This book had a lot of promise but ultimately it struggled for not knowing what it wanted to be. It was a bit of romantasy and a bit high fantasy with romance. I’m happy to read any fantasy featuring dragons but, despite being on the cover, dragons didn’t really come into the story until around 60%. I liked how the author setup the romance but ultimately it was hard for me to buy the rapid development of the protagonists’ feelings for each other.

This book could have benefited from being longer. More worldbuilding would be freaky appreciated.

I've never read anything by Stephanie Jordan before but I looked her up and she's quite an established author and it shows in her writing.

First of all, may I have all of the tropes?
Thank you. I am much obliged.

I was engrossed in this book from the beginning. I had also read somewhere (?) that whipping boys/girls was a thing and for Tamsyn, and her (very surprising character arc), I liked that this was her whole background. Coming from having no control then to having all the control, well sort of, is what I love to see in a main character.

Then we have Fell, who has all of the power but along comes Tamlyn and takes just enough to toss him into an existential spiral. You can *kind of* guess after learning his history, if you remember it, and during the 4th/5th part where his character is going. I was all aboard.

Stig needs to calm himself down. First, he's an emotional villain, now he's just gonna be an attempted murdery villain. (Probably in the next book. I mean, it seems clear.)

This book was just an enjoyable read. It wasn't overly complicated, it was a good book to get lost in.
I can't wait for the second book. I love Tamsyn and Fell.

Thank you NetGalley (and HarperCollins) for the eARC!)

This book was such a romantic, fantastical romp. Another gem from Sophie Jordan. She truly is a gift to the romance world. I can’t wait to read whatever she publishes next!

It was entertaining, but I felt like it was very long drawn out and nothing stood out as amazing to me. There was not a lot going on plot-wise.
I liked the concept of the magic system and dragons but I felt like I needed a little more from the characters..

Y’all let me tell you now I have my number 1 pick for Romantasy book of 2024! Sophie Jordan has outdone herself with this one. I haven’t had a cliffhanger ending shake me since Fourth Wing. Mrs Jordan I need book 2 immediately. Anyway I’m getting two far ahead of myself, I should probably calm down and back it up a bit.

I have been a Sophie Jordan fan since college. When I was in college I read Sophie Jordan’s firelight and Ivy chronicles series. I really enjoyed both of them. A Fire in the Sky feels like a beautiful love child of those two series in one book. This is my first adult dragon shifter romance and omg I now want more. This book was everything I could’ve wanted and more! We have of course all of my favorite tropes arranged marriage, touch her and die vibes, badass female heroine, and a grumpy “beast” MM.

I cannot stress this enough please read A Fire in the Sky when it comes out in September of 2024. You will not be disappointed. Also Thank you NetGalley and Avon publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First off thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC. Book comes out September 24, 2024. Rating a 4.75 ⭐️

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Finished it in a day. Felt like a mix of From Blood and Ash and King of Battle & Blood but with its own unique plot, twists and characters. Individually unique. Loved the characters, the sort of reluctant lovers and arranged marriage trope. Plot was as enticing as the romance which I find hard to find lately in romantasy books.

Don’t want to give too many spoilers but overall loved the plot, characters, tropes and inclusion of dragons, witches and warriors. The FMC Tamsyn was strong, caring but a big meek, I appreciate stories where the woman can both be humble and soft as well as strong and powerful.

Overall a really great read, Sophie Jordan is a great descriptive writer I think this will be a instant hit once released.

Part of a royal court, Tamysn lives in a world where dragons were once the hated enemy. They had been hunted a hundred years past to extinction, or so it is believed. Though peace reigns in the kingdom of Penterra where Tamysn lives serving in the ignominious role as a whipping girl to the royal family, wars and skirmishes still exists among humans. The few magical folk still thought to exist must hide away or be burned at the stake. Tamysn bears her burden of taking on physical punishments for the royal princesses with equanimity. She is called a royal but is not one. Her childhood friend and captain of the guard, Stig, looks to be more than a buddy for her, at least in his eyes.

When the Beast of the Borderlands, Fell, comes to Penterra to demand a royal wife as recompense for protecting their lands, Tamysn agrees to a subterfuge cooked up by the King to marry Fell. He does not realize the veiled woman is not one of the king’s three daughters until after the rather uncomfortable wedding night as they are being observed by the elite for a rather prurient custom.

Fell cannot believe the dirty trick foisted upon him but agrees to leave, taking his unwanted bride on a dangerous journey home. Tamsyn is determined to survive this perilous trek although she has never been far from Penterra, and her new husband can barely tolerate this deceiver. Trials and tribulations begin to awaken what was hidden and thought banished forever; magic may not be dead after all.

While not part of Ms. Jordan’s original dragon books, the Firelight series, it is ancillary and will likely please readers who enjoyed those stories. These tales are in the Young Adult category. This book is heavy on internal monologue so there less action than would be expected for what I would consider to be an epic, adventure romantasy.

3.5 stars

A Fire in the Sky is a magical dragon filled story about a girl named Tamsyn who serves as the whipping girl for the royal family, until the Beast of the Borderlands comes demanding to marry one of the princesses. The king decides to trick him by marrying him to Tamsyn and drama ensues.

Tamsyn is a little difficult to sympathize with for a lot of the book, but we do see glimpses of character growth and I’m sure we’ll see more as the series goes on. Although the romantic interactions were few, I enjoyed the dynamic between Tamsyn and Fell and the pull they felt toward each other.

I did not see the first big twist coming at all which was great. I thought the other twist became a little obvious after that but it was still enjoyable. I think this book could have used a few more likable characters considering there were hardly any. Overall this was an easy gripping read and I may be interested in continuing the series.

Thank you to NetGalley & Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

I don’t even know what to say about this one —

I like dragons, I like witchcraft, I like magical worlds - so that was some of what appealed to me about this novel. I appreciated the unexpected twists that popped up and kept me interested, and the ending certainly surprised me.

There was a lot about this book that got me fired up, and that’s not necessarily a negative thing - I think the author wanted to evoke emotions in the reader. Our FMC Tasmyn is the royal whipping girl, meaning she takes the beatings on behalf of the princesses who are untouched and unpunished. I felt as though Tasmyn doesn’t get a lot of respect from anyone in this book and falls victim to learned helplessness. I think we see glimpses of how her character can develop into a stronger woman who is more sure of herself, but as it stands she’s seen as weak and powerless for most of the book… succumbing to the fate that others lay out for her without really fighting back except for a few instances.

I suppose this book is considered romantasy, there’s a love triangle and an arranged marriage that leads to more. Our MMC Fell becomes more likable as the book goes on and I think he definitely has the potential to be a powerful protector that helps Tasmyn see her worth.

I am not sure if I will continue with this series - but I am grateful to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read this ARC. I suppose I would recommend this one to dragon and fantasy lovers so that they can form their own opinion - I certainly think there is an audience who would love this book.

A Fire in the Sky was just okay for me. It’s didn’t knock my socks off with any big plot twists or stunning writing, but I do think a lot of romantasy readers will enjoy it. I can see this being really popular on TikTok/BookTok. There is some spice, around a 2.5-3/5.

I didn’t realize until the end that this was a prequel to Jordan’s YA series Firelight. I did read those books, but it’s been ages, so I didn’t make the connection.

I would definitely recommend this book for readers of Fourth Wing and SJM. It perfectly embodies the newer romantasy genre. Overall, for me personally, it gets a 3.5/5. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I devoured this book! I absolutely loved Tamsyn. She has been raised to be the whipping girl for the children of the royal family - a princess in name only who bears the brunt of all the punishments. She is a fascinating character- strong yet her sense of self is fundamentally enmeshed in how she can serve others. She expects to sacrifice and suffer to help those around her. I really loved the first half of the book. The second half moved very quickly and I think I would have liked to spend more time in the world instead of the plot moving so so quickly. Overall I cannot wait for the next book!

A Fire in the Sky was everything I could want from a romantasy book. This had great writing and an atmospheric world that reminded me of the show Reign. I loved the fantasy aspect and the dragons. It was subtle because this is a world where magic is almost gone and the dragons are extinct, but once the story got to the fantasy, it really took off. This had a unique spin on dragon fantasy books with dragon shifters and a perfect ending that I loved but don’t want to spoil. The romance was the highlight of this book and it still has me reeling every time I think about it. I was giddy over the main characters the second they met and the instant attraction was undeniable. The spice was just perfect and I don’t say that often. This was definitely one of my favorite books of the year and I am very excited to read more from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance reader's copy of the book. Holy fuck man. This book was amazing and that ending is just leaving me wanting more. I loved the world building and the way I am just sucked into this world. I didn't put this down until I had finished it. I love Tamsyn and Fell. I love the dragons and need to know more. Stig can just go fall off a cliff. My hats off to the author, this is a fantastic book. I will be recommending this to all of my reader friends. I hope it's not a long wait for the next book.

Thank you to NetGallery, Avon, and Harper Voyager for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

I was captivated from start to finish in this world where dragons are said to be extinct and witches have been hunted to eliminate all magic. Tamsyn is the royal whipping girl and is forced to marry Fell, the Beast of the Borderlands, to keep the peace with the warriors who offer protection for the home she has always known. This was a fun quick read with easy worldbuilding. The development of the plot had me not wanting to put this one down. I was able to predict a lot of what was going to happen but it in no way took away from my enjoyment.

The romance had me eating up every interaction between Tamsyn and Fell as those walls started slowly coming down. Fell is the possessive, brutal warrior and Tamsyn is the ordinary girl who starts to learn how extraordinary she really is. We get some of my fav micro-tropes: eyes on me, he falls first, and wound care. We also have a love triangle but it just added to Fell’s possessiveness so I did not mind one bit.

I loved the different take on dragons, the multi-POV, and the breakdown of the book into the five parts (the wedding was definitely my favorite). The ending has me excited for the next book to come as I need to know what will happen next! Overall, 4.25 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for allowing me a chance to read this ARC and review it.

This romantasy book has a lot of tropes that I love reading about!
- enemies to lovers
- arranged marriage
- touch her and 💀
- dragons
- strong willed FMC
- a little spice

Even with so many of my favorite tropes, the writing was just so-so and felt repetitive. It was hard to stay invested in the story and towards the end I was just ready for it to be over.

This was my first novel by Sophie Jordan and I enjoyed it. A Fire in the Sky is a fantasy book with romance and not a romantasy. There are a couple of steamy scenes between the FMC & MMC but if you are looking for lots of high spice this isn't the book for you. Tamsyn & Fell aren't revolutionary characters but they make a solid enemies to lovers couple. The surrounding cast of characters don't stand out as extraordinary but they make decent foils moving the plot along. I would have liked more of Fell showing his protective side toward Tamsyn rather than all of the internal monologue that happens. The "touch her and die" isn't as strong in some places as it could be. I did see the twist coming but I didn't see all of it so that was a nice surprise. This definitely leaves room for a sequel and I would happily read it to see what becomes of Tamsyn & Fell.

Overall I'd rate it 3.5 stars.

This was fine. It's very much an insta-lust romantasy with either Viking or Scottish barbarian types. The twist was more weird than interesting. Still, it was fun and light and I needed that.

3.5/5 stars.

Tamsyn, the royal whipping girl, seemingly on the cusp of earning her freedom is suddenly forced to marry the King of the Borderlands, Fell. As they set out for their new life together, loyalties are tested, strength found and secrets abound.

A Fire in the Sky interested me with the plot, and having read other books by Sophie Jordan, I was super excited to see this world. Overall, I liked the characters and the story, but the pace seemed a bit off. I felt like I was reading the internal thoughts of the characters more than I was what was happening to them, which seemed to slow the story quite a bit. I feel like with the setup of the story, there could’ve been more action for the characters. I am invested in the characters and want to continue to follow their story!

I really want to give this five stars. I was able to get completely lost in this world and found the main characters reactions and tenacity very relatable. One thing in the writing that started to get on my nerves and brought me out if the story was a penchant to repeat words. It was like the author couldnt think of a better way to describe something so she would just repeat herself. For example if she was talking about the character wanting hope she would say “hope hope hope.” It happened several times and not with only one character. I hope the editors remove this before publishing. Other than that one quirk in the writing I loved the build up of the love story. I loved the intrigue of all the plot twists and love triangle. There were some incredible quotes that resonated with me. “ There were some walks you must go alone in life.” and “ My grim fate yawned ahead, posts in a fence, one after another, days falling in succession, in sameness, in tedium.” Overall, I truly enjoyed this story.

Thanks to Netgalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for an eARC. In a world where the dragons were all killed and the witches were hunted after that lived a girl who was the whipping girl for three princesses. Tamsyn was found as a baby and raised with the princesses but it was her duty to take the punishment for her sisters the princesses. She was happy to take that duty and protect her sisters. The Border King or The Beast comes and wants something for protecting their kingdom for so long. He wants to marry one of princesses. He is looked on as a Barbarian and the King and Queen need his continued help so they look to trick The Beast and give him Tamsyn instead. A story I couldn’t put down. Are the dragons really gone? Will Tamsyn protect her sisters again and serve in their place? Will she fall for The Beast? A story that pulled me in and desperately waiting for the next one!