This book slams you right into a dragon-ruled world, tosses in a high-stakes heist, and sprinkles on just enough queer romance so you might forget to blink. I’ll admit, the world-building is a riot—mountain sky-cities, swampy Deep jungles, magical rings showing your preferences, and dragons who don’t just tolerate humans but straight-up rule them. The banter’s snappy, the action rarely pauses, and when it revs up—boom!—you’re hanging on for dear life. I loved the political tension between riders and dragons and the way the heist plot unfolds: there’s real prep, clever setbacks, and satisfying betrayals that keep the momentum blazing.

But don’t fool yourself—it’s not perfect. It starts off bumpy, with too many introductions that blur together, making the first half feel aimless. By the midpoint I paused, wondering “where're we even going?” Characters beyond the leads get kinda flattened—some vanish, others exist just to die. The romance? Ambitious, sure, but it drags sudden spicy scenes into serious moments, and some emotional beats crash too fast for me to feel anything deep. And while the magic rings and world details are cool, too many loose threads linger at the end, begging for answers that never come. So yeah: a thrilling, dragon-packed joyride with real flair—but bruising in spots and emotionally undercooked where it counts.

⭐⭐⭐⭐🌟 (4.5/5)

Sky on Fire by Jenn Lyons is a fast-paced, dragon-filled standalone that delivers exactly what it promises: an entertaining heist in a wildly creative world. We’re dropped into a society ruled by dragons, where humans live in sky cities or fend for themselves in the brutal Deep. Anahrod, a former exile with a badass titan drake, gets dragged back into the world she left behind—rescued (read: recruited) by a crew of misfits who need her skills to pull off a heist against a dragon regent who happens to really want her dead. Fun times.

The best thing about this book? The characters. Anahrod is sharp, capable, and wonderfully done—her trauma isn’t just background noise, it actually informs how she interacts with the world. The group dynamic is great too: solid found family vibes, lots of good banter, and moments of real connection. If you like the messy, sarcastic teams from books like The Ninth Rain, you’ll probably enjoy this cast.

The dragons are also standout—not just cool monsters, but full-on characters with their own goals, schemes, and horrifying power. The human-dragon power imbalance is woven in well, making the stakes feel high without needing constant action.

And then there’s the world-building. Lyons adds a neat detail with the “ring system”—a visual shorthand that signals gender, sexuality, profession, etc. It’s clever and makes the world feel casually inclusive without over-explaining anything. I love it when fantasy just goes for it like this.

Plot-wise, it’s a heist at heart: lots of sneaking, double-crossing, and narrow escapes. It moves quickly, and while not every twist is shocking, it’s always fun. The pacing never drags. However, the plot does at times seem way too convenient.

One thing that did throw me: the way intimacy is handled. There’s a “fade to black” moment early on, and then later a very detailed BDSM fantasy scene out of nowhere. I don’t mind either approach, but the tonal shift was a bit jarring. It felt inconsistent, like the book couldn’t quite decide how spicy it wanted to be.

Still, that’s a small bump in an otherwise strong read. If you like dragons, heists, found families, and slightly chaotic protagonists, this one’s worth picking up.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this novel. All opinions are, as always, my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

The sky on fire is about a group of people forced together to complete a heist! It has a group of misfits and found family, and dragons. What’s even better is that it’s a standalone although I would read more in the world and it definitely leaves it open to be more at the end of the prologue.

It did take me quite a while to get through this book but that doesn’t mean I enjoyed it any less. I personally like a slower paced fantasy.
The writing was great and I can’t fault it, the only reason this isn’t 5⭐️ is because I felt that some of the characters felt a little generic and surface level but maybe that’s something that can be developed if we explore this world more.

The dragons were very different to ones I’ve read about before. Each dragon is set apart and has their own personalities and traits and they seem a lot more in depth than dragons in other books.

Overall I really enjoyed this book!

I have loved Jenn Lyons previous work with whole my heart and trusted her blindly into amazing me with this latest release of hers. Sadly, that wasn’t the case. Whilst, the setting and atmosphere of this book is very unique, there’s still a lot left to be desired. There’s a lot to unpack here and plot points keeps moving from one point to another without much depth. Same goes for the character development as well as the relationship development, it just feels superficial. Group dynamics ought to make you feel things but in this case it just made me frustrated.

I hope to have a better luck with the authors next book.

This book was action packed from the beginning, with dragons, heists and queer feisty females mixed in with revenge. I heard Jenn Lyons was known for D&D so I was very intrigued by this one.

It started off full of action which I really enjoyed, and I loved the concept of the Dragons being in charge. The characters however fell super flat for me and I struggled a little throughout this one.

I still really enjoyed the book as a whole but it took me way longer to read than usual because I wasn't 100% gripped. Maybe the market has been flooded with one too many dragon books lately, I'm not sure. But this was a good standalone dragon fantasy book.

Dragons, Dragons, Dragons.

The story was narrated well and I enjoyed the world building. But I felt like something was lacking from the characters or the story. I wasn’t truly whole heartedly sold. I can’t quite put my finger on why. But nonetheless good read but could be a bit better.

Thank you, NetGalley, PanMacmillan and Tor, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

Anahrod is only able to survive in the harsh jungle of the Deep with her own titan drake. Even when saved from capture by an adventuring party, she only wants her solitary life. But the party has other intention: they want her in a dragon-ruled city, her help to steal from a dragon's hoard. The problem is the hoard belong to the regent Neveranimas and he wants Anahrod dead.

The sky on fire is a brilliant and spectacular standalone fantasy set in a world ruled by dragons and who could ask for more?
An heist, sexy with a bit of drama and heat and perfect for those who loves amazing main characters, dragon and a very original worldbuilding.
Truly fantastic!

"The Sky on Fire" by Jen Lyons is a thrilling, high-stakes dragon heist that delivers both action and heart. The story follows a daring crew as they attempt to pull off an impossible theft—stealing from one of the most fearsome creatures in existence. What starts as a dangerous job quickly unravels into something much bigger, as hidden motives and past wounds come to light.

This book is fast-paced and fully immersive, with a smooth writing style that makes it easy to get lost in the adventure. The terrifying settings and the variety of fantastic beasts create a rich, cinematic experience, and the heist-driven plot keeps the tension high throughout. What truly elevated the book for me was the surprising depth of the characters—their backstories and relationships add emotional weight beyond the thrills of the job.

The audiobook version was also a highlight, with a strong narrator who enhanced the experience. If you’re looking for a lighter yet satisfying fantasy that blends adrenaline-fueled adventure with solid character work, The Sky on Fire is well worth the read.

3.5 stars rounded up ✨

I’m copying and pasting straight from my notes app, as I seemed to have a lot to say/jot down as I was reading this book 😂…

- Definitely more high fantasy than Romantasy - so bear this in mind before reading

- 32 year old FMC, Anahrod, a sorceress that is able to control animals - she is able to transfer her literal consciousness into the body of an animal, and is able to fully possess/control them.

- Dragons/Dragon overlords (if you’re looking for your next fantasy read which is heavily based around dragons, you should definitely give this a go)

- Dragonriders (dragons are able to possess their riders and speak through them to communicate with humans)
- Sorcery and magical inscriptions (sorcerers and inscribers) - A unique and intricate magic system with the difference between inscribers and those with physical magical abilities

- A daring heist
- A group of misfits (enter found family trope *chefs kiss*)
- Diverse characters
- Queer rep
- Political intrigue
- Revenge

- Detailed and intricate world building - an aspect of this I found really interesting and refreshing was that citizens wear rings to denote various aspects of their identity, such as, gender, sexual preferences, careers, etc - would actually be super helpful to have something like this in the real world making it a bit easier to work out who to date 😂

- Chaotic plot pacing - thrown into the action from the second chapter. Some would likely describe the pacing as chaotic (which I personally quite enjoy), but for others this may be an issue. I will say that it felt like A LOT happened around the remaining 20% mark, with some elements of the plot that felt a little rushed. If I’m being honest, I think this standalone book could have made a good duology, maybe even a trilogy!

- Had me intrigued from the first chapter - had me hooked from the second. And even though the plot had good pacing and had so many elements that I enjoy in an epic fantasy, sadly I just couldn’t completely connect with the characters and therefore didn’t really feel invested in what happened to them. It felt like something was missing almost, and I couldn’t completely immerse myself in the story - though I can’t pinpoint exactly what was missing… which is very frustrating 😅. Maybe it was me and the mood reader in me just wasn’t completely vibing and it was poor timing? I DON’T KNOW?! 😩 haha. That being said, if there was to be another book set in this world in the future, I would definitely be adding it to my tbr list, as the world building in itself was so intricate and exciting.

Thank you to Pan MacMillan and NetGalley for an E-ARC of this book ✨

Dragons everywhere but those in this books were proper ones and there's a proper fantasty story with some romance and kink.
I had fun, enjoyed it and love the storytelling.
Will surely read other books by this author
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Dragons? Dragon riders? A heist? Queer rep? Political intrigue? THIS BOOK HAD EVERYTHING. This was a really gripping and thoroughly enjoyable book that I struggled to put down so thank you so much for the ARC of this!

This book started very strongly and I really respected the different take on dragons as portrayed in this world. However, the start was only partially successful in delivering. The pace was slow and the bonding between the characters, unconvincing. Many thanks to NetGalley for an arc of this book.

This was a confusing read. It had elements I found really exciting and interesting. A world ruled by dragons and it's dragon riders feels like a lot of recent fantasy I've read and enjoyed, with a political twist and dragon and rider relationship I could get behind. However I found the overall world building itself to be really lacking, and there was little to no exposition at the start of the story to help settle the reader into the world. I felt very lost and aimless throughout the first half of this, as I had no idea what was going in in the world.

I also thought the characters were a bit lacklustre and I think they suffer as a result of this being a standalone. With limited words, the story or the characters had to take a backseat and it was definitely the latter here.

Some really entertaining elements that add a fun spin on a current over saturated dragon fantasy market. However this probably would have worked better as a duology to help flesh out and develop the characters.

I ate this book up, barely could put it down...so all the responsibilities I had, had to wait.
This is an epic dragon-filled adventure that soars from start to finish. With jaw-dropping battles, fierce and complex dragons, and a story bursting with heart and fire, it’s a must-read for any fantasy lover! The descriptions made the world come alive, granting an immersive experience for me. I hope to read more from this author in the future!

The Sky on Fire is the first Jenn Lyons book I’ve read, and it won’t be the last. This is a fast-paced adventure which includes a heist, magic, dragons, secrets, action, intrigue, and romance. I wanted to read this because: dragons, but the story is so much more than that.

In this world, the dragons are akin to gods, and most of them ride heavily in their egos and arrogance. There are dragonriders, but it’s clear that the dragons are in the driving seat and their riders more servants than companions. If you’ve read The Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey, then the dragon-human bond in The Sky on Fire is about as far away as you can get from the one in McCaffrey’s beloved series.

That said, there are some dragons (and their riders) who are bonded more closely and really are a cohesive, caring unit, and I wanted to cry at the relationships that were akin to this. The whole dragon-human magic, also, had a nice twist to it.

The characters were well-crafted and I loved the banter in the main group/found family. They were funny, shy, bold, stabbity, compassionate, mysterious, and more. The core (poly) romance was handled so well, and the way the world was queer-normative warmed my heart. There was some sadness, but this was also written sensitively.

The world-building was fascinating and I really enjoyed the different locations. And the heist at the centre of the plot (along with the big mystery) was twisty and meaty enough to really have my cogs turning. I did see some reveals coming, but not all of them, and I appreciated that. This is one book that I keep thinking about even six months after reading it, and it’ll be a staple of my library for years to come. Highly, highly recommended.

I received an e-ARC from the publisher, Tor, through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really tried to get into this but unfortunately I struggled a lot which is such a shame as I loved the premise and the sound of this book so much. I did like the writing, I’m just so sad it didn’t grip or engage me as much as I was expecting it to.

Struggled to finish this one. Perhaps the author was trying too hard. It just felt forced and unrealistic to me (and yes, I realise I'm saying that about a Fantasy novel!) Characterisation was simple, the plot a series of events where X led to Y which led to Z. When I can feel / sense the joins, I realise that it is not a great read. Even the 'twists' were not really surprising. Disappointing.

I ended up DNFing this book because the plot kept switching around too much and the cast of characters kept changing and there wasn’t enough time to connect with any of them or anything that was going on for me personally :(

I really wanted to love this book, and while I did enjoy it, I did find it a bit of a struggle to keep up with the plot. It is high fantasy and I found it confusing at times.

Thankyou to Netgalley for this proof copy! I really enjoyed The Sky on Fire, such a fun read with heists and dragons galore! Definitely reading more from the author.