What a gem of a read this was! Morally ambiguous characters, dragons, and some angsty romantic drama between characters made this for a fast and satisfying read. Not only can I not wait for what will happen next, but how the story will grow and transform from the ending I read. I’m excited for others to read this story as well, and revel in the choices that these beloved characters are making, and what it means for the future. More than anything, this book really made me want to go and research information about Plato’s Republic, because I was fascinated by the mechanics behind the politics in the world of Fireborne. Let’s get into it, shall we?
We begin with Annie and Lee, child survivors of a revolution that left them both orphaned, but with the opportunity to test into the governing class of dragon riders. They’re both rising stars in this new regime, despite completely different backgrounds. Annie is lowborn, her family executed by dragonfire, while Lee’s aristocratic family was killed by revolutionaries. Their friendship was forged in the orphanage they met in, while training in the dragon fleet has made them rivals for the top position. Everything begins to change when the old regime returns, hell bent on taking back what they lost. With war in the distance and Annie and Lee’s relationship changing rapidly, Lee has to decide whether to betray the only family he has left, or turn his back on everything he’s come to believe in. Annie will have to decide whether to protect the boy she loves, or become a guardian to a city worth protecting.
This story is told from two perspectives, Annie and Lee’s, but what was most important to me was the parallels that these two characters draw from the beginning. Annie is so determined and fierce, a compelling young woman seeking to buck the natural order of things. She’s introverted, and because of her low birth is seen as inferior, despite her excelling in dragon riding. While Lee has had similar life experiences in the orphanage, his personality is more engaging, therefore more likeable and the favourite to become the commander of the dragon riding fleet. My goodness, did I love both of these characters so much. Their emotions spill on to the page, and the scars that they carry certainly run very deep. Their relationship is one that is very complex, and I admire that it’s not just a simple friendship. It’s full of secrets and feelings that really make you think of how these two could possibly be friends, but full of loyalty that reminds you of the fact that there’s no way that they couldn’t be.
As for the other characters, I personally loved Duck. My goodness…this sweet, sweet, liveable young man made my heart bleed. He deserves all the good things. Crissa as well, but let’s talk about Power for a moment. This character was such a quandary for me because I definitely disliked him…but I had to admire how much of an ass he is. Like Lee and Annie, there’s more going on in that head of his, but man was I not expecting him at all. I won’t lie, though there’s definitely a lot of things going on in this story, these characters will definitely stick with you and get under your skin.
Plot-wise, there’s a lot of interesting machinations going on. There’s these little glimpses of what life was like before the revolution for both Annie and Lee, and what happens afterwards. The system that is implemented after the revolution is what really got me hooked though. It’s based on how you test. Therefore, anyone can become a dragon rider based on their intelligence. However, there’s also some highlights of the flaws with this system, particularly when someone isn’t a good test-taker, or has a learning disability. This is one of the aspects of the book that I loved the most. The ambiguity of the political systems. The corruption of inherited based power, versus the frustrations of a merit based system. Then there’s also the fact that overthrowing a regime doesn’t fix all of the problems of the republic. You can’t just erase the prejudice that people have due to their birth. Ugh, I could go on and on, but I’ll stop there.
I’d like to touch on the dragons in this story for a moment…since this world does include dragons and most of our characters are dragon riders. The magic system is based on the connections with dragons, and them choosing their rider, which is all fine. In other books, I might have complained about us not getting any more info aside from tidbits here and there, but since this is something that I’ve seen in other dragon books, I loved that we didn’t go as much into it. I do love the mind-melding between the rider and the dragon, and how their connections can influence so much more. I do want to know more about the different classifications of dragons (we get a little bit, but I did want more) a la Tea Dragon Society (haha). I know they’re dangerous and probably scary, but man do I wish I had little drawings of the dragons in this book.
It’s a 10/10 for me. This story is unforgettable, with an amazing opening hook that will have readers all over this story (in my opinion). I cannot wait for the next part of the Aurelian Cycle, and I hope that the wait will pass quickly, because I need more of Annie and Lee.
Fireborne is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers as of October 15th.
Will you be picking up Fireborne? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Game of Thrones meets Red Rising in a debut young adult fantasy that’s full of rivalry, romance… and dragons.
Annie and Lee were just children when a brutal revolution changed their world, giving everyone—even the lowborn—a chance to test into the governing class of dragonriders.
Now they are both rising stars in the new regime, despite backgrounds that couldn’t be more different. Annie’s lowborn family was executed by dragonfire, while Lee’s aristocratic family was murdered by revolutionaries. Growing up in the same orphanage forged their friendship, and seven years of training have made them rivals for the top position in the dragonriding fleet.
But everything changes when survivors from the old regime surface, bent on reclaiming the city.
With war on the horizon and his relationship with Annie changing fast, Lee must choose to kill the only family he has left or to betray everything he’s come to believe in. And Annie must decide whether to protect the boy she loves . . . or step up to be the champion her city needs.
From debut author Rosaria Munda comes a gripping adventure that calls into question which matters most: the family you were born into, or the one you’ve chosen.
