors abound. Don’t worry Fell has a future revenge plan in the works. Tamsyn and Fell both seemed different in a way from others but slowly wonder if each other has a deeper connection some how. There’s more to say but I don’t want to give it away you’ll be swept in the story.

This story read so fast and I very much enjoyed the setting. It has a bit of a Viking feel to it and quite a few fighting scenes.

I received this book at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This was extremely well written. The characters are compelling and you want to keep reading. I had an amazing time in this universe.

A Fire in the Sky is a dragon shifter romantasy featuring an arranged marriage and an enemies-to-lovers trope. We follow Tamsyn, our female main character, who is a royal whipping girl. She was adopted by the king and queen at a young age, and, although raised in tandem with the royal princesses, she takes the punishment when the princesses misbehave. When Fell, the Beast of the Borderlands, arrives at the royal palace and demands a princess as his bride, Tamsyn is made to impersonate a true-blooded princess and marry Fell. Once their deception is discovered, a question hangs in the air... will Fell accept his bride, despite her lack of royal blood?

I had a fun time with this book. It was my first Sophie Jordan read and I found the writing to be engaging and easy to follow. It was a quick and easy read, to the point where it actually read a bit more like a YA book than an adult fantasy. It's a fairly short book, and I think for an adult fantasy, a bit more time could have been taken to add more world-building and plot details. That said, I enjoyed the arranged marriage and enemies-to-lovers aspects, and I liked how Fell was written as a main male character. This almost reads like a prequel to what I imagine will be an enjoyable series. We only got glimpses of the true nature of the characters and what felt like the main plot points, so I'll definitely be reading the next in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon books for the eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Title:  A Fire in the Sky  
Author:  Sophie Jordan        
Genre: Fantasy       
Rating:  4 out of 5

Dragons are extinct. Witches are outcast. Magic is dying.

But human lust for power is immortal.

Dragon fire no longer blisters the skies over Penterra, but inside the lavish palace, life is still perilous…especially for Tamsyn. Raised in the glittering court alongside the princesses, it's her duty to be punished for their misdeeds. Treated as part of the royal family but also as the lowliest servant, Tamsyn fits nowhere. Her only friend is Stig, Captain of the Guard...though sometimes she thinks he wants more than friendship.

When Fell, the Beast of the Borderlands, descends on her home, Tamsyn’s world becomes even more dangerous. To save the pampered princesses from a fate worse than death, she is commanded to don a veil and marry the brutal warrior. She agrees to the deception even though it means leaving Stig, and the only life she’s ever known, behind.

The wedding night begins with unexpected passion—and ends in near violence when her trickery is exposed. Rather than start a war, Fell accepts Tamsyn as his bride...but can he accept the dark secrets she harbors—secrets buried so deep even she doesn’t know they exist? For Tamsyn is more than a royal whipping girl, more than the false wife of a man who now sees her as his enemy. And when those secrets emerge, they will ignite a flame bright enough to burn the entire kingdom to the bone.

Magic is not dead...it is only sleeping. And it will take one ordinary girl with an extraordinary destiny to awaken it.

I enjoyed the writing in this, and the culture was well-done, if a bit infuriating. I liked both Fell and Tamsyn and enjoyed their chemistry. I felt like the last quarter of the book was a bit rushed, so that detracted a little from my enjoyment, but I’d be interested in reading more, as the storyline was strong enough to carry me through and I’m interested to see what happens next.

Sophie Jordan is a bestselling author. A Fire in the Sky is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Avon and Harper Voyager in exchange for an honest review.)

Good slow burn romance and high stakes Romantasy. This book is full of dragons, forbidden magic, witches and romance. The world building was pretty light, left a little more to be desired with the premise of the story. FMC and MMCs romance development felt a bit rushed and their relationship is a bit full of complex dynamics. Overall this book was a decent read, my biggest issue is the heaviness throughout of internal monologue. I feel that really detracts from the story as a hole. Fire in the sky is a quick read, and ends on a cliffhanger.

Dragon Shifter Romance!! Touch her and die kinda vibes. I love how different this books feels and how easy it is to get sucked in and stay there. I really enjoyed reading this awesome book.
Definitely going to be reading it again and 100% recommend!!
It’s a great read and is truly captivating!!

So I was very excited to read this one as I have enjoyed Sophie Jordan's historical romances. I am also a lover of romantasy especially involving dragons. I really enjoyed this book. I am excited to see where the story goes as this book ends with a cliffhanger. Is this a perfect book, no. Honestly it does suffer from a repetitive inner monologue. Yes, I did figure out the "twist" very early.
However, it is an enjoyable quick read. Did I mention there are dragons! I enjoyed this book so much that I bought the hardcover edition as well (love the flipbook illustrations) and also bought the tangential series, Firelight.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon for this opportunity to read this ARC and share my opinions.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, and Sophie Jordan for the ARC.

In a world where everyone believes dragons to be extinct and magic to be dying out if not dead, daughter of the king (only due to her role as the whipping girl) Tamsyn was forced into an arranged marriage with the Borderland Beast. But Lord Drythen believes he’s is marrying one of the king’s true daughters. Realizing he was deceived, Lord Drythen accepts Tamsyn as his wife and they head north to home. Along the way the group runs into trouble and Tamsyn discovers new things about herself and has to figure out how to go about huge development that could change everything.

I really enjoyed the multiple POVs and can see how other characters could have written from their point of view in later books. There were some parts where the writing was repeated for dramatic effect whether it be a phrase or word, and I felt that was a bit overdone. Maybe some additional editing or possibly just the writers style, that was my only main complaint. Over all I really enjoyed the book and THAT CLIFFHANGER!

What a fantastic read! The dual POV in this one hit just right. I loved the underdog story of a beautiful soul who just doesn’t quite belong, and gave me some feels of the From Blood and Ash series. I loved the character depth and the accessible fantasy world. I did not see the twist coming and loved every second. I don’t want to say too much and give anything away, so if you love fantasy, romantasy, spice, and dragons, you will enjoy this read.

This is a 5⭐️ 🌶️🌶️ (open door, medium spice) read

This book was a decent romantasy offering. The writing is solid, but it could benefit from another round of editing to reduce the repetition of thoughts, exposition, and the main conflict, which sometimes slows down the pacing. While it doesn’t offer anything revolutionary in the genre, the plot is ok, and even though I guessed the major twist within the first few chapters, the journey to get there was still worth it. Tamsyn can be a bit of an irritating heroine, but I found Fell to be a great character. The romance scenes are quite well done, and I’m particularly intrigued by the dragons—I’d love to learn more about them. Overall, there’s a lot to appreciate, and I’m probably going to read the next book whenever it comes out.

I want to be clear - while I have a lot to say about this book, I did enjoy it overall. It kept me hooked from start to finish, I generally like the two main characters, and the worldbuilding is interesting, if a little underdeveloped. I plan on reading the second book, and would recommend this to fans of romantasy (especially JLA fans). The writing of this book left a little to be desired, and I'm looking forward to seeing how Jordan's fantasy writing skills develop as the series go on.

First, this book relied heavily on internal monologue to tell the story. This led to a lot of "telling" and very little "showing" of what was happening. While there were frequently long passages of characters lamenting exactly how they were feeling, I also felt like there were a lot of emotional jumps, with the two protagonists going from one extreme to the other without reason or explanation. This made the chemistry feel a little underdeveloped and the whole thing overall kind of insta-lovey. I'm guessing this is going to be explained with some sort of fated mates thing in a future book, but I don't think having fated mates is a substitute for real emotional development.

Since the book consisted so much of monologuing, not all that much happened. The two characters spent basically the entire book together, yet didn't actually interact all that much. There also are no supporting characters that we get to know, other than Stig who frankly had zero redeeming qualities from start to finish. That's not a criticism, I think he was meant to be insufferable. But he's certainly not very complex. I would have loved to get to know characters like Mari or Tamsyn's sisters. I hope we spend more time with them in future books. It's a little hard to feel invested in the world and its people when I know so little about it.

Overall, I thought this one was fun and enjoyable. However, I'm hoping to see a little more from future books.

3 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Avon for the eARC. All opinions are my own.