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When a manticore killed her mother and baby brother, Ester was left with nothing but her father’s painful silence and the overwhelming need to kill the monsters that took her family.
Years later, that obsessive desire leads Ester to the King’s Royal Mews, where the giant rocs of legend, guided by their brave and dedicated ruhkers, are flown to hunt manticores. Paired with a fledgling roc named Zhara, Ester finds purpose and acclaim by devoting herself to a calling that demands absolute sacrifice and to a creature that will never return her love. But as the terrifying partnership between Ester and her roc leads her into the empire’s most dangerous manticore hunt, she begins to realize how fragile life truly is, and maybe all along there was something she wanted even more than revenge.
Untethered Sky is one of the best stand-alone novellas I’ve read (even though a part of me would’ve loved a full-length novel set in this world). The plot centers around two beasts from Arabian and Persian mythology — the roc and the manticore — that rarely appear in fantasy books. In fact, I’m not sure I’ver read a book where these creatures make more than a passing appearance, and the idea of using rocs in fantasy falconry to take down the terrorizing manticores was a concept I fell in love with.
Overall, I found Untethered Sky to be a truly unique, fast read. Fonda Lee’s writing is precise and poetic. Every word is skillfully chosen, lending the story a feeling of a classic folk tale. And for readers unfamiliar with or looking to break into adult high fantasy, it would serve as a good introduction to the genre.
Rated: Moderate. There is no profanity. Violence can be gory, as it describes manticore attacks and the human remains witnessed after such attacks, as well as a character’s horrific memory that involves a toddler’s death. It also features blood, injury, death, and animal fights. Sexual content includes hinting at sexual danger, especially among the female ruhkers, and brief reference to characters making love.
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