A Light in the Sky

by Shina Reynolds

Overview

Red Queen meets The Scorpio Races in a high-flying new fantasy series filled with passion, betrayal, and adventure from debut author Shina Reynolds.

Seventeen-year-old Aluma Banks has always dreamed of soaring freely through the skies astride a powerful winged steed of her own. But flying is a privilege granted only to the Riders of the king's Empyrean Cavalry, the aerial warriors who defend the borders of their land from the fallen kingdom of Laithlann.

Each year, Rider hopefuls across Eirelannia compete in the Autumn Tournament for the honor of joining the Cavalry. Aluma, trained to ride and fight by her retired Empyrean Rider father, knows she has what it takes to prove herself worthy-if only her father hadn't forbidden her from joining their ranks, in the hope of protecting his only daughter from the perils of war. To make matters worse, Thayer, Aluma's best friend who could be becoming something more, is competing-and if he wins, he'll leave her behind.

When Aluma's father is tragically injured just before the Tournament, she finds herself unexpectedly thrust into this year's competition. But as Aluma begins to pursue her dreams, she learns devastating secrets about the king and his never-ending war with Laithlann. In her quest for the truth, Aluma discovers a power deep within herself that may be the only way to save Eirelannia and the people she loves from the darkness that threatens to consume them all.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781733451109
Publisher:	Wink Road Press
Publication date:	11/09/2021
Series:	Clashing Skies , #1
Pages:	420
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.06(d)
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

About the Author

SHINA REYNOLDS grew up in Nebraska, riding horses through wide-open fields. She wrote her first two books in her sixth-grade English class, the second of which went on to win an award at the Nebraska Young Author's Conference. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, graduating with honors in art history and with a minor in anthropology. Before writing her debut novel, A Light in the Sky, she worked in film, music, and modeling. Shina currently resides in Texas, where she spends the majority of the year trying to stay cool and imagining she lives in Ireland. When she's not writing, she can be found painting abstractly, exploring the outdoors with her husband, and entertaining her mostly cuddly cat.

Editorial Reviews

10/11/2021

Aluma Banks has spent her life dreaming of becoming a member of the kingdom of Eirelannia’s Empyrean Cavalry, just like her father. Empyrean Riders, sworn to King Breasal himself, take to the skies on winged horses to protect Eirelannia from their constant enemy, the Laithlanns. There’s just one problem: Aluma’s father has forbidden her to enter the yearly competition for entry into the Calvary. Everything changes when he suffers a devastating fall, however, and seventeen-year-old Aluma finds herself competing for the glory in his stead. Together with her best friend Thayer, Aluma discovers new powers, unsettling secrets, and forbidden love. When it turns out that her father’s injury may have been no accident, Aluma is forced to reconsider everything she thought knew—while possibly restoring balance to her world.

As Aluma takes the reins, Reynolds conjures a high fantasy journey with plenty of romance, danger, and intrigue that’s sure to delight—think The Hunger Games meets fantasy favorites but with an equestrian twist. Though it at times relies heavily on tropes common to the genre, such as love triangles and chosen-one arcs, any fan of those stories should find something to love in this blend of the epic and the dystopian. Eirelannia is a kingdom where nothing is as it seems, and readers will be hooked right along with Aluma as she uncovers the truth about the non stop war between her homeland and Laithlann.

Reynolds offers intriguing world building, richly drawn characters, and convincing details, like the distinctions between how different groups treat the winged Empyrean steeds, for example. Both accessible and engaging, A Light in the Sky is well-suited for younger YA audiences, while older readers may find some plot points predictable despite the age of its protagonist. Still, this first entry in Reynolds’s Clashing Skies series offers non-stop adventure for readers who ever wished for a flying steed of their own.

Takeaway: Younger fans of high fantasy adventure won’t be able to put down this novel boasting high-flying equestrian action.

Great for fans of: Veronica Roth’s Divergent series, Victoria Aveyard’s The Red Queen series.

Production grades Cover: A+ Design and typography: A Illustrations: N/A Editing: A- Marketing copy: B

BookLife Reviews