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A review by cait_reads2024
The Endless Skies by Shannon Price
5.0
I received this NetGalley e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publisher, Macmillan-Tor/Forge for this opportunity! I will be sharing on NetGalley, as well as Goodreads, Instagram, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon at the time of publication.
I truly enjoyed how the book immediately started off at a sprint, learning about the unknown health crisis hitting the beloved children of the Heliana, the Leonodai’s floating island city above the sea. We were immediately given mystery, intrigue, a dose of sadness and panic, all while introducing the general world building and some initial character introductions. From then on, the plot progresses at a constant break-neck speed, all while the stakes climb ever higher. There were plenty of unexpected twists, emotional turmoil, all while getting vivid and atmospheric descriptions of both the Heliana and the human world. This standalone was very well done!
I thought the different POV's in each chapter really brought a nice depth to the story and the characters we focused on throughout. They never felt disconnected from each other, and they added a nice layer of detail, intricacy, and emotion to the character relationships and showing how things were unfolding from person to person. It’s honestly been a while since I’ve enjoyed a “love triangle” trope, but I thought Price executed it quite nicely by not making Rowan very reliant on her two love interests, and the love interests both had great qualities in their own rights, without one being “made” into the bad guy. It was also great to see that the love interest that was NOT chosen in the end, still be a valued friend and relationship to Rowan through the end of the book.
The magic system was thorough, imaginative and refreshing, focusing on the Leonodai’s loyalty to their kingdom, its citizens, and each other, and there was clear structure within the kingdom that was followed. We were introduced to the other magical kingdoms just enough to have a clear understanding of their importance to the Leonodai, without being left wanting more or instead being confused. The human’s crisis and conflict with the magical kingdoms was intriguing while also being incredibly sad. Their struggles were actually very touching and I never knew who to really root for at any given moment. I was on the edge of my seat throughout, and was caught off guard at several twists especially from the halfway mark onward.
This book was a pleasant surprise, and the heartbreak at the very end pulled some unexpected tears from me. I do wish we got to experience a bit more of the aftermath briefly mentioned in the epilogue, but it was a satisfying ending. Very glad that I preordered myself a signed copy!
I truly enjoyed how the book immediately started off at a sprint, learning about the unknown health crisis hitting the beloved children of the Heliana, the Leonodai’s floating island city above the sea. We were immediately given mystery, intrigue, a dose of sadness and panic, all while introducing the general world building and some initial character introductions. From then on, the plot progresses at a constant break-neck speed, all while the stakes climb ever higher. There were plenty of unexpected twists, emotional turmoil, all while getting vivid and atmospheric descriptions of both the Heliana and the human world. This standalone was very well done!
I thought the different POV's in each chapter really brought a nice depth to the story and the characters we focused on throughout. They never felt disconnected from each other, and they added a nice layer of detail, intricacy, and emotion to the character relationships and showing how things were unfolding from person to person. It’s honestly been a while since I’ve enjoyed a “love triangle” trope, but I thought Price executed it quite nicely by not making Rowan very reliant on her two love interests, and the love interests both had great qualities in their own rights, without one being “made” into the bad guy. It was also great to see that the love interest that was NOT chosen in the end, still be a valued friend and relationship to Rowan through the end of the book.
The magic system was thorough, imaginative and refreshing, focusing on the Leonodai’s loyalty to their kingdom, its citizens, and each other, and there was clear structure within the kingdom that was followed. We were introduced to the other magical kingdoms just enough to have a clear understanding of their importance to the Leonodai, without being left wanting more or instead being confused. The human’s crisis and conflict with the magical kingdoms was intriguing while also being incredibly sad. Their struggles were actually very touching and I never knew who to really root for at any given moment. I was on the edge of my seat throughout, and was caught off guard at several twists especially from the halfway mark onward.
This book was a pleasant surprise, and the heartbreak at the very end pulled some unexpected tears from me. I do wish we got to experience a bit more of the aftermath briefly mentioned in the epilogue, but it was a satisfying ending. Very glad that I preordered myself a signed copy!