4.5⭐️

I love EJ’s writing so much! If you’re looking for a romantasy with a spicy, slow burn, forbidden romance between a servant girl with a secret identity and the crowned prince of the kingdom, then you definitely have to pick this one up! The world building was captivating. There was also family dynamics, animal familiars, heartbreak (I’m still not over it - iykyk), meddling gods & goddesses, and attempts to overthrow the king. I had a really good time reading this one and I cannot wait for book 2!

Thank you to EJ and Brilliance Audio for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

For fans of:
- why do I want to say Maximum Ride lol

This book includes:
- a paranormal race war
- a salve race
- secrets and alliances
- a family in hiding
- a Prince torn between duty and heart
- a Princess shackled to her duty
- winged creatures and mutants
- cut throat court machinations

Scorched Skies was exactly what the doctor ordered. A gripping fantasy with a dash of romance, this book literally had me gasping out loud at some of the twists. I urge you all to take a chance on this book (it has a gorgeous cover cmon) even tho Tanwen is kind of annoying in the beginning because she will really grown on you. I am also so glad that this book takes the time to explore Gabriel and his story because it allows the story to reach into deeper themes - basically the Trolley Problem. The ending was a bit weak, however the rest of the book was so good that I am still feeling super excited for book 2. If you like epic fantasy and politics, this is the book for you.

I received this audiobook as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, E.J. Mellow, and Brilliance Publishing for the opportunity to review this book. This review has been posted across my socials under the username @tinynightingales, check out my GoodReads profile https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/62314863
my bookstagram account https://www.instagram.com/tinynightingales/
and booktok https://www.tiktok.com/@tinynightingales?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

I am so thankful to have gotten the opportunity to read this book early.
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“His wingspan was as terrifying as it was magnificent.”

I loved how original and imaginative this story was. It felt so new while reading. I kept wanted to learn more about this world and the characters in it. EJ Mellow has created a beautiful new world for us. Filled with magic, Gods, multiple POVs, clans, and winged beings. She never stops bringing a creative, engaging story to life. Let’s get into some tropes:

Forbidden Love (Prince and Servant)
Undercover Mission
Who did this?
Say my Name
Prince against his Father
Supposed to be enemies to lovers

I also got to listen to the audiobook as well. I loved having multiple POVs. You have your FMC, MMC, and the FMC’s father. That was an interesting POV to have, but made so much sense to the story and added to it. I really enjoyed the cast for the audiobook as their voices followed throughout the story.

The story starts with her father and brother’s capture which leads Tanwen on a new journey that she may not return from. This journey leads her closer to the prince, who she hates. However, he is beautiful and has piercing blue eyes. He seems he could be different, but is he worth the risk? She’s here to save her family from the very people that took them. The prince would only be a problem in a well thought out plan.

If you love EJ Mellow’s past works you will love this. If you love fantasy, winged men, new worlds with an original story, Greek mythology, forbidden love, and say my name trope this is a story for you.

Scorched Skies is a coming of age fantasy focusing on duty, family, and identity (with maybe some romance). I am truly impressed by how much I enjoyed Tanwen, our heroine and her journey while simultaneously being uninspired by Zolya as both a love interest and as a protagonist. The stakes were high for Tanwen and she rose to the occasion in a way that was enjoyable to root for while Zolya consistently floundered. I probably would have rated this higher if there had been a better MMC. Still would recommend this for the female characters, magic, and worldbuilding.

P.S. Is it bad if I hope Tanwen get’s the love interest she deserves in the next book?
P.P.S Why does Tanwen have to sound so much like Tamlin? Iykyk

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for providing access to this audiobook for review purposes.

4.5 stars

I don’t even know how to start this review. It was absolutely incredible. It has everything I want in a fantasy romance and the story telling was just brilliant.

Zolya and Tanwen, from their first encounter I knew I was going to love them together. I mean it’s an enemies to lovers, and forbidden romance! How could I not! It’s a bit of a slow burn, and damn! I did not expect it to take the spicy to that level 😮‍💨

I feel like I don’t want to say too much, so I’m not going to. Just know that it’s epic. There are twists that just gutted me or left me off balance. I was on the edge of my seat. I cried. I raged. And I was shooketh. Many emotions accompanied this book and I absolutely can not wait for what the next it going to bring, especially from that ending 🙈

Also the narrators were so well picked! They did amazing!

Scorched Skies by E.J. Mellow reignited my love for reading with its intoxicating blend of romance, intrigue, and myth-inspired fantasy. Tanwen and Zolya’s star-crossed relationship crackles with tension, set against a richly imagined world where love and duty collide. The high-stakes court politics, forbidden romance, and breathtaking descriptions kept me utterly enthralled, making this book impossible to put down. Mellow’s lyrical prose and masterful storytelling make Scorched Skies a must-read, and I’m already desperate for the sequel!

I haven't read an Icarus retelling. It's not a story that gets a lot of traction and I was hesitant to read it. However, I really loved this book. This book ripped my heart apart and I would let it destroy me again all over again if I could. I am also impatiently waiting for book 2.
A surprising must read for 2025!

LOVED this book! I would even say that it'll be one of my top reads of 2025. I think that the audio was great, the story was captivating Zoyla was everything and I can't believe that this book had me crying over [redacted] iykyk. It had the same magic as Heartless Hunter for me, not as in the books are the same but the way it made me feel was similar to how I felt when I listened to HH.

I really enjoyed this author's writing and am now looking to add her other series to my TBR.

I know the book one isnt out yet but I can't wait for book 2!! I miss Zoyla and Tanwen so much already. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up when it comes out!

Thank you Netgallery and the publisher.
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I wasn't sure what to expect going into this book, I saw that it was an inspirational romantasy based on the Icarus Myth. I had the audiobook version and let me tell you I was very much surprised by how much I enjoyed this one. The characters are likeable, the story is very well paced and I found myself very invested in the romance and the world that the author had created.

I feel like the flow of the book and how the story progress was also very well done. I can't wait for book 2 to find out what happens to the characters and how their story progresses. One thing I will say is I hope there's more side characters interactions also in the next book.

5 scorched stars.

Rest in peace to the tattered parts of my heart. This book gripped me and did not let go. It destroyed me in the best ways and yes yes there were tears. I sobbed. E.J. Mellow probably has a jar waiting to collect our tears on her writing desk because she knew what she was doing when she wrote this. Maybe she'll use them for her quill when writing Way of Wings book 2.

Honestly, it's to be expected. The Mousai series was brilliant, and Dance of a Burning Sea is still one of my favorites to this day. I'll probably think about Scorched Skies just the same. I'm just a stan at this point and when I saw the start of a new series, I immediately knew I had to get my hands on it. Luckily, I scored an early copy of the audiobook. Needless to say, the audiobook was fantastic, and I think the narrators did a phenomenal job. I don't think I could picture a different voice for either MC.

Scorched skies had unique characters with unique abilities. I think this first book only scratched the surface of what the FMC, Tanwen, is capable of. Actually, every character really. I can't wait to see more character development in the next book. Zolya, the MMC, was definitely a tortured soul. Tied down with the shackles of being the next in line for the throne and the son of a tyrannical king. I'm curious to see what his next moves are. The forbidden love is just >>>> I can't describe it but there is just something about characters that can't be together finding anyway and anywhere they can be together.

A major plus is that there was no dramatic cliffhanger, it was more of a set up for the plot of the next book. Which I'm thankful for because my heart truly wouldn't be able to handle waiting after the crying I did.

Also, that cover is a bonus. It's gorgeous. The vibrant colors are stunning, and I can't wait to have a physical copy in my hands.

Looking forward to the next book! In the meantime, I will be trying to put the pieces of my heart back together.

Emotional, engrossing and epic, Scorched Skies is a beautiful and unique retelling of the Icarus myth, with a twist.

With great world building, well written characters and captivating plot, this story is so well paced, fully rounded, and wonderfully flowing.
The struggles of the characters are real, their decision while sometimes hard are never foolhardy, and the magic, gods and political intrigue are top notch and form the perfect backdrop to a beautiful love story - that is imperative to the plot progression, but not overpowering and overtaking the plot.

Extra special brownie points go out to narrators Dominique Salvacion and Andre Santana - for breathing life into these intricate, fierce characters, helping this rich world and tale come to live even further.

5 stars and a sacred flower

I may have shirked some responsibilities to finish this book.
The world and plot feel fresh and I loved all the characters from the family to the friends to the mouse. The complexity of the characters and the choices they grappled with felt grounded in reality and often had me on the edge of my seat or were tugging at my heart. I'm inpatiently awaiting book two!
And the narrators are perfection!

My first audiobook ARC experience and it was a phenomenal!
I am not one to commonly listen to audiobooks, but I simply could not pass up the opportunity to tune into the audiobook ARC for Scorched Skies. I was lucky enough to read the digital ARC this past month, and now have had the pleasure to listening its tale this past week.

It’s so incredibly well narrated. It’s a duet narration, and both narrators elevate an already soaring material to new heights. I was immersed in unexpected ways. I caught onto details I overlooked in my initial reading, that broadened the engagement. I thought I would be readily prepared for the most heartbreaking scenes and yet I grieved as if I did not know those moments were coming. And the moments of intimacy and romance had me swooning and blushing like the first time around.

The narrators' voices created a movie that played in my mind in all its brilliant, vivid colors. If reading the digital arc was like an epic high definition film, the audiobook made it a 4k experience. I’m someone who tends to read quickly, but the audiobook forced me to slow down. Slowing down gifted me newfound appreciation for this book I already loved so much.

What a triumph!

This experience fortified all I already felt about this gorgeous read.

Thank you EJ"s Mellow Misfits Facebook Group and Brilliance Audio for this advanced complimentary copy, I leave this honest voluntarily.

I’ll add my original review for the digital arc below to detail more of my response to the beautiful story:

Wow, Scorched Skies, wow.

I was curious about this book when I first read its synopsis, but nothing prepared me for the tidal wave of emotion that would overwhelm me upon experiencing this journey. I was stunned, numbed, awed, beat down, and I still flew to the highest of highs. I entered this story with no expectations, yet the narrative somehow still surpassed, exceeded, transcended them all. Scorched Skies took my breath away. It went from a story I knew nothing about, to a story I want to know everything about.

This fantasy romance is set in world where winged people called Volari rule in the skies above the earthbound people Süra. The Volari rule all, and they certainly are not meant to mix in any way with the Süra below; for such a union is deemed criminal. And yet products of this very union exist and grow, and come into magic they are told is impossible. Our heroine Tanwen is one of these impossibilities. Her family must live in hiding to survive, but when her once winged father and brother are taken by the prince of the sky to serve the kingdom above, Tanwen will do whatever it takes to get them back. Under the shroud of servant in new employment, Tanwen enters the kingdom with one goal, but unexpectedly discovers far more than ever intended. And Zolya, prince and captor, is at the heart of this unexpected discovery.

What follows is a delicate forbidden romance, a high stakes plot, and a journey that will change the very core of our leads.

Tanwen is a wonderful heroine. Her nature is to heal, to help, to live. And the guilt she feels at the captivity of her father and brother drives her to infiltrate the enemy in order to reunite her family. That drive highlights her courage and resolve. Her goal is single-minded, but life is anything but. Tanwen comes to know her fellow workers and forge into tentative friendships. She comes to know the princess she serves, and sees a kindred soul who yearns for more just as she. And she comes to know Zolya, the prince, seeing him not as the captor of her nightmares, but as a man who is in his own prison, and who possess a kindness that is most unexpected. It did not take me long to sympathize with Zolya. He must navigate a fine line, between trying to do what he find is morally right, to protecting his sister, and to begrudgingly acquiescing to the demands of his tyrant father. He is not in a position to be selfish, and yet when he comes to meet Tanwen, he, for the first time, wants something all of his own. The connection between Tanwen and him is electric, impossible, and inescapable.

What a romance! This is a truly forbidden love story. Tanwen's very existence is the result of such a union and it's left her family hiding in the dark. There is a tangible danger with what brews between Tanwen and Zolya, yet they cannot stay away from one another. They are like magnets, pulling towards each other at every turn of the page. I will say, if I could change one tiny thing is, I wish there had been a touch of more romancing. I also felt some discomfort when the first romantic interlude took place, given what had just occurred prior. Nevertheless, I absolutely relished the yearning, longing, and fiery desire felt between Tanwen and Zolya. Their connection is poignant and powerful, and it's one every reader will want to see fortified, and one every reader will beg to see triumph.

The plot kept me on my toes, it's filled with high tension, pulse-racing action, swoon-worthy romance, jaw-dropping surprise, and tremendous, heartbreaking loss. Oh how that loss that had me truly mourning. In fact the first significant loss had me needing to put my kindle down to wipe the tears blinding my vision, rolling down my cheeks. I so rarely cry during reads, I'll get misty-eyed and my heart will cry, but the cheeks stay dry more often than not. That wasn't the case here at all. I had to bring out the tissues, I had to calm my erratically beating heart. I felt so pained by what I read, and yet with that loss came the understanding this plot is sincerely high stakes. No one, no thing, no absolutely anything is safe. What is to come cannot be so easily predicted, and that charges the air with a true sense of fear and worry. I was so scared for the characters I loved, especially our leads. I was literally at the edge of my seat. That’s the kind of feeling that stays with you well past the turn of the final page.

It’s the way I need the sequel like I need air. I need it so badly, I need it right now! I'm not sure how to move on from this ending without knowing what comes next. It's going to be a tough wait, I'm going to be impatient, but I know whatever wait is ahead will be worth it.

What an incredible read, it surprised me in the very best way, even when it made me sob. I loved this one.

Thank you NetGalley and Montlake for this advanced complimentary copy, I leave this honest review voluntarily.

This novel had all the right ingredients to be something truly special—a fresh, intriguing premise and a fascinating, well-crafted world. The world-building was definitely one of the highlights and showed a lot of potential.

But while the setup was strong, the characters felt a little underdeveloped and underutilized. There were hints of interesting personalities and dynamics, but they never fully came to life. It felt like they were moving through the story without making the kind of impact they should have, especially given how interesting the world around them was.

Since this is the first book in a series, I get that it’s trying to lay the groundwork for what’s coming. But the pacing was uneven, and it took way too long for the plot to really find its footing. The dialogue, too, often felt stilted and didn’t always capture the characters’ emotions in a believable way.

That being said, the writing itself is solid and polished. It’s clear the author has talent and put real effort into building this world. I’m hopeful the next book will pick up the pace, flesh out the characters more, and deliver dialogue that feels more natural.

Overall, I’m torn. The book didn’t quite live up to its potential, but the foundation is there. I’m curious to see where the series goes from here, and I’m rooting for it to find its stride.

HOOKED I NEED BOOK TWO IMMEDIATELY PLESSE!! the narrators were amazing in this i love it sm!!! what a fun duology this is going to be

"Scorched Skies" by E.J. Mellow took me completely by surprise. I went into it blind, without even reading the synopsis, and I’m so glad I did—it exceeded all my expectations. The world-building was masterfully done, and the pacing was absolutely spot-on. The forbidden romance and enemies-to-lovers dynamic felt fresh and original. The duo narration was engaging and both narrators were pleasing to listen to. This is an absolute must-listen for fans of romantasy. Anxious for book 2.
Thank you to NetGallery and Brilliance Audio for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.