When Survival Becomes Power
- Danielle Robinson
- Jan 13
- 2 min read
A Review of A Fire in the Sky by Sophie Jordan
Some books are subtle about what they’re offering. A Fire in the Sky is not one of them—and I say that affectionately.
This is romantasy that knows its lane and stays in it confidently: forced marriage, hidden identity, a feared warlord, long journeys through dangerous territory, simmering magic, and the promise of dragons waiting to return. It’s fast, dramatic, and very readable. The kind of book that quietly steals an evening because “just one more chapter” keeps turning into five.
What stood out most for me was the protagonist, Tamsyn. The “whipping girl” premise is genuinely unsettling in the best way—it immediately establishes the cruelty of the world she inhabits and explains her resilience without resorting to cliché defiance. Tamsyn isn’t powerful because she’s loud or rebellious. She’s powerful because she’s endured. That quiet strength gives her character real emotional weight, and it made her journey easy to invest in.
The romance leans hard into forced proximity and mistrust rather than true enemies-to-lovers, despite how it’s marketed. Things escalate quickly, and yes, it’s steamy—but the chemistry works because it’s grounded in tension, imbalance, and circumstance rather than instant devotion. It’s messy, complicated, and very much shaped by survival.
Is the plot surprising? Sometimes. Other times, the foreshadowing is fairly obvious. But I didn’t find that a dealbreaker. The pacing is strong, the emotional beats land, and the story knows when to move rather than linger. This feels very much like a first book whose job is to lay foundations—and it does that effectively.
Overall, A Fire in the Sky is immersive, trope-forward romantasy that prioritises momentum and emotional pull over intricate worldbuilding. It strikes the match, sets the tone, and leaves you knowing there’s more fire coming. And yes—I’ll be continuing the series.
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