Title: A Scar in the Bone
Author: Sophie Jordan
Publisher: Avon/HarperCollins
Genre: Fantasy Romance / Romantasy
Year of Publication: 2025
Date of Publication: October 14, 2025
Pages: 344
ISBN-13: 978-0063450783 / 978-0063414341 (Deluxe Limited Edition)
Audiobook Narrator: Karen Cass, Fiona Hardingham, and Joe Jameson
Summary of A Scar in the Bone by Sophie Jordan
A Scar in the Bone is Book 2 in A Fire and the Sky Series and serves as a sequel to A Fire in the Sky. The story picks up one year after the events in the first book.
In this second installment, Tamsyn is living with a pride of dragons. She is training and learning what it means to be a dragon in a world that does not accept their existence. The pride is made up of twenty nine members including Fell’s brother, Vetr, who is the leader of the pride. We learn that Fell is missing and presumed dead (not a spoiler, it’s included in the book blurb) and that another pride of dragons known as the Skelm were responsible for his death.
We also learn about the different types of dragons that are in the pride, how their powers differ, and how they all work together to ensure their continued existence. Even before the story begins, there is a short blurb that let’s us know that there was a curse many years ago from a witch name Vala, and afterwards, dragons started giving birth to humans instead of their hatchlings, which is why some like Tamsyn, can take on both forms.
Stig, the former captain of the guard, now has a new role. As you may recall, at the end of A Fire in the Sky, Tamsyn revealed her dragon form to Stig, believing in the strength of their friendship and in his feelings for her. Now Stig continues to relentlessly search for Tamsyn and all things magical.
A lot of the story focuses on how Tamsyn adjusts to life in the pride, her belief or inability to come to terms with the fact that Fell is no longer alive, her reflections on the bond they shared, and Stig’s attempts to find Tamsyn.
Main Plot & Characters
- Tamsyn: She is the Protagonist in the story. Tamsyn was once a palace whipping-girl but discovered she has the ability to transform into a dragon.
- Fell (Lord Dryhten): Nicknamed the Beast of the Borderlands, Fell married Tamsyn in Book 1. He is now missing and his disappearance drives the plot in this story.
- Vetr: He is Fell’s twin brother and his relationship with Tamsyn complicates her new role. Vert is a shader, which means he can create mist and vapor.
- Stig: He used to be one of Tamsyn’s closest friend but now he relentlessly hunts her. Stig is now nicknamed the “Terror of the Borderlands.”
- Ashild: She was Fell and Vetr’s mother. She was a dragon and was killed in the Crags (the mountain area).
- Alise: She is one of the princesses. Her sisters are Feena and Sybilia. Alise considers Tamsyn her sister and they have a good relationship. Alise is seventeen years old.
- Nayden: He is a dragon. Like Tamsyn, Nayden is a fire breather.
- Kerstin: She is a female dragon in the pride. Kerstin is 16 years old. She is an earth dragon, which means she has the ability to bend and manipulate the earth.
- Brenna: She is one of Vetr’s skeppar’s i.e. the oldest members of the pride (not in age). Brenna is a mastermind of plants and herbs and serves as a healer in the pride.
- The Skelm: Another dragon pride. They prefer the old ways where dragons were dragons and everyone else were the enemy.
- Kaldr: He is the leader of the Skelm.
- Anders: He is Vetr’s second in command.
- Harald: He is Ander’s mate. Harald is an onyx.
- Aksel: He is one of Vetr’s skeppar’s.
- Orm: He is Aksel’s brother. He is a clarion dragon, meaning he can foresee things to come.
- Arran: He is a hypnos dragon. Arran can persuade humans to believe whatever narrative he tells them.
- Mirja (Little Mirja): She is Brenna’s daughter.
- Sylvi: She is a witch.
- Vestar: Another Shader like Vetr.
- Magnus: One of Fell’s warriors.
- Other members of Vetr’s pride: Estrid, Gudru, Erling, Bodin, and Brynhild.
Writing Style
Sophie Jordan tells the story by dividing the book into five different but connected parts. Part I is about the Pride of dragons where Tamsyn has spent the last year. Part II, titled The Rekon, follows the members of the pride as they travel into the human world to gather information in their human form. Parts III through V are titled The Awakening, The Crags, and The Unearthing, respectively.
We loved that the book includes a beautiful map of the world and the tiny dragon illustrations on each page. Seeing the different places in Penterra represented clearly is definitely a plus. We also liked that the book is not unnecessarily long. Don’t get us wrong, we enjoy a long book (Shout out to Brandon Sanderson and James Islington) provided the author is building a world that is extraordinary.
A large part of A Scar in the Bone focuses on introducing us to new characters. We didn’t particularly mind this, in fact we enjoyed getting to know the new characters even though their introductions felt a bit brief. With that said, we have to admit that while reading the book, it did feel like there were some missing information. We understand there’s a time jump, but details about how Fell disappeared, why it happened, and what truly led to it remain somewhat unclear. And let’s face it, if you read the first book and liked it, you wanted to see more Fell and Tamsyn together and not just one without the other.
Even after finishing the two books, we were left with some unresolved questions. For example, why does Stig hate dragons so much and why does Nayden continue to dislike Tamsyn? Maybe we missed the reasons for these feelings while reading (it happens!).
Memorable Quotes
- “An enemy was always an enemy, but a friend was not always a friend.”— Tamsyn’s reflections
- “Save yourself. Save the species. Leave no witnesses.”— Tamsyn reflecting on Vert’s words
- “I’ve got you. I have you.”— Vert
- “I never lost you.”— Vert
- “I can show you.”.”— Sylvi
- “It went beyond duty or affection or lust. It was something far deeper. Something that existed in the pulsing marrow of me. A scar in the bone. When I was gone from this earth, flesh no more, this would remain. Forever.”— Fells’s reflections
Final Thoughts on A Scar in the Bone by Sophie Jordan
As the sequel to A Fire in the Sky, we were eagerly awaiting A Scar in the Bone. The book continues Tamsyn’s journey and expands her world with new faces. While there were a few issues and unanswered questions, we love the world and the characters that have been created and will read future books about this world.
The epilogue hints at other story arcs and side plots that may spring up from this world including Vetr’s quest for a partner, the Lord Regent’s (Stig’s father) pursuit of vengeance, and a possible invasion from the Kingdom of Veturland.
Book Rating
Characters ★★★☆☆ (3/5)
Plot ★★★☆☆ (3/5)
Writing ★★★☆☆ (3/5)
Book Cover ★★★⯪☆ (3.5/5)
Audiobook (Narration only) ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Overall ★★★⯪☆ (3.5/5)
Have you read A Scar in the Bone yet? What did you think of Book 2? Share your thoughts and until next time, keep turning those pages!
Authors
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