Book Review: A Light in the Sky

This was such a great read! It was everything that could be hoped for in a YA fantasy. 

Aluma Banks dreams of becoming an Empyrean (flying horse) rider like her father. She longs for the day when she can freely ride her steed high above the clouds. Unfortunately, her dreams are cut short by her fathers refusal to let her attempt the trials where riders are chosen. At the very last minute, following a tragic fall, Aluma finds herself ready to ride moments before the trials begin. Making the team becomes much more than riding above the clouds, it becomes the start of a journey that will change the way Aluma looks at her family, friends and country. 

A Light in the Sky starts strong from the very beginning. From the moment the reader sees Aluma soaring above the clouds on a winged horse, they want to know more. Those first moments of attention grabbing action, speed the reader through a well written story where they have the chance to fall in love with the setting, characters, and horses. 

One of this book’s greatest strengths was solid world building. Both of the regions in the novel, Eirelannia and Laithlann, were beautifully written and thoughtfully described. Laithlann was especially compelling and I found that the description was most beneficial to this area. I appreciated how much thought was put into the landscape, people, and history of the area. It made the world much more immersive and gave the reader a chance to feel emotionally attached. 

The characters were all likable, despite not yet being fully fleshed out. Given that this is the beginning of a series, it is understandable that the characters were immature and rash when the world around them got more complicated. However, the characters could feel one dimensional and incomplete. I cannot wait to see how much more they can develop. It was nice to see that Aluma had prior knowledge of horses, riding, and flying, rather than have her jump on the horse and be immediately perfect as this was part of what made her feel real. The love triangle felt unnecessary and was the only part of the novel that did not progress the story or help any of the characters. The closeness between Aluma and her suitors was told, rather than shown, making it less believable. 

After the beautiful descriptions of the cities, the most enjoyable part of the story was, of course, the horses. They were more than animal sidekicks, they were fully fleshed out characters. Darwith and Cashel were fun to read about and imagine flying on. 

4/5 Extra marks for the interesting world.

Thank you to Netgalley and Shina Reynolds for the eArc of this novel!