Skylark by Meagan Spooner

August 8th, 2012 Kimberly Review 34 Comments

8th Aug
Skylark by Meagan Spooner
Skylark
by Meagan Spooner
Series: Skylark #1
Genres: Dystopian, Fantasy
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon *affiliate
Goodreads
Rating: One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star

Sixteen-year-old Lark Ainsley has never seen the sky. Her world ends at the edge of the vast domed barrier of energy enclosing all that’s left of humanity. For two hundred years the city has sustained this barrier by harvesting its children's innate magical energy when they reach adolescence. When it’s Lark’s turn to be harvested, she finds herself trapped in a nightmarish web of experiments and learns she is something out of legend itself: a Renewable, able to regenerate her own power after it’s been stripped. Forced to flee the only home she knows to avoid life as a human battery, Lark must fight her way through the terrible wilderness beyond the edge of the world. With the city’s clockwork creations close on her heels and a strange wild boy stalking her in the countryside, she must move quickly if she is to have any hope of survival. She’s heard the stories that somewhere to the west are others like her, hidden in secret—but can she stay alive long enough to find them?

When I read the synopsis for Skylark I was immediately drawn to this dystopian type fantasy. I am delighted to tell you that it delivered a magical, dark dystopian world with a touch of steampunk. Spooner’s depiction of this world was refreshingly original with fleshed-out characters and a tale that kept me reading through the night.

I will be honest; the beginning however fascinating was a little rough for me. Rather than laying out the world in detail, Spooner has us learning as the protagonist does. This little speed bump was soon over as I dove into the story. We meet Lark Ainsley as she makes her way through the tunnels leading to her school. She is sneaking in to see if her name has been selected for Harvest Day. Does this sound eerily familiar to the very popular Hunger Games? Fear not because that is where the similarity ends. When she is discovered by a pixie-bot, she accidently uses her magic and kills it. Use of magic is forbidden within the city. Shaken she returns home only to discover she has been selected and is quickly taken to the city’s institute. Once at the institute she is scheduled for harvesting. Lark soon discovers that things aren’t as they seem, and that the institute has horrific plans for her. The tale that unfolds kept me completely spellbound as Spooner took me to a world I will not soon forget.

Lark Ainsley is brave, strong willed and snarky. She faces challenges head on and questions the world before her with such believability that she came to life on the pages. Despite her fears of the unknown she moves forward in her quest. I connected with Lark and felt like I experienced every emotion with her. Oren is raw, wild at times and complex. I eventually fell for this soft spoken, sensitive, quirky young man. We learn bits and pieces of his back-story giving an air of mystery to him. I adored Nix and laughed at her comments and loved her loyalty. She holds her own rightful place in this tale and I thoroughly enjoyed her. Kris is the son of the ambassador to the institute and he helps Lark. We never really know him but this adds to the mystery. Other characters added to the tale, creating suspense. I loved that even the secondary characters felt fleshed out and added to this gripping tale.

The world-building in Skylark is absolutely breathtaking. Spooner brings us a fascinating dystopian world unlike any I have visited. With only the power of her pen she brought this world to life. As I read, I could see this world unfolding before me and instantly connected with Lark as we both met it for the first time. Spooner slowly reveals this world and provides some back history. The Institute and sealed city was interesting and how the city survived fascinated me. The world outside of the city was absolutely amazing and Spooner’s depiction held me captive. The pockets of magic and the house in the woods were brilliant. The creatures Lark encounters were terrifying. One of the things I loved about this book was the way the author took elements of steampunk, fantasy, dystopia and other genres and wove them into such a delightful, believable and original tale. It is clear she has a true understanding of these genres and successfully integrated elements of each.

Skylark completely blew my mind and I cannot wait for the next book in this series. Fans of fantasy, dystopia and magic will love this tale. Shadowlark book two in the trilogy is expected to release in 2013 and I cannot wait.

Copyright (c) 2011-2013 Caffeinated Book Reviewer
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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram

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34 Responses to “Skylark by Meagan Spooner”

  2. rogier

    woow . lol / i’m buying the uk paperback when i win cash. gr8 review kimba. i love fantasy

  3. kara-karina

    Fab review, Kimba! I’ve been eyeing this book for a long time, but there are so many great reviews that I simply have to add it to my wishlist now 🙂

  8. Sam

    Great review, Kimba! I’ve been hearing good things about this book and can’t wait to read it myself. 🙂

  10. Nick

    Brilliant review, Kim! I just read Giselle’s review as well. Now that I’ve read yous, I don’t need any more convincing. This seems like an excellent dystopian novel. I really want to read it now. I’m impressed at how the author slowly reveals her world!
    I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed the book too! 🙂

  15. Sophia (FV)

    I don’t read a lot of YA but when I do, I’m always drawn to dystopian settings. Great review.

  18. kimbacaffeinate

    Your right, this one was a gem where it worked. It was a solid fantasy, set in a dystopian setting, with elements of magic and steampunk and it was brilliant. The other book you mentioned didn’t blend the elements well and it ended up feeling like a bunch of different scenes from different stories being haphazardly sewn together. Thanks Heidi 🙂

  20. Sharon - Obsession with Books

    This book sounds like it has everything I look for in a great YA Fantasy! The world sounds amazing as do the characters.

    I’ll definitely be picking this one up!

    Thanks for sharing your amazing review Kimba! You detailed it beautifully <3

  22. Blodeuedd

    Ohhh fantasy, dystopia, magic, all things I love 😀 And now I can’t tell if I have seen any reviews of this one before. Must have been WoWs only

  31. kimbacaffeinate

    Agreed and I am glad you let me know it published early otherwise I wouldn’t have found out how wonderful it was for another month!

  33. Heidi

    Thos book is new to me. I love books that blend genres. I know you mentioned the other day that you weren’t a fan of blending, but when it is done well it is great. I love fantasy and dystopian and add in steampunk with excellent world building, sign me up!

  34. Kristin

    Wow! A 4.5!! I remember seeing this one a while ago and I’m glad to see it came through b/c it sounds absolutely fabulous with the magic/dystopian tale. I’m sure Steampunk was a natural progression for the story considering the magic and dystopia elements. I’m totally not surprised the blending worked b/c it does sound like a natural fit! NIIIIIICE review!!