Tamsyn is the royal whipping girl, growing up as part of the royal family but not royal in her own right. Her "family" delivers the ultimate insult, sending Tamsyn on a journey where she discovers her true self.
The first half of this book was hard to get through. Tamsyn was a contradiction of intelligence and naivete, She seemed to have her wits about her and be the most mature of her royal siblings, but too naive to not realize the situation she was put in sooner. Perhaps it could be explained by her blind trust of her family, but it was a stretch for me.
The second half of this book was so much better. Tamsyn learned the depths of her strength, both mental and physical. At the same time, we saw other characters develop and change, many in surprising ways. The world beyond the palace was beautifully described and the relationships were intriguing. Overall the plot of the story was engaging and left me ready to read the next book in the series, which I hope is to come.

"You are stronger than you realize. Draw from that. Do not be afraid of your power."

This was a great start to a new series by Sophie Jordan. It has everything you could want: enemies to lovers, betrayal, secrets, magic, dragons, & political intrigue.

I like Tamsyn as our FMC. Adopted by the royal family to fulfill the position as royal whipping girl, Tamsyn has been raised as a princess albeit one that takes beatings for the true princesses. She is strong, loving, and bound by her duty. When Fell aka the Beast of the Borderlands marries one of the princesses, he gets more than he bargained for. Is he truly a beast as people say or does he only do the violent things he does for the good of his people?

"Arkin was right. There were many dangerous things in these woods. I just never realized that I could be one of them."

I will say that I felt like we needed just a bit more world building. Things were introduced very quickly with little background especially the revelations at the end. It was hard to follow just how Tamsyn could be what she is and then also to grasp what was happening with Fell.

I didn't want this book to end. I wanted it to be longer. So much happens very quickly at the end and I wasn't ready to leave this world. I want answers. I will for sure be reading more from this series once it's released.

A Fantasy with witches,dragons,magic.
About Tamsyn, the whipping girl and the Beast of Borderlands Fell.
The Beast came to get a princess bride but get the whipping girl instead..
Great drama,interesting story, suspense,twists.
Great cliffhanger.
Looking dto the next.
Voluntarily reviewed.

This story is like 1500s European royalty plus dragons and I am so here for it. We have whipping girls, arranged marriages, needing witnesses for the marriage consummation as well as witches, magic, dragons, and fated mates. This novel was fast paced and kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. It hasn't been advertised as a series starter (that I've seen), but I assume we are getting more books with how this left off.

Tamsyn is stalwart and even keeled. I can't wait to see her character arc through more books. I also hope we get to see more of the royal family, particularly the princesses as we move forward.

This was such a fun novel and now I want to go back and re-read Jordan's Firelight trilogy (which apparently just got new covers and are being re-released this month). I highly recommend this book to anybody who loves romantasy books.

Review going live September 9

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read and review this book.
I initially felt A Fire in the Sky had much potential – the premise snagged me from the start. Unfortunately, I never really felt connected to the characters. There were often moments of repetitive information and internal dialogue that seemed to drag the pacing of the story. I also struggled with the mis-matched adult-level of spice for an otherwise seemingly YA-level of writing. My biggest problem with this book was the predictability throughout. This one was a miss for me, but I appreciate the opportunity to review.

Now has me in a chokehold I look forward to buying everything from this author and reading everything she writes! She made such an intriguing story and I cannot wait to find out what happens! I could not put the story down. I started reading it didn’t put it down!!!

3.75/5, Rounded up for NetGalley.

I truly could not put this down. This was definitely my kind of Romantasy book. More of a guilty pleasure kind of read than anything else. I mean, there’s dragons! Need I say more? The writing was a bit repetitive, but it had a fun premise that I enjoyed. Not very heavy on the world building if you’re looking for a quick read. Oh! And there’s some spice.

The story is told from three points-of-view. The first being our female main character, a fiery redhead named Tamsyn. She is the royal “whipping girl.” Raised by the royal family aside their children to take their place in terms of punishment. And to take their place when it comes to marrying Fell, the Beast of the Borderlands. The last main character is Stig, the Captain of the Guard and Tamsyn’s childhood best friend. I was not a fan of him though. He definitely gave Cristen Cole(HOTD) vibes.. Yuck.

The big thing that bothered me was the amount of times the phrase “Moistening my lips” was used. I’m sure there could’ve been another way to say that.. Not usually a fan of instant attraction stories either, but this will get a free pass due to story reasons.

This book could’ve used a little help when it came to the basic writing and its repetitiveness, but I’m absolutely looking forward to the sequel. Especially when this one ended on a cliffhanger.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Avon for an eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

A Fire in the Sky by Sophie Jordan is the first book in a planned romantasy duology. Our main female character Tamsyn is the royal family's whipping girl. Essentially her role in life is to take the punishment of any of the princesses’ misdeeds. Then Fell, the Beast of the Borderlands, rides into town demanding a princess for a bride, the duty naturally falls upon Tamsyn to take the place of her beloved sisters.

The connection between Tamysn and Fell is immediate. I can’t say I was fond of the public consummation of their union but understand why it was chosen by the author for the story. Without giving away too much, I thoroughly enjoyed the big character development for Tamysn and, with the way things ended in this book, cannot wait for the next.

Arranged marriage, dark broody MMC, and a FMC on a journey to find out who she really is? I’m there for it! This book was full of twists and turns and unexpected outcomes and kept me hooked from the beginning. I devoured this book and can’t wait for the next one!

✨ Book Review: A Fire in the Sky by Sophie Jordan ✨

In A Fire in the Sky, @sosophiejordan introduces us to Tamsyn, a young woman navigating the harsh world of Pentarra, where dragons are extinct, witches are outcast, and she serves as the Whipping Girl for the royal daughters. As her best friend Stig remains close, she questions her feelings for him. But when the notorious Beast of the Borderlands arrives, demanding marriage to a princess so he can gain more say in the kingdom, Tamsyn is drawn into a dangerous plot that could change everything she knows. Soon she may have to leave everyone and everything she has ever known and wanted behind.

With a captivating mix of romance, fantasy, and intrigue, this first romantasy book in the series sets the stage for a wild adventure. The special edition is beautiful, and I can't wait to see what comes next!

I devoured "A Fire in the Sky" by Sophie Jordan in one sitting—it was that gripping. From the start, I was deeply curious about the FMC’s story. She embodies someone who absorbs trauma, takes on others' issues, and sacrifices so much of herself. Her journey through an arranged marriage in a fantasy world had me hooked, and I was eager to see how she would grow and evolve.
The book is packed with unexpected twists and turns that kept me glued to the pages. It’s fast-paced, and the world-building is done so well that I felt fully immersed in the story. I can’t wait for book 2 to see where it takes us next!

Oh and the cliffhanger in the end really leaves you hanging.

Genre
•Romantasy

Quote
“He was like poisonous berries in the wood, so bright and colorful and sweet at the first taste, but bad for you. Toxic”

🌶️ minimal spice

Thank you net galley, Sophie Jordan, and Avon & Harper Voyager for the Arc.

Dragons, arranged marriage, magic... this book has all the popular ingredients to make it a BookTok favorite for romantasy fans. Personally I thought it was very predictable due to very heavy-handed foreshadowing. Objectively, it's a quick and interesting read and the main characters have good chemistry. This is a strong series opener. Give it to Fourth Wing fans and readers looking for New Adult romantasy novels.

I'm so excited for the release of this book.
I blew through this story very quickly and there were many aspects that I loved. I loved the dynamic between the main character and her husband. Even though for Tasmyn this is all pretty fast moving, it didn't feel like we were being rushed through the story. The author knows how to take her time in fleshing things out and that's a huge plus for me, I don't favor books that rush through important details.

I actually did not see her turning into a dragon. I had guessed that she was a witch and to my delight, I was wrong. I liked this twist, it was unique and I can't recall ever reading a twist like this.
Going back in the chapter immediately following her shift was nice. We got to see all the details of how she came to be and how she came to end up at the palace with the king and queen.

I'm guessing the connection felt between the two main characters is some mate bond that we will hopefully see in book two.
Anyhow, thank you so much for sending me a copy! I really enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to going out and grabbing a copy on release day and recommending it to my followers.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book the idea of a whipping girl was something I never heard about before and found awful but also interesting in how it shaped Tamsyn. Fell was a good character I liked how he did not want to be like his father and wanted change and how he and Tamsyn got along. At some point I felt like the book was going very slow the whole journey North felt very slow and so much inner monologue. But once they arrived at the Borg it really picked up and I loved where it went. Don’t get me started on Stig can’t stand him boy bye. But that ending amazing I can’t wait to see where this goes !!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC!

A Fire in the Sky tells the story of a royal whipping girl who is forced to deceive the Beast of the Borderlands into marrying her.

Overall I enjoyed this story. The world building was easy to read and understand. The romance started off unexpectedly but I think I liked it in the end. The FMC & MMC made it really easy to love both individually. The story had its highs and lows but the ending pushed it to 4 stars for me. Will definitely read book 2!

Link to Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6771265927

I loved this! The dialogue was very well done and flowed smoothly from one scene to the next. I will definitely be recommending this and I can’t wait for book two!

Ughhhhhh Fell and Tamsyn and that cliff hanger 👀 I need more of their story and I need it NOW.

I’m excited to learn more about the magic system, the dragons, the witches, ALL OF IT.

This was my first dragon shifter book, but the tropes were some of my favs.

Touch her & 💀
He falls first
Hidden identity
Dragons/dragon shifters
Arranged marriage

Overall, can’t wait to read more and I already have the physical copy on preorder!

Book Deets 📖
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Emotional Damage:💧
Genre: Romantasy

RATING: 4 stars

Open Door Spice: mild (1-2 intimate scenes)

Tropes: Arranged marriage, love triangle

Synopsis: Though dragons have long been extinct in the land of Penterra, by no means has life gotten any easier. This holds particularly true for Tamsyn, the royal family's whipping girl. Raised with the belief it's her duty and honor to be punished for the princesses' misdeeds, self-sacrifice for her adopted sisters is all she knows. The only thing she can truly claim is her friendship with Stig, Captain of the Guard, but perhaps she was mistaken in calling it a friendship... However, when Fell, the Beast of the Borderlands rides into town demanding a princess for a bride, the duty naturally falls upon Tamsyn to take the place of her beloved sisters. Neither princess nor lowly servant, she agrees to the deception and grieves her dreams for a better life. With a marriage built on lies and deception, a nest of secrets is bound to unfurl between the newlyweds. But little do they know it only takes one secret, one little spark, to ignite a fire...

For anyone craving some romantasy magic but finding themselves with limited time on their hands, this is the book for you! Though some may consider the plot to be fairly traditional, this fast-paced, ~300 paged, dragon romantasy was a fun and entertaining read! While I would have personally preferred to have seen a little more depth in the main characters' relationship, this is the beginning of a planned duology series so perhaps we will see more later on.

Overall, if you are looking for a refreshing fantasy read where you truly grow with the female main character and see her come into her own, then you have most assuredly stumbled across the right book. I hope you enjoy!

Five stars.

It's rare that a book really hooks me from the very beginning and continues to keep that pacing through the end. This is one of my favorite reads this year.

❤️ The character and relationship development between Tamsyn and Fell feel real, in the sense of it being what you might expect from two people in a situation like theirs. I have the tendency to glaze over details that feel they're drawn out but this book held my attention the ENTIRE TIME.

🌶️ The spicy scenes are well done and help advance the plot. They don't feel forced or randomly dropped in. I expect we'll see some more next book? (Please?)

😮‍💨 The ending - goodness. I need the second book immediately! Because - excuse me, what?!

OMG!!!! I need book 2 IMMEDIATELY!!! This book was absolutely incredible. The love story between Fell and Tamsyn was so beautiful and the tension between them two was soooooo palpable and excruciating in the best way. I absolutely loved the switching POVs with not just Tamsyn and Fell but also side characters that played a role in the story. I cannot wait to see how the next book plays out with everything that was revealed in this one. The story had such amazing pacing and kept me interested every single chapter. Probably my favorite book of the year. If I could give this book 6 stars I would.