With a short book, comes a short review.

I knew about the Dark Sky series through a blog tour and while the covers of the books did interest me, I never actually read the summary so it wasn't high up on my TBR list. Then somehow, I came across a sign-up form for the blog tour of Amber Sky and this line “While best enjoyed before reading CRIMSON SKY, this bonus story can be read at any time or enjoyed as a standalone”. Now that I've read Amber Sky , I can say that I am highly interested in the rest of the Dark Sky series and am eager to pick up Crimson Sky , if not for my sky high October TBR hindering me from doing so.

“Three years of fighting
for my life in the Crater
taught me how to survive.
But not how to live.
And that was what I was hoping for.”

―4 stars―

Part of the reason as to why I managed to finish this book in a day was that it was short, and that served as my initial motivation to finish this book quickly. But as I read and was slowly dragged into the story, it changed from the book's short length to wanting to know what happens to the characters. I might have been able to finish this in one sitting, if not for the constant distraction of my two brothers running about the house.

Amber Sky is mainly an origin story for both Nash and Sawyer, and it has effectively done its job. From how they met, to what motivated them to work together, and finally the events that caused them to be able to trust each other, this book was clear in the path it wanted to take, and that path led to an amazing story.

This book had me hooked from the very first chapter. Already, we could see Nash's inner emotional turmoil ― how he hated his current way of life and sought freedom. He was forced into a life he did not choose and one he grew to hate, and he wanted out. He wants to be able to live freely, trust freely and love freely. Later in the book, he meets Sawyer, who is also trapped, but in a different way. Due to the prejudice against all who holds his father's name, he has been met with distrust wherever he goes, and nothing he does is able to convince them that he is not like his father and older brother.

Despite being only 125 pages long, Amber Sky has included in it most things I think a book should have ― superb world building, fantastic character developments, solid relationships between characters (which does not involve romance may I add) and heart-gripping, detailed action scenes. ( )

In the Dark Sky primary books, Nash is a supporting character. The reader knows he’s devoted to Sawyer and exceptional in a fight. But he doesn’t get the spotlight.

Until Amber Sky. In this Dark Sky novella, we learn about Nash’s life post-Sawyer. Nash is a survivor, to a point; but, the ruthless world of Hellions and marauder bands is not one in which he thrives. Nash longs to be compassionate, to love, to be a good person. But as a Stray Dog, his life is one of fighting and dominance and brutality. Meeting up with a young Sawyer, however, gives him a chance to be more of who he really is and changes his life for the better.

Amber Sky really conveys the harshness of the Dark Sky world and fleshes out Nash’s character. It’s a great introduction to the Dark Sky series, or a great addition to the series if you’re already reading it. ( )