Series Review: A Fire in the Sky by Sophie Jordan

Series Review: Is this series worth your time? Does it get better as the novels progress? Or does it get worse? Find out below:

Synopsis for A Fire in the Sky (from Goodreads):

Dragons are extinct. Witches are outcast. Magic is dying.

But human lust for power is immortal.

Dragon fire no longer blisters the skies over Penterra, but inside the lavish palace, life is still perilous…especially for Tamsyn. Raised in the glittering court alongside the princesses, it’s her duty to be punished for their misdeeds. Treated as part of the royal family but also as the lowliest servant, Tamsyn fits nowhere. Her only friend is Stig, Captain of the Guard…though sometimes she thinks he wants more than friendship.

When Fell, the Beast of the Borderlands, descends on her home, Tamsyn’s world becomes even more dangerous. To save the pampered princesses from a fate worse than death, she is commanded to don a veil and marry the brutal warrior. She agrees to the deception even though it means leaving Stig, and the only life she’s ever known, behind.

The wedding night begins with unexpected passion—and ends in near violence when her trickery is exposed. Rather than start a war, Fell accepts Tamsyn as his bride…but can he accept the dark secrets she harbors—secrets buried so deep even she doesn’t know they exist? For Tamsyn is more than a royal whipping girl, more than the false wife of a man who now sees her as his enemy. And when those secrets emerge, they will ignite a flame bright enough to burn the entire kingdom to the bone.

Magic is not dead…it is only sleeping. And it will take one ordinary girl with an extraordinary destiny to awaken it.

Author: Sophie Jordan
Series: A Fire in the Sky
# of Books: 3 (Full Reading Order Here)
Book Order: Chronological (#1-2); Connect (#3)
Complete?: No
Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Dragons, Magic
Heat Rating: Hot
Point of View: First Person, Multiple
Publication Dates: September 2024 – ongoing
Source & Format: Public Library–Audiobook

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

I read Sophie Jordan’s young adult dragon series YEARS ago and I wouldn’t say that I loved the heroine in that one. And I haven’t had too much success with some of her other titles but I wanted to give this series a shot. Call me a sucker, but the world sounded super cool and the premise intrigued me so I tried my best to go in with an open mind…

The Concept / The World:

Despite some of my complaints regarding the plot, I do want to note that the world building with respect to the magic and the dragons is well done. It’s explained well and developed so that satisfied me.

The first two books are a duet and the third book, Spell Cast (#3) focuses on a new heroine but set in the same world.

The Plot:

Despite the many minutes of audio I listened to, nothing substantial happens. The pacing is off yet everything is oddly underdeveloped. And it’s a shame because I was optimistic going into book #2 that maybe, just maybe this series was going to go somewhere after that ending in A Fire in the Sky (#1). MINOR SPOILER: But instead of expanding on all those little cliffhangers, we get the intriguing choice by the author to fast-forward ahead and skip the immediate aftermath. It just didn’t work for me.

The Characters:

At first I empathized with Tamsyn. She’s blindly loyal to people who clearly don’t give any damns about her so I really wanted her to find her independence. Instead, I get to listen to her lament about her life and observe her inability to learn anything about what is happening around her for two whole books. She is as exciting as wet paper and has as much depth to her as well.

The rest of the cast also suffers from terrible underdevelopment. I don’t think I liked a single character.

The Romance:

The “romance” is better classified as horny lust and just happened wayyy too fast. Like I think they talked like three times and Fel is ready to burn the world for her despite giving her the cold shoulder literally 2 minutes before. If you’re into that instant, primal “I am Alpha; I will bang you anytime we are within 1ft of each other” romance, this is for you! But it’s the one trope I can’t stand (it’s why I stay away from werewolf books as a whole) so it just did not work for me!

My Audiobook Experience:

It was a good listen which is probably why I ended up completing the two books despite not enjoying the plots.

My Expectations for the Rest of the Series:

I’ve opted not to continue this series because I’m so disappointed that I wasted so much time with those first two books. Plus, the new heroine for the next duet (?) didn’t capture my attention.

Series Rating: DNF

A Fire in the Sky 2.5/5 | A Scar in the Bone 1/5 | Spell Cast N/A

I RARELY give out anything less than 2 stars to a book but this series just did not work for me. I should have DNF’d the first book but I really wanted to give Sophie Jordan the benefit of the doubt as it has been many years since I read a book by her. But I think this is the end of the road for me with her works.

Read if You Like: dragons, primal love
Avoid if You: want more developed stories