What do you think?
Rate this book
Clashing Skies #1
A Light in the Sky
Red Queen meets The Scorpio Races in a high-flying new fantasy series filled with passion, betrayal, and adventure from debut author Shina Reynolds.
Seventeen-year-old Aluma Banks has always dreamed of soaring freely through the skies astride a powerful winged steed of her own. But flying is a privilege granted only to the Riders of the king’s Empyrean Cavalry, the aerial warriors who defend the borders of their land from the fallen Kingdom of Laithlann.
Each year, Rider hopefuls across Eirelannia compete in the Autumn Tournament for the honor of joining the Cavalry. Aluma, trained to ride and fight by her retired Empyrean Rider father, knows she has what it takes to prove herself worthy—if only her father hadn’t forbidden her from joining their ranks, in the hope of protecting his only daughter from the perils of war. To make matters worse, Thayer, Aluma’s best friend who could be becoming something more, is competing—and if he wins, he’ll leave her behind.
When Aluma’s father is tragically injured just before the Tournament, she finds herself unexpectedly thrust into this year’s competition. But as Aluma begins to pursue her dreams, she learns devastating secrets about the king and his never-ending war with Laithlann. In her quest for the truth, Aluma discovers a power deep within herself that may be the only way to save Eirelannia and the people she loves from the darkness that threatens to consume them all.
Seventeen-year-old Aluma Banks has always dreamed of soaring freely through the skies astride a powerful winged steed of her own. But flying is a privilege granted only to the Riders of the king’s Empyrean Cavalry, the aerial warriors who defend the borders of their land from the fallen Kingdom of Laithlann.
Each year, Rider hopefuls across Eirelannia compete in the Autumn Tournament for the honor of joining the Cavalry. Aluma, trained to ride and fight by her retired Empyrean Rider father, knows she has what it takes to prove herself worthy—if only her father hadn’t forbidden her from joining their ranks, in the hope of protecting his only daughter from the perils of war. To make matters worse, Thayer, Aluma’s best friend who could be becoming something more, is competing—and if he wins, he’ll leave her behind.
When Aluma’s father is tragically injured just before the Tournament, she finds herself unexpectedly thrust into this year’s competition. But as Aluma begins to pursue her dreams, she learns devastating secrets about the king and his never-ending war with Laithlann. In her quest for the truth, Aluma discovers a power deep within herself that may be the only way to save Eirelannia and the people she loves from the darkness that threatens to consume them all.
417 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 9, 2021
13 people are currently reading
21446 people want to read
About the author
Shina Reynolds
2 books1,160 followersJoin Shina's mailing list for giveaways, new releases, and more:
https://shinareynolds.com/subscribe
SHINA REYNOLDS is the multi-award-winning author of young adult fantasy novel, A Light in the Sky, which won the Gold Medal for Teen Fiction in the 2022 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, graduating with honors in art history and with a minor in anthropology. Before writing her debut novel, A Light in the Sky, she worked in film, music, and modeling. Shina resides in Texas, where she spends most of the year trying to stay cool and imagining she lives in Ireland. When she’s not writing, she can be found exploring the outdoors with her husband and daughter or entertaining her mostly cuddly cat.
Follow along!
INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK |
https://shinareynolds.com/subscribe
SHINA REYNOLDS is the multi-award-winning author of young adult fantasy novel, A Light in the Sky, which won the Gold Medal for Teen Fiction in the 2022 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, graduating with honors in art history and with a minor in anthropology. Before writing her debut novel, A Light in the Sky, she worked in film, music, and modeling. Shina resides in Texas, where she spends most of the year trying to stay cool and imagining she lives in Ireland. When she’s not writing, she can be found exploring the outdoors with her husband and daughter or entertaining her mostly cuddly cat.
Follow along!
INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK |
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 214 reviews
October 30, 2021
this story has a very old-school YA fantasy vibe, but in a nostalgic kind of way.
its rather simple with pretty straight-forward world-building, characters, writing, tropes, plot, and (of course) love triangle. and it does everything a first book in a series is supposed to do. it introduces the characters, gives a lay of the land, shows some magic, and sets it up for the story to continue.
that being said, it does all seem very one note to me. the characters are a little bland, the fantasy elements are pretty standard, and the plot is a bit basic. if i had read this in my teens, i 100% would not be bothered by this at all. and im not really bothered by it now, ive just come to prefer more complex storytelling.
i think for the intended audience, this is a real winner and im pretty sure the concept of pegasi will sell a lot of readers. for me, personally, its a decent book/story and i would be happy to continue the series.
a massive thanks to the author for providing an ARC!
↠ 3.5 stars
its rather simple with pretty straight-forward world-building, characters, writing, tropes, plot, and (of course) love triangle. and it does everything a first book in a series is supposed to do. it introduces the characters, gives a lay of the land, shows some magic, and sets it up for the story to continue.
that being said, it does all seem very one note to me. the characters are a little bland, the fantasy elements are pretty standard, and the plot is a bit basic. if i had read this in my teens, i 100% would not be bothered by this at all. and im not really bothered by it now, ive just come to prefer more complex storytelling.
i think for the intended audience, this is a real winner and im pretty sure the concept of pegasi will sell a lot of readers. for me, personally, its a decent book/story and i would be happy to continue the series.
a massive thanks to the author for providing an ARC!
↠ 3.5 stars
August 11, 2021
This was an interesting one.
If you, like me, have never been a horse girl and are a bit skeptical that pegasuses (pegasi?) have anything to offer you, let me assure you that there is much more here than flying horses.
Aluma lives in a world where the king's elite cavalry fight with sword and bow from winged horseback. She also lives in a world where solar-powered cars, relics of the bygone era before technology was lost, transport the wealthy and powerful across the kingdom. It's an extremely intriguing mixture of genres, and unraveling the rules of the world was my favorite part of reading this.
Other highlights include:
1. Aluma's relationship with her father. Though he's offscreen for much of the book, he was a powerful presence at the beginning and the strength of his and Aluma's relationship was a compelling impetus throughout the story.
2. The names. There are some doozies here. Wolkenna? Gattacan? I feel like these are pretty bold moves already, but there's also a kid named Cloveman, so honestly I have to respect the sheer gall. This author saw a world crowded with Feyres and Cardans and Hawkes and decided to take a STAND.
3. I like how the plot moves right along. We don't spend forever preparing for the tournament, we don't spend forever at the training academy, etc. We spend enough time everywhere to make it feel natural and not rushed, but the impetus of the plot never drags down.
Some things that possibly could have been better:
If you, like me, have never been a horse girl and are a bit skeptical that pegasuses (pegasi?) have anything to offer you, let me assure you that there is much more here than flying horses.
Aluma lives in a world where the king's elite cavalry fight with sword and bow from winged horseback. She also lives in a world where solar-powered cars, relics of the bygone era before technology was lost, transport the wealthy and powerful across the kingdom. It's an extremely intriguing mixture of genres, and unraveling the rules of the world was my favorite part of reading this.
Other highlights include:
1. Aluma's relationship with her father. Though he's offscreen for much of the book, he was a powerful presence at the beginning and the strength of his and Aluma's relationship was a compelling impetus throughout the story.
2. The names. There are some doozies here. Wolkenna? Gattacan? I feel like these are pretty bold moves already, but there's also a kid named Cloveman, so honestly I have to respect the sheer gall. This author saw a world crowded with Feyres and Cardans and Hawkes and decided to take a STAND.
3. I like how the plot moves right along. We don't spend forever preparing for the tournament, we don't spend forever at the training academy, etc. We spend enough time everywhere to make it feel natural and not rushed, but the impetus of the plot never drags down.
Some things that possibly could have been better:
• The love triangle OH my gosh. I don't know if it's just what I've been reading, but I was under the impression that the genre was getting a little better about this lately. Not as many blatant teen love triangles as we were plagued with in the 2008-2015ish heyday.
This, however, is a true throwback classic.
Aluma is torn between her childhood friend and the dashing foreign prince and spends far too much time dwelling on her feelings for both of them. To the extent where they're undercover on a mission that may seal the fate of the whole world not to mention Aluma's father, and half of the wordcount is about how jealous they make each other. Not gonna lie, this was a real struggle.
• The world was the most interesting part, as I said before, so it was kind of disappointing to be left a little confused about what exactly was going on. In some ways it seems like the conflict between the two (three?) kingdoms is some ancient, long-ago thing. The technology seems like it's been lost for decades if not centuries, and the war seems like it's been going on for generations. But at the same time, it seems like Gattacan's father lays direct blame for the state of things at the current king's feet?
I'm not sure exactly what happened and when and why, but I would like to be.
• The ending. Essentially, The hasty, immature nature of their mission plans and the way they just seem to be flinging desperate, half-baked ideas at the wall and hoping something sticks doesn't exactly give this denouement the gravitas that it ideally should have.
• This is really minor but like, the pegasuses can hover. There are MULTIPLE instances of entire cavalry troops just sort of... parking in thin air to hover over a target/take stock of a situation. Now. Assuming these horses have bird wings like on the cover, there are only a FEW bird species that can hover at all even with wind assist.
Do some scholarly YouTubing of buzzards or kites hovering, and imagine flocks of massive horses with twelve-foot wings doing the frantic, neurotic flapping that those birds have to do in order to hover. Absolutely terrifying. You would kill each other just trying to hover in an orderly formation. The polar opposite of stealthy.
Even worse, imagine if they have hummingbird wings and can do the HUMMINGBIRD HOVER. Scores of warriors sitting on floating horses while their huge wings do the figure 8 nyoom so fast you can't even see them. Imagine how deafeningly LOUD that would be. I know I would certainly surrender to such a horrifyingly uncanny force.
August 20, 2021
Reynolds creates interesting characters and explores many relationships such as father-daughter, sister-brother, love and even platonic ones. This book follows Aluma, who is forced to take part in a tournament after her father was mysteriously injured and although she is finally allowed to pursue her dream of flying, she learns the devastating secrets behind the king and the centuries-old war with Laithlann.
For a debut novel, this was actually really good. I enjoyed reading about all the characters and the plot was so wonderfully planned out and was unexpected in the right places. However, due to my natural bias against love triangles, badly written or not, I had to take off one star for the unnecessary trope (in this instance it wasn't really necessary because she met the other guy two days ago or something and he wasn't even the villain). And I 100% love that even with all the character development, she's still reckless and commits to her insanely stupid ideas.
Thank you NetGalley for sending me a digital arc copy in exchange for an honest review!
For a debut novel, this was actually really good. I enjoyed reading about all the characters and the plot was so wonderfully planned out and was unexpected in the right places. However, due to my natural bias against love triangles, badly written or not, I had to take off one star for the unnecessary trope (in this instance it wasn't really necessary because she met the other guy two days ago or something and he wasn't even the villain). And I 100% love that even with all the character development, she's still reckless and commits to her insanely stupid ideas.
Thank you NetGalley for sending me a digital arc copy in exchange for an honest review!
Read
November 15, 2022HOW FAR WOULD YOU FLY FOR FREEDOM?
Quick Facts:
-This is my debut novel, and the idea came from two of my dreams.
-A Light in the Sky is book one of the Clashing Skies series.
-I grew up around horses, and I'm really thankful to share my love for them in this book.
-One of my goals is to have A Light in the Sky be adapted into a film or tv show.
-You taking the time to read, rate, and review A Light in the Sky means so much to me! Thank you!
Watch the official trailer now:
A LIGHT IN THE SKY OFFICIAL BOOK TRAILER
All the things:
Subscribe to my newsletter for giveaways, news, and more!:
NEWSLETTER SIGN UP
Get your copy of A Light in the Sky: GET YOUR COPY OF A LIGHT IN THE SKY
Watch the live-action book trailer here (written/directed/and voiceover by yours truly): A LIGHT IN THE SKY OFFICIAL BOOK TRAILER
Follow on Instagram: INSTAGRAM
Follow on Facebook: FACEBOOK
Follow on TikTok: TikTok
Join the A Light in the Sky Reader Group:
READER GROUP
Join Shina Reynolds’ Street Team:
STREET TEAM
Quick Facts:
-This is my debut novel, and the idea came from two of my dreams.
-A Light in the Sky is book one of the Clashing Skies series.
-I grew up around horses, and I'm really thankful to share my love for them in this book.
-One of my goals is to have A Light in the Sky be adapted into a film or tv show.
-You taking the time to read, rate, and review A Light in the Sky means so much to me! Thank you!
Watch the official trailer now:
A LIGHT IN THE SKY OFFICIAL BOOK TRAILER
All the things:
Subscribe to my newsletter for giveaways, news, and more!:
NEWSLETTER SIGN UP
Get your copy of A Light in the Sky: GET YOUR COPY OF A LIGHT IN THE SKY
Watch the live-action book trailer here (written/directed/and voiceover by yours truly): A LIGHT IN THE SKY OFFICIAL BOOK TRAILER
Follow on Instagram: INSTAGRAM
Follow on Facebook: FACEBOOK
Follow on TikTok: TikTok
Join the A Light in the Sky Reader Group:
READER GROUP
Join Shina Reynolds’ Street Team:
STREET TEAM
October 20, 2021
I received a free copy of the book from the author for the tour hosted by Book of Matches Media. This, in no way, affected my rating.
I. am. trash. for. horses. Oh, but what about a horse with wings, you ask? I am a landfill for them. I am decades of waste for Pegasi, so when this book first crossed my field of vision via Instagram, I knew the world had tilted it in my direction, whispering, "Horses, Celia. Flyinnnnnng hooooorses."
Aluma dreams of being a rider. We get the sense of how much she loves it by the opening chapter in which she sneaks out to fly one of her father's Pegasi. I immediately connected with her character because I got the sense of her dreams and what she wanted in life from the get-go. A good opening chapter will set up this opening image and in the coming chapters, we get a glimpse into their lives before everything changes. In Aluma's life, there's some political upheaval in the distance as well her brother Kase and his possible future internship with the capital.
The best thing about the plot of the book is that it seems straightforward, but without the chains that big publishing houses put upon YA books to fit them into a cookie-cutter mold. There are quite a few elements that earlier YA books once relied upon: love triangles, the gang of misfits, the semi-chosen one saving the world. I knew readers are bone-tired of these tropes, but I cannot get enough and I don't care who judges me for it (remember the trash part of this review?)
The pacing is good. We don't spend a lot of time in one place, and the Shina hits all the beats as we move along from the catalyst into Act 2. By then, we have our heroes and a clear idea of Aluma's goals. We gently move from wants to needs when tragedy strikes. By the time we get into the midpoint, the stakes are raised so high I found myself terrified for my little horse-girl. Btw, Red Queen has lightning-girl and HG has the girl-on-fire, so I'm making horse-girl happen.
The only gripe I do have is Aluma's inner monologue when it came to Gattacan (love interest #2) She is obviously devoted to Thayer, so I found her feelings toward Mr. Hot Stuff a little confusing. I think if there was more of a vague sort of like between Aluma and Thayer there could have been room to fit in the possible romance with Gattacan, but I was Thaluma from the start. Sorry, Hot Stuff. Thaluma is endgame.
This is one of those books that I'll look at on my shelf and feel all warm and fuzzy. I believe the marketing campaign the author has set up is publishing goals. The cover radiates the magic of my horse-loving self and if I saw it on a bookstore shelf, I'd definitely grab the step stool and stretch out my T-rex arm to grab it.
This is geared toward the younger end of YA and I think tweens and new readers will goggle it up.
Shina Reynolds turns a classic YA plot into an action-packed, magical, and additive story. Masterfully written, with epic and powerful messages about love, family, and your own resilience. This is a great story, and I'm glad it's in the world.
I. am. trash. for. horses. Oh, but what about a horse with wings, you ask? I am a landfill for them. I am decades of waste for Pegasi, so when this book first crossed my field of vision via Instagram, I knew the world had tilted it in my direction, whispering, "Horses, Celia. Flyinnnnnng hooooorses."
Aluma dreams of being a rider. We get the sense of how much she loves it by the opening chapter in which she sneaks out to fly one of her father's Pegasi. I immediately connected with her character because I got the sense of her dreams and what she wanted in life from the get-go. A good opening chapter will set up this opening image and in the coming chapters, we get a glimpse into their lives before everything changes. In Aluma's life, there's some political upheaval in the distance as well her brother Kase and his possible future internship with the capital.
The best thing about the plot of the book is that it seems straightforward, but without the chains that big publishing houses put upon YA books to fit them into a cookie-cutter mold. There are quite a few elements that earlier YA books once relied upon: love triangles, the gang of misfits, the semi-chosen one saving the world. I knew readers are bone-tired of these tropes, but I cannot get enough and I don't care who judges me for it (remember the trash part of this review?)
The pacing is good. We don't spend a lot of time in one place, and the Shina hits all the beats as we move along from the catalyst into Act 2. By then, we have our heroes and a clear idea of Aluma's goals. We gently move from wants to needs when tragedy strikes. By the time we get into the midpoint, the stakes are raised so high I found myself terrified for my little horse-girl. Btw, Red Queen has lightning-girl and HG has the girl-on-fire, so I'm making horse-girl happen.
The only gripe I do have is Aluma's inner monologue when it came to Gattacan (love interest #2) She is obviously devoted to Thayer, so I found her feelings toward Mr. Hot Stuff a little confusing. I think if there was more of a vague sort of like between Aluma and Thayer there could have been room to fit in the possible romance with Gattacan, but I was Thaluma from the start. Sorry, Hot Stuff. Thaluma is endgame.
This is one of those books that I'll look at on my shelf and feel all warm and fuzzy. I believe the marketing campaign the author has set up is publishing goals. The cover radiates the magic of my horse-loving self and if I saw it on a bookstore shelf, I'd definitely grab the step stool and stretch out my T-rex arm to grab it.
This is geared toward the younger end of YA and I think tweens and new readers will goggle it up.
Shina Reynolds turns a classic YA plot into an action-packed, magical, and additive story. Masterfully written, with epic and powerful messages about love, family, and your own resilience. This is a great story, and I'm glad it's in the world.
October 1, 2021
A wonderfully enchanting book! I loved the worldbuilding and the characters are complex and engaging. As a horse lover, this story really captured my heart. I highly recommend it and can't wait for book two!
November 10, 2021
A Light in the Sky offers such a vivid new world to discover! Eirelannia is an island, once advanced, but now ravaged by the scars of war. You can see glimpses of the world it once was amidst the struggles of daily life. Aluma, the protagonist, strives to be truly free and for her family to live without struggle, but the only time she feels free is when she is flying in the sky atop her winged horse. Aluma must fly in secret until a terrible event forces her to join the Empyrean Calvary--Eirelannia's military force. She then must decide who and what she'll fight for.
The storyline Shina creates is compelling and adventurous without relying on tired fantasy tropes. It is refreshing to see such an empowered female protagonist in Aluma and I really loved the friendships she formed while in training. Cloveman is a particular favorite of mine. I am also always a sucker for a love triangle and really loved the dynamic between Aluma, Thayer, and Gattacan. The true heroes of the book, however, are the winged steeds. Each has such a distinct personality and anyone who grew up around horses will recognize and love their unique characters.
My first reaction after finishing the book was that I wanted more. I cannot wait for the rest of this series to be released to the world!
The storyline Shina creates is compelling and adventurous without relying on tired fantasy tropes. It is refreshing to see such an empowered female protagonist in Aluma and I really loved the friendships she formed while in training. Cloveman is a particular favorite of mine. I am also always a sucker for a love triangle and really loved the dynamic between Aluma, Thayer, and Gattacan. The true heroes of the book, however, are the winged steeds. Each has such a distinct personality and anyone who grew up around horses will recognize and love their unique characters.
My first reaction after finishing the book was that I wanted more. I cannot wait for the rest of this series to be released to the world!
August 12, 2021
I really enjoyed this book. It felt like a mix of fantasy and adventure, similar to The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins), but also similar to Eragon (Christopher Paolini). Thayer especially gave me Peeta Mellark vibes. Speaking of Thayer, a love triangle? Really? I wasn't a fan. It reminded me of The Hunger Games again, except the love triangle was less well executed. Gattacan had no personality for Aluma to like. I think my favourite character was either Wolkenna or Xander. Wolkenna was sweet, but at the same time really badass. Xander had the potential to be really bratty and spoiled but was a genuinely nice person. Something I couldn't understand was how the horses could understand full sentences of instruction. Horses are smart creatures, but they're not that smart. If it's a magic Empyrean Steed thing, it's never explained. Overall though, I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend if you enjoyed The Hunger Games or Eragon.
August 17, 2021
I enjoyed reading this book. I loved the storyline and characters. It was a a fantastic book that I couldn’t put down.
August 11, 2021
I am blown away by how much I loved this book. The world building is amazing, with a little bit of an info dump at the beginning but I don't mind that - I felt it set the scene very well.
I am a great lover of horses so was thrilled to dive into a new fantasy series about winged horse riders. I'm now desperately wishing I could get wings for my own horse! Aluma is such a fierce character and really grows into herself as the book progresses. There's action and excitement and a building romance - what more could you want! Needless to say, I am eagerly awaiting the publication of the sequel!
I am a great lover of horses so was thrilled to dive into a new fantasy series about winged horse riders. I'm now desperately wishing I could get wings for my own horse! Aluma is such a fierce character and really grows into herself as the book progresses. There's action and excitement and a building romance - what more could you want! Needless to say, I am eagerly awaiting the publication of the sequel!
August 13, 2021
This was such a great book and I need more of these characters!
Thank you to NetGalley and Wink Road Press, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles for this advance copy which I received in return for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and Wink Road Press, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles for this advance copy which I received in return for an honest review.
September 28, 2021
ARC provided via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
TW: blood, death of a parent, harmed animals.
This was basically if Flicka, Eragon, and every 2014-2015 YA book had a baby and um... I'm not really sure what I can say about it other than that. It had every old YA cliché from the "not like other girls" trope to the love triangle between the blond best friend and dark, brooding, high cheek-boned stranger.
I wanted to love this, but it wasn't for me. I could, however, definitely see certain people enjoying it if they're looking for this kind of... derivative story. (This isn't meant to sound condescending! There can be something extremely comforting about revisiting what used to be popular and there's nothing wrong with that.) Especially if you're someone that really loves horses! That was definitely my favorite part of the book, and I honestly found myself wishing I could omit the plot and just read about the Pegasi and regular horses living their best lives.
Overall, definitely not for me. I wish I could have enjoyed it and I wish the author every success, I just couldn't get past my personal (and technical) problems with this story.
TW: blood, death of a parent, harmed animals.
This was basically if Flicka, Eragon, and every 2014-2015 YA book had a baby and um... I'm not really sure what I can say about it other than that. It had every old YA cliché from the "not like other girls" trope to the love triangle between the blond best friend and dark, brooding, high cheek-boned stranger.
I wanted to love this, but it wasn't for me. I could, however, definitely see certain people enjoying it if they're looking for this kind of... derivative story. (This isn't meant to sound condescending! There can be something extremely comforting about revisiting what used to be popular and there's nothing wrong with that.) Especially if you're someone that really loves horses! That was definitely my favorite part of the book, and I honestly found myself wishing I could omit the plot and just read about the Pegasi and regular horses living their best lives.
Overall, definitely not for me. I wish I could have enjoyed it and I wish the author every success, I just couldn't get past my personal (and technical) problems with this story.
March 11, 2022
When i was 12-13 year old, i was very obsessed with horses , riding and just loved reading books that had horses in them. This made me so happy, it made me relive those happy memories and feelings. I loved the story, and look forward to see where it heads next.
August 8, 2021
An epic young adult fantasy romance with flying horses no less!
I loved this book, a brilliant first(?)novel and well worth reading.
Excellent world building, believable fight scenes and relatable characters. I suspect it will be a while before the next book is published but I’ll be waiting to read it.
I received this as a free ARC and am leaving this review voluntarily but I don’t always leave five stars!
I loved this book, a brilliant first(?)novel and well worth reading.
Excellent world building, believable fight scenes and relatable characters. I suspect it will be a while before the next book is published but I’ll be waiting to read it.
I received this as a free ARC and am leaving this review voluntarily but I don’t always leave five stars!
October 25, 2021
This is so good!! But the ending. That cliffhanger 😭😭
August 21, 2021
Great Read! A page turner that won't let you put it down. I must admit when I first began reading I wasn't sure how I felt about this story being told in the first person. And yet for this story it works really well. The world building is superb.
I look forward to seeing how this series continues.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I look forward to seeing how this series continues.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
October 16, 2021
The blurb and the cover for this book had me biting at the bit so to speak. A YA adventure on a cavalry of flying horses! 12 year old me would have squealed in delight at this.
It's the tale of Alumi, who has to compete in order to become an Empyrean rider and save her family's home. It sets her off on a journey of discovery, adventure and heartbreak.
This is a good YA novel. I liked the characters and adored her relationship with Thayer. I'm unsure why there really needed to be a love triangle in this book as I don't think it added anything to the narrative, unless something significant is going to happen in the following books. There was a good mix of secondary characters and the plot was exciting, I kept the pages turning to find out what was going to happen next.
It's a good start to this series. It reminded me of the hunger games meets a pony book (younger me lived for a good pony book!)
Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an ARC in return for an honest review.
It's the tale of Alumi, who has to compete in order to become an Empyrean rider and save her family's home. It sets her off on a journey of discovery, adventure and heartbreak.
This is a good YA novel. I liked the characters and adored her relationship with Thayer. I'm unsure why there really needed to be a love triangle in this book as I don't think it added anything to the narrative, unless something significant is going to happen in the following books. There was a good mix of secondary characters and the plot was exciting, I kept the pages turning to find out what was going to happen next.
It's a good start to this series. It reminded me of the hunger games meets a pony book (younger me lived for a good pony book!)
Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an ARC in return for an honest review.
November 9, 2021
This book was a very pleasant surprise, to say the least. I became interested in it after seeing the beautiful artwork on the cover and after reading its synopsis. We follow the story of Aluma, a girl that loved flying more than anything else in the world, and her quest to fullfil her father´s wishes, alongside others with the same interests. The plot is well constructed and fast-paced, so you won´t be bored reading this book, if anything it makes you want to keep reading it. It is also well-written and the characters are easy to love. My favorite part about this book was the world-building and the characters relationships. We are introduced to the world by parts, as the plot progresses, so it´s easy to follow up and the friendships formed between the characters are very heart-warming to read about. Regarding tropes, we have some well loved ones and some of my favorites, such as the "Revolution" trope and "the chosen one" trope. There are also hints of romance in the book, but nothing well-established for now. We got an open ending, so i´m curious to see the future of each character in possibly another novel. I really liked this book and it´s definitely one of my favorites of the year. Truly reccomend it!
August 31, 2021
Thank you, the author and NetGalley, for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
First off, congratulations to the author on her fantastic debut book.
Wow! That was a great read! Can I write spoilers in my review? Probably not! I’ll try hard to stick with the basics, although there are many things that I would like to discuss and share in my review.
At first, I thought I was reading a typical fantasy story, but soon I discovered that the world had advanced technology and futuristic settings. I LOVE it when the author mix fantasy with technology. You can sense some dystopian vibes (The Hunger Games) came to my mind while reading (I am a huge fan), so this is an extra reason why I was totally into this book.
The beginning was a bit slow, and there was a little bit of info-dumping (I don’t mind that at all, it set up the world perfectly), and the pace picked up quickly. If you like a page-turning book, then look no farther!
The characters were well developed and easy to love and connect to them. Aluma massively grew as the book progresses, and it was easy to communicate with her. Now I can’t wait to read the next book!
Overall, I highly recommend A Light In The Sky for fans of YA dystopian/fantasy stories.
First off, congratulations to the author on her fantastic debut book.
Wow! That was a great read! Can I write spoilers in my review? Probably not! I’ll try hard to stick with the basics, although there are many things that I would like to discuss and share in my review.
At first, I thought I was reading a typical fantasy story, but soon I discovered that the world had advanced technology and futuristic settings. I LOVE it when the author mix fantasy with technology. You can sense some dystopian vibes (The Hunger Games) came to my mind while reading (I am a huge fan), so this is an extra reason why I was totally into this book.
The beginning was a bit slow, and there was a little bit of info-dumping (I don’t mind that at all, it set up the world perfectly), and the pace picked up quickly. If you like a page-turning book, then look no farther!
The characters were well developed and easy to love and connect to them. Aluma massively grew as the book progresses, and it was easy to communicate with her. Now I can’t wait to read the next book!
Overall, I highly recommend A Light In The Sky for fans of YA dystopian/fantasy stories.
November 2, 2021
"Up here in the sky, I'm free. There are no watchful eyes-no constraints. My choices are my own. And I've made my choice!"
Chocked full of flying horses, creatures of the night, and a world scared by war and a greedy royal family. You follow Aluma as she struggles to find her place and her destiny in this dystopian world.
This book grabs you from the first chapter and leaves you wanting more. It is a wonderful YA novel that will have you asking the author when is book #2.
I was very pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed reading this book as it is far outside my usual genres (thriller, crime, and southern domestic 😂). I would highly suggest this to friends especially those with teens.
Chocked full of flying horses, creatures of the night, and a world scared by war and a greedy royal family. You follow Aluma as she struggles to find her place and her destiny in this dystopian world.
This book grabs you from the first chapter and leaves you wanting more. It is a wonderful YA novel that will have you asking the author when is book #2.
I was very pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed reading this book as it is far outside my usual genres (thriller, crime, and southern domestic 😂). I would highly suggest this to friends especially those with teens.
September 24, 2021
weak worldbuilding, amateur writing. the protagonist is the standard YA fantasy protagonist: boring, but especially stupid and naïve. the other characters are one-dimensional; there is absolutely no complexity or depth to them. it's actually a bit pitiful.
the plot is simple, but the execution is so pathetici almost feel bad. everything is so predictable and convenient, it's like the author didn't even try to make an effort. very unrefined and shallow.
overall, this is so corny and cheap and lame. idk the number of times i rolled my eyes because of the sheer ridiculousness. the acknowledgements are cute though.
the plot is simple, but the execution is so pathetic
overall, this is so corny and cheap and lame. idk the number of times i rolled my eyes because of the sheer ridiculousness. the acknowledgements are cute though.
October 14, 2021
This book was a real page-turner. The characters were engaging, the plot very interesting and the author so easily brought me right into the midst of the scenes. I felt that I myself was Aluma, experiencing all her adventures and emotions with a real excitement.
I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for adventure.
I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for adventure.
January 2, 2022
I got through A Light in the Sky very quickly because I didn't want to put it down. Shina creates a whole new world that I could picture in my head perfectly through the descriptions. The characters and relationships were exciting, and the book was filled with back-to-back obstacles and adventures. Horse lovers and dystopia fans will enjoy this book.
August 28, 2021
This was a fantastic book. The story is well written, engaging, and crazily entertaining. I read it in one sitting because I couldn’t bring myself to put it down. Aluma is a beautiful character, and I'm dying to find out what happens next.
March 11, 2022
A fantastic story about a brave young girl and her winged horse as they try to save their world. This is a series and the adventures of Aluma and Cashel and Aluma's friends will continue in the next book. Coming soon I expect!
May 4, 2022
Flying horses, mystical powers, what's not to love. I tried reading the book, but my eyesight isn't great. I was happy to find the book on Audible, and enjoyed the narrator reading it to me. Can't wait for the sequel.
August 25, 2021
I absolutely loved this story. How it would be to fly on a horse. I say awesome!!!!!!!
I can’t wait to find out what happens next. As soon as I started reading it I got lost in the story.
I can’t wait to find out what happens next. As soon as I started reading it I got lost in the story.
January 20, 2022
Flying horses and lots of adventure made this a super fun read! I’m excited to see where the next book takes Aluma.
August 18, 2021
A light in the Sky is a YA book about the adventures of a seventeen year old girl living with her dad and brother on a farm in Cintrenia, on the island of Eirelannia. Cintrenia is one of the kingdom ruled by King Breasal. The king and its retinue are from Tarmensil, capital of Uladmond. Its people are wealthy, rich and well fed. The king and his brother have been adding to their realm by annexing lands close-by. And Cintrenia is one of these annexed lands, where famine is on everyone's doorstep due to heavy taxes from the king. So rebellion is in the air. The last kingdom to be annexed is the kingdom on Laithlann which, to me, seems like New York under water. Tall skyscrapers, their base in water, define the capital city.
Aluma's dream is to become an Empyrean Rider and to fly a Pegasus-like Empyrean Steed. The horses have wings. How cool is that! Every year, at the Autumn fair, a tournament is held to select the next candidates to go to Galghesworp, the Riding training center. Aluma would like to compete but her father is dead set against it.
From there flows a really nice story on what happens to Aluma and her family. The story is full of friendship, love, filial duty but also betrayal, spite, heartache, hatred and death. As the book evolved, Aluma is faced with choices that will impact other people's lives and destinies, And these choices are not easy to make.
I like the story overall. It had a good rhythm, the key characters were well developed (i would have liked a little more details from the secondary characters), I had no issue turning the pages to find out what happened next.
What i didn't like as much were ..... the names. I am not sure why but they struck me as odd but i couldn't shake the feeling that they were very very odd. Also I am not sure about the timeframe of this story. Are we talking post-apocalyptic? what year or century? what happened to Eirelannia and when?
It would also help to know if this is book one of a series. If it is not, then this story needs a lot more. There are some ends that need to be tied: Aluma's mum and brother for e.g.
Overall a good effort from the author. I think that teens or young adults will really like this story, especially if you are into horses.
#ALightintheSky #NetGalley
thank you to Wink Road Press and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.
Aluma's dream is to become an Empyrean Rider and to fly a Pegasus-like Empyrean Steed. The horses have wings. How cool is that! Every year, at the Autumn fair, a tournament is held to select the next candidates to go to Galghesworp, the Riding training center. Aluma would like to compete but her father is dead set against it.
From there flows a really nice story on what happens to Aluma and her family. The story is full of friendship, love, filial duty but also betrayal, spite, heartache, hatred and death. As the book evolved, Aluma is faced with choices that will impact other people's lives and destinies, And these choices are not easy to make.
I like the story overall. It had a good rhythm, the key characters were well developed (i would have liked a little more details from the secondary characters), I had no issue turning the pages to find out what happened next.
What i didn't like as much were ..... the names. I am not sure why but they struck me as odd but i couldn't shake the feeling that they were very very odd. Also I am not sure about the timeframe of this story. Are we talking post-apocalyptic? what year or century? what happened to Eirelannia and when?
It would also help to know if this is book one of a series. If it is not, then this story needs a lot more. There are some ends that need to be tied: Aluma's mum and brother for e.g.
Overall a good effort from the author. I think that teens or young adults will really like this story, especially if you are into horses.
#ALightintheSky #NetGalley
thank you to Wink Road Press and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.
August 24, 2021
Thank you to both author and publisher for my free e-arc of ‘A Light in the Sky’ in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis.
This is a YA fantasy novel about a girl named Aluma who dreams of becoming an Elyrian Rider (a fierce and elite warrior for the king with the the right to fly on a winged horse, as chosen during a thrilling competition). Although Aluma never expected her dream to become a reality, her father- a previously well respected Elyrian Rider- is gravely injured during a demonstration and she is forced to enter as a last minute competitor in the annual competitions. It seems that her father was keeping secrets and conspiracies lead her to believe that what happened to her father was no accident. Aluma needs to fight her way to the top to uncover the truth.
Let me begin by saying that this book definitely falls in to the younger side of the YA genre, as the author’s writing style is engaging, but incredibly easy to follow. It gave me serious Hunger Games vibes which I was not mad at all about because I love those books. There is enough description that I was able to visualise effectively and yet not too much that the writing was woolly and boring. The plot was well executed within the number of pages and didn’t drag at all, which is a big plus from me. I didn’t find myself getting bored with certain scenes within the book. One slight negative is that there were a few obvious plot points that were quite convenient and maybe predictable but I understood the point of these plot points as they created drama, which some younger readers will really like.
Ok now on to the characters. I really enjoyed the characters. I felt as though Aluma was relatable and I didn’t get that irritating sense that she knew exactly what she was doing at all times. She’s young, it’s expected that she doesn’t have a clue sometimes! That’s realistic! Now I can’t lie, I wasn’t too impressed with the whole love triangle thing. I’m not sure it added much to the story and honestly I really enjoyed the budding romance with the best friend from the beginning.
Overall I feel as though this was a solid introduction into the world with some great world building and just enough intrigue at the end to keep me wanting to read the next one.
Synopsis.
This is a YA fantasy novel about a girl named Aluma who dreams of becoming an Elyrian Rider (a fierce and elite warrior for the king with the the right to fly on a winged horse, as chosen during a thrilling competition). Although Aluma never expected her dream to become a reality, her father- a previously well respected Elyrian Rider- is gravely injured during a demonstration and she is forced to enter as a last minute competitor in the annual competitions. It seems that her father was keeping secrets and conspiracies lead her to believe that what happened to her father was no accident. Aluma needs to fight her way to the top to uncover the truth.
Let me begin by saying that this book definitely falls in to the younger side of the YA genre, as the author’s writing style is engaging, but incredibly easy to follow. It gave me serious Hunger Games vibes which I was not mad at all about because I love those books. There is enough description that I was able to visualise effectively and yet not too much that the writing was woolly and boring. The plot was well executed within the number of pages and didn’t drag at all, which is a big plus from me. I didn’t find myself getting bored with certain scenes within the book. One slight negative is that there were a few obvious plot points that were quite convenient and maybe predictable but I understood the point of these plot points as they created drama, which some younger readers will really like.
Ok now on to the characters. I really enjoyed the characters. I felt as though Aluma was relatable and I didn’t get that irritating sense that she knew exactly what she was doing at all times. She’s young, it’s expected that she doesn’t have a clue sometimes! That’s realistic! Now I can’t lie, I wasn’t too impressed with the whole love triangle thing. I’m not sure it added much to the story and honestly I really enjoyed the budding romance with the best friend from the beginning.
Overall I feel as though this was a solid introduction into the world with some great world building and just enough intrigue at the end to keep me wanting to read the next one.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 214 reviews