Today’s review is about A FIRE IN THE SKY by Sophie Jordan. Set in the author’s YA Firelight series world, it’s the first book in a new Adult romantasy series . It’s a quick, bingeable fantasy romance read with dragons, which, despite some faults, I still enjoyed.
Author: Sophie Jordan
Series: #1
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Avon Books
Publish Date: September 24, 2024
Print Length: 336
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A Fire in the Sky Synopsis
New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan returns to the high-stakes, sweeping world of dragons, romance, and drama first evoked in her bestselling young adult Firelight series, in a brand-new epic adult romantasy series.
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.
A Fire in the Sky Review
I received a free, digital, advanced reading copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My review is my own and reflects my honest opinion about this book.
A FIRE IN THE SKY is the start of an Adult prequel series set prior to the author’s Young Adult Firelight series. The reader does not need to read the YA series beforehand to enjoy this new book set in the same world. In A FIRE IN THE SKY, Tamsyn is the royal whipping girl, a long-standing position where one takes punishment for the royal heirs. Though otherwise treated as well as the princesses she calls sisters, not all of the royal court views her as important. When Fell, the Beast of the Borderlands, demands to marry one of the princesses, the king and queen trick him and send Tamsyn instead. Despite the trickery, Fell and Tamsyn are drawn to each other, each making a startling discovery about themselves.
A FIRE IN THE SKY is hands down a fast-paced, bingeable fantasy romance. Although the writing style is a bit repetitive and curt, it is very approachable and easy to dive into. The plot is incredibly predictable and the world building simple, but even so the vibes vibe and I kept reading. There are plenty of tropes to appreciate in this book, from arranged marriage, to one bed, a little love triangle, dragons, to a history of cleansing a land of all things magic.
However, while I enjoyed this book, there are a number of things that resulted in my lower rating. Again, it was predictable. This is not necessarily a bad thing, nor did it bother me all that much, but it offers almost no element of surprise. When reading a new book, it’s nice to have some unexpected plot twists. The heavy-handed foreshadowing instead highlights exactly where the author intends to drive the story.
Second, the world building is minimal. Readers who prefer a more robust explanation of the various kingdoms might not appreciate that absence of that here. A FIRE IN THE SKY is a fast-paced novel in which Tamsyn and Fell spend most of the book journeying from her home to his. There are interludes that break up the pace. Overall, though, this kind of plot doesn’t lend itself to understanding the continent.
I also felt the characters were a little flat. However, since there are various first person POV, this provides an intimate look into Tamsyn’s, Fell’s, and Stig’s (Captain of the Guard) thoughts and emotions. The POV feel somewhat like a stream of consciousness. This, coupled with the fast pace, mutes their analysis of their situation and, thus, their characterization.
There are also a few smaller things that I felt needed improvement. But the aforementioned predictability, world building, and characterization are the big three I narrowed in on. While I can be objective with my subjective opinions about perceived weaknesses with this book, I actually did still enjoy it. Sometimes it’s nice to just sit down and read a book that doesn’t require my brain to figure out a puzzle.
Fantasy romance readers who want to ride that dragon trend should jump on this bingeable new series. A FIRE IN THE SKY offers a fast-paced adventure, a sympathetic character, and the kick off to characters’ origin stories.
Rating: 3.25
Content warnings: sexual content, blood, violence
Reading format: Kindle e-book
If you liked this book, you may also enjoy FOURTH WING by Rebecca Yarros or NORTH QUEEN by Nicola Tyche.
Sometimes the transition from YA to adult doesn’t always go smoothly, and maybe some of the bumps were because of that. Still, it’s hard to resist dragons!
It could be…I haven’t read the YA series, so I don’t know how the writing compares between the two. Although, I did come across one reviewer who had read some of the author’s previous work and was surprised at the writing style in this one. Either way, I’m still invested enough to want to continue the series…I wish I had it right now, actually!
Thanks for your honest review. It’s a shame about the lack of depth in characterisation and world building as they are probably the two most important elements for me in a fantasy novel
Of course! I’m here to give my honest opinion. Yes, I would’ve liked more on both the characterization and world building, but I still ended up enjoying it well enough. In fact, I kind of want the next book already…that’s the mood I’m in, ha.