A truly masterful tale of fantasy written by one of those rare authors whose storytelling comes as naturally as breathing. Fireborne is a hidden gem found within a sea of overwhelming choices. This uniquely written tale contains a combination of intrigue, survival and the shared desire to be free when individuals of different backgrounds are stripped of their personal freedoms.

Such a great book! I really enjoyed it! Great characters, action, storyline, dialog and writing! I definitely recommend checking this book out!

First of all, Fireborne was nothing like Game of Thrones. It's a terrible comparison. Yes, they both have dragons, but that's where the similarities stop. Second, there's some rivalry, but it's definitely not full of romance and dragons. The cover and synopsis are very misleading, which I think does this book a disservice.

I went into this one thinking it was going to be a book about dragons. Were dragons present? Yes. Were they an important aspect of the story? Not really. I like my dragons fierce and capable, or sentient and conversational. The dragons in Fireborne were neither. They were essentially glorified horses with wings, and I really struggled with how they were portrayed. They were more like pets than companions.

Basically, a dragon selects a human when they're young, and then the two form an unbreakable bond. Their owners are given whistles that summon their dragons to them (the whistles create a sound only the dragons can hear, and each dragon responds to a different whistle). How did the humans create these whistles, since they can't hear the frequencies? They also saddle the dragons and place bits in their mouths, which isn't a very dignified existence for the dragons. Some of the riders would spillover while flying with their dragons (meaning their minds and emotions were linked), and that's the closest thing to a conversation anyone had with a dragon. It was super frustrating to see the dragons being used this way, and how they were held responsible for their owner's actions. It would be like punishing a dog for attacking someone when they were trained to obey a specific command.

As for the romance... it was seriously nonexistent. Lee gets handsy with someone as a distraction, but it's obvious he only cares about one person. Their histories make their friendship complicated, and Annie can't get over the face from her past. Her reservations made sense at first, but once we learn about everything Lee did for her, I no longer understood her hesitation. Her actions actually started to irritate me, and I never really liked her as a character. She wants to overcome the obstacles of her past, but she's unwilling to commit to her present. When she finally takes some initiative, it makes her sick (as it should), but neither she nor Lee challenge the decisions of others (even though they don't agree with what they're being asked to do).

Lee is understandably conflicted, and he's torn between what he knows and what he knows to be right. However, the people he's currently fighting for don't always make the best decisions, so it's hard to really choose a side. It seems like death is inevitable, and I disagree with the concept. The author said this book was loosely based on Plato's The Republic and Virgil's Aeneid, but that didn't make the story more enjoyable. Honestly, I thought the book was way too long, and wish it had been condensed for a quicker pace.

I almost gave up on this book, but instead took about two months to read it. I never wanted to pick it up, because I knew it was going to be a long and arduous process. Reading a book shouldn't feel like work, and that's exactly what Fireborne felt like to me. It didn't help that the dragon's played a minor role, and the characters were unbelievably frustrating.

Originally posted at Do You Dog-ear? on December 2, 2019.

4 stars

You can read all of my book reviews at https://www.NerdGirlLovesBooks.com.

WOW. What a ride! I haven't been this engrossed in a book in awhile. It has everything you could want in a YA Fantasy book. Revolution, class warfare, people overcoming obstacles, orphans, family troubles, inner struggles and turmoil, love triangles and best of all - dragons! It's a great start to what I hope will be a very good YA fantasy series.

The main characters, Annie and Lee, were children when a successful revolution changed life for everyone in their country. Before the revolution, three families ruled over the country, headed by Dragonlords. The rulers were arrogant and harsh, with little care or respect for the poor. Annie's family were farmers and Lee was a member of an aristocrat dragonlord family. Both children were forced to watch their families slaughtered. Annie's family were killed when a dragonlord had his dragon burn them alive. Lee's family were killed during the revolution. Both ended up in the same orphanage and clung to each other to survive. Despite how close Annie and Lee became, however, Lee never told her his secret. The secret that would cost him his life if revealed.

After the revolution, anyone could test to become a dragonrider. Years after the revolution, Annie and Lee are rising stars in the new regime. Both have become dragon riders and are competing to become the top commander of the dragonriding fleet. Just as the competition heats up, survivors from the old regime appear. They make it clear that they are determined to take back what was once theirs - by any means necessary. With this news, Lee must make the most important decision of his life. Stay loyal to the new regime, or reunite with his family and fight for the old regime.

Even though this book is almost 450 pages, it is a very easy, quick read. While there is minimal world building, the characters are fairly well developed. There is plenty of action and intrigue to keep the story moving, with very few sections where the story slowed down or dragged. I highly recommend you read this book and am excited to read the rest of the books in this series.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

E-galley provided by Netgalley and Penguin Teen in exchange for an honest review. All quotations and opinions are based off an uncorrected proof.

“All that I am, henceforth, belongs to Callipolis. By the wings of my dragon, I will keep her…”

Regardless of your story and characters, chance are that if you have dragons in your book, I’m going to read it. I’m very glad that as I read the book, I found that the dragons aren’t even the best part of the book. The best part, in my opinion, was the character relationships and the way the book talks about societal justice and the cyclical nature of violence.

When I started reading the book, I was incredibly impressed by how charming the characters were. However, the lightness of the beginning chapters gave me the false impression that this book would be funny or light-hearted. The book is actually quite dark and heavy. As the book went on, the characters became more weighted and complex. Of course, the plot of the book really stretches the characters out and molds them into something different as their world’s change.

The plot begins with the end of a revolution. An internal uprising that killed Lee’s family and avenged Annie’s. Both are talented dragon-riders and are vying for the same position. They also have incredible chemistry as friends, rivals, and romantic partners.

Lee and Annie’s relationship was incredibly complex and was a huge motivator for me to read this. They have a huge history with one another and know each other really well that they can see things in each other that no one else can. They also have this dedication to each other that comes before reason and patriotism. They’re two people who want more from one another and never seem to get around to it.

The politics of this book are also really great. Instead of centering on a building revolution, it’s already happening and the book focuses on the establishment of a new system. I realy loved that the book focuses on the way that one system is much like another and what really maters is the people in power and their motivations. I feel like this book had a lot to say about how power itself is a corrupting force and the consequences of reaching your goals.

The experience of reading this book was very very very slow at first. I felt like I had read hundreds of pages when I only read 20. The first half was very tough for me to get through and didn’t have as much substance as I thought the second half did. There’s lots of reasons for this distinction, so I don’t mind it much looking back now, but at the time it was rough. The second half of the book is great though, and I was able to get through it really quick. Character development as well as plot moves at a great pace and you really get to enjoy the whole scope of the story.

I hope and expect this to be a series as while I liked the ending there’s has to be more to the story and I fully intend on seeing this through to the end. I hope that this world grows, but I’m most excited for the character development that I’m eager to see.

TL;DR: A slow star, but a blazing finish for a new fantasy series that promises the excitement of dragons and a societal commentary that’s beyond thought-provoking. If you can push through the beginning of the book, you’ll be rewarded by the last page.

Fireborne by Rosaria Munda one of my most anticipated reads this year, and I'm thrilled to have read it and can easily say it not only lived up to expectations, but blew them out of the water! I've struggled with 'hyped' books and actually mostly avoided them this year after a bad start to 2018 when I DNFed a handful of my anticipated new releases in a row. Not this one! This one also makes me almost want to try some of those other Traditional pub books on my shelf, which is a big deal for me!

I'm easily drawn to fantasy reads, and almost can't resist a book with dragons (and riders!) but that said, I find it difficult for these books to really impress me and leave an impression, going above and beyond the run of the mill average books that tend to be numerous. This is one of those special books that I loved not for the initial draw, in this case dragons, but because the story as a whole was so incredible, and I loved the characters and story with or without dragons, that's what makes a good story. Fear not, there's plenty of dragons and no shortage of fantasy elements, but they aren't used as lures, but instead are woven into a beautiful story that's golden inside and out.

I loved reading Fireborn, and loved the balance of hope against the growing darkness, and seeing the characters learn and grow throughout. I'm so excited at the prospect of reading more of these characters, and can't wait for the chance to visit this world again!

*3.5 stars*
This book had a very interesting concept. I will say that I think I set my expectations for this book a little too high, so I was a little disappointed, but overall it was a good book. One thing that I really appreciated was the slowburn romance between two of the characters. I also loved that the dragons and the political intrigue aspects of the book reminded me a LOT of Game of Thrones. One thing that prevented me from rating this book higher was the pacing of the story. Occasionally there would be time jumps/gaps of time missing that seemed to come out of nowhere. But at the same time, the story still felt a little long/dragged out. Overall, I enjoyed the plot and the characters were very well written, so I look forward to reading the next book in this series!

This was a great book! I found it hard to put down once I got started. The story was interesting, the characters were engaging, and it was well paced.

“ Fireborne” is being marketed as Game of Thrones meets Red Rising so of course, I had to check it out! I mean a book about dragons, what’s not to love? There were some things I didn’t love. The story itself was good but there were many slow parts including a very slow to build beginning. I did enjoy the characters ( a tad more romance in book 2, eh? Lol) for the most part, although one in particular was more than a little frustrating. The worldbuilding was elaborate and the dragons, of course, played a huge role. Overall, “Fireborne” was an ok read and I look forward to reading book two in the future.

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

In all seriousness, Fireborne by Rosaria Munda is the best. I have nothing to compare it to. It is unique, yet takes elements I love from other fantasy novels and breathes new life into them. Do you like dragons? Do you like revolution? Do you like an unlikely hero? Do you love a heart-breaking romance? If you said yes to more than one of these, you are going to love Fireborne. Following two orphans of the revolution, Fireborne explores what happens to society and the teens left behind to rebuild it.

Annie and Lee are opposites. Annie is a former serf, orphaned when her family was executed by the dragonlord they served. She’s timid and shy, but very smart. Her brains take her far. She is allowed a dragon and trained as one of the new riders. Lee is the orphaned son of one of the dragonlords. He should have died, yet he was spared. No one knows how or why, and no one knows his true identity. He keeps it secret. His family was hated and despised, Lee knows that if his identity was ever leaked, he’d be killed. It is the mercy that he was shown and Annie’s history that gives Lee a unique perspective. Lee doesn’t want revenge for what was done to his family, he wants to move past it and build a better future for those that survived.

I love both Annie and Lee. They are unlikely friends that depend on each other to make them better. Lee cares deeply for Annie which is evident from their first interaction. Annie cares just as deeply, but also is confused. She knows who he is, even if the name was never spoken. This silence drives a wedge in their relationship, and when we the readers first meet them it is painful to see. The author’s writing evokes a powerful response from the reader. It is unlike anything else I’ve ever read. I truly felt both their pain and hurt. I just wanted to wrap them both in a hug.

The plot is centered around a tournament, which all the dragonriders have entered. Each win gets them closer to being the leader of the new dragonriders, an aerial fleet for the kingdom. The undertones of the tournament and education they receive is different than what the general public receives. History is being rewritten by the winners of the revolution that occurred ten years prior. Annie, Lee, and the other riders know it. The question is when is it too much. When do you tell the truth and when do you tell a pretty lie? This book explores propaganda and a society in which people are divided not by their birth but by their smarts.

Overall, if you haven’t guessed already, I love Fireborne. It is a fantastic read. The details and the dragons, the new government, and Lee and Annie drive the plot making it a fast read. If you enjoy YA fantasy with a heavy dose of politics, I highly recommend it. Me? I’m just going to be over here waiting for the next installment with bated breath because I need it ASAP please!

Excellent first book in a intelligent, well written young adult fantasy novel. Well written with detailed characters that really draw you into the story. I really liked the historical themes of dragons, romance, war, betrayal and love. This book is for more mature readers, it is intense, and at times slow moving. I was really drawn into the lives and world of the characters, and looking forward to the next book in the series.

Fireborne was by far one of the most inserting books I’ve read in a long time and Ive read Star Wars legends. Fireborne portrayed a form of game of thrones which is healthy and not as hardcore. I was especially entranced by the moral dilemmas constantly faced and the controversy always being encountered by the main MCs.
I’m glad I was given a chance to read a early copy. Definitely a book to pick up before the year is over!

I really liked the concept here but the story didn't draw me in. The beginning felt very slow with nothing really happening and the dual POVs read exactly the same, so I found myself backtracking several times trying to figure out whose head I was supposed to be in. The pace picked up toward the end and stuff happened. I wanted it to be less predictable, but I'll probably give the next book in the series a try.

Interesting read. As a dragon lover, I am always interested in how writers portray them. This was a different angle. I will probably look for book two as I am curious about what comes of the main characters.

Fireborne by Rosaria Munda is a fantastic read. It hooks the reader right away. This book is about two young people from different backgrounds. Both of them having lost their families, they met each other at an orphanage and became fast friends. Lee and Annie are dragon riders in training. After seven years of training, they are finally competing to be the FirstRider. The firstrider is a very important position in the dragon army.

I thought this book was such a great story. I loved getting to know the characters. It was hopeful and dark. I loved all the dragons and politics. I really liked how the story focused on what it costs to be the leaders and the responsibility it takes. Fireborne definitely takes you on the ride of your life. I can't wait to read more about these great characters. I absolutely love them and I am so anxious for more.

Title : Fireborne

Series :The Aurelian Cycle #1

Author: Rosaria Munda

Genre : young adult fantasy

Pages : 448

Rating:4.5

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 dragon riders.

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 dragon fire, 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 dragon riding 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.



My thoughts

Would I recommend it? Yes

Would I continue with the series? Yes

Would I read more by this author? Yes

Told in dual point of view you see the story come to live before your very eyes, the characters, the world, everything, you find out that there was a brutal revolution that happened and that everything changed, and with that changed came a new time when everyone no matter who they are could test to see if they have what it takes to be dragon riders. As for the story itself the plot was so well thought out and detailed, that I had no trouble understand what was going on and the even though the world building was slow it was through explained in away that it brought the story even more to life . It's a story that's about good vs evil, right or wrong and friendships vs the family that we are born into . And our choices . With that said I want to thank NetGalley for letting me read it and review it .

DNF. Thank you so much for approving me for this book! However, I cannot do love triangles in any form and this book gets too close to one, so it is not for me. I do love the dragon book trend tho. I am only rating this bc the form made me do so.

I didn’t love it and I didn’t hate it. I’ve seen Fireborne likened to a YA Game of Thrones which I can see. It has the politics and the dragons and a rising rebellion. I wish there was just a little bit...more. Especially more history and more action. I wish it was a tv show so I could better visualize this world. It’s a show I would definitely watch. There were parts that I did enjoy. There was great character development especially with Annie. As for book 2 in this series, I think I will still read it as book 1 ended at a spot where I was starting to feel invested.

To say this is "Game of Thrones meets Red Rising" could not be more accurate but it's even better than Game of Thrones. I was captivated from page one and enjoyed this book thoroughly. I need the second book NOW.

Thanks so much to Netgalley for the e-arc!

BOOK REPORT for Fireborne (The Aurelian Cycle #1) by Rosaria Munda

Cover Story: Propaganda Poster
BFF Charm: Shrug, Usher
Swoonworthy Scale: 5
Talky Talk: Natalie Imbruglia
Bonus Factors: Political Drama, Dragons
Relationship Status: Intense Blind Date

Cover Story: Propaganda Poster

There’s nothing hugely outstanding about this cover, but it brings to mind the kind of political propaganda poster that the characters in the book might see around their city of Callipolis, so I applaud the theming.

The Deal:

Once, three dragonlords ruled Callipolis and its surrounding lands. If you ask them, they did what must be done, and life was good. If you asked their people, well, you may get mixed opinions depending on the amount of money one had. To that end, ten years past, a man named Atreus began a revolution—the bloodiest Callipolis had ever seen—and killed all the dragonlords and their families in order to bring about a new regime. One with equal opportunities for all, where a simple serf could ride a dragon instead of starve. Except he didn’t quite kill all the dragonlords’ families. Some managed to escape to the islands of New Pythos, where there are rumors they have dragons who are mature enough to breathe fire. And one dragonlord's child, a little boy renamed Lee, never actually left.

Lee has lived the last ten years under a false identity, becoming a dragonrider who is now competing against people like his best friend, Annie, for the title of Firstrider, leader of all the dragonriders and defender of the city. But if the rumors of New Pythos are true, will Lee be able to fight his long-forgotten family? And, more importantly—does he want to?

BFF Charm: Shrug, Usher



Lee’s life can be summed up as that little spot between a rock and a hard place. His entire family was murdered before his eyes. He was dumped at an orphanage at eight years old and has had to lie about who he is, lest he be killed for simply being a part of the old ways. After ten long years under Atreus’s rule, he does see that many things have changed for the better, but that also gives him a huge crisis of faith because he thought his family were decent people. Because of his privileged upbringing, he’s “naturally” very good at many of the things that make a person excel at being a dragonrider and a leader, so that brings him into the orbit of very important people he must always lie to. I felt for Lee quite a bit, but being his friend might be kind of exhausting.



Annie is not without her own complications, but overall hers is a rags-to-riches tale. As a serf-turned-orphan whose family was murdered by a dragonlord before the Revolution, she benefited the most from Atreus’s new world order by being given the opportunity to bond with a dragon and get proper schooling. She is Lee’s best competition for Firstrider, but a lifetime of trauma has also made Annie unsure if she even deserves to be a leader (you do, hon, you do!). She’s also the only one who knows Lee’s secret, as they were each other’s lifelines at the orphanage where they grew up. So she is uniquely aware of the conflict he faces when there is talk of a coming war. She's faced with a conflict of her own: does she turn Lee in before he can do any damage, or trust in the values she hopes they share? Annie's character felt very familiar, like many fantasy heroines with sad backstories that came before her. But I did like those girls, and I DO like Annie, even if her story isn't the most unique.

Swoonworthy Scale: 5

If you ask any of their friends, they will tell you that Annie and Lee share some kind of unspeakable bond because of the suffering and secrets they share. They always seem drawn to each other, despite the distance they sometimes deliberately put in their own way. It’s a classic friends-who-will-probably-become-more-but-it’s-complicated, though, to be fair, it IS probably more complicated than your average will-they-won’t-they. Because Lee’s dad is the dragonlord who killed Annie’s family (yikes). And add in Annie questioning Lee’s loyalties, plus a lot of repressed emotions from not being able to process your traumatic memories in a healthy way, and, oof, it’s almost easier to say, hey guys—just cut your losses and move on. Find a less damaged person to care for. But when has love ever been practical?

Talky Talk: Natalie Imbruglia

Can a well-written book be boring? Because if it’s truly well-written, then shouldn’t it be fantastic? I know there’s different strokes for different folks, especially when it comes to literature, so objectively I think the answer to that question is yes. But in regards to my personal perspective on this book: what the heck am I feeling? Because on one hand, I think Munda has a lot of great ideas, and it’s clear that she is a lover of history. She cites Plato’s Republic and the French Revolution as influencers. Her writing style was mostly good; I had some stumbles in the beginning with odd phrases/sentence structures that forced me to stop and reread lines, but by the end it was either smoothed out or I’d gotten used to it.

But my biggest issue is the first half meandered, like a lot. For reference, it took me almost three weeks to read this book and I finished the last forty percent in an afternoon. Is the last half of the novel and the interesting moral dilemmas in which the author puts her characters through enough for me to recommend you this novel? I really don’t know. I think I’m personally intrigued enough to read the next one, if that helps.

Bonus Factor: Political Drama



This is a fantasy novel (see: dragons) but the rest of Callipolis feels very grounded in reality compared to many dystopian YA worlds. There’s no other magic or special abilities that the characters in charge employ; just your everyday political gas-lighting and burning of questionable books! Munda said she wanted to take a look at what happens after the “good” guys win a revolution. The story did present some really great moral quandries taken from real life that I don’t think have easy answers. For example, what kind of person does it take to be strong-willed enough to lead a revolution of the people to topple their current form of government, especially when that results in hundreds of deaths? Is Atreus a good revolutionary turned leader? Is he just as bad as those he deposed, just in different ways? And is there ever any form of government that can succeed without an element of propaganda (certainly doesn’t feel that way in our current global climate!)? How do you stay strong in your moral convictions when facing things like famine? It's all pretty heavy stuff, but I liked that it made me think.

There's a flashback to when Annie and Lee are young and debating leaving the orphanage with Atreus to become dragonriders. They share this moment that I kind of loved because I think it perfectly encapsulates the notion of our ideals in the face of power that Munda is striving to portray:

“Think about it this way,” she said. “Even if they’re bad, we’ll be the ones with the dragons in the end. We’ll make the rules. And we’d never be bad, would we?”

Bonus Factor: Dragons



Dragons are just cool. But one of the minor gripes I had with this book is that there aren't enough dragons! And yeah, okay, I KNOW that dragons aren’t really the POINT. But the heart wants what it wants. The dragonriders and their dragons kind of “imprint” on each other, and their minds during combat are closely linked. That's cool. I’m hoping we’ll get more dragon bits in the next book, but if not, I’ve got a suggestion below for anyone jonesing for more actual dragon-to-person interactions.

Relationship Status: Intense Blind Date

That was a weird date, Book. You started off reticent and I wasn’t sure I was feeling it, but then you engaged me in a philosophical debate, and we ended up having a cool but way intense conversation. I don’t know if I’m more interested in you romantically or intellectually. Perhaps I'll give you one more date to see where this connection leads.

Literary Matchmaking:



• We (sadly) haven’t reviewed any of Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern novels, but if you are wanting lots more focus on the mechanics of being connected to a dragon in a fully-realized fantasy world, then I must insist you check out this series. It was one of my favorites as a teen.

• Look for Mari Mancusi’s Scorched if you want some love triangle along with your dragon-bonding.

• And if you’re looking for another book with bleak political outlooks, perhaps it’s time to revisit Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games trilogy (especially before the new one comes out!).