THE SKY WEAVER fell rather flat for me.

It was a quick, easy read - over in less than two hours. The pacing has definitely been honed over the course of the trilogy, as I've read each one in faster times (they have about the same page length).

However, I simply didn't feel myself drawn into the world and rooting for the characters. The stakes were small scale and personal, until the sky weaver mythology was brought into the main story. As I didn't much care for Eris, I didn't much care what happened to her, and that was a staple of the plot.

The book takes place in a new part of the world, taking us from the Scrublands and Dragon Kingdom where we've spent the last two books. The new setting was a breath of sea air, even if it didn't stand out as a particularly world-rich kingdom.

THE SKY WEAVER, unlike the other books in the series, is told from two perspectives, Safire and Eris. It still has the stories interspersed, which are ultimately shown to be backstory for the mythology of the sky weaver. The shift to dual POV wasn't a factor in how much I liked this book, simply an interesting break in format. It was needed to tell the story though, as it's less constrained than previous books.

Asha plays a much bigger role in this book than she did in THE CAGED QUEEN, as everyone's hunting her. However, she doesn't take over the plot and steal the focus. It was nice that Safire finally got a say, having been pivotal to THE LAST NAMSARA, and so seeing the other side to her relationships with Asha and Dax felt overdue.

The romance didn't have a footing, and so was unbelievable. They're enemies, but they... liked each other? I couldn't see why - one literally orders and watches the other tortured. They spend most of the book capturing or hunting one another. There wasn't any chemistry either as they traipse over sea and land, exchanging who's whose prisoner.

I eagerly accepted the invitation to take part in the blog tour for The Sky Weaver as I loved the first two books in the trilogy, The Last Namsara and The Caged Queen. Whilst all three books are connected, it is technically possible to read each as a standalone, but I’d recommend reading them in order as you gain a deeper understanding of the world and its mythology. Plus the writing is so beautiful that you’d definitely be missing out if you didn’t. This book centres around Safire, commandant of Firgaard’s army, and Eris, a pirate and thief. Yes, this is a f/f romance which just makes it even more epic.

As I’ve come to expect from this series, both Safire and Eris are fantastically complex and powerful women. The alternating POV chapters allow the reader to slowly understand Safire and Eris’s motivations and history. Both characters have been shaped by their difficult pasts and initially clash; Safire’s rigid code of honour and commitment to law and order is the complete antithesis of Eris’s chaotic and lawless life as a pirate and notorious thief. These differences might make a romance seem unlikely but similarities slowly emerge and I appreciated how they each challenged the other. Enemies to lovers is one of my favourite tropes and is portrayed really well here.

Like the first two books, the main plot is interspersed with the folkloric tale of the Sky Weaver and the God of Shadows. I think this has been my favourite mythological story of the trilogy as it was heart-wrenchingly beautiful with an underlying pathos. The story is used to enhance the character arcs of Eris and Safire, whilst remaining pertinent to contemporary events. The author also skillfully explores tough issues such as women’s position in a patriarchal world, colonisation and slavery, and the toxic possibilities of family. The Iskari trilogy is a shining example of how powerful YA fantasy can be and I’d highly recommend this tale of fierce women, dragons, pirates and romance.

I loved this so much. It's f/f, it's action-packed, it's filled with dragons and otherworldly magic, and all my favourites are back to save the day. It was an adventure from start to finish and I had a stupidly huge grin on my face (in the middle of a cafe) as I turned the last page. Props to Kristen Ciccarelli for writing one of the best companion trilogies I've ever read.

I received this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I have loved this series throughout, but honestly feel like this may actually be my favourite. It’s just such fun! And the banter between Safire and Eris is 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻.

It’s a fab universe full of great stories and dragons, and I really enjoyed how the sky weaver story wove throughout the main story, both for us and in universe. It was also great getting to see more of Asha.

I loved Safire in the Last Namsara, and she definitely deserved her own book! Her fierceness and determination is just amazing, and her relationship with Eris is honestly fabulous.

The enemies to lovers trope is really well done and just honestly fun. Plus dragons! What’s not to love?! 4.5 stars, I highly recommend this series.

When I requested this book I didn't realise it was part of a series, but as it said 'standalone in the world of Iskari' I thought it would be fine to read anyway. And I have to say, it was a really good book. I'm not sure how standalone it is, as although it gives you background on some of the characters from the other books, it does it quite quickly and slightly too in-depth, whereas I think it would have benefited from a slightly more subtle approach. I felt like I was being told quite a lot of things.

Aside from that, I loved Eris and Safire's relationship (F/F romance, woo!) and I loved the slow reveal throughout the book. When everything slotted together it was extremely satisfying yet still had an element of surprise. The mechanics were also really unique and well-done.

It does make me want to read the first two books, although now I know everything that happened so maybe not. If anything, I'd want more of Eris, she's such an interesting character.

4 stars.

The sky weaver perfeclty concludes the trilogy. The end imagined by Kristen Ciccarelli lets us happy: all our questions find an answer. We can guess that there will be some efforts to reconstruct, by the heroes, later, but at the same time, everything is said. The heroes have finally their HEA. I loved this story. It was a great pleasur to discover and to devour.

This might actually be my favourite of the series. I really liked Safire from The Last Namsara and was so glad we got a book which focuses on her. Her strength and personality really shine through and I adore the interplay between her and Eris. The story really wove well with everything and I like how this one involved all of the other characters to some degree as well. 4.5 stars.

This series is so wonderfully unique, when I first got this book I didn’t want to read it because I was not ready for it to end. However the ending was just everything.

One thing I adore about this series is how each book connects to the next, but can also be read as a stand-alone. This book is exactly the same, and its such a clever way of writing a series as it’s not only incredibly unique but also allows you to see different aspects of the story from different characters perspectives.

This book is once again so beautifully written, and the way Kristen not only describes the world, but also the different dragons and their individual personalities is brilliant. Safire is such a sweet character, one that I loved from the first time I met her in The Last Namsara, so getting to know her was a wonderful experience.

The only slight issue I had was how fast the insta love in this story was. I do love insta love books, but this happened so fast I couldn’t quite get to grips with it. However the relationship between Eris and Safire was so raw and also enemies to lovers? Yes!!!!

The ending of this book left me so happy and just so utterly fulfilled. I am so sad it’s ended but it was everything I wanted and more! Dragons, royalty and enemies to lovers? What more could I want???

Safire is commandant to the King, a loyal and fierce soldier, whose job it is to protect and serve, to rally the troops and keep the peace in her empire. But she is also cousin to the King, a princess with a grim past. As a girl she faced her fair share of prejudice and cruelty. Now she has overcome it all. She is free and respected and admired by all for her strength and bravery. And no one can take away all that she has gained since the dark days of her childhood. Except perhaps for one.

The Death Dancer is a pirate who can dodge and evade even the most deadly of pursuers. She has the ability to cross worlds. She can go where no one can catch her. Where no one can follow. Running is second nature for Eris. But soon she will have to stop running and face her past as well as her destiny. In an unlikely turn of events, Safire and Eris join forces to find Asha, the Last Namsara. But the two women have very different goals and only time will tell who will win against the other.

I loved this book for its smart, sassy and fierce characters, Safire and Eris. They are intelligent and courageous and it was such an adventure following their journey. One of my favourites things about this book, I have to say, was Skye’s story. It was emotional and heart-breaking. I couldn’t get enough of it. The way the three narratives meshed together at the end was beautiful. It all came together perfectly.

This is a bloomin’ brilliant book to devour over a weekend. It can be read as a standalone or as part of the Iskari series. It’s brimming with magic and adventure and romance, it also shines a light on the importance of stories. Fabulous.

This is such a great end to the series. Book three pulls together the threads from books 1 and 2, making for an extra satisfying resolution as all the intrigues and plots come into focus. I think I liked Safire best of all the MCs in this series too. As always the worldbuilding and mythology are phenomenal. Highly recommend the entire series.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for provided me with an e-arc of Sky Weaver!

I love this series and this final installation did not disappoint! This world with all its Mythology and dragons is one of my favourites.

This follows Seafire, cousin to the King and I loved every minute of it! I read the whole book in 2 sittings!

I saw copies of The Last Namsara around when it was published a couple of years ago, at the time I thought it looked and sounded fairly interesting. However I never picked it up and thought it would be another series that passed me by. Not long ago I was offered the opportunity to read and review the companion novel to the series, The Sky Weaver and I can honestly say I will now be buying the first and second books in the series!

The Sky Weaver has definitely surprised me with how much it caught my interest. I was hooked from the first page to the last, I devoured the whole book in only a couple of days. I do think it’s possible to read this as a standalone but I did feel as though I was missing a fair bit of background information, particularly because the main characters of the previous books are still focal points in this story.

The world building was very detailed and vivid, I was utterly lost in the world of Iskari. Due to Eris’ abilities we switch locations often but I never struggled to understand the setting.

The novel is split between the origin story of the Sky Weaver which is told in sections throughout the book and the main story of Safire and Eris. Even without the drama and action of the main story I was intrigued by the tale of the Sky Weaver and desperate to find out how it ended.

I don’t feel as though I’ve seen enough hype for this series so if you haven’t heard of or considered reading these books, please do! I adored The Sky Weaver and I can’t wait to read the other two books.

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I make no secret of the fact that the Iskari series has been pretty hit or miss for me. I enjoyed The Last Namsara, but I actually DNFed The Caged Queen. I was a little nervous going into The Sky Weaver, but I'm so happy I decided to give this series another chance.

The reason that I wanted to read this book is because  I've really enjoyed Ciccarelli's worldbuilding and mythology, as well as her writing style. I absolutely love the way she weaves stories and myths into the narrative, and the Sky Weaver's story is one that has intrigued me ever since I read the first book. I was desperate to learn more and, similar to the previous books, the mythology is woven wonderfully into the main plot. I think of all the mythology in the world of the Iskari, the Sky Weaver is my favourite. In addition to expanding the world and mythology, Ciccarelli builds upon the magic of the world in each book. No spoilers here, but I absolutely loved the way magic is implemented in the story and the tools that are used to help cast magic.

As you've seen from other books I've read this year, I love stories told at sea! Something I wish we got more of in fantasy, but especially in YA, is pirates. If you're looking for a pirate story, The Sky Weaver should be at the top of your TBR. Not only do large parts of the book take place at sea and on ships, Eris the pirate/thief girl of your dreams. I really enjoyed the pirate aspect of the book and am hoping that this book starts a trend in YA!

This is an enemies-to-lovers story, which is in my opinion one of the more difficult romances to pull off. Ciccarelli does a great job of building the relationship between Safire and Eris from hatred and annoyance to love. I really enjoyed the dynamic between the two and loved the romance. Safire has been a favourite character of mine from the first book, and I was so pleased to not only see her get a fully realised story and relationship, but also to see her develop even further. She has so many layers due to her past and and I so enjoyed watching her recover and come into her own as a character. Sometimes I find that the dynamic in YA relationships feels unbalanced, however Eris was a great match for Safire and they balanced each other out so wonderfully.

I am so pleased I took another chance on the Iskari series, because I really loved The Sky Weaver! If you're looking for a YA adventure featuring girls with knives, pirate, an F/F love story, and female friendships, you have to give The Sky Weaver a try.

CW: past abuse, murder

The Sky Weaver was an utterly addictive read that I spent just three hours on because I was enjoying it that much. As soon as I opened the first page I was swept back into Ciccarelli’s Iskari world, and I couldn’t put the book down. I’m now really sad that the book – and the trilogy – is over, because now that I’m back in this world I want more!

Full disclosure, I only read The Last Namsara prior to reading The Sky Weaver. I haven’t read The Caged Queen yet, partly because I heard bad things, and partly because it kind of flew over my radar. Thankfully, I don’t think I missed out on anything, since Ciccarelli did a good job of recapping everything for me. It seems to me that most of the things that are relevant happened in The Last Namsara anyway!

While this book is being marketed as being full of pirate-y goodness, I wouldn’t say it’s the focus of it. There are lots of pirate-y moments and scenes, but the main draws of the book are Safire, the dragon king’s commander, and Eris, someone who can shadow-walk.

I absolutely loved both of these characters, and I adored spending time with both of them. Their enemies-to-lovers romance made me smile a lot, and I’m so happy that I read their story. I have to say that I felt a bit detached from Eris to begin with, since she has no connection to Asha’s family and she kind of came out of nowhere. That said, she really grew on me, and by the end I was truly invested in her story.

I also have to mention that, as usual, I adored the stories that Kristen Ciccarelli was able to weave (ha!) in there. The interwoven stories were something that I loved the most about The Last Namsara, and I was so pleased to see that they were back in this book. They really help with the world building and the mythology, not to mention the overarching story! I feel like they do spoil things sometimes, but they’re meant to be a sort of low-key build up to the things that are happening in present day.

Not to mention that stories themselves play a massive part in this world, since it’s how humans connect with dragons! I just really love everything about them.

I honestly don’t have a bad word to say about this book. It was a highly enjoyable read, and while it’s not an all time favourite, I genuinely loved reading about the gods, the dragons, and the dragon riders!

I have been anxiously awaiting The Sky Weaver for some time now and fan-girl squealed in delight when I was give an ARC from Netgalley. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. I have previously enjoyed these books on Audible and it really impacted my enjoyment of the book even reading it. If you’re getting caught up in the series, I highly recommend enjoying The Last Namsara (with one of the best narration I’ve enjoyed in some time) and The Caged Queen. I know I will be enjoying this book again when it releases on Audible.

THAT being said… we are here to discuss the book itself, not my excitement for other ways to continue to enjoy this series.

Safire was one of my favorite characters in the Last Namsara. Her bond with her cousins, Dax and Asha, is fueled by a deep loyalty to each other and a love that led each of them to take serious actions to protect each other in the course of two previous books. I like seeing the aftermath and reading how Asha has found peace in her mission to curate and teach stories, how devoted Dax is to his queen and his people, and how fiercely Safire has continued to apply herself as a soldat.

While Asha and Dax both have other focuses and loves in their life… Safire is still very much alone. When we get a peak into her world and she is still sleeping on a small bed in a sparsely furnished room, I felt sad for her. Her own self-worth is tied so completely to her cousins.

Her strength to overcome is seen time and time again. “She had been alone with such men before. Alone where no one could hear her cries.” I enjoyed the way part of this story had a very clear line of thought… that often those we view as the strongest ones, the ones who are holding the family up, who are protecting everyone… still wants to have someone hold their hair when they puke. Or have someone think only of them and no others.

Eris was an absolute delight to read. The story truly needed the two points of view to bring us along the journey to the Star Isles. One of my favorite aspects of this book series is the way myth and lore is tied in. This was by far my favorite book when it comes to the world-building. The story of Skye and Crow I would love to read as a stand alone novel. And the TWISTS. The TWISTS! I was texting a friend at 1am as I shouted about the twists and turns and reveals.

I wanted more of the relationship between Eris and Safire. The hate-you-but-realize-I-love-you is a bit of a trope in itself, but in this book I delighted in it. Eris is a stalker at times, but thankfully, her reasons for watching Safire have more to do with her pure admiration for the strength of the girl and nothing overtly sexual.

The sexy-steamy-bits… well, if I could have had more, I would’ve loved every single minute of reading it. I imagine that’s what fan-fic is for.

I look forward to reading more by this author. I really hope she continues her rich way of presenting a story and developing such lovable characters.

At the end of this book, she thoughtfully wrote – “I wrote them because I believe this with my whole heart: that you, dear reader, are so much stronger than you think. I hope you find that strength within you. I hope you hone it, wield it, and use it for good.”

I have honed my strength and will wield it for good, Kristen. Thank you for the journey.

The Sky Weaver is a standalone novel set in the world of The Last Namsara. It can definitely be read without having read the previous two books, but it does contain some of the same characters and I would recommend reading them for context and world-building purposes.

As can be expected from this series at this point, there are some fantastic, strong female characters. This one focuses of Safire (whom we met in Book #2) but is also told from the point-of-view of Eris, who is an equally interesting character.

One of my favourite things about this book (and the entire series) is the use of mythology. The world of the Iskari is built on fully developed mythologies and cultures, which we are given in intermittent mini-chapters in between the main story chapters. This helps to give the story a very fairy-tale feeling and really adds to the already excellent world-building, which is a really important feature of good high fantasy.

I don’t want to give anything away, but I will say that I enjoyed the romance in this book. Enemies-to-lovers is often a frustrating trope and can be difficult to pull off, but Ciccarelli did a good job of creating a dynamic and well balanced relationship between the two women, and it was lovely to read.

Safire is totally focussed on her job, protecting the Dragon King, and doing her part to save the country from starvation. Things are made more difficult when an annoying thief steals the jewel that was going to fund feeding a nation.

I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I confess that I have read the first book in the series, but haven't got round to the second yet (which follows Dax's story). Knowing Asha's story from The Last Namsara, it was easy to slip back into this world, and I didn't feel at any disadvantage for reading out of order.

The Sky Weaver has two narrators.
Safire is the head of the King's guard (who is also her cousin). She has overcome the awful treatment she received under the rule of the last king - despite her royal blood, she was born to a slave woman and has spent a lifetime being reviled, ignored, and/or beaten.
Only with her cousins, Asha and Dax leading the revolution, has Safire finally become free. She owes them everything, and has devoted her time to enhancing her skill as a fighter.

Eris is a pirate and a legendary thief. She is known as the Death Dancer and has never been caught.
Things have become almost too easy for her, and after yet another successful job, Eris finds something in Safire - a challenge.

I really enjoyed this story. It was a lot of fun to watch Safire and Eris go from enemies, to reluctant allies with the control constantly shifting between them, and finally to lovers. All with the background of dragons, sea monsters, pirates and deceitful gods.
It was great to see diverse characters included in this world, and I liked Safire and Eris' romantic arc so much more than Asha and Torwin's in the first book.
Also, the author continues to weave the myths and stories from this world, into the narrative. I felt it was much more smoothly done in this third book, and seemed to have a much clearer bearing on the story.

That being said, this book didn't have the same of twists that really stood out in The Last Namsara. The betrayals and double-crossing was fairly obvious and didn't have the same clout.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable read. Now I'll just have to work backwards and read The Caged Queen!

Note: I have not read the first and second books, so I am reviewing this as a standalone.

This book was very emotional for me. I felt as if this was a very good conclusion to a series. The best parts were the fight scenes and the dragons. Sorrow is one of my favorite characters. I wish he had been more used in this novel.

With Jemsin and Kor, I did feel they were also under-used in the latter parts of the novel. I would have liked to seen them come to their punishments as they deserve. They were effective as villains, and Kor was a character that no one would like. I would have liked to seen some more scenes of his cunning.

The use of flashbacks and the viewpoints contrasting between Safire and Eris were also a great way to get into the novel. So even if you haven’t read the first and second, you can easily get into this book.

This novel had some very striking scenes, that had an emotional impact. I feel this novel was written by someone who understands the struggles of the world and wrote this novel as something hopeful.

I feel like writing anymore would make want to spoil, so I’ll stop here. I feel the writing, the novel, everything about this was great. Thank you to Kate Moreton for sending me this book.

Rating: 5/5.

The Sky Weaver is the third book in the Iskari series, which started with The Last Namsara and continued with The Caged Queen. The first book is undoubtedly my favourite, because it features a heroine named Asha and focuses on dragons and folklore, but all three books are really standouts in the field of YA fantasy, with amazing female heroines and fantastic worldbuilding. The Sky Weaver follows Safire, the cousin of Asha and the head of the Firgaardian army, and introduces a second viewpoint character for the first time in Eris, a talented thief known as the Death Dancer. When their worlds collide, they might find themselves getting more tangled up in each other than they expected…

Yep, this one is gay! I’m always happy to see f/f romance in YA fantasy! The romance is a slowish-burn, as neither girl is expecting or particularly wanting to fall in love, and both of them have a heck of a lot going on to distract them. Obviously, as I’ve mentioned before, I don’t know how slow burn a romance can be if they get together in the course of a single book, but it’s nicely paced, and I enjoyed Safire’s perspective on it particularly. Both Safire and Eris are extremely wary of other people’s affection due to their experiences growing up, and it’s rewarding to see them relax into each other slightly, however ill-advised that might be. There’s also a great use of a trope that I always find fun, which is ‘someone’s looking for us and there’s no time to hide, so let’s kiss’! If you liked the relationship dynamic in Crier’s War, you’ll love this.

As with the previous two books, there are stories inset into the main narrative on grey paper. Here they tell a legend in excerpts, which really helps to add to the worldbuilding of the Star Isles, Eris’s home and the place where much of the action happens. The stories that people tell can say so much about what they believe in, both literally in terms of the gods of that land, but also figuratively, as they show what aspects of life are important enough to have stories woven around them. Though this legend may seem unrelated, it ties to the main story in key ways, and it offers a further glimpse into the thin and permeable barrier between history and fiction in this world, as we saw in the first book. This depiction of folklore is one of my favourite things about this series as a whole, as I’m a huge nerd for myth and legend and what it means!

Though each book in this series is meant to stand alone, I think this would work best if you have at least read The Last Namsara, to understand Safire’s history, as her actions in that book have an impact on her psyche here. Asha also pops up a lot, so it’s good to know about her story too – it’s lovely to see her, and also to see Dax and Roa settled into their roles as King and Queen after the events of The Caged Queen. Though the plot could definitely be read as a stand alone, it’s so nice to have this as a wrap up to the trilogy. I found it really heartwarming to see all the characters I’d come to love in one place. I’m really sad that there won’t be any more stories in this world – all three should be on your shelves if you love YA fantasy. Four out of five cats!

Great characters coupled with dragons, pirates and unruly gods are a gripping combination. This can be read as a stand-alone as the author does a great job of filling in past histories and relationships, however if you haven't read the earlier books I would suggest giving yourself extra pleasure by starting at the beginning with the Last Namsara which is an excellent introduction to some of the characters and this fascinating world . Thanks to Gollancz and Netgalley for providing me with this free ARC and a very happy few hours.