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WHEN THE SKY BURNS

Writer: Dan
Dan
8 hours ago
2 min read
Glowing red-orange sun over a dark city skyline and calm water, with a moody dusk sky.

Today on the blog, Isla Lockwood tells us all about her new romantasy When the Sky Burns. It is a romantic fantasy with cursed phoenix riders, sentient books, ancient magic, dangerous loyalties, and a slow-burn romance set across the twelve nights of Yule. Perfect for fans of One Dark Window, Road of Bones and When the Moon Hatched.

WHEN THE SKY BURNS


Fiery phoenix above frosted wreath with candles, skull and book on blue background; text reads When the Sky Burns, by Isla Lockwood.

Dear Reader,


Are you like me and always skip the trigger warnings for fear of spoilers? If so, know this — When the Sky Burns is called dark midwinter romantic fantasy for a reason. The romance isn’t dark in a classical ‘dark romance’ way, but the Cursed Lands / the world Aliwen lives in very much is. You have been warned because your mental health does actually matter!!

 

Also —  while we are on the topic — there is a cliffhanger at the end of this book. But it will be worth the wait for book 2…I promise!

 

This book is for those 18 years and over.

 

Triggers -

For those of you, unlike me, who care about your mental health more than spoilers!


This book contains:

Violence, aggression towards a child, torture, imprisonment, death, coercive control, references to sexual exploitation, references to war trauma, enslaved women, graphic injury, references to death, grief, death of birds, and psychologically distressing themes.


The ‘Christmas’ romantasy of 2026 is coming…

 

Book cover of When the Sky Burns by Isla Lockwood with a fiery phoenix, skull, candles, and Gardners special edition text on snowy blue background

 

Enter a frozen world holding its breath… before everything burns.

  

Tropes:

●      Winter Fantasy

●      Countdown to catastrophe

●      touch = death

●      Morally grey everyone

●      Cursed phoenix riders

●      Second-chance romance

●      Slow burn

●      forced proximity

●      One horse

●      Captive / captor



Book promo poster for When the Sky Burns, with black text on white and blue, describing phoenix riders, magic, and Yule nights.

About the Author

Black-and-white portrait of a smiling woman with straight hair in a dark blouse against a dark wooden wall.

Isla Lockwood is the fantasy pen name of international bestselling and USA Today bestselling author C. L. Miller.


Inspired by the folklore of the Twelve Nights of Yule, Celtic and Germanic mythology, and the stories once told around winter firesides, she writes dark romantasy filled with cursed phoenix riders, ancient magic, impossible choices and morally grey characters.


When the Sky Burns is her fantasy debut and the first book in the interconnected Skyworld series.


Isla lives in a medieval cottage in Suffolk, England, with her family, where she is usually dreaming up new worlds or researching forgotten folklore.


If you want to join the Skyworld and learn more about it's characters (and the hot phoenix riders!) visit her website and for bonus content and upcoming info on her books and events join the newsletter.

Hold on tight - this is going to be quite a ride!

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© 2018 by Dan

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