Book Review: Bound By The Sky by Megan G. Elisabeth

Official Synopsis: While pirate ships and floating cities soar overhead, Amaya Sinclair’s feet are planted on the ground. But when a violent tragedy results in her abduction by a villainous Sky Lord, her once-clear path vanishes underfoot. In its place, she finds a beautiful, unforgiving world that challenges everything she believes about herself and her future.

William Lexington has spent over a decade carving out a space for himself among the clouds, at the cost of his identity and ideals. When a twist of fate lands Amaya on his airship, he writes her off as a pretty inconvenience—until he realizes she’s the only thing standing between his monstrous former mentor and a brutal new era.

Caught in a fight to live on their own terms, Amaya and Will’s growing connection calls every priority into question. As the enemy’s looming shadow darkens, their race to control forces best left untouched reveals that much more than their lives are at stake.

Welcome aboard the Maelstrom. Enjoy the view—and don’t get killed.

Buckle up everyone, it's time for me to give a presentation on why you HAVE to read this book.

Bound By The Sky follows Amaya Sinclair, the daughter of the governor of Sorrento, where piracy illegal and her path in life is pretty much set up for her. She is set to be engaged to Victor Westbrook, who is in the guard, and spends her days on adventures with her best friend, Camden. That is until she and Camden are kidnapped on their way to the orchestra, leaving her in the hands of one of the most infamous Sky Lords and Camden dead. Amaya thinks the Sky Lord Graven wants her because of her status, but instead learns he wants her locket, which he believes is a relic that can unlock a whole new potential for the world. Relics are objects made that are infused with aether and can be used to give humans new abilities, and are also the source of the Sky Cities, where the Sky Lords operate.

When Amaya ends up being saved by a different Sky Lord, William Lexington, she thinks it is her chance to get home, but instead they are sent on a completely new adventure. Amaya has more than a magical necklace, she has a key to getting through an aether storm that has been terrorizing the skies. William Lexington is not what Amaya expected a Sky Lord to be, he is not much older than her, with a relic that enhances his fighting skills and a crew that respects him without question. He also has his fair share of secrets and a past that would keep anyone from easily trusting someone else. When Will takes Amaya onto his ship to help figure out what to do about her necklace and the power it seems to hold.

Will sees Amaya as a distraction, until he realizes the potential her family history unlocks. As Amaya spends more time on the ship, Maelstrom, she starts to wonder if her idea of home, and where she belongs, has changed. Especially when her and the captain start to feel more for each other than 'pirate and princess'. Now they have to keep their priorities straight as their feelings grow and the danger continues to loom closer. But is Amaya willing to give up everything back home to live on a ship? Or can her family name help keep them out of trouble when they find themselves sneaking into Sorrento.

With a fun mix of pirate like adventures mixed with steampunk technology and some things that feel like magic, this book is really something special. This book is an indie debut novel and man did it knock it out of the park. I was truly gripped by the opening scene, ready to dive all in for all of these characters. I loved the steampunk vibe of it all (shocker) and the fact that you can see the influences of Treasure Planet in the text. (Which again, if you've never seen you should go watch it immediately.) The side characters, especially the crew of Maelstrom, are really great and each serves a greater overall purpose in the story. The romance plot line isn't overwhelming and is definitely a slow burn, but due to the amount of other things going on its definitely not overwhelming. I also really liked how the aether and relics worked, how there are different classes of relic and how the 'highest' level actually bonds to user, while also fundamentally changing them. We get to see the danger of pirates, their fights between ships but also how the Sky Cities and those on the land view each other.

I am excited to see where the next book in this series goes, especially after that ending. I found myself unable to put this book down once I started and definitely lost sleep trying to finish it. I was locked in so quickly and wanted to see my space pirate adventure play out with all of it's steampunk/magic goodness. This novel has definitely fully took the mantel as my first five star read of the year. It was extremely well written, with a well built world, complex characters and a storyline that immediately draws you in. I liked the Amaya, though a captive for a bit of the story, at no point is a damsel in distress. She jumps into the fights, learning how to keep herself safe and protected as she needs to and fighting for those she loves even through all of the loss she experiences in the story. Will is also a complex character, with a tragic past and a lot of pressure riding on him, especially when some members of his crew are more like family to him. He also knows how much he has to lose if they fail their mission, and how much danger he will put his crew in to complete the task.

I rated this book 5 out of 5 stars!

Bound By The Sky is scheduled to come out January 27, 2026!

This book is independently published so be sure to purchase it an share it with friends! It is truly a great and impressive read for a debut novel!

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