ARC Review: The Endless Skies by Shannon Price

About the Book:

Title: The Endless Skies

Author: Shannon Price

Page Length: 354

Publication Date: Aug. 17, 2021

Publisher: Tor Teen

Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Rowan is about to become one of the famed Leonodai Warriors—the elite magical fighters who protect the floating city Heliana from the world of humans. Until disaster strikes the city’s children.

Against orders from the king, Rowan sets out on her own and tracks down one of the Warrior teams—only to find herself face to face with both the man she loves and the one who holds the dark secrets of their past. With time running out and humans on their tail, Rowan must risk everything to save her beloved city.

A breakout standalone epic fantasy about shapeshifting warriors perfect for fans of Adrienne Young and Wonder Woman.

LINKS:     Goodreads     |      Amazon   

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My Review:

The Endless Skies is a standalone YA fantasy with an interesting premise. The main characters, all Leonodai, a race of shifters who can transform into winged lions, are desperate to find the cure for a deadly disease that’s claiming the lives of their people, especially the children. The only place where they know of a cure is with their enemies, the humans.

The world-building was also interesting, and the magic system was unique, which I appreciated. I love the idea of the floating city and the shapeshifters who inhabit it. The imagery was also strong and painted a vivid picture. However, it felt a bit like an info dump at the beginning with a lot of explanation and detail given at once. You learn so much about the setting, the history of the world, the magic system, the politics, relationships with others, and more. This made the beginning of the story feel much slower-paced than the rest of the book. However, once the story picked up, it was more interesting and had better pacing.

The story is told from three different points of view. Rowan is a warrior. Shirene is Rowan’s sister, and she sits on the council and acts as the King’s Voice, and Callen is Rowan’s best friend, who also has a crush on her. This provides a variety of perspectives on the story. However, some of the characters felt a bit one-dimensional to me. Rowan is a fierce and brave warrior, and I enjoyed her story. I wish the book remained focused on her because her journey was the most compelling. Callen and Shirene were interesting enough, but their perspectives took away from the real story, which was Rowan’s. I also didn’t love the love triangle and felt it was an unnecessary addition to the story. It didn’t enhance the character development or plot in any way, and it felt forced.

The story has a ton of action and some thought-provoking messages, which I did enjoy. It examines how far people are willing to go to help others. It also has interesting messages about duty, self-sacrifice, and staying true to one’s morals and beliefs. There’s also an unexpected plot twist that surprised me. I’m still not sure how I feel about it, but it was definitely surprising.

Overall, this was an ok read for me. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it either. I did like the sense of adventure, the quest-like action, and the messages and think that readers who like YA fantasy with unique worlds and a love triangle might enjoy this read. Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Tor Teen for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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Rating:

Recommendations:

Readers who like YA fantasy with numerous perspectives, unique worlds, and love triangles may enjoy this book.