Scorched Skies is a slow burn romantasy novel. We follow the story of Tanwen, a half breed forced to live in secret, and Zolya, a prince with misgivings about his father’s leadership. Predictably, they find themselves repeatedly thrust together and a forbidden romance ensues – one which could have deadly consequences. It is the first in the Way of Wings duology.
I’ll be honest, I had some reservations going in. The recent trend of blending romance into fantasy is often to the detriment of both. More than once, I have felt like I’m reading fanfiction rather than a published novel so I was pleasantly surprised when I found myself enjoying Scorched Skies almost immediately.
Out of the gate, the world building is exceptional and the reader feels immersed in a complex and nuanced universe. While the enemies to lovers trope treads a well worn path, the romance elements are done with panache and feel natural. The characterisation is slower to build. Initially, I did find Tanwen to be more childish with teenage reactions despite supposedly being older. Likewise, Prince Zolya’s initial arrogance seemed overdone rather than authentic. Thankfully, this improved dramatically over the course of the book. In addition, I found the minor characters well defined, varied and fleshed out.
I would have welcomed more conflict. Friends are good people, enemies are bad people. There are no surprise betrayals, no reluctant allies, no changes of heart at all. As such, the plot went A to B without any real setbacks and I felt the book overall did suffer slightly for this lack of depth.
However, I did find myself hooked. The pacing is superb and makes up for a multitude of smaller sins. The descriptions are exquisite in places, to the point I found myself reading them aloud for the pleasure of hearing them.
The LGBTQ+ representation felt natural and I must credit the author for building these elements into the plot without using it as a selling point. If you’re looking for a book which has realistic diversity without being an obvious reach for the pink pound, Scorched Skies makes my top 10.
Externally, the cover art is a delight. It will sit beautifully on the shelf and would be a good candidate for the sprayed edge trend. I will definitely be purchasing in hardback. The length is reasonable for the genre and is suitable for casual reading while still having enough to satisfy more savant readers.
While not ground-breaking, I would definitely recommend both fans of the genre and those deliberating dipping their toes into romantasy for the first time.
Written By: ivetafox
Favourite Game – Long Live the Queen || Favourite Film – Sweeney Todd || Favourite Book – Wuthering Heights
About: Ivy is a disabled, autistic writer from the UK, passionate about inclusive gaming. When not reviewing, she can be found writing short stories and micro fiction or reading the latest gothic novel.
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