For a dragon obsessed reader I really hoped to love this one more! It was a solid read but fell slightly short for me on the chemistry and world building.

A good dragon romantasy with adventure and steamy romance that will have any fantasy fan falling in love with the characters and flying through the pages. I am in my dragon fantasy era and this one helped satisfy that craving for me.

The only reason why I’m giving it 3⭐️ is because I wanted more. I just felt it was too short. However I am IN with the couple in the book. The MMC is a smoke show and I’m like yes please!

Anyways about the book, we follow the royal whipping girl named Tamsyn as she does her duties to take beating and punishments for the princesses in the royal family. However, when the Beast of the Borderlands comes to the palace demanding to marry a princess, Tamsyn’s life is flipped upside down and magic reawakens in the city of Penterra.

To not give any spoilers I’m gonna stop there but honestly I’m sitting here like *grabby hands* gimme more because I’m invested. I can’t wait to see where the author goes with this one.

Oh my gosh this story was just epic. I just couldn’t put this story down and I was just captivated by everything that was taking place. The author truly outdid herself with this story. This story just had my emotions all over the place and I am so sad to see this book end. I just can’t wait to see what’s next from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. Having read the Firelight series years ago, I was very excited for this adult series. This was a very quick read - I was hooked very quickly and engaged throughout the book. I enjoyed having both Tamsyn’s and Fell’s POVs. I would have enjoyed the book being longer if we were given more world building and more slow burn romance. I am excited to learn more about the world in general, more dragon history and more about the other hidden magical beings and will definitely pick up the next book in the series. Although the ending reveal is not a huge surprise, I would recommend picking this book up in September.

Loved the beginning of the book, fast pacing it got me once I read arrange marriage. I automatically thought it was a romance book but it's really not.. the ending was kind of a give away..

🅐 🅡 🅒 • 🅡 🅔 🅥 🅘 🅔 🅦

This grabbed me by the arm and drove me full force into this world. I LOVED this. This will keep your attention up until the very last page, the action ,the adventure and the world of characters will keep you intrigued and engaged. Now hear me when I say…THIS IS NOT A ROMANTASY….it is a FANTASY ROMANCE. I think that this may steer people to not finish this read if you go in thinking that it’s something that it is not. I thought that the character development, the world building, the relation to the characters was all there. I loved that this had all of my favorite aspects of a fantasy AND dragons…of course. Tamsyn and Fell are two of my favorite characters at the moment and I need more of them and their relationship…the connection they have, the chemistry and the ride they take us through throughout this read. If you are read to have your world rocked…pick this one up! You will not be dissapointed. I need more from our author ASAP. This needs to be on your tbr for its September 24, 2024 release!


Thank you @netgalley , @avonandharpervoyager and author for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

📚🔥 Just finished A Fire in the Sky by Sophie Jordan and I'm absolutely spellbound!

In this brand-new epic adult romantasy series, Jordan returns to the captivating world of dragons, romance, and high-stakes drama. Set in a realm where dragons are extinct, witches are outcast, and magic is on the brink of extinction, the story centers around Tamsyn, a girl raised in the glittering yet perilous royal court of Penterra.

Tamsyn's life takes a dramatic turn when she is forced to marry Fell, the Beast of the Borderlands, in a desperate bid to save the princesses she serves. What starts as a deceptive arrangement quickly transforms into a tumultuous relationship filled with unexpected passion, deep-seated secrets, and a struggle for acceptance.

The author weaves a mesmerizing tale of power, magic, and destiny, with Tamsyn emerging as a beacon of hope in a kingdom teetering on the edge of ruin. The intricate plot twists and richly drawn characters kept me hooked from start to finish.

If you're a fan of intense romance, fierce battles, and the awakening of ancient magic, A Fire in the Sky is a must-read. 🔥👑📖

#BookReview #AFireInTheSky #SophieJordan #FantasyReads #Romantasy #MustRead #BookLovers #Dragons #Magic #EpicReads #ARC

A quick, enjoyable adult romantic fantasy. At times, it felt underwhelming and underdeveloped - I think this can be credited to the fact that it is an adult prequel to a young adult trilogy - but I had fun with it all the same. I think it definitely could have been a bit longer; I know we're getting another book after this, but I think if we'd been given more time to really build up and believe Fell and Tamsyn's bond, it would have made the reveal at the end that much better. I will definitely be picking up the next book!

3.5 stars

I have very mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, it has some of my favorite romantasy tropes and I really enjoyed both Tamsyn’s and Fell’s POVs. On the other hand, this is one of those rare moments where I think the story would have benefited from longer scenes, scenes to help build the world and connect the reader to the characters.

Things I Loved:
- Using the concept of the whipping girl in a fantasy novel was entirely unique
- Arranged marriage, hidden identity, he falls first tropes
- The multiple POVs
- Dragons!

Things That Need Work:
- The sudden instalove - I would have loved to have seen more banter or argumentative screens between the FMC and MC. Something to show budding respect turning into affection.
- The development of the side characters and their relationships with the MCs, especially Mari’s relationship with Fell and Tamsyn’s relationship with her sisters.
- The overall world building and dragon lore

Overall, I enjoyed the story and it was an extremely quick read. I think the plot has a lot of promise, and I look toward to seeing what happens next!

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was hooked on this from page one. I devoured it in two sittings. It was such a good story! An arranged marriage, a wife who is more than she seems, and a world trying to rid itself of magic. But magic can't just disappear...

I got an ARC of this thanks to @harpercollins and @netgalley. This was fun! It felt a little elementary, but knowing the author writes YA sometimes, it tracked. I thought the twist at the end was fun. And I’m interested to see where it all goes.

Review contains slight spoilers



I absolutely loved this book! The story is a bit of a slow burn, but I was hooked! In a world where dragons were driven to extinction by humans through The Threshing, we have our FMC, Tamsyn, who is a whipping girl for the Princesses of Penterra. She is raised as a member of the royal family but is still separate from them. The MMC is Fell, the Beast of the Borderlands that protects Panterra's northernmost border from bandits and invading countries. Fell comes to the capital to marry one of the princesses so he can be a voice for the people on the council. The king, queen, and lord regent come up with a plan to trick Fell into marrying Tamsyn, as they don't want him marrying one of the princesses. Fell and Tamsyn marry and after the deception is revealed, they leave the capital to go back to the Borderlands where Fell rules. The journey is long, but they must hurry to arrive before winter sets in. Along the way, Tamsyn sees the world as it is outside of the palace, and it is grim. The eradication of the dragons was supposed to bring prosperity to humans, but those without money and power are still suffering.

I love the relationship between Fell and Tamsyn. Despite their rocky start, they slowly develop deeper feelings for each other. It is a struggle for them as they fight themselves, but I love a good story where they can't help but give in. I am so excited to see how their relationship further develops and where the story will go from here!

Thank you HaperCollins and NetGalley for the advanced copy. My thoughts and this review are my own opinion.

How can one be sad about and in love with something at the same time?! I read this book in one sitting, even cooked dinner while reading it. 6 hours, i couldn't stop. I am absolutely in love with A Fire in the Sky, and now I have to wait for the next one (hence the sadness). I loved our main characters, and I can't wait to see their story continue. So many twists and turns it was addicting. This book *chef's kiss*. It has magic, dragons, spice, a beast of a warrior for a MMC, and a badass FMC. You can not ask for more in a romantasy. My only complaint was that it was too short. Sophie Jordan - thank you for this!

What's that? She has to marry a giant bearded man they call the Beast? And there used to be dragons but aren't anymore...unless? Excuse me while I cackle my romance and fantasy-loving heart out. I figured out the twist pretty early on but that didn't lessen my enjoyment at all. I loved the build up at the end and cannot wait for the sequel.

This is hands down one of the best books I have read in a while! There were parts of this book where I was so emotionally invested to the story and characters. The character development, world building, and storytelling was so captivating, I couldn't put it down! If you like, enemies to lovers, new-found family, and more importantly, DRAGONS, then this is the book for you! I liked the book so much, that halfway through, I went ahead and pre-ordered it. I am thankful I had the opportunity to read this early, and I can't wait for the sequel!

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for the eARC!

Let me start by saying this book hooked me from the start and I wanted to read straight through to find out what would happen. This is a fantasy romance book that follows Tamsyn, a royal whipping girl forced into an arranged marriage with a northern warlord, Fell. Their arrangement starts off with deceit, which places them at odds. The two then have to face one another with their journey together back to Fell's lands. This was my first read by Sophie Jordan and I really enjoyed it! The writing style was easy to follow and the world-building wasn't too heavy for book 1 of a fantasy. The first half of the book was a bit predictable for those who read a great deal of the genre. However, the second half of the book really increased in plot, action, and twists. From the second half on I was glued to the book to see the ending. The ending, while a cliffhanger, really sets up for what looks to be a promising book 2!

Overall I would recommend this book for those who love fantasy romance. There's a strong FMC who grows as a character, a warlord MMC, dragons, magic, some spice, and a building storyline. I think the only thing that kept it a 5 start for me, is I wanted more connection, interaction, banter, and relationship growth between the FMC and MMC. But I will definitely be reading book 2!

This is my first Sophie Jordan book, and I will definitely be checking out her backlist while I wait for book 2. (I hope there is a book 2.) I'm a sucker for paranormal romance stories and this is one of the better ones I have read in the past couple of years.

I really enjoyed diving into Tsmsyn's psyche and thought processes. She doesn't think like a 21st-century female and those influences aren't in the forefront of her mind. You can see how she has been conditioned to think and how one of her core personality traits is serving her family and kingdom. She understands how the world works and the ideology becomes a part of it and sets her path in it. She's not a heroine who wants to change the injustices of her world or dismantle the patriarchy. She is a character that survives and endures. She always meets change head-on trying to find the best in whatever situation she is thrown in. She doesn't fight or rail against her oppressors like you would typically expect and that's what made her so interesting as a character and the world feel rich and complex.

I wanted to feel a little more romance between her and Fell instead of only sexual chemistry but I'm not mad about it. The last third of the book went entirely too quickly and I wanted it to have the same pace as the beginning of the book. It ended not on a cliffhanger but on a question-hanger. I know all characters are alive and well but it left me questioning world lore and how the characters are going to find them.

Needless to say, I'm excited for the next book!

It was okay. Not the best book I've ever read, but the idea was very interesting.

The book felt choppy, like it was jumping around from one place to another. In other words, it felt rushed. The interactions between Fell and Tamsyn (Main characters), felt very shallow. The author could have added scenes that challenged the nature of their relationship to give it more depth, but there weren't many at all. Their relationship felt very static. This is the type of book that simply needs to be longer in order to really capture the plot and relationships.

It's not just the main character's relationship that bothered me. Fell's relationships with his friends and travel crew were also very shallow, even though it was obvious that he had known them for a long time. And slight spoiler, but the betrayal of one of his friends felt very ill-timed. It just seemed as if none of the characters were actually thinking. It's like they were husks; just following the author's pen.

Overall, there should have been more character depth and development. This really broke the book for me. But again, the idea was very good. I just wish the execution was better.

**Review will be published on my blog on 9/9/24**

Content Warning: violence, death, abuse, whipping

I haven’t read a Sophie Jordan novel in years but I got asked to read this one so I was curious. I think I read one YA novel from her and a few historical romance books but like I said it’s been awhile.

Tamsyn is a whipping a girl. Yes, she is the girl who gets the punishment meant for the royal princesses. It’s an awful situation for her but because she’s an orphan, it is actually a better station than Tamsyn could have ever dreamed of, at least that’s what she thinks or is trained to believe. She’s a part of the royal family but also, not.

Fell, is a hardened, ruthless warlord who believes his hard work defending the borders deserves a price and what he wants is to marry one of the princesses. I think you can guess what happens in this story at least for the first part. The first half of the book is predictable but the second half had some interesting surprises!

I was definitely entertained by the steamy attraction (very instant attraction) between Tamsyn and Fell. There are a few spicy scenes between them. Unfortunately, I think that’s the only thing they had going for them as a couple – the physical chemistry, because I didn’t think there was enough time for their relationship to grow at all in this story. And although I read this book in one night, I didn’t feel connected to any of the characters. There is also someone in Tamsyn’s life from the royal court, Stig, who was a close friend and is in love with her. But, I wasn’t feeling Stig’s point of view in the story since she never really considers him or has any romantic feelings towards him. I would have rather had like more chapters devoted to Tamsyn and Fell getting to know one another.

I definitely liked the dragons but again, it comes mostly at the end of a story and sets things up for a sequel.

My Final Thoughts:

This story had me hooked even though I wasn’t connecting much to the characters. I was into the drama of the arranged marriage and wanted to see how that was going to turn out. The first half was predictable but I think the second half got me intrigued because that’s when the dragons are actually introduced. I think I may continue the series just because the ending was quite a cliffhanger and I want to learn more about the dragon shifters.

Welcome to a world where dragons are viewed as gods, whereas humans are just an afterthought to them. Our main character is an outcast badass who will not stay silent after being banished. This book is a great combination of wit, tension, and high stakes. I do believe it took too long for the story to get to the heist and simultaneously finished that part of the plot too quickly. However, the incredible world-building and character development/creation makes up for this. I found myself shocked at many times and the book was a good time.