The Sky King (Skyriders 2) by Polly Holyoke

What worked:

The story is full of flying horses called skysteeds and many of them have chosen to bond with humans called skyriders. Kie is the main character and she’s the only human in the world able to communicate with every skysteed she touches. Being the Nexara puts her under tremendous pressure as she’s the human ambassador when working with skysteeds. She may be the most important person in winning a war against another chimerae invasion. An additional issue arises when her skysteed N’Rah is upset about accepting a quest to find the Sky King. He says the dangerous mission will fail but Kie knows N’Rah is keeping something from her. The partners have always been totally honest with each other and the complicated history of N’Rah’s past is revealed later in the story.

The author skillfully describes the action and dangers faced by the characters and their skysteeds so readers feel like they’re part of the story. The chimerae are lethal, flying creatures with three hearts and three heads of sand dragons, bloodgoats, and lions. The characters also face vultiren, huge vulture-like birds that are quicker and more agile than the chimerae. Razor-sharp claws and teeth along with the swarming aggression of the ruthless predators will elicit fear and anticipation in young readers. These creatures are more organized than is natural and Kie discovers a similar issue to what was encountered in the first book. However, Kie can still slice a chimera’s head right off using a tri-wire and she’s working with N’Rah to perfect a barrel-roll kill shot using her bow and arrow.

The most interesting part of the book is the relationship between skysteeds and humans. Bonding magic was used three hundred years before to defeat the chimerae but the alliance is now fragile. Humans often make selfish decisions in books, and in real life, and many wild skysteeds feel betrayed. Paired skysteeds have often been treated as pets and used only in tournaments so the expected concept of equal partnerships is lost. The wild skysteeds sense disrespect from the humans. On the other hand, Kie and N’Rah clearly have a close bond and they display empathy for each other. Kie especially regrets accepting the mission without consulting N’Rah first and she really wants to understand why he’s against meeting the Sky King.

What didn’t work as well:

The synopsis reveals where the plot is headed and the first half of the book describes the journey to find the Sky King. After knowing what’s to come, readers may be anxious to find some surprises but most of the events are foreseeable.

The final verdict:

Readers will become engrossed in complex character relationships and the impending battles against the vicious chimerae and vultiren. I suggest you read the first book to fully understand the background story. Overall, this is a very enjoyable, exciting book and I recommend you give it a shot.