Firebird by Juliette Cross – ALC Review 🎧
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Spice:🌶🌶

Tropes:
Dragon Shifters Ancient Rome
Witches & Magic
Forbidden love
Master/Slave Dynamic

⚠️ Warning: This is a dark romantasy, if your not comfortable reading a slave/master relationship I would not recommend this.

I was super excited to receive this ALC, especially since I had already pre-ordered Firebird months ago, just based on the cover and those sprayed edges. And yes, that’s all it takes for me to buy a book and it helps that I ended up really enjoying it!

Malina is a witch with empathic powers who has become all too familiar with loss. After being saved by Julianus, a powerful Roman general and dragon shifter, she loses her freedom, forcing her into a life of servitude. But as the war continues, Malina starts to see Julianus in a different light, not just as her captor, but as a potential ally, and the one fate has bound her to.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan audio! When I saw the description of this book I immediately wanted to read it. Overall I enjoyed it. I really liked the concept of being able to shift into full dragon and also half skin. I thought that was unique and different from other dragon books. The romance was so good. I love a good fated mates trope and this definitely delivered. *SPOILERS* The only thing I didn’t like was Julianus having to give up his mate to be a slave for someone else. I didn’t mind her being a slave for Julianus since he never treated her like a slave, but giving her up to be a slave to his enemy who he knew wanted to assault her gave me the ick…. Maybe if she was kidnapped or something else that wasn’t him just giving her away it would have worked for me. This book would be 5 stars but that one part just bugged me. With that being said I still loved it and I will definitely be reading the next one.

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the ARC of this book! The narration Kale Williams & Blair Dade was phenomenal, it was a very immersive reading experience with the dual narration.
Before deciding whether you’d like to read this book, I would highly suggest checking trigger warnings as this is a slave/master dynamic and contains some brutal scenes. I prepared myself beforehand but was still taken aback during some parts of this book. Although it does say “dark romantasy”, I don’t think it has been properly advertised as such and many readers may pick it up and think it is a standard romantasy.
Knowing this about the book, I was still able to really enjoy the story! It had some very intriguing elements: dragon shifting, psychic abilities/witches, and the Ancient Rome setting. The main characters relationship does fall into the “insta lust” category but I was able to look past my usual dislike for this trope because of its reasonings for the plot. The political scheming was super engaging as the stakes are very high for the main characters and the antagonist of the story was actually horrible and terrifying! I was on the edge while listening to the story the whole time!
Overall, this isn’t a book I would recommend to everyone because of the trigger list, however if you are able to stomach a DARK Ancient Rome inspired dragon fantasy, then it’s a fun read and good first novel to this series.

🎧⭐⭐⭐⭐.5🎧

I received an ALC (Advanced Listener Copy) of this audiobook from NetGalley & Macmillan Audio.
What a great first book. I always approach these books with an open mind, knowing that there will be a lot of worldbuilding at the beginning. And yes, that does happen, but it was effortless to follow along.

Roman, the nephew of Emperor Julianus (who is a very bad man), has fallen for someone whom the law says he can’t be with. But it only took one look, and he was captivated. He knew who she was the moment he met eyes with her. When her life is in danger, he intervenes and takes ownership of her. It’s to protect her, but it’s also for himself; he is about to make things very messy.

Malina is fierce, yet she still has so much trust. Her gifts really are a blessing. She is just as intrigued by Roman. The way they gravitate towards each other, you know their story is going to be an epic one, and I am here for it.
I felt like the book ended at the perfect spot, making me want book 2 like RIGHT NOW!
The narrators, Blair Dade and Kale Williams, really brought this story to life; it was never dull, and they performed exceptionally well.

Based on the synopsis of the book I really wanted to love it but Bramble really did her dirty not doing content warnings and Setting up the fact it was master/slave dynamic. The narrators did a wonderful job setting the scenes and being captivating… but so many cringy scenarios that were ill prepared for due to there not being content warnings.

The concept was there but the story kind of fell flat once the FMC and MMC insta love kicked in. I’m hoping the next book brings the whole story together as it did leave off in a cliff hanger setting up for the possibility of a more action packed story vs the cringy set up.

I really enjoyed this book. The author had a really compelling writing style that made me just binge this book. Great characters and building of this world. My biggest complaint is that the romance seemed too easy to me. However, I would recommend this book who don't mind a slave/master relationship.

Personally, even though she is the slave and he is the master, he wasn't awful to her at all. Nothing close to what you hear from other dark romance books. It's just what they happen to be because of circumstances. I feel like the world in which our 2 main characters live in is the darkest part of the story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of the ebook and audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

A dark romantasy set during the Roman Empire, this is a master/slave story so definitely check the content warnings before diving in. The prologue definitely drew me in!
The story follows Malina who is a witch and Julian who is a Roman commander and dragon shifter. While their relationship might bring up mixed feelings I think the book shows how much Julian genuinely cares for Malina and how they’d both do anything to protect each other. I will admit, some of the sexy talk from Julian was a bit over the top for me.
Even though it’s supposed to be a fated mates romance it did feel a bit rushed and leaned more toward insta love. The narrators Blair Dade and Kale Williams did an amazing job bringing Julian and Malina to life. Their tones and inflections were spot on and really elevated the story for me. This book is perfect for lovers of Dragon shifters, witches, Roman gods, touch her & die, and fated mates.

* Thank you to McMillan Audio, Brambl Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this audiobook*

I'm going to start by saying that I don't know how to review/rate this book. 3.5 stars rounded up

If I knew that this was a slave/master romance I might not have picked this up or at least would've been aware of what I was getting into. The power dynamics and the violence that sometimes come with it is really not for everyone so please be aware if you want to pick up this book. Some parts of that relationship is cliché but that didn't hinder my enjoyment. I do have to admit that I kind of skimmed over the spicy scenes as they were sort of too dramatic for me (but if you like that hey you do you).

However, if we put that dynamic aside and only think of everything else, I know that the romantasy girlies are going to eat this up. Ancient Rome, with dragons and magic? Sign me up. I appreciate the author's note regarding the liberties she took with mythology, history and our FMC's origins (she is Dacian, but their language is extinct so she uses the Romanian language in the book instead).

I will pick the next installment because I do want to see bad guys ripped in half by dragons

I appreciate NetGally giving me the opportunity to review this book.

In my opinion, this is book that sensationalized slavery, fetishized non-white characters, and adults having relationships with minors.

I do not think this book should have been published.

Firebird is a gripping ancient roman romantasy that will have you hooked and on the edge of your seat from the very beginning. The book was very fast paced but not at any point of the book was I confused or didn't know what was going on, which I really appreciated. The world building and plot were incredible. The narrators had great voices and rally fit the book, they made the reading experience even better. I truly enjoyed this book so much that I preordered the special edition so that I can display it on my book shelf. This was my introduction to Juliette Cross and best believe I will be reading more of her work. 10/10 will be recommending to all of my book besties

Malina is a Dacian dancer who once met Julian when they were younger. He is a Roman General and dragon shifter who finds her in a situation where he can save her from harm. The only way for him to do it though is to make her his slave and bring her into his household. So there’s that. She’s a sort of witch with empathic senses and he has a grand political plan. By 50% they are on the same team.

This book has a bunch of cool elements like dragon shifters in the Roman Empire, witches, talismans, and dancing, but it still feels like something is missing. Or at least that we haven’t yet scratched the surface of this world. I think if you like political intrigue mixed with dragon shifters then you might like this. The narrators Blair Dade and Kale Williams did a very good job bringing the characters to life. They added to the story for sure.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for sharing this book with me in exchange for my honest review.

Intriguing storyline and impeccable characters that made me desperate for more! I can’t wait for the second book!

I was so excited about this book; the premise sounded excellent. A dark romantasy set in ancient Rome with dragons? Incredible premise!!

HOWEVER

This was so bad for so many reasons. Typically, I don't like to yuck anyone's yums, but:
𖥔 There is an EXTERMELY unbalanced and uncomfortable master/slave relationship and the enslaved FMC is of a minority race
𖥔 He falls into insta-lust when she's a minor and he's a full adult man in a powerful position
𖥔 During one sex scene she comments how "she couldn't stop him even if she wanted to." ... because she's his slave!!!
𖥔 As a minor she is described as so tiny and petite but also that she looks older than her age because she's so curvy and petite

Things I took issue with that are more-so my opinions:
𖥔 The smut scenes were cringey at best, uncomfortable and consentless at worst
𖥔 The plot was boring and predictable!!
𖥔 Her power was the power of ... dance
𖥔 I found their relationship wildly unbelievable. Chemistry where. Common interest where.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ALC.

Please note, this rating is based on the content of the book and not the performance of the ALC.

This books is not for me. This book features a MMC who enslaves a woman…. Who is a minority. At one point he is attracted to her when she is a minor as well. I could not get past these two facts and it made the rest of the book rough. Any relationship between a “master” and a “slave” would not be positive as the “slave” could not consent. Just a not.

Firebird
By Juliette Cross
Narrated by Blair Dade; Kale Williams
3.5 ⭐️

*This book has a prominent slavery dynamic that will not be for many readers regardless of how morally noble the MMC reveals himself to be. I didn’t find slavery to be romanticized. It made me wholly uncomfortable as it should.

So, the Holy Roman Empire is most definitely not my Holy Roman Empire. Nor is a slavery trope. I don’t gravitate to most of the themes in this story, and yet, I still liked it overall. I really liked Malina, the dragon shifter concept/execution, and the mythology of different cultures within the Roman Empire. Julian/Julianus doesn’t do much for me beyond being a dragon shifter at this point. The fact that he excused his compliance with the status quo is a huge negative for me. His character may develop into something more I suppose. His BFF that concocts a revolution with him has more charisma to me than he does. I was also lukewarm on the plot overall. It didn’t lean far enough away from “terrible leader and his terrible minions, must over throw them” for me. I wanted a bit more from Cross in that department. I enjoyed the audiobook. I like the dual narrators (thank you!) and think they helped me stay present in the story. I’ll likely stick with the series at this point and reevaluate after book 2.

Thank you NetGalley, Juliette Cross, and Macmillan audio for an audiobook ARC. (Also purchased with my own money 💸)

DARK Romantasy with spice. Roman mythology.
For the dark romance girlies who like fantasy, it’s Master/salve so if you’re sensitive to that this book isn’t for you. I enjoyed the story and underlying plot. The spice was good. The ending definitely set it up for a the next book but it doesn’t end on a crazy cliffhanger.

wow! this was such a pleasant delight. i went in blind and honestly binged it in less than 24 hours! the audio was extremely well done. the narrators brought this book to life. such a unique book that felt very fresh and entertaining. there were some moments where i felt the romance was a bit rushed… i was hoping for a bit more yearning or pining. it felt like we jumped right into them becoming mates. i wish it was a bit of a slower build up to that. over all had a great time!

I unfortunately did not connect with this book. I was excited that there were magic and dragons but the whole body slave thing made me feel icky.
I am still grateful to have had an opportunity to read this early.

This book has an interesting take on fantasy romance. It is set during the Roman Empire yet in an alternate universe where dragon shifters exist. It starts with a dancer, Malina, who captures the attention of the nephew of the emperor, Julianus. Years later, he comes across her in a battlefield, her life in danger; Julian shifts into his dragon form to save her. Julian and his dragon form find that Malina is their bond. She becomes his slave, who only takes care of maid-like duties, meanwhile finding each other as fated mates during time of war.

I’m not going to lie, I loved the idea of this story but it was just not for me. I had a hard time letting go of the actual history, and seeing them as dragon shifters. The political intrigue was so intricately rooted into the Roman Empire and it was fascinating to read. Another thing I had difficulty with was the slave aspect. It may be part of history, but I did not like how she was his slave and it really felt like she had no choice as I did not see their relationship blossom as naturally. I did not find that had any chemistry making it harder for me to believe she made this choice for herself. I’ve seen other ARC reviews that absolutely loved this book, and I can see why, but again, I am not the target audience for this book.

Firebird is the first book I've read/ listened to by Juliet Cross, and I have to say that I enjoyed it quite a bit! As far as the narration goes... Absolutely amazing! Blair Dade and Kale Williams are both masters of their craft. I heard the emotion in every word and felt like they connected with the charters and the story.
As far as the story itself goes, there are a couple of things I think could have been fleshed out a little more. The first is the world building. It's just not "quite there." I also struggled a little bit with the ease at which the MFC acquiesced to the " tether " with the MFC, even though he's supposed to be her master. She was smart and seemed to examine how she was feeling and what her reactions were before acting on them, so I struggled a bit with that. But I did enjoy her personality. Also, I am a huge sucker for dragon shifters, so I was absolutely hooked finding out the MFC and many of the main characters were shifters! Who doesn't love a dragon shifter who is uncontrollably in love?
I would rate the spice rounded up to 3 out of 5.
I appreciate the advanced listener copy from MacMillan Audio