3.5⭐️-rounded down
It's not so much that it's a dark, captor/slave Romantasy as it was some of the cringey writing. I also understand the discourse around this book- however, even though in her mind she is a slave, he never saw her that way, but it was more so to protect her. I've definitely seen worse versions of this trope-not that it's ever any better. Overall, I think the story has potential, but I thought that it was kind of rushed and there wasn't enough character development.
"Treasure", "my mate"... all the roaring... it was just a bit much. And like I said, got a bit too repetitive. I'm assuming the ending was the set up for one of the sisters' story, but if she thinks they're dead-also who would they wind up with- is what might get me to read the next installment.
Definitely look up trigger warnings

This is a fun, fast paced romantasy read!
There was a lot of hype about this book and it definitely delivered. I enjoyed the world building. I didn’t get board of it. I was interested in it the whole time. The romance was great too. I literally live for the fated mates trope. I loved that the MMC was a possessive dragon shifter. Our FMC is a stubborn and strong witch. I will say that I thought the ending was very rushed and I wanted more details and more romance at the end. But I am excited for book two and will be reading it! Also the physical book is absolutely STUNNING!

3 ⭐️

I have a lot of mixed feeling about Firebird. On one hand I really enjoyed the story and the concept of a dark fantasy set in an alternate roman empire where dragons rule. I love that we were able to see the complex society and inklings of political themes that we get in House of the Dragon, but the story fell flat for me. I expected more political intrigue and maneuvering with trickles of the romantasy elements. I think the world-building was a bit lacking as well compared to what it could have been - Roman Theology mixes well with Dragons, but I feel like the author didn't go deep enough into the world building, just focusing solely on a questionable relationship.

Malina is an interesting character - a witch, a prisoner of war and someone fighting to just live. She's captured and taken as a body slave by Julianus, the nephew of Caesar and a powerful general and dragon shifter. However, it doesn't take long for him to fall for her and become obsessed with her. They're in a master/slave romance and that wasn't accurately portrayed in the marketing for this book which is a major issue. I don't feel I can speak on the romance there, but it didn't make me love the book. The additional SA Malina and other slaves endure may be accurate to the time period, but I didn't love reading about it. I wish it had similar elements with the dragon shifters and political intrigue, but without concealing the more unsavory elements under it just being called "dark romantasy".

<b>Audiobook Narrated by Blair Dade & Kale Williams.</b> The narration was the absolute saving grace of the story. I don't think I would've enjoyed reading this as much as I did if I was physically reading it. The performances easily get a 5 ⭐️

<i>the star rating is only regarding the content of the book, not the performance.</i>

🔥 Alternate Roman Empire setting
🔥 Master/slave relationship
🔥 Touch her and ☠️☠️☠️
🔥 Dragon Shifters
🔥 Forbidden Magic

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for sending this audiobook (ALC) for honest review.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | An inferno of dragons, destiny, and off-the-charts chemistry—easily a top read of my year

Juliette Cross takes every “dark romantasy” promise—fiery beasts, fated lovers, high-stakes empire intrigue—and turns it into a breathtaking, ear-devouring experience in Firebird. Imagine House of the Dragon’s political claws meeting From Blood and Ash’s addictive swoon, then crank the heat until your earbuds melt.

🎧 Narration that breathes fire
Blair Dade imbues Malina with equal parts mystic grace and steel, while Kale Williams gives General Julianus a gravel-rich intensity that had me rewinding just to hear certain lines again. When they share the mic, the tension crackles like a live sparkstone—every whispered vow and dragon-roared command lands straight in the chest.

🐉 A Rome ruled by dragons
Cross reimagines the empire with sky-raking deathriders, molten aerial battles, and court machinations sharp enough to draw blood. The lore is lush but never bogs down; instead, each revelation about witches, talismans, and draconic lineages pulls you deeper into the firestorm.

💔🔥 Lovers bound by fate (and claws)
Julianus—ruthless conqueror, reluctant protector—meets his match in Malina, the dancer-prophet who can set both kingdoms and hearts ablaze. Their bond treads the edge of feral possessiveness and soul-deep devotion, making every stolen moment feel like the calm before an eruption.

✨ Why it soars above the rest
Pulse-pounding action balanced with intimate, “pause-the-track-to-breathe” tenderness.

Complex world-building that feels both ancient and otherworldly.

Narrators who elevate every beat—turning an already stellar script into a sensory feast.

Bottom line? Firebird isn’t just a read; it’s a full-body experience—one that left me scorched, swooning, and desperate for more. Five blazing stars, and my wholehearted shout-out as one of the best audiobooks of the year.

3.5 stars for me. I have seen all the mixed reviews on this one. I enjoyed this romantasy take on Rome and understand there is some of the discourse about the dynamics between the main characters. Overall, this one was good and I enjoyed that it was a bit different than other romantasies I have read recently. The magic system is the book was very intriguing and the fantasy elements are well done. I think this could have definitely benefited from better marketing and been more transparent about the slave/master dynamic.

This one just didn’t sit right with me. While I went in expecting a dark romantasy, I wasn’t prepared for the intensity of some of the themes. There are elements like master/slave dynamics, attempted SA (not between the main characters), and dubious consent (again, not between the leads), but still it was enough to make me uncomfortable. I kept hoping it would redeem itself, but it just didn’t work for me. Some moments felt unnecessarily heavy, and it took away from any connection I might’ve had with the characters or romance. Just wasn’t my kind of read.

Firebird by Juliette Cross is a romantasy set in an Ancient Rome where dragons rule. Malina is captured by Roman leader Julianus, a fierce dragon warrior who can shapeshift into a powerful man, nephew to Caesar. To protect Malina, he makes her his body slave and in doing so turns both their worlds upside down.

With Firebird, I would advise doing your research as this may not be for everyone. Additionally, I could’ve did with out the constant references to a certain piece of male anatomy, though it does go with the time period it was set in. The narration of the audio book also adds a lot to the story, and I do think listening to it is a definite must.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bramble for the advance audio arc!

If I could give a book zero stars I would. I had heard a lot about this book but I wanted to make my own opinion because booktok tends to exaggerate. However this book was the absolute worst. Not only is this author trying to make a slave/ master romance sexy but she is also using the trauma of the Romani people to make this romantasy book. When I read this book all I could see and from what she referenced the struggles that the Romani people have faced being made as inspiration for a romance. It was disgusting but unfortunately I expect nothing less from a white woman. I will never read anything from this author again.

This one was not the book for me. There was missing a lot of world and character building. There were things discussed I didn't enjoy. The romance wasn't really there. The idea was good but the execution lacked entirely. I will not be continuing this series.

Where are my fantasy readers that are still in their dragon/ shifter era? Also, do you want ties of ancient Rome?

I give you Firebird!

I enjoyed this one! It was different than other ancient Rome books I've read with dragon shifters but still gave that feeling of living during that brutal time.

I've been a fan of Juliette Cross for a while, and I've read a lot of her backlog, and this was so different.

I can't wait to own the physical copy of this one!

Overall ☆☆☆☆☆/5
Spice ★★★/5

This was good! I enjoyed the fantastical take on Rome and the world building. I do know this book has gotten some feedback regarding the relationship between the main characters, but I honestly didn’t take it that way. I thought it was handled well.

3.5 stars. I know this has been getting mixed reviews and I’m not someone who can fully comment on whether or not the slavery is harmful. Besides all of that I enjoyed the story line and the shifter element. The character development for the fmc was a little weak and I would’ve liked to have seen a bit more. The romance dynamic was good overall i think it would have been a bit better if the book marketed what their dynamic was going to be a little more. Overall I think the thing that this book needed was a little bit more stronger marketing that accurately portrayed the book.

This was fine. I don't love roman mythology so this wasn't nearly as intriguing to me as I thought it would be. I thought the concept of the story was incredible, but I wasn't the right target audience for this read.

I will be honest, I didn’t listen to this book. There was a lot of information that came out right before I was about to and none of it was good. This was not marketed as a dark romance from looking at the description, it also did not say anything about a slave OWNER and slave. I think the ball was dropped here and I hope that if this author does write more they or there marketing team does better

I will not be reviewing this book due to other reviews I have seen online criticizing the relationship between the two main characters -- a master/slave romance is not okay in the year of our Lord 2025, even if they are white. Super disappointed because I have loved Juliette Cross' indie published books since 2020.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing me with this Audiobook in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

Let me start with the one highlight: the narration was well done. The voice actors delivered solid performances, and I have no complaints on that front.

Unfortunately, that’s about where the positives stop for me.

This book had an interesting enough premise but the execution just wasn’t right, unfortunately.

Seeing a lot of POC readers also agree that it made them feel uncomfortable reading the whole Slave/Master situation (please stop trying to convince people that’s not what this was, a good slave master is still a slave master, argue with the wall). Trying to romanticize that power imbalance is tone-deaf at best.

I think if it was done differently, it could’ve been okay. But it felt very cringey and the flow was messy—how did we go from hey you led the charge on my village and have been enslaving and pillaging… to “I love you, you’re not like other colonizers”?????

The spice was also bad.

Lastly, it’s worth noting who tends to “not see the problem.” That in itself says a lot.

This world and the fantasy aspect of the book was definitely intriguing. I thought the magical aspect and the dragons was really neat and really enjoyed it. I think that this book would've been a lot better for me if the romance of it hit as hard. The relationship between Malina and Julianus didn't have me feeling any sort of way. I was honestly confused at first if he was actually the romantic love interest because i really don't feel like there is much there between them. I would say this is a 3 star because i really did enjoy how the author creatively tied in the Roman Mythology, and again, I was so fascinated with everything else in this storyline minus the romance.

Overall this was a good start to a series. However, there was lack of depth in some areas. It did keep me interested enough to want to continue with the series. I would recommend this to my viewers, but I'd make them aware that this is set in a very misogynistic world and has slave x master dynamics.

Also the narrators did a great job bringing this to life.

This was a challenging book for me to evaluate. On one level, it closely adheres to the familiar romantasy formula, ticking off the expected tropes almost methodically. Yet, within the larger framework of the narrative, many of these common elements fell flat for me personally. Given how beloved this genre tends to be, I anticipate that my perspective might diverge from the majority opinion. And not every dragon romance misses for me- usually they're a hit!

Let’s start with some positive points: the setting inspired by ancient Rome intrigued me. It’s refreshing to see Roman history becoming increasingly popular within fantasy fiction. With its extensive timeline full of dramatic peaks and fascinating details, Rome provides a rich canvas for creative storytelling.

However, this book unfortunately didn't make the most of its historical backdrop. It was marketed as a blend of ancient Rome and George R.R. Martin, both renowned for intricate political intrigue. Yet, political maneuvering was almost entirely absent here, or at best, superficially depicted. The primary similarity to Martin lay in depicting a brutal society rife with mistreatment of women. While historically accurate to some extent, the portrayal felt excessively graphic at times, without meaningful context or exploration. Readers sensitive to these themes should heed the trigger warnings closely.

My biggest issue, however, was with the romance itself. This relationship illustrates how romantasy tropes can stumble when not thoughtfully integrated. Central to the narrative is the morally ambiguous male lead who played a role in destroying the female protagonist’s community. While such a scenario isn't uncommon in romantasy, it demands a particularly compelling justification for readers to overcome the initial brutality. Unfortunately, this justification felt inadequate here.

Moreover, the foundational dynamic—where the male character takes the female protagonist as a "body slave"—sets up an immense power imbalance. Successfully navigating such sensitive territory requires delicate handling, but instead, the romance escalated quickly without adequately addressing these problematic power dynamics. For me, this resulted in an uncomfortable undertone throughout the story.

Additionally, the incorporation of dragon-related mating bonds added another troublesome layer. While mating bonds can effectively heighten romantic tension, they often risk overshadowing genuine character development and realistic romantic progression, leading to instant attraction scenarios. Phrases like "You're mine" and demands of ownership, while common in romantasy contexts, felt disturbingly inappropriate given the underlying master/slave scenario. While some books manage these tropes beautifully (Ali Hazelwood’s Bride being an excellent example), unfortunately, this novel did not.

Overall, this book represents what happens when popular tropes are employed without adequate thought or cohesion. The mash-up of mating bonds, possessive language, and an inherently imbalanced power dynamic created a profoundly off-putting narrative. I genuinely cannot recommend this book, as there are far better executions of these tropes available elsewhere.

While I enjoyed this story, I do wish that it would have been advertised correctly, there was no indicator that this was a slave/master romance before the release of the book. That definitely brought down my enjoyment of the story and I wish I would have known that going into the book.