Thank you to Tor Books, Mcmillain Audio, and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
In a world ruled by dragons, humans are of no consequence. Anahrod has lived her life far away from her home and prefers to stay hidden given the circumstances of her departure. When a band of misfits saves her and asks that she help them steal a dragon's hoard, she's thrown back into the world she has been hiding from for years. But it's no secret those from her home think she is dead after being banished for crimes she didn't commit. One dragon wants to see her dead and it's up to her and her found family to ensure the cloud cities are saved from destruction by a rouge dragon who wants it all.
It's so hard for me to review fantasy books without spoilers. But I'm going to try my best not to give too much away. One thing I will say, I rarely if ever see fantasy books that are stand alone. For the author to take on such a task is substantial and I give her major props for doing it. Because of this, the story is broken into many different parts, almost as if you are starting new books with each part. However, there is the allusion that the story doesn't quite end, especially with the epilogue she provides. I'd love to see her spin more of this and see where it goes.
First I want to say that I absolutely love Lauren Fortgang as the narrator for this story. Her voice is the perfect cadence for fantasy. The way she portrays each character with depth, the way she is able to show their differentiation with just the slightest adjustment to her tone, makes the story so much more enjoyable than any other narrator could have.
The world Lyons builds in this story is very unique. I saw dragons and knew I needed to see what it was about. Think Game of Thrones meets Fourth Wing meets Six of Crows with just a bit of Ninth House thrown in. But unlike Fourth Wing, the bond between dragon and rider in this story is different. The dragons hold much more power, with the riders almost being somewhat of a slaves to them. And still, teens enter the academic school that will train them to take on this task. I would have liked to see a bit more of the academia in this book, but I also understand it was not at all about the school as much as the politics of the dragons versus the people. I loved the dichotomy she builds with the Skylanders (the rich) versus the Deep (the poor). And the way she describes these places had an almost Avatar like quality. Cities floating in the clouds and places deep in the ungle. As I read along, my mind just kept flashing back to the movie and how the world looked. Lyons weaves magic and powers into the story seamlessly. Dragons have magic to breath poison or fire, teleport to other places, and a slew of other powers. And the humans also possess powers which are referred to as blessings.
Underlying the magic and world building is a heist which has the characters always hiding, always running, always trying to find ways out of sticky situations. It made for an action packed story.
I think my most favorite thing about this story was the diverse cast of characters Lyons builds. Given I listened to this it was harder for me to know exactly what the names looked like: Aanhrod, Sicaryon, Gwyndion, Claw, Ris: names I could not have understood how to spell (thankful for my fellow reviewers who had Kindle or print copies to help me out!). The characters are very relatable and easy to understand. Some are brash, some are quirky, but all are well developed and distinct and on top of that they feel real. There is a lot of banter, many laugh out loud moments, and many tender moments during the story. The characters all have different motives and skill sets but ultimately these differences prove essential to the bonds they form and to the dynamic we see amongst them. Lyons addresses gender differences and sexual preferences with depth and a wide berth of understanding. I loved her twist on transgender and also how none of the characters are surprised by relationships no matter who they are between making it a queer-norm story. Her system of rings denoted gender and other preferences was really genius and made the LBGTQ+ inclusion easy and so much more meaningful for the reader. And I enjoyed the poly relationship, though I don't usually love those. Lyons did a good job not making me want to smack all involved. And, while the romance is there, it certainly is not the main plot.
While the world building is complex, the story is not. Though there is much intrigue and politics involved in the world, the main idea of taking back their world from rogue dragons is easy to understand.
Overall Lyons created a fun, fast, original, and entertaining story with a unique world and a wonderfully varied cast of characters that completely held my attention from beginning to end. I really enjoyed being part of it.