Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

This story tells the story’s out a kingdom in danger and a princess on a quest to save her kingdom! The story is a very charming fantasy! The characters armrest very likable! The story feels like a fairytale! It has romance, magic, and adventure! I recommend this fans of Gail Carson Levine, E.D. Baker, and Jessica Day George!

I love seeing rich, deep world building in middle-grade books, and this book did not disappoint. The reader is immersed into the world of Lyrica where the city has been cast into darkness. The story weaves an interesting tale, allowing the reader to uncover the secrets of Lyrica as the main characters try to find the Firebird’s song and feather to save the city.

This book is a great read for all fantasy lovers!

Thank you, Net Galley, for an ARC of The Firebird Song by Arnee Flores.

In the dystopic kingdom of Lyrica, no one dares to sing, read, or even hope. 12=-year-old, Young Prewitt has just reached the Age of Hope. When he meets Callipe. He soon realizes that she is the Lost Princess. Together, they go on a dangerous quest to find the Firebird’s Feather and Song in order to save Lyrica. Along the way, they'll encounter monsters and magic. Will they succeed? This fast-paced adventure will keep readers wanting to turn the page. The characters are complex and neatly woven into the story. Theme of hope, true friendship, and bravery help to bring to life the world Flores has built. Fans of fantasy, quests, magic, and adventure will enjoy reading this book.

Pretty enjoyable even though it's not the best middle-grade fantasy that I read. The characters are likable. but why....Calliope tho???? (it's the name of cat from THITCS)
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

DNF. I was really excited about this one, but it literally put me to sleep. I guess it would be great to read with your kid at bedtime.

12-year-old Prewitt lives in a dystopic kingdom where reading and singing are not allowed. To save the kingdom he and Calliope, hidden princess, set out to defeat Spectress, the evil ruler of Lyrica. To do so they must find the legendary Firebird who once protected the kingdom. Will they succeed? The world-building is well done. The characters are flawed, memorable, and realistic. The plot is well-paced and draws the reader into the story. Fans of fantasy and adventure stories will enjoy reading this book. 4.5 stars, Grades 5 to 9.
Please note: This was a review copy given to us by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No financial compensation was received.

Thank you NetGalley for an e-ARC of The FIrebird Song by Arnee Flores.
The Firebird Song contains all the elements of a great fantasy: a quest, a princess, a lost boy, and an evil villain.
Flores creates characters that appeal to the reader's heart, a descriptive setting that frames the story, and a plot that can withstand time. I love a fantasy that takes me to a new world and brings me back a better person. Thank you Arnee Flores for this book. I look forward to recommending it to library patrons!

A dream world now in ashes, The Firebird Song is a fantastical and dark adventure to prove that friendship and hope can defeat fear and hatred. Fast pace and plot driven, it still deals with big emotions and re-working very recognizable tropes. Our main character Prewitt deals with complex feelings as he comes to odds with his father who wants to keep his family safe in a very dark world, while Prewitt is ready to brave the danger to find the lost princess. As he journeys with the lost princess, Calliope, they question the very nature of prophecies and chosen ones, all while the story builds up the worth of girls and sisterhood rather than pit girls against each other or diminish their value.

Great action/adventure book. I will be recommending for high fantasy/action/adventure readers ages 8+. Characters & world are very well thought out.

The Firebird Song is a wonderful fantasy for middle grade readers. Students will enjoy the twists and turns of Calliope, the Lost Princess of Lyrica, and Prewitt the Bargeboy, both turning 12 and reaching the Age of Hope. The pace of this book is fast, with the friends moving from challenge to challenge as they seek to end the rule of the Spectress. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, but they all have their place. I think students will enjoy this world and what it takes to save it.
Thank you to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for providing a DRC.

There is a city called Lyrica which was a happy and beautiful place to live in. One night the Spectress and the Demon of Fear filled the city into darkness. They would kill the Queen and everyone in the castle leaving the city into a cold land. They caused the citizens to lose all hope. Now a young boy, Prewitt is turning twelve which is the Age of Hope. He has gone to see Granny Arila. Granny has decided to tell the dark history of Lyrica satisfying Prewitt’s curiosity. Granny tells him that the “lost” princess is not dead and that a prophecy has him and the princess’s destiny tied together. Prewitt decides he must find the lost princess. When he does, he discovers that she is a princess which she didn’t know. Princess Calliope has been living underground with only one person visiting her. Who is he? The must find the firebird’s feather and song to save Lyrica. Princess Calliope doesn’t know the song besides the feather that will call the firebird to come. Will they find the feather and song? What if they don’t.

In this fantastical adventure, the author has written an excellent story showing how two children and secondary characters don’t give up. The story shows the the importance of hope, friendship and bravery that lies throughout the story. It’s a wonderful novel!

This magical novel was so fun! I cannot wait to share this with my kids. The characters were wonderful and the story is amazing.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are completely my own.

This book was delightful. I know it is a middle grades text, but the cover makes it look young. I think if the cover were more mature looking, even older teens would pick this up and enjoy it!

The setting is well developed, the book packs a lot of lore and action in not a very long book. Your action adventure readers will love it!

The cover caught my eye and I was curious to hear about the perspective of the Firebird from Slavic mythology.

There is so much to enjoy about this book. Including:

- The relationship between the two main characters, who have this wholesome friendship that is so strong. (I personally hope it stays platonic rather than romantically toned).
- The book does definitely focus on dark themes but it is rather warm and full of light too - hopeful.
- Theme of aspiring to overcome any obstacles and familial mistakes.

I do wish there was a bit more rendering of the Firebird from mythology but all good. It's just my personal wish as I'm a huge folklore nerd / aspiring folklorist.

Saying this, I find the debut to be a fun, enjoyable, and inspiring read for children who love fairytales (Shannon Hale feel) and wish to create their own!
My true scoring is a 3.5!

TWs include death, mistreatment of children, starvation, fear, kidnapping, and mention of killing baby girls.

First of all, I apologize for the delay. I finished the book a long time ago, (like May 31) but just hadn't gotten a chance to write a whole actual review for it.

Second, this book is a literal 3.5. I liked it, but it wasn't something I would rate as 4 really. But I would still have to do either 3 or 4 stars, so after much debate, I went with 4 because I did like it anyways.

Anyways, here's the real review:

Lyrica was once a bright, happy world. It's queens were blessed with a Firebird's feather for generations, which was to bring good luck. But one day, the feather disappeared, and that allowed an evil enchantress to take over the kingdom. The only way to remove her was if the young princess lived to be of the Age of Hope, find the feather, and sing the "Firebird Song".

Thing is, the princess was an infant when the events occurred, so she barely knows anything at all. And the world doesn't even know if she is still alive. It's a dismal, hopeless world, filled with darkness. Yet somehow, a young Bargeboy, Prewitt, manages to find hope after witnessing a terrible event and being racked with guilt about it. He decides to find the princess and bring hope and joy back to Lyrica once more, but it's not easy when there are spies and no help at every turn.

I found this story to be beautiful. Hope is a beautiful, fragile thing and the book covers it extensively. Furthermore, the friendship was just awww worthy! The main characters may not have realized it, but like the other characters, the reader knows they're destined for something more. It does have a Shannon Hale vibe (and I consider Hale to be a 5 star author), so I'm not entirely sure of why I'd say this book was 3.5. I think perhaps because of the initial dismal setting? (I don't do well with dark settings, hence why I never liked dystopias, nor dark fantasies I suppose) But the ending/climax was pretty cool and a bit intense (in the MG way), so I would definitely recommend it for fans of Shannon Hale, Gail Carson Levine, Happily Ever Afters, Disney, etc.

There is something about Middle Grade Fantasy books that is very appealing. They never seem to disappoint you, mainly because the targeted audience is usually kids. They let you relive those childhood memories and crave to go back to middle school days – just to read the book as a good. And that is what this book did to me. Ugh, I really want to be a kid again so that my younger self could read this book <3.

The kingdom of Lyrica, and the way the details of the story were portrayed was very engaging for me and I am pretty sure it would be engaging to middle grade kids too. As the book was set in a completely different world, I was really glad for the info that was present in the book about the kingdom and the happenings. The mystery that the late queen had put out for the people managed to hook me up in an instant in the anticipation of knowing what was about to happen and where the plot was going.

The only thing that seemed a bit confusing was the switch between past and present and that too wasn’t as confusing. I could clearly imagine what it would look like in a fast moving picture setting – anime? And oh boyy, I couldn’t stop thinking about its adaptation. And it has everything that I love to read in fantasy – magic, mystery, evil queen, sorceress, demons, monsters and a lot of action. The book managed to keep me on my toes to read what would happen next. The character development was also very engaging and left me thinking a lot about them and there actions. I really enjoyed this one!

This is not the best midgrade fantasy I have read but it was a cute story and I think that midgrade kids who are into fantasy could really vibe with it. I liked the premise and the characters but there definitely times where I got confused because it switched between characters. It took me kind of a while to get through this one but I think I would buy it for my library

This book cover reminds me so much of all sorts of popular books these days, as well as books I loved myself as a kid. So obviously I was going to need to give this one a try, right?

The Firebird Song is the perfect mix of light and dark. It’s a magical world filled with strong females who refuse to be told they can’t do things, with a prophecy that isn’t quite as it seems and characters in desperate need of a little bit of hope.

Going in, I was a little surprised at how dark this was, but for good reason. I would maybe caution against younger middle grade readers who may not be able to handle the death and darkness, but it isn’t without reason. Underlying that is a beautiful story of hope and change and believing in the future.

My Thoughts:

- The Firebird Song is written in the whimsical way that a dark fairy tale might be, with a lot of the same elements. Readers will recognize tropes like the Chosen One (hint: it’s a girl, though, in this case) and a prophecy that spur the bad guys into action. The tropes themselves aren’t particularly unique, despite being tried and true tropes in middle grade. The delivery, though, makes all the difference. The tropes used in this are recognizable and comfortable for middle mid-grade readers whose favorite books also use them, but they’re more of a scaffolding here to build the rest of the narrative off of. Flores questions whether prophecies are a given, how they are understood, and what makes a Chosen One. Also, do people have to be good in order to be a hero in a prophecy? I enjoyed the way Flores subverted some of the tropes while still remaining true to them. I mean, tropes are popular for a reason, right? Sometimes it’s nice to go a tried and true approach with a sprinkle of spice for something new.

- This book is definitely dark and touches on some big themes, so it may not be a good fit for younger middle grade readers. However, Flores tackles these with grace and tact. I mean, the whole point is sort of how awful the world is. The Spectress is attempting to destroy hope, so of course it’s not really going to be a world filled with sunshine and roses, now is it? The darkness is needed to show that hope can grow even in the worst circumstances. That means there are some really big themes in this book, such as death, mistreatment of children, starvation, fear, kidnapping, and mention of killing baby girls. This is very much a hope-conquers-all plot line, which Flores does a fabulous job establishing, but that means the world is a little darker than some middle grade books!

- Built into the narrative is a testament to the strength and worth of girls. There’s an ongoing theme where Calliope is repeatedly told she’s “just a girl” until she eventually comes to believe it when things get hard. It’s meant as an excuse for why she shouldn’t or can’t do things, but over the course of the story, it becomes flipped. She isn’t just a girl. She’s a girl who’s managed to survive, despite the odds, despite the slaughter of baby girls born that year. So she isn’t just anything and should celebrate the fact that, despite everything, she’s a girl. This isn’t necessary girl power, and it’s not at the detriment of boys. Flores weaves it into a cautious tale not to make assumptions about someone’s worth or capability. She ties it nicely into the idea that people are often more than they seem, which is another major theme of the book.

- More than just girls in general, the book celebrates sisterhoods and girls supporting each other, even though the rest of the world has betrayed them. I am such a fan of this in middle grade books! Too often, books seem to pit girls against each other for one reason or another. Which makes it all the more special when girls work together. These are girls who were sent away by parents in the hopes that they would survive the slaughter and be taken in. In this way, the story very much resembles Moses’ story of being sent down the river. These girls, however, have each other and have created their own little family, despite everything.

- One of my favorite themes in this is children having to fix the mistakes of their ancestors. Because queens don’t rule in a vacuum, and the princess inherits more than just genes from her foremothers. This is always a touchy subject, isn’t it? I’d hate for my mistakes to become my daughter’s mistakes, and yet … in a magical world where beings are old enough to have seen many generations of humans? That’s definitely the case. I loved this narrative, because it raised some really big questions about whether one human should be judged on others’ mistakes. From a human perspective, you’d like to say no, right? What if you’re an ancient being who has been betrayed and wronged by generations of humans, not just one of them, and still bears the pain from that? Can one human make a difference among all that? I absolutely loved all the questions this book raised! It really makes the reader think about some big issues.

I really enjoyed this middle grade novel from debut author Arnee Flores!

The Firebird Song is a magical fantasy story featuring Prewitt and the lost Princess Calliope. There was so much action! It definitely got started quickly and kept moving, which I enjoyed and made it hard to put down, but the pacing left little room for character development.

Still, I enjoyed the friendship that formed between Prewitt and Calliope, and the magic system was set up well and a joy to discover- YAY for Firebirds!!! Such a fun fantasy creature and I loved how it was described. However, the book didn't really surprise me, so it might be best for middle graders, versus all ages.

Middle grade readers will enjoy this magical fantasy adventure!