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A review by restless
The Sky Weaver by Kristen Ciccarelli
3.0
Did I skip to the third book in this series just because it was sapphic? Why yes. Yes I did.
What it's about: The Sky Weaver is a friends-to-enemies romantasy that follows Safire (a soldier) as she tries to oust a thief from her castle. The thief in question is the very attractive Eris, who has developed a mild obsession with her target. There's also dragons, a famine, pirates and a fair bit of political turmoil, but you'll have to read the book to unpack these.
What I thought of the romance: this is fantasy first and romantasy second. Eris' backstory is the true focus of the plot, and the famine that plagues Firgaard (Safire's country) serves as a catalyst. The romantic tension between these two leads is decent but not spectacular. Their enemies-to-lovers dynamic stems from a conflict of interest, rather than true psychological tension. Yes, they are on opposite sides - but they never actually dislike each other. On an enemies-to-lovers scale from [b:The Henna Wars|44286258|The Henna Wars|Adiba Jaigirdar|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1573648325l/44286258._SY75_.jpg|68803092] (0) to [b:Tryst Six Venom|54661258|Tryst Six Venom|Penelope Douglas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1620195849l/54661258._SY75_.jpg|85282745] (10), this book is a -1. As someone who thrives on psychological tension, I found this mildly disappointing.
What I thought of the pacing and plot: it was fine. I skipped the prequels but I don't have any regrets about doing so. This was very much an action-adventure read, where lots of things happen but few things stick. Perhaps I'd love this more if I'd read the prequels, but I never got invested enough to find out.
Other thoughts: Skye was criminally underused. Her flashbacks are some of the best parts of the book, but we never see her take true agency. This made me sad.
TL;DR: an enjoyable (but ultimately forgettable) book. Try this series if you love dragons and pirates. Don't pick it up for the sapphic elements alone.
What it's about: The Sky Weaver is a friends-to-enemies romantasy that follows Safire (a soldier) as she tries to oust a thief from her castle. The thief in question is the very attractive Eris, who has developed a mild obsession with her target. There's also dragons, a famine, pirates and a fair bit of political turmoil, but you'll have to read the book to unpack these.
What I thought of the romance: this is fantasy first and romantasy second. Eris' backstory is the true focus of the plot, and the famine that plagues Firgaard (Safire's country) serves as a catalyst. The romantic tension between these two leads is decent but not spectacular. Their enemies-to-lovers dynamic stems from a conflict of interest, rather than true psychological tension. Yes, they are on opposite sides - but they never actually dislike each other. On an enemies-to-lovers scale from [b:The Henna Wars|44286258|The Henna Wars|Adiba Jaigirdar|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1573648325l/44286258._SY75_.jpg|68803092] (0) to [b:Tryst Six Venom|54661258|Tryst Six Venom|Penelope Douglas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1620195849l/54661258._SY75_.jpg|85282745] (10), this book is a -1. As someone who thrives on psychological tension, I found this mildly disappointing.
What I thought of the pacing and plot: it was fine. I skipped the prequels but I don't have any regrets about doing so. This was very much an action-adventure read, where lots of things happen but few things stick. Perhaps I'd love this more if I'd read the prequels, but I never got invested enough to find out.
Other thoughts: Skye was criminally underused. Her flashbacks are some of the best parts of the book, but we never see her take true agency. This made me sad.
TL;DR: an enjoyable (but ultimately forgettable) book. Try this series if you love dragons and pirates. Don't pick it up for the sapphic elements alone.