A breakout standalone epic fantasy about shapeshifting warriors perfect for fans of Adrienne Young and Wonder Woman. Sixteen-year-old Rowan is about to become one of the famed Leonodai Warriors–the elite magical fighters who protect the floating city Heliana from the world of Men. Until disaster strikes the city’s children. Against orders from the king, Rowan sets out on her own and tracks down … and tracks down one of the Warrior teams–only to find herself face to face with both the man she loves and the one who holds the dark secrets of their past. With time running out and Men on their tail, Rowan must risk everything to save her beloved city.
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I enjoyed reading this book! The storyline is unique and the characters are adorable. I love the shapeshifting abilities of the characters, the vivid action-packed scenes, and the surprising plot twist on the last third of the book. The first few chapters are for character introductions and story setting. The world-building was very compelling with a splendid description of a floating city, the Heliana, their traditions, and festivities, and the other kingdoms of Vyrinterra and its people. The story was narrated from multiple perspectives and was very engaging to read until the end.
I love the main character, Rowan, a warrior elect who will do anything to save her kingdom from a deadly disease and the attacks of humans. She is loyal, undaunted, formidable, and would break any rules if it means saving the lives of many.
The love triangle was okay and predictable. Not much of a surprise as to who the main character will end up with. Loved how the author described how empowered Leonodai women are and how they were given equal rights and opportunity compared to humans. A kingdom where women can be who they want to be and their voices heard.
The ending was heartbreaking for me. I won’t get into details and would recommend you guys to read this book to find out!
I love that it’s a standalone book but this story has a lot of potentials and can be expanded into a series. How lovely would it be if the author would create another wonderful story of a particular ambassador from another kingdom or a spinoff about Isla?
If you love shapeshifters, magic, action-packed adventures, romance, and friendship, I would recommend this book to you.
I’m so grateful to the author, to Macmillan-Tor/Forge, and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review the arc of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Three and a half
I have to preface this review by stating that this isn’t a terrible book my rating is a bit low simply because it took me quite a while to truly engage with this world.
Rowan is a lion shifter determined to help protect her people from humans. When the children start getting infected and dying its learned that a flower grows where the humans live that could save the rest. As Rowan hasn’t yet fully qualified she’s told she must stay home but Rowan quickly finds out that dangerous secrets have been withheld ! She knows she risks being branded a traitor but Rowan makes her decision to leave home and follow the warriors already searching for a cure .
I loved the idea of lion shifters living in a floating city and the story truly got interesting when Rowan stepped up. Sadly there is a YA triangle here which truly was neither needed nor actually really worked. For me a romantic triangle adds tension and perhaps causes doubt but both the male love interests are sweet, loving types so it didn’t add much if anything. What I did like was seeing Rowan sally forward in the human world making friends and discovering just how strong she was. The world building perhaps needed work and honestly the lies and deception by those in power wasn’t truly addressed but nevertheless I enjoyed the second half of this book and I’m sure many other readers will also have fun reading this book.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair
The Endless Skies is a standalone YA fantasy with an interesting premise. The main characters, all Leonodai, a race of shifters who can transform into winged lions, are desperate to find the cure for a deadly disease that’s claiming the lives of their people, especially the children. The only place where they know of a cure is with their enemies, the humans.
The world-building was also interesting, and the magic system was unique, which I appreciated. I love the idea of the floating city and the shapeshifters who inhabit it. The imagery was also strong and painted a vivid picture. However, it felt a bit like an info dump at the beginning with a lot of explanation and detail given at once. You learn so much about the setting, the history of the world, the magic system, the politics, relationships with others, and more. This made the beginning of the story feel much slower-paced than the rest of the book. However, once the story picked up, it was more interesting and had better pacing.
The story is told from three different points of view. Rowan is a warrior. Shirene is Rowan’s sister, and she sits on the council and acts as the King’s Voice, and Callen is Rowan’s best friend, who also has a crush on her. This provides a variety of perspectives on the story. However, some of the characters felt a bit one-dimensional to me. Rowan is a fierce and brave warrior, and I enjoyed her story. I wish the book remained focused on her because her journey was the most compelling. Callen and Shirene were interesting enough, but their perspectives took away from the real story, which was Rowan’s. I also didn’t love the love triangle and felt it was an unnecessary addition to the story. It didn’t enhance the character development or plot in any way, and it felt forced.
The story has a ton of action and some thought-provoking messages, which I did enjoy. It examines how far people are willing to go to help others. It also has interesting messages about duty, self-sacrifice, and staying true to one’s morals and beliefs. There’s also an unexpected plot twist that surprised me. I’m still not sure how I feel about it, but it was definitely surprising.
Overall, this was an ok read for me. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it either. I did like the sense of adventure, the quest-like action, and the messages and think that readers who like YA fantasy with unique worlds and a love triangle might enjoy this read. Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Tor Teen for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
I am not sure about this book. It is original with a brand new world and interesting creatures, but the premise is not something new. The writing is good, even though in the beginning I got a bit confused about the characters and their connections but you just have to be patient. Unfortunately, there is a love triangle and this is my least favorite trope, so the moment I realised it’s there, I was a bit sceptical about the rest of the story. The love story is not the main thing but it is important.
I just think that I was biased and I didn’t enjoy the book as much.
I received an Arc via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.