If Maren is to have any hope of succeeding, she must become an apprentice to the Aromatory—the emperor’s mysterious dragon trainer. But Maren is unprepared for the dangerous secrets she uncovers: rumors of a lost prince, a brewing rebellion, and a prophecy that threatens to shatter the empire itself. Not to mention the strange dreams she’s been having about a beast deep underground…
With time running out, can Maren survive long enough to rescue Kaia from impending death? Or could it be that Maren is destined for something greater than she could have ever imagined?
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I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.
Shatter the Sky was a surprisingly quick read. I turned the last page and expected there to be more, but the book simply stopped after something major happened. The main plot was mostly resolved, but there was a lot left unsaid. I know it sets up a second book, but cliffhangers are annoying.
As for the quickness of the read, the story felt short and shallow. Maren travels all over the country in seemingly no time at all, and I wish there had been more details to fluff up the story. She's at the fortress for weeks, but it felt like we were only there for a few days. The overall concept was interesting, and I wanted to know more about Maren and her surroundings, but we jump from one thing to the next before really experiencing each place. It was almost like reading an outline, or a very well-edited rough draft. This was an ARC, so it's possible more was added before it was published.
The characters are faced with challenges and inconveniences, but everything felt like it clicked into place a little too easily. Something bad would happen, and then poof! A solution. Maren is trying to save her heartmate (love that word!), and is willing to risk her life to do it, but I never felt like her life was in danger. She lived with the enemy for weeks, and her time spent there was mostly unremarkable. I thought she would do something daring and heroic, but her actions fell a little flat for me. She was also a tad too predictable.
I was also disappointed with the lack of secondary characters. It's mostly about Maren and what's she's doing, and I wish there had been more meaningful friendships and relationships. It's either Maren, or Maren and Sev, and even then they barely got to know one another. They have secrets, they slowly reveal those secrets, and then they find out there were more secrets.
I loved the dragons, but hated their circumstances. I wish that had been elaborated on a little more as well. I wanted to know how their bonds worked, if they could communicate, how the emperor was able to make them do whatever he wanted... there were so many questions that never got answered. Again, I feel like this story had the potential to be more than it was.
I liked that this book included different F/F romances, and that it's normal and unquestioned. Love is love is love.
Despite Maren leaving home to fight for her heartmate, she stumbles into insta-love territory when she meets Sev. Yes, they were together for awhile at the fortress, but their encounters were few and far between. Once they start traveling together, some magnetic pull brings them closer, and I just could not get on board with it. I wish they'd remained friends and learned to trust each other without throwing romance into it. Now there's insta-love and a blooming love triangle.
I know it seems like I have a lot of complaints about this book, but I really enjoyed it overall. I just think there could have been more. The core of the story was incredibly unique and fascinating, and I really tried to immerse myself in the world, but I never felt like I was sharing the experience with the characters. Sadly, Shatter the Sky made me feel more like an observer than a participant.
