Review based on an ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley

When she was a child, a manticore killed Ester’s brother and mother. Now she has joined the King’s Royal Mews, where she will pair with Zahra, one of the giant rocs of legend flown to hunt manticores. As she trains Zahra and they begin hunting, Ester must struggle with what it means to bond with a creature who cannot return your love.

Growing up, I read and reread My Side of the Mountain over and over because I loved the relationship between Sam and Frightful, a peregrine falcon. Untethered Sky taps into that same well, exploring the beauty of bonding with and training a raptor. Lee never lets the reader forget that while Ester loves and respects Zahra, the roc is a wild animal and things could go sideways at any moment. This novella is a engaging read from the moment the trainer and raptor meet, to Zahra’s first kill, to the life-threatening climax. If you love raptors, birds, or human/animal bonds in general, you should read this when it comes out.

Untethered Sky‘s expected publication date is April 11, 2023. You can find a local bookstore to pre-order the print version at IndieBound, or an ebook at Kobo (or presumably most other ebook distributors). Or suggest a purchase at your local library!