darius. darius and ester's relationship actually made me hurt sm. they. could. have. had. it all. 😭 they may not make grand gestures or profess their love loudly from the rooftops. but their love is real, and it's deeper than any words or actions could ever express. sometimes, the most powerful love stories are the ones that unfold quietly, in the spaces between words and actions. and in those quiet moments, their love speaks volumes ❤‍🩹 i actually cried myself numb when darius watched ester leave and he stood there stupidly without following her. but that ending healed me and gave me hope, that they got the chance to be happy and together someplace safe. the real star of the book was ester and zahra though <3 Here’s what you need to know if you haven’t had the absolute pleasure of reading fiction from Fonda Lee: She can write her damn heart out. And she will rip yours out in the process and you will say, “Thank you, Fonda Lee, you have earned this.” This was my experience (and many readers’ experiences) with the Jade City trilogy, and it was my experience again with her latest, Untethered Sky—a lean, vicious, beautiful and bittersweet story of grief, loss, and rage. The worldbuilding was interesting and if Fonda Lee decided to write a whole series set in this world, I would be thrilled. I think there is a lot of potential for things that were introduced in this story to be further expanded upon in future works if she decided to.

this was a lil novella i read right after coming out of a mini reading slump and it definitely delivered what i expected, but this could have easily been a 4 stars if it was a full length book. fonda lee we were robbed 😤 Sweeping, leisurely, and epic, and combines political intrigue with sharply choreographed action scenes, but it's a character-driven family drama at its heart."— Publishers Weekly, starred review, on Jade War The story has a powerful ending with substantial growth for each of the major characters. Anyone who has ‘owned’ a pet can draw some parallels from this story. Untethered Sky is a rich and rewarding journey that soars. while i enjoyed this story, i will say that if you don't love the concept of animal companions and if you're not absolutely sold by the premise, you won't like this book because that's pretty much all there is to it. it's a simple, straightforward narrative with not many surprises and a fairly predictable ending - i think the execution is good but if this wasn't a novella, i would've eventually gotten bored.A person might pass a tree on the path every day and not notice it until it springs fruit at a time they’re hungry.”

Judging this by my novella standards, Untethered Sky is one of the best standalone novellas I’ve read. Ester,” my mother said, “you’re a miracle. You’re our one and only. Don’t ever get married, don’t ever leave your father and me alone.” Even though she was a sad and unhealthy woman, my mother was still sweet to me. She was undemanding, generous to the servants, and didn’t make a fuss over getting things done in a certain way or by a certain time. She thought life ought to be enjoyed in the moment, messiness tolerated, and even children and slaves should feel free to sing and dance. The length of this novella was also just right, which is not something I get to say often. But just as Lee knew to keep the story simple, she also knew exactly how to pace it and when to end it. The plot flowed smoothly, moving naturally from scenes of thrilling action and adventure to softer, more sorrowful moments without feeling rushed or experiencing any lulls. Perhaps the only exception to this was the ending, but I can’t decide if it was actually too abrupt or if I’m just letting my emotions get the better of me! Admittedly, it wasn’t the most satisfying conclusion, but I can also accept that it was appropriate given the overall themes and tone of the book. This is where the true heart of Untethered Sky takes flight, and where Lee’s ability to laser-focus in on how worldbuilding and character intertwine really pays off. Because the final test to pass is to build, develop, and then master a relationship with a young roc, stolen from its nest and dropped into the dark. This is not a world of telepathy between beings, nor is there any bridge of empathy Ester can walk to better understand her roc, Zahra. There are just behavioral tactics that Ester employs in those first dark weeks, when she must remain in the enclosed cage with Zahra, feeding her, attuning her to her human voice, and doing everything in her power to convince the young predator that she is her master, not her prey. It is a microcosm that speaks to the nature of the conflict these riders and the kingdom find themselves in, and showcases the extreme sacrifice and danger demanded to combat a larger threat.People have admired rocs for centuries. Artists paint them, sculpt them, tell stories about them. I wanted to be one. I wanted to be the monster that kills other monsters.” The greater Pacific Northwest is home to Ursula K. Le Guin, Kay Kenyon, Jay Lake, Nancy Kress, Brent Weeks, Ted Chiang and Ramona Quimby. Although Ram The greater Pacific Northwest is home to Ursula K. Le Guin, Kay Kenyon, Jay Lake, Nancy Kress, Brent Weeks, Ted Chiang and Ramona Quimby. Although Ramona isn’t known for her Science Fiction and Fantasy escapades, the rest are, and will be celebrated as part of the Pacific Northwest Reading Series. These free quarterly events provide the Northwest Science Fiction and Fantasy community a chance to gather, network and enjoy readings from local and visiting authors in Portland and Seattle.

I nodded in wordless thanks, relaxing a little into her optimism. Most ruhkers paid little attention to the apprentices, but Nasmin was one of the younger women in the mews and one of the few who’d been kind to me when I’d arrived a year ago. The simple knowledge that I had a friend who’d gone through what I was facing and was confident in my survival made it easier to not think about the alternative. Wild rocs were a rare sight in the south where I grew up. My father was a minor landowner with a small but fertile and well-managed parcel of pastureland upon which we raised goats and grew olive trees. We weren’t wealthy, but we were well off enough to have house servants in addition to field serfs. After I was born, it seemed my mother wasn’t able to have more children. She miscarried several times, each loss causing her tremendous pain and heartache. In some of my earliest memories, she’s lying on cushions, sweaty, pale, and exhausted, her breath sour from throwing up. “You were too big and came out too late,” she moaned. “You ruined something inside me.” Ester’s path leads her to join the King’s Royal Mews, where the giant rocs of legend are flown to hunt manticores by their brave and dedicated rukhers. Paired with a fledgling roc named Zahra, Ester finds purpose and acclaim by devoting herself to a calling that demands absolute sacrifice and a creature that will never return her love. The terrifying partnership between woman and roc leads Ester not only on the empire’s most dangerous manticore hunt, but on a journey of perseverance and acceptance.Arnan’s voice didn’t seem to be receding at all even though I was walking away as fast as I could. Finally, his screams cut out, presumably because he’d run inside to complain about me, and I closed my eyes at the bliss. The bees droned again. The birds chirped once more. Untethered Sky couldn't be more different from Lee's beloved Green Bone Saga. I loved that Lee pivoted in a different direction to give us a novella about a rukher and her roc. Lest you get the wrong idea though, this is far from your cutesy How to Train Your Dragon type story with a heartwarming ending where everyone gets to go home happy. Ester is ever aware that the love she has for Zahra can never be returned, for no matter how well they are trained, rocs are nature’s creatures bound by instinct. And yet, I found this situation bittersweet and touching in its own way, watching the protagonist give her whole heart to Zahra even knowing full well the roc may break it one day. Gripping action set in vast spaces writ as clean and spare as a dry bone . . . the result is tremendous."— The New York Times