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!).

Did not finish at 36%. I may revisit later, but at this point in the story nothing in it motivated me to continue as I found it increasingly dull. Perhaps it may shift as I read on. I just cannot longer muster the wherewithal to meet this challenge.

This book was fabulous! I am so in love with the writing style, and that it wasn't a book of Instalove, enemies to lovers, or as my other YA Overdone Trope. Loved that even though it's a series, it wrapped up nicely. It makes the fact I have to wait a year for book two, an easier pill to swallow! I am loving this little love triangle.

I love the idea of this book of dragon riders and their stories, especially the two protagonists being children during a bloody revolution. I do think the world is well thought out and I liked the dragons when they were with their riders. But they weren't actually in the book very much; the dragons seemed to be more of a tool and it's more human character focused then I expected. While I did like some of the turmoil that both Annie and Lee felt, I really think their bond could've been stronger between each other. Some of the angst really felt unnecessary despite all they went through. If they knew each other so well, why did they constantly feel betrayed and never tried to understand one another until the end? The angst felt very forced and it did take over a lot of the plot as well. I do also think that this book was a little too long in places; some things felt like fluffy filler. But I do think this will be a favorite among high school teens or those who primarily read fantasy. I'll read the next one, but sadly this wasn't a favorite.

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.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review via Netgalley. I, like many other YA Fantasy readers, am a total sucker for dragons. So, when this book came through my email I got so excited to read an adventure story featuring my favorite mythical beasts. It definitely did not hurt that this book had a great blurb by Rachel Hartman, either.

The first thing that pulled me into this book was the setting. It takes places nine years after a bloody revolution, which resulted in Lee becoming an orphan. As the new government is still adjusting, it helped ease me into the world and its rules. There were still moments of confusion caused by the quick plot at the beginning, which I’ll touch on more in just a minute, but I quickly felt comfortable in my understanding of the setting. The magic(or more like dragon) system and government were the most intriguing elements to me.

I initially found the plot of this book difficult to follow. The story starts off quickly with small moments of backstory to catch the reader up interspersed with high-energy plot elements, like a tournament, fights, love, and treason. I’d say around the 20% mark I finally found my footing and felt comfortable with the story. Once I understood what was going on, I was swept up into the story. There main conflict of the book, in my mind, is Lee’s internal struggle to betray his friends and country to help the little family he has left or risk becoming a true orphan. This conflict pulled me through the book and was a unique struggle to find in a YA novel.

This book alternate between Annie and Lee’s point of views. Dual point of view novels are always a struggle for me, because I end up greatly preferring one narrator over the other. This book was no exception, as Annie’s voice quickly out shined Lee’s. However, as I read on, it became clear that there was no other way to write this novel, and I just had to swallow my pet peeve. In regards to characters, I was only disappointed with the development of the dragon’s characters. While essential to the plot, they seem to mostly be tools in this world, rather than living creatures with their own quirks and characteristics. I would have liked to see them come off the page more.

Fireborne is the impressive debut novel by Rosaria Munda. The world and plot start out somewhat confusion, but soon will hook you into the book and you’ll struggle to put it down. Do be aware that this book switches point of view frequently between the two main characters, Annie and Lee, however both characters are complex and well developed. I hope to be able to read the next book in this series soon.

This was such a fun read! I loved the element of dragons included; I hadn’t read a book that featured dragons before.


Please see curlybookowl.com on or after November 3 for a full detailed review of this bookie!!

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Extremely big thanks to PenguinTeen and Putnam Publishers for sending me a free copy of this book to review in exchange for an honest review!

As two young adults battle for the leadership of the Dragon riders, the strength of character each shows is incredible in this YA novel. From the book synopsis I really expected more of a Dragonriders of Pern mixed with a Hunger Games type story. That is not the case.
When a new regime takes over the governing of their city, two orphans find their future is drastically different. The goals each is working towards do not allow their friendship to continue, yet they will need to be able to trust and depend on the other when war comes back to their city. This book gave me the same "lost time" reading experience as Hunger Games and I'll definitely recommend it to my reading circle.

The Good
-D R A G O N S
-Absolutely no consideration for my feelings at all
>just when you think ‘yes my ship is sailing’, a page later it rips your heart out
>friendship brought upon by tragedy
>the entire book

-Memorable characters that aren’t black and white
-Unlikable characters turn likable and vice versa
-THE WRITING. The way everything was described…oh my.
-there was so much suspense, so much tension. I swear, starting from page 1, my heart was just ready to come out.
-I really felt how it would be like if I was Annie and/or Lee and/or any of the other characters. I was truly, with them, on this journey.
-Before I started reading , I didn’t know where it would take me. Then, I started reading it, and I was like you have all of me, take me wherever you want.
-Having to make realistic choices.
-No one is perfect. Nothing is perfect.
-That scene where Annie and Lee did some re-enacting of past events
-How do you know who is right and who is wrong? How do you know what is right and what is wrong?
-complex world and characters but never confusing


The Not-So-Good
-the teenage angst was sometimes a little bit too much for me
-love triangle (square?). I’m a huge fan of childhood friends to lovers so if anything comes in between, I immediately don’t like it.
-I wanted the dragons to have more personality


Overall
An addictive read! I couldn’t get enough of the characters, the world, the dragons, everything. This book is amazing. It has dragons which I already mentioned but I’m just gonna say it again, IT HAS DRAGONS. I can’t wait for the second book. I don’t know what to expect but while I’m waiting I’ll go get a new heart because this one destroyed mine.

Annie and Lee were just children when a brutal revolution changed their world. Being left orphans, the revolution gives everyone a chance -even lowborns- to test into a governing class of dragon riders.

Annie’s family was executed by dragon fire, while Lee’s noble family was murdered by revolutionaries. Growing up in the same orphanage forged their friendship, and seven years of training has made them opponents for the top position of the dragon riding fleet.

But everything changed when survivors from the old regime resurface and are hell bent on taking back the city.

Lee must choose to kill the only family he has left. Annie just choose whether to protect the boy she loved.. or be the champion the city needs.

This was such a nice change of pace from all the romance I’ve been reading this month! I was in the mood for a YA Fantasy and this did not disappoint! I got some major “How to Train Your Dragon” vibes while reading this. I loved the details and history that Rosario created! I felt for Annie and Lee’s struggles with their past. However, I was hoping that their romantic connection came to light a little bit sooner than it did. Overall I really enjoyed this and am looking forward to the next one!

Happy Halloween Everyone!

Thank you @putnman and @netgalley for the advanced copy! This is available now!

Rosaria Munda’s Fireborne is probably one of the hardest books I’ve ever had to review. I’m actually troubled about how to go about it because my feelings for it are so complicated. The book has qualities that make it absolutely soar while others leave me behind on the ground, bereft and wondering what I missed.

Inspired by Plato’s Republic, Virgil’s The Aeneid, the French Revolution, and the Blitz, Fireborne is an ambitious novel, tackling bloody revolutions and their aftermath, dangerous politics, social inequality, and the complex relationships between people. Oh, and there’s dragons, but strangely, they’re not the highlight.

We follow orphans Annie and Lee, who are now rival dragonriders competing for the honor to become Firstrider. Born a serf, Annie can now do the impossible by being a dragonrider, something the old regime never would have permitted. However, the person she most has to convince of her worth isn’t government officials, former patrician kids, or her instructor; it’s herself. Lee, meanwhile, is an aristocrat by birth, but he’s managed to keep his identity hidden, his natural confidence and air of power allowing him to rise through the ranks of the very regime that slaughtered his Dragonlord family. No one is prepared when survivors of Dragonlord families, including Lee’s, resurface with dragons of their own, declaring war to reclaim their lost country. Both Lee and Annie have to decide what and who they are loyal to, even as their relationship grows ever-more complicated.

I want to focus first on what Fireborne does amazingly well, and that’s interpersonal relationships. They are messy, rich, and nuanced, both between our two leads but also between those who interact with them. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen a YA book dedicate as much care to its side characters, but Crissa, Duck, Cor, Power, Rock, and Atreus all live on the pages they are featured. They exist and they matter.

Part of the success has to do with the way Munda writes character interactions, and that is thoroughly but without feeling weighted down. Dialogue is punctuated well with description and internal monologuing, to the point where I never thought I was getting too much or too little of something. Munda’s care in writing body language is especially something I want to compliment because each case felt personal from character to character, and she does not solely rely on the overused examples of body language we read about all the time, aka what the eyes are doing. As a result, each character interaction is both entertaining to read while also showing the reader something interesting about each character.

It’s the way these characters interact and how so many relationships are interwoven or become tangled that also make the politics in the book so intriguing. You aren’t just reading about politics; you are experiencing how the characters react to politics, especially as they begin to clash with their ideals and understandings of the world and this new, supposedly better regime they’re living in. As you read, you start to have your own reactions—of anger, of disgust, of hopeless logic and bitter acceptance, but always with the questions of “Can’t this be better? Can’t we do better? How?”

Can I also give Munda a round of applause for Power? He’s an antagonist who starts off being very Draco Malfoy-ish but then has his own incredible development into something more complicated. Does he get better as a person? Absolutely not, and that’s why I like him. There is so much going on inside the mind of this smug, bitter, sadistic little shit, and I am ready to see the full scope of what is up with him and what he’s trying to accomplish here.

As for our two protagonists, Annie and Lee, I enjoy them both in varying amounts—it mostly just depends on what is going on with the plot at the time. I was rooting for their respective journeys, and I still am. Whenever they had to directly contest each other, I had a hard time choosing who I wanted to come out on top. Often, I didn’t make a choice because I liked what possibilities they both could offer the narrative. I love the ambition and self-determination Annie found within herself, but I also love Lee’s surety, how it splinters and how he suffers for it. He’s also the rare deposed aristocrat who isn’t actually seeking vengeance and is instead trying to atone for the wrong that his family committed, and that was refreshing.

Still, there is tension between them that lingers from the old regime, especially the idea of serfs deferring to their betters in society. Annie and Lee don’t treat each other this way, but there are slip-ups that sound eerily like the old ways. There are awkward interactions that still carry the weight and air of that former social hierarchy that cause spines to stiffen and feelings to get hurt without anyone meaning to do so. It was a good way of showing that, just because the old powers aren’t in power anymore, it doesn’t mean that the world changed completely overnight or even within the last decade. There are demeaning traditions that still linger and terrible memories that are still too fresh to forget.

It’s a shame, then, that I was more interested in Annie and Lee’s complicated friendship than I was in their slowburn romance; strangely, I enjoyed the flings or “if only I felt that way about you” relationships they were each having on the side more. I felt like those were occurring so much more organically, but maybe the next book will convince me. The thing that took me out of Annie and Lee’s will they/won’t they relationship completely in Fireborne is their contrived dance at the ball.

I say contrived, not because it is a dance or because it is at a formal function. I say contrived because, as the two dragonriders contending for Firstrider, they are both expected to lead the dance seemingly out of nowhere, and this book is Straight. Of the top four dragonriders competing for Firstrider, Annie is the only girl among them, so if she had lost her second round? Guess Lee and Power would’ve been dancing together, which I’m fine with, but I can tell the author didn’t think that far because every other dancing couple is heterosexual. There’s also no reference to it being tradition or anything. The book needed a romantic scene with Lee and Annie to build tension, or try to, so it coughed one up.

It could have still been a good scene. The dance itself is supposed to be this beautiful, elaborate thing, but I barely got any description of it. That is a problem throughout Fireborne. Munda either wouldn’t cover or would gloss over scenes I really wanted to read, especially in the first half, and this makes the book drag. Fortunately, the narrative picks up in the second half, but I definitely pushed myself to get there. In the end, having a stronger second half might be the preferred option, but it’s also a gamble when it comes to retaining readers.

Fortunately, I held on, and I’m glad I did because the ending is absolutely explosive, tragic, emotional, and adrenaline-inducing. Lee’s final confrontation as well as Annie’s convinced me of the merits of this book and that I should definitely pursue the sequel when it comes. I have a feeling that some significant groundwork has been laid here for a big payoff later.

Especially when it comes to the new regime. There were times when I thought both the characters and the author believed that—with the meritocracy based on “intelligence” instead of birthright and the “necessary” censorship and propaganda—that the new regime is worlds better than the old. From my eyes, that just wasn’t true—they’re both pretty terrible—but the more you read, the more characters start to question things. After all, war has a way of splintering the rose-colored vision those in authority like to hand their citizens, and the cracks certainly showed up.

But the war is slow and not much takes place in this first book, so don’t expect an action book with Fireborne. It’s far more character-driven than plot. Even the addition of dragons does nothing to change that fact.

I’ll tell you now that if you’re looking for a novel with a clear bond between rider and dragon—like those found in Eragon and His Majesty’s Dragon—you won’t find that here. The dragons are mostly just tools to make the war look cooler. In fact, here, the dragons are still growing so they’re described as mostly warhorse-sized, and I can tell you they have about as much presence and agency as a warhorse does. Their riders will give them the occasional pat or will rebuff their mental outreach to remind you that they’re there, but that’s it.

Yes, the mental link and emotion-sharing dragons have with their riders is there but minimal, and these dragons don’t speak. Will they later? Who knows. This book was light on lore, so I can’t speak to what the dragons here will eventually become capable of. The characters didn’t seem to have much understanding themselves, like those studying wandlore in Harry Potter. You use it, but you don’t really know why certain things happen the way they do, and maybe that’s deliberate. Maybe characters and readers alike have much more to learn about these dragons.

So should you read this book? I say yes, especially if you like character-driven stories full of gray morality and politics and the aftershocks of violent revolution. I actually wish I could rate this book as a four-star at least, but I just had one too many problems to be able to let it all slide. I definitely came to like this book, but I didn’t really like it or love it even though I did really like parts of it. However, does Fireborne have me psyched for its sequel? Absolutely!

I think Munda and her characters Annie and Lee are just getting started.

This is the type of fantasy YA needs. Gripping, powerful storytelling, and unflinching. Loved the world that Munda created!

This book was spectacular. Not only am I a sucker for rivals to lovers stories, but a well-executed one? I’m all in. Fireborne was a fine story of intrigue, action, and excellent world building without the need for long overarching explanations as opposed to easing you into the lore as you progress in the story. I also love how complex Lee and Annie are, in their respective and at times polar opposite ways. This story was much better than I anticipated, and I absolutely can’t wait for what’s to come.

I love to read YA novels. This was, thankfully, very different from others I have read. You quickly become invested in Lee and Annie and want them to succeed.

Fireborne is the first novel in a new series called the Aurelian Cycle. And it's a series perfect for dragon fans. Set in a world in which Dragonriders are the real thing, this fantasy tale is one of political revolution, of loss, pain, and revenge. And so much more.
Oh, and did I mention that it's been described as being perfect for fans of both Game of Thrones and Red Rising? That was enough to sell me on this read. Though the cover was a nice touch.
Annie and Lee may have ended up in the same place together, but they come from vastly different backgrounds. Both have lost the family they hold dear, and all thanks to the violence prevalent in their cities.
That's why they're fighting so hard to become Dragonriders. To make a change in the world. And okay, they also want to prove something to themselves along the way. But even their battles to get to the top are different from one another.
Annie is a lowborn girl who ended up in an orphanage after her family was slaughtered. And she's perhaps the most loyal person you'll ever meet. She's also an exceptionally talented dragonrider, carrying all the confidence she lacks when on the ground.
Lee was forced to watch his family die during the revolution. His life may have been spared, but it was mostly due to an oversight. Now he's fighting to become a dragonrider. Though he doesn't know what he'll do when he's forced to make the hardest decision of his life.

“Instead of listening, he remembered. He remembered his family around him, his sisters' laughter, his brother's teasing, his mother's voice.”

Warnings: This is a novel involving Dragonriders. As such, you should probably expect to hear a graphic description or two about deaths by fire. These scenes aren't pretty, but they are vital to the plot.

Fireborne was a shockingly intense read, one that I found myself almost immediately sucked into. It was impossible not to get emotionally invested in this tale, as I quickly found out. I'll confess that I'm already more than a little bit anxious to hear news about the next novel in the series.
I don't know who's story tore me up more; Annie's or Lee's. Though I suppose there's really no reason to compare the two. They both had awful lives, but they also both made something of their pasts. Though I think I personally found myself a bit more connected to Annie and her side of the story. But there was something about it that just resonated so deeply within me.
I loved everything about this book. From the characters to their interactions, to the politics they had to deal with. It was all brilliantly complex and well thought out.
Even though I loved the ending, I'll confess that I also have found myself coming up with more questions the more time goes by. I guess I'll have to try and be patient while I wait for the next book, huh?

Fireborne takes the Dragons and combines them with the politics of the aftermath of revolution that reminds me of the Russian Revolution. The tone of the book for me was sad because hard choices have to be made but I felt the plot was interesting.

Collipolis was once run by families called Dragonlords but a revolution was led and the lords were overthrown. Put on house arrest until they were all put to death from the smallest child to the oldest adult. The families believed to be eradicated.

Rumors fly that some of the portions of families survived and fled to bide time to rise again. We begin the story with Annie and Lee. Lee who is one of those survivors, only as far as he knows. Growing up in an orphanage, Lee has to reconcile in himself the difference between the two reigns.

We get two perspectives. Both Lee and Annie’s. At first I actually didn’t like Annie that much. I didn’t really understand how she didn’t understand the situation she created with Duck. Also the way she would be hot and cold to Lee. As the story goes on though I do end up appreciating her character.

The character I liked the most was Lee though. This is someone who rides this crazy line and has to make hard choices. Where for Annie things are pretty clear. These people killed my family they are bad. Lee lives in this world that these people killed my family but was it justified. Could I kill my family for the greater good. I thought in the face of that he is very strong and has such a strong base character.

The plot is really interesting and it takes a look at what is to throw over a regime and try to find a new path. To make choices that are different or similar but better for the people. That evil can reside on both sides of the line. I did at times feel like I wish I had more Dragon time, maybe not necessarily in a tournament setting but outside. I’m not sure I felt any kind of special bond between a rider and their dragon. The politics seemed to take precedence. I did like all the characters and how they interacted with one another.

As far as romance. It’s there I guess but very light. I liked the flashbacks to the orphanage with Annie and Lee. There were times though I think I was rooting more for Crissa.

I enjoyed Fireborne and I’m really intrigued to see where the story takes us in the future. What waits for the nations and dragon riders over the horizon.

Fireborne is one of those books–you know the type I’m talking about, right? Those books that stick with you long after you’ve turned the last page. Those books that made you laugh or cry or grip the edge of your seat in the tension of the moment (or all three, in this case!). I loved reading Fireborne and am so impressed that this is Munda’s debut novel.
This reminded me in some ways of Naomi Novik’s Temeraire Series, but even better. Instead of adding dragons into history, Munda took the historical political upheaval of something like the French Revolution and reimagined it in a fantasy world. Think of some of the best parts of A Tale of Two Cities and The Scarlet Pimpernel: the intrigue, the betrayal, the love, the heartbreak, the politics, the danger…but with dragons. And I personally feel that every story can only be made better with dragons! 😉
Wonderfully written, beautifully paced, and perfectly cast, Fireborne is a promise that Rosaria Munda will be a favorite author. Here’s looking forward to many more books in the Aurelian Cycle!
Many thanks to Penguin Young Readers Group and NetGalley for the digital ARC of this novel for review purposes. I was not required to give a positive review. All opinions are my very own!

Perfect for fans of Game of Thrones, Fireborne has the tension, political intrigue, and incredible character dynamics to keep the reader engaged in the plot.

Munda did an exceptional job with this novel as she explores a world following a revolution. It has roots in the Greek works of literature, bringing in a philosophical aspect to the novel, making it an incredibly thoughtful young adult fantasy novel. There are many levels to this novel, starting with the revolution. It does recall the French Revolution as Munda did note that that event partially inspired her, and it does resonate in the novel, especially in the beginning where the peasants have stormed the palace, ending the aristocracy. Lee is the only survivor and then grows up under this new government, a government he believes in.

Lee’s survival leads to incredibly complex narratives that unfold wonderfully, especially as it shifts between both his perspective and Annies. Both of these characters have different backgrounds and origins but have both come together in this new world order. They balance each other perfectly, both are quite strong and silent, but they give off such different airs about them that makes them such a dynamic couple to read. However, more than that, each chapter sometimes shifts between each character reminiscing in a tone that breaks away into a third-person omniscient narrative. It blends the story and the narratives so well that it engages the reader, highlighting the complex natures of the characters and their vibrant personalities.

The novel's many complexities highlight the richness and thought-provoking nature of the plot. There is a considerable amount of political upheaval in the novel that one would expect when following a revolution, and the integration and clear inspiration of Plato’s The Republic adds so many layers of intrigue and tension throughout the novel.

Fireborne is an utterly compelling novel that makes for a fantastic read. There are so many levels of intrigue and complexities that give the novel a well-rounded form. The integration of the past and the present allow for such smooth fluidity to the storytelling. A stunning read.

Wow, what a story! Lee and Annie and their friends weave a tale with both grief and love. The world building is superb, with no clear lines of black and white, right and wrong. Lee has to hide his PTSD, Annie must choose to whom to be loyal. Add danger, dragons, and hard choices and you’ve got an amazing story. I will definitely be looking for more.

Rated PG-13
—mild sensuous scenes (nothing graphic)
—violence (somewhat graphic)
—some cursing

I received this ebook free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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.

Dragons? Check!

Honestly, that was all I needed to want to read this book. Dragons are a bit of a soft spot for me. But that blurb sounded wonderful, too!

Annie and Lee are friends who met in an orphanage. Their friendship was really fun to see. It was a quiet friendship. They weren't in every single scene together and they had some falling outs but it was real. They are both really interesting characters with a lot of back story to tell and I am here for all of it.
My favorite part of the experience of reading this, was not knowing who to root for between the two of them. I loved Annie, with her quiet strength and underdog story line. Lee is the golden child that it seems everything comes easily to but I could see his guilt and drive to become a better person than his family would have raised him to be. It was such a new (to me) way of writing that I was boggled by the indecision I felt. Who I was rooting for literally changed with every chapter. I was elated for and disappointed for them both.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was such a fun read, with so many twists and turns and I loved every minute of it. I highly recommend!

With the first page you hear the ancient lore of the First Protector of the land and how the forgotten son of Stormscourage house survived the bloody revolution against unsuspecting lives. This boy would come to rise from his past where shadows haunted any prolonged reflection. His blood brims with the Stormscourage strength; through this, he is able to share an incredible bond with his dragon. Within the first chapter, you share Leo Stormscourage's dream of being a Firstrider to regain the status and power that was taken from his family because of the Revolution. But even the most noble of dreams are flanked by the obstructions of reality.



A reader will find themselves at the helm of a new revolution where we will find the changing faces of friendship and fate. Then, before you know it, you'll be fireborne.



Through Rosaria Munda, the page becomes an extension of an incredibly detailed imagination. I loved the feeling of utter immersement in Annie and Lee's world. With each changing chapter, the words seemed to rush from the page like the gales of wind that rushed past the dragonriders. Overall, Fireborne thrills readers with political intrigue, secrets, and the power of dragons through an epic fantasy narrative that will prove itself to be a tale for the ages.