I don’t give out many one star ratings. (EDIT 7/21: Never mind. Ever since I started reading more books in the YA genre I've been giving plenty of one star ratings. When I wrote this review, though, a one star rating was rare from me. Now? Not so much.)

So Congratulations, Skylark! I reward you with a single, lonely, star. You should be honored of your crappiness.

Just so you know, I did not finish this book, but I made it up to 53%, which I think is an accomplishment, given how much this book w More...

Combining magic, science-fiction, and a scary futuristic setting, Skylark is original in its concept that brings forth a dark, twisted world where magic, and monsters, run rampant.

I was wary at first because I wasn't sure how well the mix of dystopian and magic would mingle, but I found myself quite captivated by it all, though this did not happen right away. At the very start there's a lot of confusion when it comes to the world building: What exactly is this harvesting and why is it done? Wher More...

Read This Review & More Like It At Ageless Pages Reviews

Won from http://thebooksmugglers.com/

I’ll admit, I’d heard nothing, seen nothing, and had no knowledge of Skylark until someone retweeted Meagan Spooner’s “Sky’s the Limit” contest, in which every entrant would win a prize. I, being a sucker for free stuff, entered and the author herself tweeted me a list of other contests she was running to promote the novel. I entered those too and won a prize pack from thebooksmugglers.com, a signed More...

Skylark is the most technically proficient and well-written novel that I've ever struggled to finish. No doubt Spooner is an author to watch.

The world building of Skylark is both imaginative and rich. It has a fascinating backstory set in a dangerous and vivid world. By the end of the novel I was rather attached to the characters and invested in Lark's and Oren's struggles. I cheered them on and felt a little heart palpitation at the impossibility of their circumstances.

Your enjoyment of this no More...

Ok, let's try this again.

4.5 Stars

Rounding up since the only reason I didn't like it was cause I'm still undecided whether I like the MC or not. I'll explain more later. The story is great, a dystopian world which relies on magic to sustain it. The imagery was excellent, I felt like I was there with her in the forest, the city, the Iron Wood, on those pockets of magic. The characters were all believable I loved Nix, greatest pixie queen ever! Never liked Kris from the start of the book, he cares More...

Skylark, Meagan Spooner's debut novel is a chilling dystopian story set in a war ravaged world where magic is a very important commodity to possess. 16-year-old Lark is considered an anomaly in her society; not yet harvested and made useful. She keeps to herself and ignores the taunts as children years younger than her are brought to the Institute where their Resource is taken to help keep their city running.


The story is told from the point of view of our main character, Lark. Her narrative is e More...

I first heard about this book at BEA (Book Expo America). One of my blogger friends snagged the ARC. Well, when she told me she stayed up reading until 5AM, I knew this was a book I had to read. The publisher approved my Netgalley request, and I read it the next day.

Skylark grabbed me from page one and never let go. Poor Lark lives her whole life feeling rejected because she was never chosen for harvest. When the day finally comes, she discovers why. And, hold crap is all I can really say about More...

Actual rating 3.5

I am not sure why I finally decided to read this one. There were mixed reviews about it and so after a while I finally decided to read it. I should say this first before going on. Initially after finishing the book I really did like it and gave it 4.5 stars… now I’d rather give it 3.5.

The mixed reviews made me lower my expectations for this book by a lot and I had this book on my shelf for quite a while before I finally gave in and read it. I was actually amazed by how much I More...

I have one complaint to make about this book—I waited much too long to read it so, yes, I’m complaining about myself.

Dystopia has become a frequent theme of fantasy (or science fiction, whichever genre you prefer to say), particularly in the young adult arena, and the more offerings I come across, the more I think are just average at best. The same thing happens with all fiction fads. Remember the early days of the badass female supernatural, whether she be vampire, werewolf, demon-hunter, etc., More...

Originally Reviewed on The Book Smugglers

Lark Ainsley is used to feeling passed-up and left behind. Left behind, because one of her older brothers, Basil, left Lark years ago on a bold mission to leave the City and brave the dangerous, magic-deprived world beyond the wall that keeps its inhabitants safe. Passed-up, because every year, a group of children - usually around 11 or 12 years old - are selected to be "harvested." Their natural powers - magic, if you will - are stripped and added to the More...

I've read a lot of just good and pretty meh books lately and let me tell you, Skylark was a breath of fresh air. This is the book I've been waiting for and silly me didn't pick it up until now.

Man, I just don't even know where to start because Skylark is just this explosion of awesomeness packed in between two covers. There's just enough action and suspense to keep me glued to the pages without being overwhelming. The little (and big) mysteries of the world and the story are subtly weaved in so More...

I have mixed feelings about this book. Some things were pretty original, and there were some good/creative ideas and things taking place.

But the plot was kind of all over the place. Actually, there wasn't much of a plot. The bulk of the book consisted of the main character, virtually alone, telling about her activities and a very long journey she suffered through. It felt like an excruciatingly long journal entry. I'm also left with lots of confusing questions that I felt weren't really explaine More...

A reader's trust in an author is essential. Especially in a fantasy or science fiction world, where there is a great deal of world-building and not all facts about the world are known right away. One must get the impression that the writer is in control of his/her story, and if you just keep reading, your questions will be answered.

Meagan Spooner repaid my faith in spades.

This book's beginning is a little rough. I had to grit my teeth and plow through the first few chapters, trusting that expla More...

Le livre se découpe en 3 parties bien distinctes et j’ai largement préféré la première.
C’est assez rare que les livres nous fassent entrer dans l’action dès le départ et Syrli le réussi parfaitement! Cette entrée en matière m’a réellement touché, voire bouleversé. Je n’en revenais pas de la cruauté qui pouvait régner dans le monde de Syrli. Elle a grandi dans un monde de faux-semblants et plus on avance avec elle dans ses découvertes, plus c’est effrayant à voir.
Malheureusement, le soufflet reto More...

Sky­lark is the most tech­ni­cally pro­fi­cient and well-written novel that I’ve ever strug­gled to fin­ish. No doubt Spooner is an author to watch.

The world build­ing of Sky­lark is both imag­i­na­tive and rich. It has a fas­ci­nat­ing back­story set in a dan­ger­ous and vivid world. By the end of the novel I was rather attached to the char­ac­ters and invested in Lark’s and Oren’s strug­gles. I cheered them on and felt a lit­tle heart pal­pi­ta­tion at the impos­si­bil­ity of their circumstanc More...

The first 2 halves of this book, I'll admit, is slow. The first third is predictable and doesn't set itself apart from the others. The middle third is slow and again, no surprises. But the last third, that's where this book sets itself apart. So I encourage you all to read it through, it is so worth it!

What I liked:

The Romance: So many times the romance is the center of a YA book. And while there is romance in this book, it's not the driving point of the story. So many times in a YA book, it fe More...

Skylark is a science fiction fantasy that reads like a dystopian. While the writing, characters, and pacing are good, some of the fantasy elements left me rolling my eyes.

Lark lives under a dome that provides a manufactured sun and runs on magical power which it harvests from its adolescents. Lark can't wait to be harvested. She will finally be an adult. And at 15, she's had to wait longer than most young people. However, when she gets harvested, it is much worse than she anticipated, and she fi More...

SKYLARK was a compelling, page-turning dystopia where the survivors of some sort of magic war live in magically sealed cities powered by harvesting the magic from their children. Lark is eagerly waiting for the time when she is harvested so that she can assume her role as an adult in the city. Things don't go as expected when Lark is chosen for harvesting. She is told that she is something special - a Renewable. Her magic can be harvested over and over for the good of her city. However, the harv More...

Author Meagan Spooner has imagined a dystopian teen fantasy that has it all! Magic, first love...and come to find out, there is some pretty horrific evil going on as well. Protagonist Lark Ainsley is a teen that has waited years to be selected for harvesting by her fellow citizens in the last city left in the world. It is covered by a protective dome to keep out the unknown evils in the world beyond, which was devastated by war 100 years earlier. The power source in the city is what is harvested More...

I think fantasy readers are going to enjoy this series and I look forward to reading the second in the series.There are those in the world who have magic and those who do not. After the war, the city Lark lives in is shielded but the power necessary to maintain that shield needs to be replenished. Lark has not undergone what is known as Harvesting - extracting the magic to power the machines,etc. Now, at the age of 15, much later than anyone else in the city, she is taken for her Harvesting. For More...

Skylark by Megan Spooner is a story of one girl's courageous journey to save herself and those she loves. Her determination not to believe the sweetness covering the lies and deceit or that Monsters can't be cured is part of what makes this character a great heroine.

An incredibly visual story, stunning in it's distrubing yet hopeful version of the future. A world both breathtakingly beautiful and terrifyingly horrific at the same time. A world where trusting yourself may be the most important th More...

SKYLARK (YA) by Meagan Spooner

SKYLARK is the anticipated August 2012 new release from author Meagan Spooner. SKYLARK is a Young Adult novel written in both the utopian and dystopian genre of literature. Exploring both the political and social structures of a post apocalyptic nightmare, SKYLARK- divided into three sections-follows 16 year old Lark Ainsley and her endeavor to discover who and what she (is). The world as she has been taught, is not the world she will come to know. There is a lot of More...

I present to you... SKYLARK, love child of Under the Never Sky and Matched.

(view spoiler)[ Is this really all YA has to offer now? I'm well aware that there is NO original story any more, every story is basically derived from another, but a great one knows how to mask that fact. Skylark...is not great. I think that, at first, the author had a real idea. Had in mind some kind of epic tale. You can feel that, actually.

(duckduckduckduckduckduckduckduckduckduck)

Then Part I ended that way it ended, and she lost h (hide spoiler)] More...

Remember when you saw Danny Boyle's Sunshine, and for the first two thirds of it, you were like, "Holy shit, this is the most perfect science fiction movie ever made?" and then the last third happened and you felt stunned and betrayed and...lost? This book is the reverse of that. The first two thirds are boooooring and typical and just nearly impossible to slog through. But then the last third of the book hits, and something starts to click, and it keeps clicking, and before you know it, you're More...

Spoilers

The city Lark Ainsley lives in is surrounded by a wall powered by the 'Resource' (magic) of its citizens. The 'Resource' is Harvested at a very young age at the city's Institute. Lark has never been Harvested because she has no 'Resource'/magic. Everyone else her age has already been stripped of their magic and have done their part in powering the city.
When Lark is chosen to be Harvested, she's shocked to find that she is a Renewable and able to regenerate her innate powers everytime sh More...

When I first read the summary for "Skylark" I thought, "Wow, what an original concept." However, no matter how unique the storyline, the writing just did not deliver.

Lark Ainsley has been passed over for harvesting her resource year after year. You see, in this dystopian society, the magical powers of children are tapped to power the city. Finally, when her time comes, Lark finds out that what will happen to her is not what she was taught. It is all a big lie and her life is very much on the lin More...

Like any Dystopian novel, Skylark intrigued me from the get go. The premise of dystopia and may bes are things that draw people's attention and get them fascinated.

Lark waits for Harvest day where she could be chosen to aid her city in prospering. The city is surrounded by a wall, a force field of power keeping the citizens safe. The young children in the city possess something called Resource a magic in them that helps power the city, its technologies. At the right age, they are Harvested of th More...

Skylark is a young adult dystopian fiction that is a little higher concept than most. Lark is a 16 year old girl who lives in a city that is covered with a dome for protection and she is considered a "dud" because she hasn't had her "resource" harvested yet. Harvesting usually occurs to pre-teens. "Resource" is magical ability and apparently harvesting is having your magic ripped out of your body so the city can use it for power. It is an interesting blend of science fiction and magic.

Lark is fi More...

It is very hard to put Skylark into a genre. I started off reading a sci-fi adventure, which turned into a steampunk mystery, and then a horror with a fair dollop of fantasy thrown in... and it became a wonderful mash-up of all of those elements. I really liked the originality of this story.

This is a really difficult plot to describe well, so I will let the summary provided by Goodreads do that! I really enjoyed following the protagonist, Lark, as she attempts to survive. She isn't very strong More...

I LOVED Skylark!!! and here's why...

From the beginning it felt like the sort of book that I would love to curl up on a couch with under a blanket, you know that feeling when a book feels like an old friend? Partly due to the lovely descriptive style of writing and partly due to the beginning reminding me of Obernewtyn (which I read many years ago and loved). Though there were times when Skylark soon made me feel a bit squeamish inside!

When I thought I had Skylark pegged - "I know what's going to More...