This reminds me so much of Seraphina by Rachel Hartman, in that, it has epic world building and characters that have immense depth, too. However, I found I couldn't connect with the characters and when I say this it isn't because the writing was lacking, because it wasn't, I just couldn't find myself connecting with it. 

I give it 3.5 savvy crowns because I'm thinking this is a "me" thing and not the writer because as stated above the world is there, the characters are there, everything is there!

Wow. I loved this book. It’s everything I could want in a fantasy. Relatable characters, an intriguing plot, and action scenes that made my heart race. Not once did I feel like this book dragged on, I was glued to every page that I read. This is extremely rare in fantasy, especially in the beginning when the world is being built, but the worldbuilding in this novel was flawlessly integrated into the story. I never felt like I was being sat down and told things to understand the story. Munda does a wonderful job with the worldbuilding in this novel.

Another thing I really enjoyed about this book was the complexity of all the characters. I found myself becoming extremely invested in the backstories and personalities of the main as well as the side characters. The characters felt real, while some may have excelled in certain aspects they still had flaws in other areas. This made the characters in the novel feel much more real and relatable. I can see a character arc coming for not just one, but two of the characters in the story and I am so excited to see how it develops. I love some good character development, and I can see it brewing within this series.

The only problem I had with this book was that there was sometimes an absence of dialogue. We are told the connection Annie and Lee have but we never really see any dialogue between the two to establish it, instead we see passing glances, and the retelling of their backstory together. While this works in some ways, real dialogue between the two characters is never really seen until about 3/4 of the way through the book, so I found it hard to establish the huge connection that the two had. That being said, I did really enjoy these characters and their relationship together, I just think it could have been done better.

Overall though, this book was expertly crafted. The worldbuilding was superb, the characters were relatable, and the plot had me reading well into the night. I can see this series becoming very popular upon release date, and I cannot wait for the next book in the series.

I would recommend this to: Anyone looking for a great fantasy novel and loves a good dragon plotline.

There is a lot to like about this book. It has a great cast of characters, a really interesting plot, and it was well written in my opinion.

The thing that I perhaps like best about this book is that they treat each other with a great deal of respect and as equals. Even though, or in spite of, everybody treating Annie as if she inadequate because of her being low-born. Annie also knows who Lee is from the start, and there is no big revolution for her to contend with which I felt was a nice change from how a lot of books take things.

Lee is an interesting character. He has basically been raised by the people who killed his family, but he doesn't seem to have a grudge against them for it. And that has a lot to do with growing up with Annie and learning what his family did to hears and how unjust it was. And learning from the other kids in his classes what the Dragonborn did to their families. He sees what happened was wrong, but he still wants to be a dragon rider. He wants to eventually be their leader so he can make sure that things never can return to how it was. 

There is a romantic sub-subplot, but it's not between Annie and Lee. Which was kind of odd, because the synopsis kind of implies that there is a romance between them. It really doesn't need to be there.

This book had a lot of elements to it, that worked well together. The impending war from the survivors of the former regime, discovering what power can do to a good cause, learning what you are willing to sacrifice to keep yourself but also protect what you have built.

I am really looking forward to what the rest of the series will bring.

I don’t have much to say about this book. It was enjoyable but I felt there was something missing even though I am not sure what. I mostly liked the characters, and the plot was interesting, I just had a hard tome getting through this for some reason. I still would recommend this book because I think some people would like it more than I did.

The language is awkward at times, making it confusing and there were a lot of footnotes and more than once a chapter was repeated multiple times, so I had to skip ahead, but I have no doubt this will be a well received book once corrected and released. The storyline is interesting and the author created a unique world that manages to encompass fantasy traits we come to expect while infusing their own twist on things. Plenty of heart wrenching moments in a plot that makes you strive for the best for both protagonists. I truly hope for a sequel.

I wish I could scream from the rooftops about how much I loved this book. But I don't think my neighbors would appreciate that. So, I basically shrieked all over twitter about this book and pushed it at all my blogging friends instead. Munda did not disappoint in her thrilling and action packed emotional thrill ride that incorporates the destruction and formation of new government. Told in the point of view of Lee and Annie, it gives an interesting view of two different sides of this revolution and how it strains their friendship. 

Lee and Annie were only children when a harsh and brutal revolution massacred the drangonborn who were the ruling class, changing the country. Now, people from all metal classes have the ability to test into the class of Dragon Riders. Lee, who is the son of Leon Stormscourge, survived The Palace Day murders of the three ruling families only to become a rising star in the regime. Only, no one knows his real identity. As a child Annie's family was killed by a dragon fire and she was sent to an orphanage where she grew up besides Lee. Now two best friends are pitted against each other for the top position in the dragon riding fleet. But then Lee is contacted by his cousin who survived Palace Day, with a threat of war on the horizon. The families are back and they want what is theirs.  Lines are drawn, sides chosen, and a new firstrider rises.

I loved all the dragons in Fireborne. I find a lot of time that books that have dragons in them, they aren't the main point of attention. But in Fireborne, Munda makes sure that her readers get to know these dragons, their weaknesses and their connections with their riders. Each dragon is described beautifully and characterized into their species of dragon and are beautiful magnificent creatures that play an essential role in the society that The Protector is trying to build. 

I found the characters to be super relateable. A lot of time in fantasy you find that the protagonist acts like they are in their 20s rather than their actual age. Lee and Annie and all of the other riders in Fireborne acted like they were teenagers, they made mistakes, they don't know how to deal with certain things and they learned through trial and error and endless hours of training as well as the ghosts of their past. They were flawed and far from perfect, but Lee and Annie both have their own unique story to tell and that story shapes who they are as characters. 

I wish I could discuss the Revolution with out spoiling it, but quite honestly it's going to be hard and confusing, so I am going to leave the Revolution up to the reader to learn about. But my heart breaks for Lee and Annie and everyone else who was affected by it. It brings into the question of change, if after so many years things can be different and fight of right and wrongs. 

Fireborne is an amazing debut novel and had made my list of top ten books that I have read this year. I am super excited to see what Munda has in store next for these characters because it can only get better from here. (Well, it's already amazing so even more so.) If you love dragons, politics, battles, war and angst filled romance then make sure that you add Fireborne to your TBR immediately!

First of all, thank you to NetGalley.com, author Rosaria Munda, and my friends at PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group for the opportunity to read this Advanced Readers Copy for free in exchange for a honest review. This book will be published on October 15, 2019.
The tale is full of intrigue and passion. Dragons abound with their riders, protecting the town of Callipolis. We follow Lee sur Pallor and Annie sur Aela through the novel. Lee is the hidden son of a dragon lord, while Annie is the daughter of a tradesman from the highlands. 
Brought together at an orphanage after the down fall of the Old Regime, they are used to being the only ones fighting together.
The dragon riders are fighting for the right to be Firstrider of the Guardians. This will be the first time that a Firstrider has been chosen since that bloody Revolution.

But all is not well, there are rumours that some of the ruling class of before have survived. They have been hiding in a nearby city called New Pathos and have been biding their time to make a stand for the future of Callipolis. They want their city back, and will do anything to make that happen.

Lee must make a choice. Does he stand with his friends and made family; or does he turn and join his blood relatives again to take down those that massacred the dragon lords? How do you make the choice that has no good answer?

Dragons and politics, love and honour. I recommend this book to all that have a dream of flying and who can empathise with the struggle of doing what is right when everything is falling down around you.