Review: Wild Sky by Zaya Feli

Tauran Darrica has been retired from the Valreus Sky Guard for four years following the Battle of the Broken Wings that resulted in the death of his dragon. Now, all Tauran wants to do is spend his days forgetting the past and gambling his way to an unsteady income.

So when his old general from the Sky Guard hunts Tauran down to request his help with staving off the increasingly aggressive wild dragon population, Tauran refuses. But a fire ruins his rented room and leaves him without a place to stay, and Tauran finds himself on the road to Valreus, after all.

Tauran is determined to stay as far away from dragons as he can get, but a starry-eyed young man from Sharoani, land of the wild dragons, might just ruin his plans.

Kalai Ro-Ani has spent his life watching the stars, knowing he could never reach them.
With his wild dragon Arrow, he sets out for the city of Valreus in the hope of building himself a better future than he could have stuck at the foot of the Kel Visal dragon temples.

But nobody told Kalai that only the Sky Guard is allowed to own dragons, so when Arrow kills a guard in Kalai’s defense, it looks like his adventure might be over before it can begin. But a chance encounter at the old Valreus archive offers Kalai the future he’d been hoping for. In the span of a single day, he has a home, a job, and a purpose.

In Valreus, something much bigger falls into his lap – along with a tall and striking Valrean man with a rather strange disposition.

An impressive fantasy overflowing with dragon love!

For those who know me well, I do not give 5’s easily nor readily. In fact, this is my first for the year. I also don’t tend to like, and truly avoid, long reads but despite this being over 700 pages, I barreled through this with ease.

As per the blurb, Tauran is a self imposed retired soldier of Valreus’s Sky Guard. He and his dragon once kept the city and surrounding realms safe, but a terrible tragedy struck and Tauran chooses to forget by drinking away his sorrows, far from anything and anyone from his past. When his former general tracks him down and pleads for his help in training new dragon rider recruits, Tauran unwillingly returns to a place he swore he never would again. The changes wrought while he’s been gone are many, and the memories both good and bad, hit Tauran hard as he struggles with desperately wanting to run but being unable to do so especially when presented with a rare unhatched dragon egg.

Kalai is a foreigner to Valreus. He’s looking for adventure with his dragon Arrow, and comes from Sharoani, a place known for its dragon temples and masters, a place that’s as elusive as it is secretive, the community there living harmoniously and mysteriously with wild dragons. Kalai’s limited, but still important, knowledge lands him a job as the new archivist and automatic dragon expert for the Sky Guard, tasked to interpret ancient Sharoani texts and assist with the newly found dragon egg, all of which puts him in the direct path of Tauran.

What ensues is a richly painted world divided on how dragons fit into human lives. The dragons are rightly revered and cherished but also extremely sought after for their skills, especially in the Sky Guard. However, there’s conflict brewing across the lands and previously peaceful wild dragons are attacking the city, all indicating toward something very amiss. Tauran and Kalai find themselves smack dab in the middle of disturbing going ons, and when things don’t add up, they must find the answers no matter the danger or cost.

Beware substantial PTSD, lots of hurt comfort, dealing with frustrating disabilities, drug addiction, betrayal, and some gory violence. However, what you’ll also get is a thoroughly plausible, realistic sweet slow burn romance in and amongst the brewings of war and possible annihilation. Feli delivers on dragon legend and lore and fleshes out the divided countries. She also deftly describes the tenuous relationship between human and dragon, where should one be so lucky as to form an unbreakable bond with such a rare creature, their life will be forever altered and affected. Each dragon is endearing in their own unique way, their distinct personalities shining through and brought to vivid life, which only made me cherish every scene they were in, wanting more despite them all featuring so heavily throughout the story.

Point blank. If you love dragons in your stories, then this is an absolute must. Overall, when you have something of this size and magnitude, when it delivers on the romance, the plot, the grand scope of things, when it brings all the wonderful dragon-ness you could ever want, one can’t help but be moved by the struggles of these fantastic beings and the imperfect men who love them. Both Tauran and Kalai draw strength from the other and their dragon counterparts to be so much more than they ever thought possible. It sorta kinda helps things along when your whole belief system is called into question and everyone and everything is in danger, for such challenges either make or break you. Here, Tauran and Kalai obviously come out on top.

So again, I’m happy to say that this is my first 5 star rating for the year because ONE, this never felt like 764 pages and TWO, when I read the last sentence, I was seriously sad that there wasn’t more as it leaves the reader not with a cliffhanger but a desire to know what happens next. I think that pretty much says it all, and I can only hope Feli brings us more of Tauran and Kalai or at least, further tales of this wondrous wonderful world!