Zaya Feli

DNF at 46%, after one more try.

This was enjoyable, though slow, until the plot thickens in so predictable a way that I can't maintain interest any longer. It had been getting slower and slower, and more predictable, but I'd hoped the revelation would help. Nope. I should've cut my losses over that needless saddle thing. Training saddles exist for horses. One presumes there are the dragon equivalent. The author might have checked that out before adding yet more to this tome.

The best part are the dragons, and this far in, there's not enough to get me past the slow, obvious plot.… (más)

I wanted my first book of the year to be something special. Zaya Feli was a completely new-to-me author, but with ARO’s recommendation in mind (Thank you so much! ❤️), I decided to give this one a try.

I'm happy to say it was a great choice. I LOVED it!

I’ve always been a sucker for well-depicted human-animal bonds, so I fully own up to the fact that Wild Sky made me tear up many, many times. It was unlike any book I’ve ever read before. Dragons were fully-developed characters here, and they got as much — if not more! — on-page time as the two MCs, Kalai and Tauran. They were definitely the main focus of the story. Each dragon had a distinct personality, with its very own quirks, and the strong friendships between them and their riders were beautifully portrayed, truly a delight to read. The dragons’ interactions with their own kind were just as amazing (I loved the way Arrow ‘adopted’ Leyra, and protected her even when she grew so much bigger than him; and the reunion between Leyra and her mother made me cry for real). I was very impressed by the author’s characterizations, as well as by the excellent worldbuilding.

The romance between Tauran and Kalai was slow, gentle, and distinctly PG-rated, but it complemented the story perfectly. Also, what can be more romantic that bonding over a helpless dragon egg, and raising a high-spirited, bitey little hatchling? Nothing, that's what.

Highly recommend this to all fantasy fans, and people who love dragons in their books!… (más)

Oof. I’m very torn if I’m gonna want to read the sequel. On the one hand I did enjoy the books atmosphere, the Nordic setting, and the unique premise behind it all (not to mention I have had my interest piqued by the asexual Viking prince). However, the writing itself left much to be desired. There were many scenes that would have benefited from deeper descriptions especially the actions. I would have loved more details of clashing sides, flashing weapons, the spray of blood. Instead many scenes (and this is not solely the action scenes) felt brushed over. Which really took away from the story and made it more difficult to be immersed in. Following that I felt like some moments weren’t really explained or made much sense? Like I’m still not sure why Karel drugged Isa and took him to the boat?? Only to immediately then leave him sleeping by a tree?? I was convinced he was going to try and kidnap him but what we got instead was basically just a conversation between them and Isa mistaking Karel for Rakkian.
So... yeah. It was enjoyable enough, kept my attention and was a very quick read, but I’m just not sure I liked it enough to put in the effort to get my hands on the sequel. Especially when I have so many other books on my tbr list that may be more promising. Though I will admit I am a bit intrigued to see how this will wrap up...… (más)

I'm not huge on high fantasy so I was a bit hesitant to read this book but I'm so glad I gave it a chance. Feli writes this fantasy world in a way that feels very realistic and the only real fantasy element are the existence of dragons. All of the characters feel multi-dimensional and very thought out. Though the book is over 500 pages, it's paced very well both in the romance as well as the world building and I wouldn't have minded another 500 pages when it was over.
I was impressed with the writing because Feli is Danish with English as a second language and yet you'd never be able to tell. There were some editing issues, like a repetition of phrases in a few parts ("collapsed like a stack of cards" used twice in the same scene) but it's not something that takes away from the quality of the story. I'm excited to read more of Feli's books.… (más)