Untethered Sky by Fonda Lee | Book Review

my shayla. Fonda Lee strikes again! and this time it's with it's in a standalone high fantasy with falcons. let me revive this blog with the most recent fantasy release of my favorite author :)

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: Untethered Sky

Author: Fonda Lee

Publisher: Tordotcom (an imprint of Tor Publishing Group)

Publishing Date: April 11, 2023

Tags: Adult | Standalone | Fantasy | Novella | Mythical Creatures | Survival

GOODREADS

THE REVIEW

— 4.50 —

⇢ content warnings// violence and gore, death of a child, animal death and cruelty, sexism, miscarriage

“monster-hunting nature memoir”

FOR A BOOK SO SHORT (150~ PAGES) I CAN’T BELIEVE IT RUINED ME THIS MUCH.

I place this in the same category as The Sword of Kaigen and Attack on Titan with it’s ethereal and rustic tone. A standalone novella that’s captivating and heart wrenchingly brutal wrapped up in a nice little falcon-shaped bow.Getting sucked in felt like I’m in a cabin in the woods with the sound of birds softly chirping at the background or in an open field with trees running as far as the eye can see.

Whether you are new to Fonda Lee or coming from Green Bone Saga/her other works, I recommend this either way! If you didn’t like the setting of GBS, the environment of this novella is incredibly different so you can taste her writing in another world. But if you are already hooked to Fonda Lee’s writing, this carries her signature style that balances incredible heart and harsh realities.

Getting sucked in felt like I was in a cabin in the woods with the sound of birds softly chirping as I flip a page or in an open field with trees running for miles.

“We didn’t bring up either topic again. Not because we avoided them, but because there was simply no need. Our pasts didn’t matter when we were with each other.”

Fonda Lee went hard with the world-building and the groundwork was set up perfectly, that by the time the story fully launched, I was attached to everything that I was supposed to be and left in a heaping mess. It reads like an episode for a whole completed series with the buildup set up in the background of the narrating voice. I love how the progression in Fonda Lee’s stories are so subtle that you barely notice it happening until it’s right in front of your face and have no other choice than to face your denials. The subtle transitions of the plot and the character development over time was written seamlessly, as like her signature style in Jade Legacy.The characters are written in a way that I found soooo investing, and they still somehow made me feel like they were my own fledgelings to keep safe but with whom I know I have no real power over. The dynamics are achingly tangible, and I do love myself subtle and nuanced characterizations.

”When you love a person, you are expected to give them their freedom, but when you love a monster, you keep it caged.“

She writes like she’s carving my heart out. This is a perfect intro to FL’s writing if you haven’t read Jade City yet or if her series are too much of a commitment for you right now. I would also recommend this if Jade City wasn’t to your taste because this is set in an entirely different environment, it doesn’t have an ounce of urban fantasy but the progression in the details is still in her signature style.

“People have short memories, but nature is patient and implacable.”

The inspirations of this novel translated incredibly well from the chariots, falcons, and set up of the kingdom. Fonda Lee said that part of the inspiration was from when she went to see falcons with her family and I could feel it in every step that Ester took in the mews and in every flap of Zahra’s wings. FL went from a wide arching multi-POV urban fantasy to this bite-sized standalone high fantasy but I can still tell it’s her writing through and through.

I received the ARC of this when I was in the midst of my reading slump after Jade Legacy and perhaps it was a good thing that I didn’t read this right away because I might not have recovered lol

“I could barely stand to look at a creature as dazzling as she was, and at the same time I couldn’t look away.” He stopped and turned toward me, but though he leaned slightly forward, he didn’t continue.”

— This is an Adult SFF novella that is adventurous, emotional, and brutal with ethereal rustic tones that is perfectly paced and makes me genuinely wish it was longer (i rarely say that but i’m saying it for this one). Wherever you stand on the spectrum of knowing who Fonda Lee is as a writer, I offer you this book while kneeling on a chariot with a falcon hovering above me. —

i wrote this review while simultaneously mopping up my tears

ARC was sent by the publisher @Tor before release date (thank you!) but I only got to reading it now. Quotes included are from my ARC copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own

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