I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

I’m sorry but this book gave me major ick. The concept of the Roman Empire meets a fantasy world with dragons sounded so interesting but the execution fell extremely short. The Master x Slave dynamics were not handled with the care and emotional depth that it needed. This is not a book I would be recommending.

This was one of my most highly anticipated reads of 2025, but unfortunately ended up being my worst read of the year thus far.

The premise sounded so promising, with high-stakes and a scandalous relationship, but the characters had 0 chemistry despite the author trying hard to make their whole fated mate dynamic a thing, which just made the whole book fall flat for me. Even the spicy scenes were lacking. It's like the author knew she had to add spice so she did, but with the lack of chemistry it just ended up being boring to read.

Then there’s the whole slave/owner dynamic—which, despite all the heated discourse surrounding it, wasn’t as dark or scandalous as expected (this coming from someone who reads DARK romance and has read worse power imbalance relationships). Instead, it came across as shallow, more like an attempt to add edge to the story without truly exploring the weight of the theme and really diving into the issue of that kind of relationship.

Overall a disappointing read that the cover and those gorgeous edges led me to believe would be amazing.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Juliette Cross for an advanced listening copy of Firebird in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I wanted to like this so much more than I did. I liked the dragon shifter aspect, and the setting, but I wish we had gotten just a touch more world building. There was a lot that was taken from history, but almost directly so, with different names attached to the civilizations. I would have liked a little more depth.

Master/Slave was a major part of this book, which I wasn’t a big fan of. Even if Julian is shown to be a kind man/dragon, it still was jarring (for me) to have such a large power discrepancy between the love interests.

I thought the audiobook was well done, though. The narrators did a great job with the different characters and they are what really got me through this book.

Malina has the power to control emotions. After escaping her village after Romans distorted her village that were high on blood lust. She joined Celtic group to help stop the dragons that were destroying everything and hunger in power. Then along came Julian, a Roman dragon. The people Malina was trying to fight against. And he changed her whole world.

Julian hated his uncle. And is planning to take him and everyone like him down. But as dates were to have it his inner dragon found his mate. And with that changed everything. Making taking down his uncle that much harder.

Enemies to lovers. A slow burn spicy book. It keep me engaged and wanting more.

This book had so much missed potential.

First the content /trigger warnings need to be in the book on page attempted SA and what I would call SA adjacent needs a trigger warning. With that aside, the book just missed its mark. While I love Juliette's writing, I did not like this story. I got to about 75% before I said, dude, this is just not my jam. And that was a stretch because I wanted to like it, I really did. But I found the MMC to be a bit whinny, like just kill Caesar already. He just kept going on and on about how he had these plans, but there was a lot of inaction. I did enjoy Malina. But the slave master thing also was not for me.

While many of the trigger warnings didn't personally affect me the way they might impact other readers, the moments they flagged felt unearned within the context of the story — more like isolated, sensational scenes rather than integrated parts of the narrative. Additionally, the conversation around slave/master dynamics felt inconsistent with the plot and character arcs, causing the final third of the book to feel disjointed and chaotic. By the end, it's still unclear what the primary goal of this series is supposed to be. Overall, the story comes across as poorly crafted, and I would not recommend it moving forward.

This book contains concerning material that made feel too uncomfortable to finish the book. I don't feel comfortable commenting on the novel. I will give it three stars as a neutral non-opinion.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The narration was excellent from both narrators, and the story was engaging, with the perfect balance of magic and steam.

While I absolutely enjoyed this fantasy romance, I do have a few concerns about the possessive nature of the MMC, as well as a touch of Stockholm syndrome. That said, these elements didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment of the story.

I also saw a physical copy of the book at my local bookstore, and it’s beautifully printed. I would definitely recommend this to 18+ friends.

The fantastic start to a new romantasy series set in ancient Rome where dragon shifters rule the land and the heir to the throne is plotting to overthrow his tyrannical uncle. What he doesn't count on is finding and falling for a Celtic witch. This was spicy, full of courtly intrigue and had well developed characters. Highly recommended for fans of Fourth Wing or A fate inked in blood. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review. I can't wait to see what happens in the next book!

After further thought (and reading of further reviews, re-listening to the ARC) I've edited my reviews and lowered my rating. I let some things slide on my initial read that I shouldn't have, and while I like the author's writing style, that doesn't excuse specific content choices.

I don't think that some of the things being said about this novel are fair (the heroine and hero don't begin a relationship when she's underage, for example—but we do find out later that he was attracted to her when she was underage, and while there is no logical difference between a 17 and 18 year old mentally, I don't know WHY she wasn't 18; and I'm still not fully convinced that the author was mixing up Romanian or Romani, as some have suggested, as the editors would've have also had to do that? But I'm not an expert, and I took the fact that she is written as Dacian, speaks Romanian, and has a Romanian name at face value) but I don't think the slavery elements were handled with the care that they should've been, I'm not personally against writing a romance in Ancient Rome, and I can see that an effort was made to make the hero's situation more complex, but I don't know that it works here.

Ultimately, I think the prose here is good. It's. very engaging. But this concept needed to be workshopped more. You could've honestly gotten a very similar story, with the same dark romance elements (and this is a dark romance, and I do think that should've been clearer) without slavery. Do I think there's a degree of weirdness to the fact that this probably would've gotten less attention if the slavery had only been in "all but name" instead of explicit? Yeah. But here, I just don't think that it work as well as I initially thought, after further consideration and discussion.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Loved it!!! This is a DARK romantasy set in the Roman Empire with Dragons, I was hooked!!! BUT I've seen a lot of negative reviews about the slave/master dynamics at play in the romance so I think the marketing needs to switch up a bit to reflect that cause I can totally understand being upset or triggered by that if you don't know to expect it. If that's not a romance you wanna see, I respect that but this is not the book for you! We have Malina, a witch that can read and manipulate emotions, who is captured by Roman Commander AND dragon shifter, Julian, OH and they had met by chance years ago! I am a slut for dragon shifters, ever since I read Heart of the Dragon by Gena Showalter, so this just worked for me. Julian and his dragon are possessive and obsessed and though he's Roman, he's working to undue their awful society! I'm so HYPED for book 2!

I honestly didn't know what to expect from this book. I absolutely love the cover design and that's what drew me in... and dragons. To say I actually really enjoyed the audio is an understatement. I was really intrigued the entire time. I really enjoyed the Roman atmosphere. I'm excited to see how the next one goes!

Due to the backlash of this book, I am not doing an official review on my pages. I did enjoy the audiobook and am excited for the rest of the story if we are moving forward with it. I don’t agree with the narrative people are spreading about the book.

Some will either love or not like this book. I went in blind and will say I preferred the audiobook more than reading the book alone.

I was really excited about this book since Juliette Cross writes one of my favorite paranormal romance series. However, I've tried to read one of her fantasies before, and it just wasn't for me. This book ultimately turned out to be the same. It was difficult to follow along, especially on audio, and I struggled to get into it. I still love this author, I just don't think her fantasies are for me.

Okay, let’s talk Firebird by Juliette Cross. A dark, dragon-filled alternate history of ancient Rome? Yes please. The worldbuilding was super cool—Rome ruled by dragons, complete with deathriders and firestorms, was such a creative twist. I was really drawn in by the premise and the whole mythology-meets-military fantasy vibe.

Malina started off as a strong character, and I was so here for her sharp tongue, inner fire, and fierce spirit. But as the story moved on, that spark started to dim. I wanted her to keep challenging the world around her, but it felt like her edges were softened too much by the end.

And then there’s the dynamic between our two leads. Julian taking Malina in as a slave to protect her was the book’s biggest red flag for me. I appreciated that their connection started years earlier—infatuation was already there, and he never treated her like a true servant—but the power imbalance still felt icky at times. It’s a delicate trope, and I’m not sure this one handled it in a way that fully worked for me. I just wish that when they decided to take their relationship to the next level, she wasn’t still his slave. Especially since she had to wear a collar with his name on it to show his ownership over her—it’s hard to root for a romance when it’s literally branded with that kind of control.

Overall? The romance had some steamy potential, and the danger kept me intrigued, but it didn’t fully ignite into a favorite. Still, if you’re into enemies-to-lovers, dragon-shifter vibes, and plots against empires, it might just light your fire. 🔥

This was an eArc provided by NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I liked this one — not my very favorite ever but it was still a solid read.

It’s important to note that this is a enemies to lovers, fated mates, captor/captive vibe set in a magical, dragon centric Ancient Rome—and it included elements from that time period like slavery and a super patriarchal, emperor-based political system.

That being said, I actually thought the author did a good job of navigating a relationship between a political figure and his slave, and quickly shows how much disdain he has for slavery and the current political system, including his uncle the emperor, and how he manipulates things within the messed up system to protect those who would otherwise be targeted by other political figureheads.

It’s morally grey for sure, but this book felt like a combination of the morally grey lines drawn in shifter or omegaverse stories, mixed with historical context and political controversy.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 (rounded up to 4)
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

“A Roman Dragon and a Dacian Dancer.”

I recently finished Firebird by Juliette Cross, the first book in her new series, and I have to say, I really enjoyed stepping into this world. Thank you @netgally for this #ALC . The story introduces us to Malina, a human woman with power to influence people's emotions and Julian, a Roman Dragon General. When she's captured she learns that not all Roman’s are bad and she may yet still be able to fulfil her grandmother’s prophecy.

First - the elephant in the room. Before reading, I'd seen some online drama surrounding this book. Based on my own reading experience, I honestly feel that much of it was either not reflective of the actual content or perhaps blown out of proportion. I definitely encourage people to read it and form their own opinions. This cancel culture is ridiculous. Everyone is entitled to have their own opinion but I will definitely argue on this one as there is NOTHING about this book that should give people the reason to be so mean to the author.

One of the things that stood out to me was the world-building – it was genuinely really good. Cross paints a vivid picture of this Ancient Roman inspired world and the tensions within it. The characters, Malina and Julian, were definitely interesting, and I found myself invested in their journey. The dual POV was a great choice, allowing insight into both their minds and helping to understand their developing relationship. I also thought the pacing of the book was well-handled, keeping the story moving along nicely.

Now, while I enjoyed the characters, I did find myself wishing we could have explored them even more deeply. I would have loved more insight, especially into our MMC, Julian. Similarly, while the plot kept me engaged, I felt like there was room for even more complexity and depth. It left me with a feeling of wanting more – more character layers, more intricate plot developments. It just felt like it had more potential that we didn’t completely reach. Malina, our FMC, is definitely more rounded and I loved her.

The romance aspect was another positive for me. It built at a good, steady pace that felt believable within the context of their situation – no insta-love here, which I appreciated.

Overall, Firebird was a solid and enjoyable fantasy romance read for me. The strong world-building and well-paced romance were definite highlights. Despite wishing for a bit more depth in character and plot at times, I'm certainly intrigued and looking forward to seeing how things progress in book 2!

Tropes: slave/master (or captive/captor), dragon shifter, mental powers, ancient roman inspired, rebellion
Spice 2/5
Plot 4/5
Pace 4/5
Character Personality 3.5/5
Character Growth 3.5/5
Writing Style 4/5
World Building 5/5

if you give me a world where dragons rule ancient Rome, a prophecy, and a warrior with secret softness for one girl... I’m immediately on board. Firebird is a sweeping, high-stakes fantasy romance that had me fully invested by page two and emotionally spiraling by the end.

At the heart of the story is Malina... a Dacian witch with a dancer’s grace, a fierce will, and a destiny she doesn’t fully understand. She’s brave, vulnerable, and never once loses her agency, even when the world (and let’s be honest, fate) keeps trying to push her around. And then there’s Julianus Dakkia. Roman general, imperial golden boy, and... minor detail... a dragon shifter.

Their story is set against a vivid and richly imagined backdrop: a Rome where dragons rule, deathriders attack from the skies, and the line between politics and magic is dangerously thin. It’s lush, intense, and full of that slightly mythic energy that makes everything feel larger than life. The stakes... epic. The romance... even more so.

There's definitely some controversy here that I've seen on social media, but if we look at it with a historical lens... slavery definitely existed in many different cultures, but I think it's good to understand that it was 1000% not a thing to be romanticized.

There’s action and tension and literal firestorms, but the relationship between Malina and Julianus is what grounds the story. It's tender and brutal and impossibly romantic. They’re both fighting for more than survival... they’re fighting to change the world, and maybe rewrite what fate says they’re allowed to have.

If you like your fantasy with political intrigue, ancient prophecy, forbidden love, and dragons who would burn the world for the one they love, this is your next obsession.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a wonderful job!

4/5

Firebird blends ancient Roman intrigue with dragon shifters in a way that feels both fresh and inevitable. The world-building is steeped in Roman mythology, with political schemes and rebellion at its core, all while dragons serve as the perfect metaphor for empire-driven ruthlessness.

Julian, the morally complex general, and Malina, the fierce and independent heroine, share a slow-burn romance that’s both compelling and fraught with tension. Their evolving relationship—full of mistrust and undeniable attraction—keeps you hooked, even as the plot takes its time to build toward greater action. While the book lays the groundwork for a bigger, more explosive conflict, the real strength lies in the characters and their personal growth. The side characters, especially in the political and magical circles, add richness to the narrative, though the magic system itself could use more exploration.

Blair Dade and Kale Williams excel in the audiobook, adding depth and emotion to each character, especially during tense moments where you can feel the stakes rise. Overall Firebird is a captivating start to a series full of political drama, dragon-shifter intrigue, and simmering romance. If you love morally gray heroes, empire intrigue, and slow-burn relationships, this one’s for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the audiobook ARC!