Sky's End
Ratings8
Average rating4.1
Exiled to live as a Low under the merciless rule of the Meritocracy, sixteen-year-old Conrad refuses to become heir to his murderous uncle. But when behemoth sky serpents attack the floating island of Holmstead and devour Conrad’s ailing mother, Conrad cuts a deal to save the only family he has left. To rescue his sister from his uncle’s clutches, Conrad must enter the Selection of the Twelve Trades.
Freshly recruited into Hunter, the deadliest of all the Trades, Conrad endures vigorous training, manipulative peers, and the Gauntlet—a brutal final challenge that pits Conrad’s skyship crew against the very terrors that orphaned him. As Conrad competes in the lowest of stations, he overhears whispers of rebellion in the dark. Conrad had never known anything existed below the toxic black clouds of the Skylands . . . until now.
Grab your copy of Book One of the Above the Black trilogy and immerse yourself in a richly detailed dystopia, where failing to rise will most certainly mean your fall. Chock-full with epic, edge-of-your-seat battles, nail-biting twists, and bonds of brotherhood, this action-packed series starter is reminiscent of Attack on Titan and will appeal to fans of Red Rising. A captivatingly wild ride to keep you up late at night as you race toward the finish!
Series
Featured Series
2 primary booksAbove the Black
Above the Black is a 2-book series with 2 released primary works first released in 2024 with contributions by Marc J. Gregson.
Reviews
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Reviews with the most likes.
Holy cow I enjoyed the heck out of this. It's YA and while I would prefer there to be blood and guts I had a blast with this. If you're a fan of Scythe or Hunger Games then absolutely read this.
Conrad was nobility but his father and mother were killed and his Uncle captured his sister as bait for Conrad to do his bidding. Conrad must join a competition where he must rise to captain of a flying ship and kill the most Gorgantuans (massive serpents) but it's not easy by any means and even if he wins he still must save his sister and seek vengeance.
I really did try with this one so I pushed myself to 28% even though I should've dnfed earlier – because I could tell I wasn't enjoying myself. The book sounded like something I would enjoy but ultimately I realised I wasn't going to.
There were random capitalisations and I think it made sense for military terms – but every time it did it just seemed to pull me out of the story; making it harder for me to enjoy. This was also a First Person pov and I couldn't get into the main character's voice. The plot was okay but not enough to make me overlook the other things.
I am actually quite conflicted about this one. On the one hand, I thought the writing was strange and also uninventive (which is weird thing to say about a post-apocalyptic fantasy). After the first 85 pages or so, getting consistently more annoyed by this book, I actually couldn't put it down. So. I don't know. The stakes are high, the monsters are everywhere, and the themes of loyalty and friendship are strong. And while I am still annoyed by some of the writing choices, I would absolutely hand this to a teen looking for a thrilling story.
