Skyborn

Thrones & Bones #3

by Lou Anders

For fans of Lloyd Alexander and Brandon Mull comes the epic conclusion to the acclaimed Thrones and Bones fantasy-adventure trilogy that began with Frostborn.
 
Find the Horn. Free the City.
 
The chase continues for the legendary Horns of Osius. Thianna and Karn’s quest to retrieve the horns from those who wish to abuse their power takes them to Thica, an ancient land where two tyrant queens reign supreme and where years earlier Thianna’s mother was labeled a traitor. Soon the two heroes are caught up in an epic battle for control of the kingdom, one that puts their very lives at stake. The only way to overthrow the queens is to beat them at their own game. But with an entire empire against them, how can Karn and Thianna hope to compete—or better yet, survive?
 
The novel includes instructions for playing the board game the Queen’s Champion, a Thican timeline, and King Herakles Hammerfist’s recipe for the Best Spanakopita Ever. Visit ThronesandBones.com for additional games, maps, character profiles, and more!
 
Praise for the Thrones and Bones series
“Future fans of Tolkien and George R. R. Martin can happily cut their serial-fantasy teeth on this first book of an eventual series.” —Kirkus Reviews
 
“A powerful, fast-paced tale. . . . The setting is rich, the characters well-defined, and the danger ever-paramount.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Adventure, Mythology, Young Adult, Fiction, Childrens

Audio

First published September 6, 2016

About the author

LOU ANDERS is the author of the novel Once Upon a Unicorn, the Thrones & Bones trilogy of fantasy adventure novels (Frostborn, Nightborn, and Skyborn), and the novel Star Wars: Pirate’s Price. He is the recipient of a Hugo Award for editing and a Chesley Award for art direction. In the tabletop roleplaying game world, Anders is the creator and publisher of the Thrones & Bones: Norrøngard campaign setting. He has also done game design for Kobold Press, River Horse, and 3D Printed Tabletop. In 2016, he was named a Thurber House Writer-in-Residence and spent a month in Columbus, Ohio, teaching, writing, and living in a haunted house. When not writing, designing, and editing, he enjoys playing roleplaying games, 3D printing, weightlifting, and watching movies. He lives with his wife, children, and two golden doodles in Birmingham, Alabama. You can visit Anders online at louanders.com or on Facebook, Instagram, and other social networks.

Reviews

[Kat Hooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

will review soon at www.fantasyliterature.com

[Dale Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

There have been very few series where the subsequent books meet the promise of the first, but, Skyborn not only keeps those promises but stands as perhaps the best in the Thrones & Bones series. Lou Anders' voice and storytelling is strong and vivid in bringing to a close what can only be hoped is the FIRST trilogy in the adventures of Karn, Thianna, and their friends and fellow adventurers. PARENTS: if you are looking for a book that will help your children understand the importance of respect, understanding, forgiveness, support, and finding their way through making good decisions, then I would recommend you start here. Mix that in with Dragons, Mythical Beasts, Lost Civilizations, Elves, and other legendary people and creatures then you won't find a better world to drop your children into. (And honestly... Parents... you can read and enjoy and probably learn a few things from these stories as well...after all, a great story is a great story no matter where it is told).

[Amy Plum · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the perfect ending to an amazing trilogy. My 10- and 12-year-olds loved this, and so did I! Fabulous world-building, empowering characters, and enough action and intrigue to keep even the most thrill-seeking readers entranced! This, in my mind, is a must-read middle grade fantasy trilogy, sure to become a classic.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun series to read. Every kind of mythical creature ever invented and possibly a few more are at least mentioned, if not actually appearing in the books. Good values, good action/adventure and good growth in character and relationships.

[Kate Calina · Rating 5 out of 5]

The penalty for treason was being chained to marble columns. For many years, vicious captors had tortured the rebellious dragon, burning it with fire lances and shredding its wings. Yet its words only grew bolder as it faced Sirena, keeper of the Horn that controlled its mind. Though one of the most fearless fighters in all the empire, Sirena had yet to unlock the key to the precious Horn of Osius. She had less than five days to learn the secrets of wielding its power—to enslave an entire generation of dragons.

Thianna Frostborn and Karn Korlundsson awoke in an elegant cage, flying south under the wings of angry dragons. Vast forests and ancient ruins spun away beneath them as they approached their destination, the Court of Land and Sky. Raised in the frozen lands of the frost giants, the half-giant Thianna knew little about her mother’s native country. Using one of her unique gifts—a hoarfrost chant—Thianna froze her way to freedom. Recapturing the powerful Horn from an elite force of furious women would require more than brute strength and quick wit. It would demand every gift her allies possessed. Brash minotaurs and leafy dryads soon found themselves fighting for something far greater than their own kingdoms and narrow ideals.

Skyborn is the third of Lou Anders’ Thrones and Bones series. Wonderful new characters charge through his colorful landscapes, ice blocking down watercourses and gliding over molten lava. Mysterious doors open up, allowing passage to ethereal corridors. AsThianna realizes the decisions she makes have far-reaching consequences, the frost giant who’s always struck the fastest blows suddenly finds herself unsure of her path forward. Tenuous friendships develop between hardened enemies; impossible alliances become reality. The momentum drives the story at a quick pace towards an arresting climax. Skyborn pulls you into a space you weren’t expecting to be in—a place of wonder and higher dreams.
--Kate Calina

[Bree Storer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Possibly the #1 rule of sequels is to never repeat the exact same thing from the first product, otherwise, the people experiencing those products will be more bored rather than intrigued. And, I have to be honest, at first, it seems like Thrones and Bones #3: Skyborn may be breaking that rule. However, as the book goes on, you start to realize that this sequel is actually following he rule. Does that mean it can meet my standards though? Well, let's just explain the plot before we get to that, for any of you who don't know.
The story of Thrones and Bones continues as Thianna, Desstra, and Karn go to the continent of Thica to retrieve the second horn of Osius in Caldera, the ruling city of Thica. Will our heroes prevail and give wyverns their right full freedom? Well, what's to be expected, right?
Actually, that kind of relates to my first nit pick with this book. The plot twists. Here's the rule with plot twists though. They have o intrigue the reader, and they need to make sense. I felt like there were a couple of plot twists that didn't really go anywhere. For example, it's revealed that one of the characters, Talos, has an alliance with the Order of the Oak from the previous novel, and the reason he helped Karn is because he wore the ring one of the members gave him. But, wait, wouldn't make more sense if the citizens of Dendronos were in an alliance with the Order of the Oak? I mean, wood elves and plant folk seem to have a bigger connection than with mechanical citizens. On the other hand, there are some violence that just comes out of nowhere in the last thrid of the book. For the first two thirds, there was some dark stuff with slaves and non-citizen ship, but all of a sudden there's women being ripped in half, getting stabbed in the stomach, and lots of grusome decapitacions! I know that a dragon ate someone in the first book, and I'm fine with gore and everything, but you have to ease into that kind of thing instead of surprising us with it.
Does that mean I hate this book, well, actually far from it. As said before, there is a lot of repetition with the greek theme and half-creatures like in the second book, but that dies down pretty quikly, and it's overshadowed by some new material. Spaking of which, how do I even describe tha landmarks and settings in this book?! The settings in the previous books, kind of like the original Star Wars trilogy, Anders seemed to pick a global location and say, "the whole city looks likes this." (By the way, Lou Anders, if you read tis, I'm so sorry, you're awesome!) Here, Anders lets you feel the world around you. I really hope this series gets a movie deal sometime soon, because I would love to see places like Dendronos and Labrynthia brought to life! Also, at mots of the events of this book actually have a purpose to the story. At first I was confused about why a Mega-Hydrajust appeared out of nowhere, but after thinking about it, it's actually what first gets Sirena to fight back for her country and fight alongside Thianna, bringing the characters oser together. And, you know what, if I were to praise this book anymore, it's take up at least a reveiw and a half (according to Goodreads words counts) to finish.
Overall, I'd say this book has tied the knot for Thrones and Bones, officially making thr Thrones and Bones books, my second favorite book series of all time! Thanks for reading, and I hope I didn't bore you to death with this reveiw.

[Fantasy Literature]

3.5 stars from Kat, read the full review at FANTASY LITERATURE

Disclaimer: just so you know, some of the books we review are received free from publishers

Lou Anders concludes his THRONES & BONES trilogy for middle graders with Skyborn, which follows Frostborn and Nightborn.

Skyborn begins as our three young heroes have just lost one of the Horns of Osius which are able to control wyverns and dragons. To free these creatures from the empire that controls them, they must travel to Thica to find and destroy the horn.

Our heroes couldn’t be more different from each other. Karn is the human son of a well-to-do farmer. His family expects him to take over the farm, but Karn is more interested in strategy games. Thianna is a half-giantess from the frozen northern lands. She has been bullied all her life because she is of mixed races and looks different from the rest of the frost giants. Desstra, a dark elf who was not ruthless enough to pass her final exam to become an elite soldier, is now an outcast from her society. These three unlikely allies will team up with even more unlikely allies to try to bring down the Thiccan Empire and save the dragons and wyverns from slavery....3.5 stars from Kat, read the full review at FANTASY LITERATURE

[Adam Heine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A satisfying end to the trilogy. Really glad I got to hang out in this world with my kids!

[Dallin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick-paced, enjoyable little read.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for my girl who loves fantasy but wants strong female characters and lots of diversity. Also great because it has built in games that kids can actually play in the real world!

[Isabel S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put the book down.

I'd been waiting for the book to come out since I finished the last book, "Nightborn", and after I picked it up I didn't put it down until I was done.

Karn, Thianna, and Desstra travel to Thica, the land of Thianna's mother and her people, to retrieve the Horn of Osius and destroy it once and for all.

First off, Thica is obviously Greece, and I loved how the Greek mythical monsters appeared in the story, properly contrasting this world from the northern homes of Karn and Thianna. I was able to recognize all of the stories, slightly altered for this world's purposes. Caldera, the capital city of Thica, has recognizable traits of Sparta, including the part where there are two rulers instead of one.

There were a lot of side characters, all with different motivations and stories, and they were all enjoyable to read about. After seeing the Norse mythical beings taking precedence in the last two books (giants, dark elves, dragnauts), it was fun to see the Greek ones appearing in this book.

All in all, it was a fun book, and I definitely recommend the whole series to any other mythology lovers out there, high schoolers and middle schoolers, and anyone else who just wants an adventure.

[Anne Soderlund · Rating 5 out of 5]

The end of the Thrones and Bones trilogy. Started because Frostborn was nominated for the Golden Sower award in 2016-17. Read the rest of the trilogy because I was hooked by Anders' use of Nordic imagery, mythology, and a good old-fashioned quest. This third book resonated with our political scene today. As the various species have to decide when is the right time to fight against a common foe and learn to use the skills of each to try to defeat the tyranny of the few.
Inspirational!

[Erin]

I actually quite enjoyed this one, more than the second, I think. I think the addition of more female characters I can like probably helped.
Lou Anders definitely did a good job a creating this fantasy world, though I did notice that he borrowed the Pythagorean theorem under the name of the Damnameneus theorem. Not quite sure why he did that.
This was light-hearted, but also quite exciting. I wasn't completely captivated, but I read it pretty quickly, and there were a couple parts where I had trouble putting it down. It probably could have expanded the characters a bit more, making them a little deeper, but, overall, I liked this.

[DeCarabas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Espero que eventualmente se traduzcan estos libros al español, ya que me gustaría leérselos a mi pequeño retoño o que los lea ella; son novelas de fantasía para niños, frescos e ingeniosos, que exaltan los valores del trabajo en equipo, la diversidad y la inteligencia. En cada uno de ellos Lou Anders inventa e implementa las reglas de un juego de mesa que forma parte de la trama de cada libro, y que se puede jugar realmente, así que ya le propuse a mi Cereza jugar Queen's Challenge, a ver qué tal resulta la experiencia.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thianna Frostborn arrives in the land of her mother's people with the Horn of Osiris. Her intent is to destroy the horn that forces wyverns (dragon-like creatures) to do the bidding of whoever has the horn. The Horn is stolen from her and she must get it back before the next generation of wyverns is hatched. She succeeds with the help of her friends, an assortment of humans and other sentient races. In the end, Thianna has ended an evil dictatorship and come to terms with her own mixed ancestry.

[AliceAnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic ending to an endearing series. Friendship is the heart of the story/series, the characters are delightful and varied, the action is fast paced and addictive, and the setting is well-written; I felt as if I was there, along with Karn, Thianna, and Desstra, and all the others.

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit predictable, but still a fun read. I love the concclusion it came up with. It seemed like a fitting end to the series. The suddenly Greek mythology twist was a bit unexpected, but still a lot of fun.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have really enjoyed this series.

[Kai Porter]

It was a good book, can't wait for book 4 to come out! P.S hope you have a nice day!

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thianna and Karn have lost the Horn of Osius, key to controlling the wyvern and all dragon kind. To keep its power from being misused they’ll have to journey to Thica, the country Thianna’s mother fled years ago, and face down an entire empire. They won’t be alone though. A battle is brewing that will determine the very fate of the empire and, possibly, our heroes as well.

Thrones and Bones: Skyborn by Lou Anders is definitely an interesting read, and a fun one as well. It builds on the previous books well. It has higher stakes, as benefits the last book in the series. It still keeps its balance between Thianna and Karn really well while expanding the cast as well.

So, with the first two books in the trilogy I had a lot of the problems I tend to with most kids or young readers’ books I review. The first one was very black and white in its morality, the heroes were good because they were the heroes and the villains were evil because they were the villains. The second book did better, but still projected its eleventh hour new hero pretty hard. That’s standard in kids’ fantasy, but it does get old, which is something this one does a fairly mixed job on. We have an empire that’s crushing other city-states and forcing them to do its bidding, that’s how it’s done and how it has been for as long as anyone can remember. We have the city-states not wanting to work together because of old grudges. Both are kind of a wash early because it is a ton of new stuff all at once, but then we get into it more and it works.

We also have some party friction from the last book that gets worked though, I really appreciate that bit. As well as I feel Karn and Thianna work as a team, seeing them having to work with new characters and deal with new situations is one of the strong points of the book. The expanded cast did take some getting used to, mostly just because it split the story more than the first books did, but that helps give the story a greater feeling of scope.

The added cast does have one big downside that I can think of. While it’s great for adding scope to the story, it also has the effect of leaving what should have been important character moments out for more minor characters. A little more focus on what was going on with the big villains would have been great. It also has the effect of introducing and then completely leaving out representative characters for the city-states that didn’t get involved in the plot. That feels like a missed opportunity more than anything.

So, where do I sit on Thrones and Bones: Skyborn? It solved a lot of the standard kids’ book problems the first two had, though it still has a few. Those are mostly pacing related, and nothing really big at that. I would have liked to have seen more build to the final confrontation; it was pretty standard for the series on that front. As evidenced by the rest of the review though, I enjoyed the read. This is one of the few series that I not only enjoyed myself, I’m also getting the first one for my younger cousin. So, again, where do I sit on this one? I think it earned a four out of five.

I was sent a copy of Thrones and Bones: Skyborn for honest review.

[Mark Buxton · Rating 4 out of 5]

My name is Desstra, and I think Thianna is starting to appreciate having a dark elf around. The frost giantess has returned to the land of her mother, and it's not what she expected. The two queens have the second Horn of Osius which they'll use to continue bullying the other city-states. Thianna's nasty cousin Sirena must master the horn before the great hatching, but luckily Thianna is the only one so far who can communicate with the wyverns. I'm not sure what's happened to Karn since we escaped from the queens, but I hope he's getting help. The city-states can stop being bullied by the queens if they'll only work together, but that's easier said than done. If Karn can get the minotaurs to revolt then there's a chance the other groups will join them. However, how do you change the minds of stubborn bulls?

This series has been fun to read, and the three main characters are the reason. Desstra created a trio after the last book, and her relationship with Thianna added lessons in friendship and humor. Desstra tried to kill the giantess in book two, so Thianna was reluctant to accept her help. This past animosity created some tension, but the two characters exchanged humorous banter as they became closer. Karn was the intellectual character and loved the challenge of any kind of game. He was the one connecting the protagonists, and he came up with the strategies to resolve the conflicts. His fighting skills improved across the books, but his mind was his greatest asset. Each book in the series has described a unique game along with directions on how to play them. These contests were woven into the events and became integral parts of the plots. A game was often the key to overcoming dangerous obstacles and antagonists. Overall, the series has been very entertaining, and I suggest you read it, starting with Frostborn.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an incredible wrap up to an incredible series.

This book picks up where the last leaves off, with Thianna, Karn and Desstra heading to Thica to destroy the other horn.

Of course Thianna also wants to meet her mother's people. As usual, that doesn't work out exactly as she hoped. Though, in true Thrones and Bones fashion, the three heroes flip everything on its head.

It's so much fun reading a world that excels in using every kind of fantasy characters. This series makes you believe its real.

The Dryads,the Dwarves, the Minotaurs, the Talosians, they all mingle in a way that makes you want to share an adventure in this world.

I love that the Sphinx worked its way into making Calderia a whole kingdom. It was a nice call back.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skyborn is probably my favorite of the Thrones & Bones series. I was worried that I would be lost going into it, since it had been a long time since reading the first two books. Fortunately, Anders does a great job of catching readers up to speed. The book is filled with a cool array of new characters, places, and races to dive into. The action is fun, the pace is excellent, and the protagonists feel like actual heroes; earning the title through their attitudes and actions. It was a good time, and each chapter kept me wanting to know what comes next. Overall, a wonderful end to a satisfying series.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun rewarding ending to this series. you kind of knew the kids are going to bring everybody together, but it was fun to see how it all happens. And of course the author bringing in Doom for them all to gather together and battle. the Doom creates a bond. So smart move there. That works in every society.
kids will all enjoy this series and it's a good ending

[Yapha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent finale to the Thrones & Bones trilogy! You definitely want to read them order, this one is excellent but you need the back story for it to make the most sense. Recommended for grades 4 & up.

[David Whitworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This trilogy has all the fantastical elements jumbled together. The idea and storyline is similar to many other books, however, it's still an enjoyable read. It's a fresh take on elves, trolls, frost giants, Norse mythology, green mythology, and so many others.

[Kelly Honea · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a terrific finale of this trilogy!!! I felt so much excitement and joy throughout as all the characters learned what it meant to work together, live in peace, and rid Thica of the bullies and the horn. Lovely read for a rainy winter’s day!

[Delia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook of this and loved it! It was a fun trilogy! The only thing, is now I want to find out what other adventures Karn, Thianna and Desstra get into! A great series!

[Diana Gagliardi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This whole trilogy was a delight :)

Enjoy!

[Tonya Hardy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Hope there are more to the series.