History Literature / ShatterTheSky

* TheNeedsOfTheMany: Naava agrees to help Maren with rescuing [[spoiler:Sev]] as she owes her for being freed. She's not willing to if it's a choice between this and rescuing all the dragons, her children however, asking Maren if she would really expect that.

* EroticDream: Maren dreams of her passionately kissing Sev, reflecting her attraction to him. It makes her feel guilty as she's already with Kaia, her girlfriend.

* {{Seers}}: The Aurati seers come down from the north every seven years for touring the Empire of Zefed, giving out prophecies and counting its subjects while they receive them. It's called a service, though the people who reside in the dragon mountains know this actually serves as a meant of control for the emperor. They help him by predicting the future often. They are an entirely female order, and occasionally take girls into their ranks, as it seems [[GenderRestrictedAbility only women can become Aurati]]. Maren's girlfriend Kaia is forced into their ranks. [[spoiler:It turns out though there's only one Prophet, with the rest just passing on hers or making up vague ones which people buy into. Dragons here are the source of the Prophet's foresight as well, since their dreams can show the future. Prophets thus [[BondCreatures bind themselves with a dragon]] to see them via {{telepathy}}. Only a few Verran girls can become the Prophet.]]

* TheModestOrgasm: The second time they're described as having sex, Kaia cried out very quietly when Maren brings her to climax.

* TheNeedsOfTheMany: Naava agrees to help Maren with rescuing [[spoiler:Sev]] as she ower her for being freed. She's not willing to if it's a choice between this and rescuing all the dragons, her children however, asking Maren if she would really expect that.

* ComingOfAgeStory: Maren, who is seventeen when the story starts, goes on a quest to rescue Kaia, her girlfriend. She has take on significant responsibility and danger while doing so, growing into a strong young woman as a result.

* BloodMagic: [[spoiler:Maren is bonded with the old mother dragon Naava through drinking her blood with her own shed into a fire near her.]]

* ActionGirl: Maren is competent with a knife or her bare arms. She uses [[GuileHero trickery]] and evasion however far more, or dragons [[BondCreatures she's bonded to]] fight on her behalf.

* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: The emperor is sliding toward this by the second book, as his ruinous taxes, along with {{conscription}} and repression of dissent in general turns most citizens against him. Only the nobles (mostly) and the Talons ({{dragon rider}}s) are loyal to him, rather than simply going along in fear. The former is because he keeps them in the lap of luxury, while the latter are honored as his elite soldiers. It's the Talons who have kept him on the throne even in the face of growing popular loathing, because no one can fight a dragon. [[spoiler:Once that begins to change, he's doomed as riots and rebellion spreads.]]

* SwitchingPOV: In the first book, protagonist Maren is the only POV character. We start seeings things from Sev's perspective in the second book though, with chapters alternating from her to him.

* SharedDream: Maren starts having these with Sev in book two as a result of her {{telepathy}}. They can also sometimes glimpses of things which [[DreamingOfThingsToCome have yet to happen]]. It's called dragon dreams, as this comes from dragons ultimately.

* {{Seers}}: The Aurati seers come down from the north every seven years for touring the Empire of Zefed, giving out prophecies and counting its subjects while they receive them. It's called a service, though the people who reside in the dragon mountains know this actually serves as a meant of control for the emperor. They help him by predicting the future often. They are an entirely female order, and occasionally take girls into their ranks, as it seems [[GenderRestrictedAbility only women can become Aurati]]. Maren's girlfriend Kaia is forced into their ranks. [[spoiler:It turns out though there's only one Prophet, with the rest just passing on hers or making up vague ones which people buy into. Dragons here are the source of the Prophet's foresight as well, since their dreams can show the future. Prophets thus [[BondCreatures bind themselves with a dragon]] to see them via {{telepathy}}. [[Only a few Verran girls can become the Prophet.]]

* NonHeteronormativeSociety: Everyone fully accepts people who enter into same-sex relationships. Maren and Kaia, two girls, openly date. In addition, Kaia has two mothers and this is a public fact no one comments about. This appears to apply not only with the Verrans of Ilvera, but also their Zefedi rulers, since they don't comment on this either. Some of the Zefedi are also quite open about hitting on people with the same sex, and no one cares.

* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: Not all Zefedi believe in the empire, it's shown. Sev hates the way dragons are treated under the emperor's commands, and his tyranny overall. He reveals that his entire family were killed a result of speaking out against the emperor. Maren's father too is Zefedi and a good man who embraces life among the Verrans after marrying one, her mother.

* MindlinkMates: Maren is mentally linked with the girlfriend Kaia, it turns out, experiences flashes of things she goes through. It appears to be one way though.

* MercyKill: [[spoiler:It's not stated explicitly but clear that Naava kills the dragons in the obliette as they are too mad due to abuse and cannot recover.]]

* MamaBear: Naava is the mother of all the dragons. She sets out to free all of them are Maren has liberated her, unwilling to rest if any remain slaves.

* MagicMusic: Though not explicitly called magic, the dragon songs which Maren (along with dragons, naturally) sign (both vocally and telepathically) can often wake up drugged, enslaved dragons, freeing them from their stupors.

* JackBauerInterrogationTechnique: [[spoiler:Sev has his [[{{Fingore}} fingers broken]] whether he lies while being questioned by the emperor.]]

* HidingYourHeritage: Maren hides anything which would show she's of Verran heritage, putting on Zefedi clothing and going by their customs. As her father is Zefedi, with Maren's looks akin to his, she passes physically quite well. Her name is also Zefedi, after his mother.

* FedToTheBeast: Emperor Rafael keeps an obliette inside his palace which houses starved dragons who had failed the [[DragonRider rider training]], feeding people to them who displeased him.

* DragonRider: The Empire of Zefed has them, called Talons, the dragon guard. Earning the right to ride a dragon however is difficult. Only the Zefedi are given them. The Verran people had them originally before the Zefedi conquered them. However, they are still in the dragon mountains as dragons will die if taken away too far. Verrans are barred from work in the fortress housing the dragons and riders. All the Verrans despise it. Long ago, the Verrans had ridden dragons as well and even breathed fire too it's said. They were only defeated after a Zefedi emperor stole them, which explains their animus for this. The bond between a rider and dragon is reputedly unbreakable when raised up from a hatchling. Maren infiltrates where the dragons are raised to get one so she can become a dragon rider and go rescue her girlfriend, who has been taken captive by the emperor's servants. Different oils are used to control and train the dragons it's revealed, which Maren learns about. She eventually rides a dragon herself, through winning her trust instead of control with the oils. It turns out that the emperor is himself a dragon rider, riding the biggest one, named Vix the Ruiner. The Senatese, a people who he wants to conquer, also have (free) dragons whom they ride it's revealed, and defeated his own dragon riders through using them. Controlling its dragons are what makes the empire so powerful since no human soldiers can easily defeat them. The {{dragon rider}}s (called Talons) are thus the most elite soldiers the empire has.

* DragonRider: The Empire of Zefed has them, called Talons, the dragon guard. Earning the right to ride a dragon however is difficult. Only the Zefedi are given them. The Verran people had them originally before the Zefedi conquered them. However, they are still in the dragon mountains as dragons will die if taken away too far. Verrans are barred from work in the fortress housing the dragons and riders. All the Verrans despise it. Long ago, the Verrans had ridden dragons as well and even breathed fire too it's said. They were only defeated after a Zefedi emperor stole them, which explains their animus for this. The bond between a rider and dragon is reputedly unbreakable when raised up from a hatchling. Maren infiltrates where the dragons are raised to get one so she can become a dragon rider and go rescue her girlfriend, who has been taken captive by the emperor's servants. Different oils are used to control and train the dragons it's revealed, which Maren learns about. She eventually rides a dragon herself, through winning her trust instead of control with the oils.

* TheEmpire: The empire of Zefed, which has conquered several countries and is waging war against others for this purpose. It's pretty obviously bad to the reader not only because of this but also using dragons as its tools in a very cruel way, though most Zefedi are indoctrinated into supporting it. A resistance exists however, with some Zefedi opposing it. They constitute an elite in the empire, which claims its wars are caused by those they conquer. Its dragons are what makes the empire so powerful since no human soldiers can easily defeat them. The {{dragon rider}}s (called Talons) are thus the most elite soldiers the empire has.

* TheEmpire: The empire of Zefed, which has conquered several countries and is waging war against others for this purpose. It's pretty obviously bad to the reader not only because of this but also using dragons as its tools in a very cruel way, though most Zefedi are indoctrinated into supporting it. A resistance exists however, with some Zefedi opposing it. They constitute an elite in the empire, which claims its wars are caused by those they conquer. Its dragons are what makes the empire so powerful since no human soldiers can easily defeat them. The {{dragon rider}}s (called Talons) are thus the most elite soldiers the empire has. Its Aurati, an all-female order, serve as the administrators of the emperor, with some being {{seers}} as well who help him by predicting the future. It turns out that the emperor is himself a dragon rider, riding the biggest one, named Vix the Ruiner. The Senatese, a people who he wants to conquer, also have (free) dragons whom they ride it's revealed, and defeated his own dragon riders through using them.

* {{Seers}}: The Aurati seers come down from the north every seven years for touring the Empire of Zefed, giving out prophecies and counting its subjects while they receive them. It's called a service, though the people who reside in the dragon mountains know this actually serves as a meant of control for the emperor. They are an entirely female order, and occasionally take girls into their ranks, as it seems [[GenderRestrictedAbility only women can become Aurati]]. Maren's girlfriend Kaia is forced into their ranks. [[spoiler:It turns out though there's only one Prophet, with the rest just passing on hers or making up vague ones which people buy into. Dragons here are the source of the Prophet's foresight as well, since their dreams can show the future. Prophets thus [[BondCreatures bind themselves with a dragon]] to see them via {{telepathy}}. [[Only a few Verran girls can become the Prophet.]]

* DragonRider: The Empire of Zefed has them, called Talons, the dragon guard. Earning the right to ride a dragon however is difficult. Only the Zefedi are given them. The Verran people had them originally before the Zefedi conquered them. However, they are still in the dragon mountains as dragons will die if taken away too far. Verrans are barred from work in the fortress housing the dragons and riders. All the Verrans despise it. Long ago, the Verrans had ridden dragons as well and even breathed fire too it's said. They were only defeated after a Zefedi emperor stole them, which explains their animus for this. The bond between a rider and dragon is reputedly unbreakable when raised up from a hatchling. Maren infiltrates where the dragons are raised to get one so she can become a dragon rider and go rescue her girlfriend, who has been taken captive by the emperor's servants. Different oils are used to control and train the dragons it's revealed, which Maren learns about. She eventually rides a dragon herself.

* ChildOfTwoWorlds: Maren is the child of a Zefedi father and Verran mother. The Zefedi conquered the Verrans, while ruling their land still. While her parents love each other and have a good marriage, it's something that puts her in the middle between the two peoples. Maren too stands out from her mostly Verran neighbors, as she inherited Zefedi looks from her father. Nonetheless, she considers herself fully a Verran due to being raised among them. She's glad while being in the midsts Zefedi however that her height and skin color (unusual among Verrans) don't stand out, as they had before all her life.

* BondCreatures: Dragons here must choose humans before they [[DragonRider accept them as riders]], and can telepathically tell if the human is worthy. However, aromatic oils are used by humans too in influencing dragons' minds using the smell, such as by calming them.

To do this, she determines she'll take a dragon, which the Empire has since no human can stand against them. Infiltrating the nearby dragon fortress that keeps them, Maren finds increasing danger but also unexpected allies, with her quest soon growing to encompass far more than she ever planned before, while she discovers her own gifts that involve dragons.