“Oaths are never empty. Intention gives them power, and your actions stand as a testament of their worth.”
You know, I thought Earthbound was a wild emotional rollercoaster, but nothing could have prepared me for the twists and turns that Katee Stein had in store in Skysworn. This conclusion to the Of Earth and Sky duology has all the high stakes, tension, heartache, turmoil, consequences, and sacrifices that you’d want and expect from a good finale, and it’s just so incredibly satisfying in all its complicated and messy glory.
When I first read Earthbound, the Mercurial instantly became one of my favourite unique sci-fantasy world with its epic blend of science, technology, magic, and the divine, so I loved finally getting to return there and reuniting with my complicated babes Tehran, Emilia, and Knox. They are all trapped in a gut wrenching conflict that has shattered not just their hearts (and mine) but also their entire sense of self and reality, yet they are all fighting tooth and nail to save and protect their loved ones from the corruption that has taken root in their world, even if that means putting their own life on the line.
For me, Knox was still the absolute star of the show, and I loved seeing him trying to embrace his new reality as he grapples with his newfound divine powers and makes new enemies-turned-allies-turned-friends (or more?!). Tehran’s inner conflict also yet again gutted me in the best way possible, and I appreciated and admired how he continued to fight against the bad in this world all while being haunted by his own inner demons. Emilia’s storyline was probably the hardest to read for me, purely because she is stuck in such a frustrating position where she lacks any sense of agency for so long, but then the way that she came back with a vengeance in the final 25% of this book just had me cheering so loud.
See, at points I didn’t know if I wanted to hug or strangle these characters, but at the same time I just love how Stein writes these complex characters in such an honest and realistic way that their actions always feel refreshingly unpredictable in the most human way possible. And that skill is just taken to the next level in Skysworn as we get an additional POV from none other than the villain of the story, who I absolutely loved to hate as we see them manipulating and twisting the truth to create a narrative that suited their own narcissistic ends, all while justifying their own actions in their own mind in the most disturbing ways.
Fortunately, there’s also more than enough heart to balance out all the darkness, tragedy, and despair, and I found it so beautiful to see how the incredible power of hope, resistance, loyalty, faith, and love shines brighter than ever before. From the strong found family vibes (Kipp & Loghin have my heart), to the emotional development of both old and new romantic relationships (the tensionnnn!), and to the emotionally weighted (and relatively drama-free, we love to see it) reunions/confrontations between characters with the most complicated dynamics; the feels were just feeling real good.
Now, even though these characters all find themselves in quite a few action-packed life-or-death scenarios in Skysworn, this is not the type of story that you can just easily fly through as it’s much more ambitious and complex than it might seem on the surface. On the one hand, I loved delving even deeper into the characters and this incredibly imaginative world, yet on the other hand, I also can’t deny that things got overwhelming and almost a bit exhausting at times for me personally. There were just a few too many named characters with constantly shifting alliances to keep track of for me, and some of the big, revelatory moments left me slightly confused about the abilities and (lack of?) limitations of the powers of Sky and Earth.
Still, the emotional journeys of the core cast of characters mostly kept me grounded, and I love how Stein stuck the landing and wrapped things up in such a satisfying way in Skysworn, while also leaving some doors open for potential spin-off series about the compelling side characters stealing the show here (which I would be first in line for). The Of Earth and Sky duology is the epic romantic sci-fantasy I didn’t know I needed in my life, and I can’t recommend it highly enough to anyone who likes their escapist adventures with a whole lot of high stakes, heavy consequences, and a hell of a lot of heartache.
Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Skysworn is scheduled for release on 10 October, 2025.
