Fonda Lee is the writer that always triumphs. Her writing constantly brings me to tears, and I cannot stop adoring the characters that she creates. I was a bit worried with this novella that Fonda wouldn't have enough time to create an attachment between reader and protagonist, but I was entirely wrong. I've been starting to get into novella's lately, and Untethered Sky is one of the few that uses its short length to its advantage. With action packed sequences of rocs in flight to a fated manticore hunt by the crown prince, this novella is a 1000% worth the read. No one will be surprised that Fonda is able to create such a masterful story within only a 160 page novella.

Ester, the protagonist, is very different from Fonda's cast back in the Greenbone Saga. The closest comparison that I can think of is probably Anden. Ester is a much more reserved lead, and she is constantly awkward and anxious. After the trauma of her childhood, none of this is surprising, but she has this need to be better for that younger version of herself who essentially lost everything. She has pretty much vowed to become a ruhker due to those events, which is an incredibly dangerous job— not only due to the manticore hunting but also the fact that giant rocs are wild creatures themselves. Ester looks past this danger not because she's merely brave, but because she wants to protect the world from manticores, especially since she couldn't protect herself long ago. It's these complexities that make her a dynamic, compelling lead.

Moreover, to not spoil anything, the ending of this book is extremely unique. It's a creature/ human relationship based novella, and I think when a lot of people hear this, they interpret that a particular way. I certainly did. Books with animals in the main plot always remind me of my own kitties curled up next to me while I read. But Untethered Sky is not like the "aww, cute" feelings. It's a reminder of nature vs. nurture as well as partnership vs. duty. It's going to poke holes into humanity's relationship to the wild in a way that most people won't ever think about. Can we ever really tame the wild, or do our egos merely trick us into believing so? There's something so profound about Fonda forcing us to look at the truth when we definitely don't want to.

Thank you Tordotcom for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.