I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next in series. What an interesting blend of medieval fantasy tempered with some urban fantasy. I had such fun reading this book.

So, the story…Elena is constantly on the move with her father seemingly running away from something. On one particular night, they are attacked by dragons! In the next minute Elena finds herself in another world without her father, who has been killed. Apparently Elena is special and there are great expectations for her potential so she is enrolled into the School of Dragonia. Here, she learns of magic, dragons and Dragonians amongst other things.

Now, bear in mind that Elena is just your seemingly normal run-of-the-mill average teenager, who is clumsy and only excels at one thing (which she doesn’t like), which is riddles. She is the opposite of what you’d expect from a heroine.

Surprisingly, her new world is very similar to our world in that it has cars, museums, shopping malls, modern technology, etc., but on an advanced level. But half of her new classmates are dragons in human form and…they have dragons in this world. Her school reminds me a bit of Hogwarts with a mixture of regular and magical subjects.

The characters are interesting and I enjoyed their interaction, i.e. Sweet Sammy, Prince Lucian, Flirty Brian, Brave Becky and, of course, the mysterious Blake.

I read this book quickly as I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was very entertaining and well balanced.

Adrienne Woods created a whole new world for us to explore with an interesting back story to boot.

If you enjoy fantasy books with dragons, friendship and some romance, then you will enjoy this book.

Elena is an ordinary sixteen-year old. Sure, she has a large, dark birthmark on her knee, and her father insists on moving across the country every few months. But still, normal, right? Then her father's pursuers catch up to them, and Elena discovers that the two of them really are different. Her father is a dragon, and Elena is destined to be a great dragon rider. After an epic battle between her father and his attackers, Elena wakes up, orphaned in the world of dragons, an acceptance to the top dragon and rider school in the nation.

I love this book. It's the first in dozens that has forbidden me to put it down. So totally awesome.

Now I'm going to say something that may seem like it contradicts what I just said. It was a little cliche. Is a combination of a bunch of obvious elements from other stories. Harry Potter is a big one. It's a boarding school, in a castle, with magic. Next is How to Train Your Dragon: the multiple dragon species and traits, dragon riders, and history of how the dragon riders came to be. However, the book doesn't capture the trademark humor of the series or of the next influence - Percy Jackson and the rest of Rick Riordan's pantheons. I can see the influence of the Greek gods in the riddles, quests, and the creepy lady with the prophecies. Other myths and legends come into play, including King Arthur. And the final possible influence is an anime called Soul Eater, in which the weapons and their bearers are both alive and human, with some shape shifting abilities, in the same way the dragons and riders work together, shape shifting included.

Now, I love all those stories. I noticed flaws with many of them, but I love them. The reason I love Firebolt is because it takes the best of all of those tales and carves a new epic story out of them. Cliches are cliches because we love them in the originals and they work. The only things I didn't like are the lack of humor and the stupid teenage boy-girl drama. And that what's obvious to me isn't obvious to everyone else. Except maybe the Headmaster and the Council. Who knows what secrets they're keeping.

So, yes, I love this book. I couldn't put it down, and I will defend it's cliches if I need to. I hope other fans of YA Fantasy will love it to.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Sometimes I let myself break the old adage, "don't judge a book by its cover" because sometimes there are really neat covers. And while they don't always give the best insights to the true worth of a book, sometimes they are.

Okay, I will fully admit. I got about six or seven pages into this book and fully contemplated putting it back. Probably not as a DNF, I loath not finishing books even if I dislike them. However, I was in a weird mood and decided to just keep reading, and I'm glad I did. Firebolt does it's best to put you in the middle of action as it begins, however compared to the rest of the novel, the first chapter seems a little flat.

I enjoyed learning more about the world, and characters. It is definitely a young adult book, focusing around school and relationships. Yet with a book I'd just contemplated putting off for another night, I ended up finishing it within hours. So I will let that also speak to how the book gets better the further you get. There is just so much that Elena doesn't know, which helps the audience learn with her. Which isn't my favorite way of learning in books, too often it was a 'Donnatella' (probably not the post for West Wing references, oops). This could also be seen in some of the pacing, we spent quite a bit of time learning and the action was packed into the very front and tail end of the novel.

However, what probably kept me reading was the way Elena coped with her loss. I was so incredibly nervous, after all to those of us who've lost someone integral in our lives, reading about loss from a character who obviously doesn't understand what they're supposed to be feeling is the worst. I was pleasantly surprised. Elena did try to push through the pain as I expected, but she cried. Her emotions got the best of her. She had panic attacks. She got upset mere moments after being happy. And this happened throughout the book. So I stayed. I stayed for a character who I could understand.

The most interesting part about all of plot of this novel to me is the prophecies. Prophecies can be so powerful in writing, and I for one was glad how Elena handled this aspect of the novel. I can already see the set up for the next novel, but I'm excited to see if my guesses come to pass, and the explanation behind them.

In short, this isn't a book I came away gushing about the second I put it down. Instead it's a creeper, it continues to grow on you. The world of Firebolt is obviously well thought out by the author, and I think that Woods just needed to get part way through the book to where she could actually being to weave the story. I expect the rest of the series to pick up in tempo, and think it's a good quick young adult book. What shines to me was how real Elena could be at times and I truly applaud Woods for her personification of this character.

Book: I feel like it should be a 3.85 to a 3.9, which is just silly so I'll give it my full four stars! I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the book, and I recommend giving it a shot!

Thank you to NetGalley, Adrienne Woods, and Fire Quill Publishing for an ARC in return for an honest review.

What a fantastic book. I am totally hooked and have now purchased all the others in the series. This genre is new to me but I'm loving it. It's just as good as Harry Potter and the Twilight Series.

After reading this book, I immediately went on to purchase the next available ones in the series. It's a very interesting world that is very detailed, and holds the reader captive till the end.

Every now and then expectations are made. Maybe it's the magnificent blurb, or perhaps the cover is a piece of literal art. For this book it was both. I mean come on, a fairy tale killed her father? Who could resist a line like that? Admittedly, I have brightened up the cover a little bit in my featured image – but there's no doubt that it's gorgeous even without the photo editing. So where did the book go wrong? I got this through the 'read now' section on netgalley.

"For the love of blueberries, no sixteen year old should live this way!"
Wha–what? I'm still a teenager myself and no. one. talks. like. that. I mean, unless they're making fun of something, which happens more than I'd care to admit. I'm not a bad person, pinky swear! On a more serious note though, this looks like something off a disney show. Sure, it takes things from real life but then makes them completely over the top dramatic. But Fleur, this is a fantasy book. Doesn't change the fact that the main character was supposed to be a sixteen year old in a world that mirrors ours.

"Dad..."
"This..." He looked at me. "...wasn't the right place, Bear."
There is nothing that get's more on my nerves than an abundance of periods. I used to be a severe misuser of them in text and would get constant complaints from everyone whenever I sent them messages that had ... in them. Growing up I've realised that yes, this is annoying. It's annoying in text and it's terribly annoying in books. It definitely doesn't help that they're right next to each other in the book.

"Elena, we don't have much time," he yelled.
After five seconds of a heartfelt 'sorry' moment. This guy is really up and down with all of his moods which kind of threw the beginning off for me. This doesn't only happen to the dad mind you, and I can't deal with character's constant mood swings that don't have any explanation.

"Once, he threw me over his shoulder and carried me out without any of my things."
He couldn't manage to bring a cd or something? That's such an asshole thing to do and it makes him look like a terrible, somewhat abusive, father. Funnily enough, that isn't something that I look for in my books.

"A tear rolled down my cheek."
Aw, how sad! Well, I mean it would be if she wasn't being so gosh darn melodramatic. Remember those mood swings that I mentioned earlier? This one is slightly different as I can kind of understand why she's upset – but I can't feel it. There's almost no emotion in her disappear and no anger in her rage. Sigh.

"A figure with huge paws and talons flew in front of the truck."
ARGGGHHHHhh – uh, okay. This should be such a shocking moment for the readers, but instead the momentous terror is just kind of stated. There's no build up, very little tension and even less shock value. The sheep was grazing grass. Like that.

"Why am I afraid? Dragons aren't real."
Because something massive just flew in front of your truck. Is it a dragon, a robot that's lost control or an oversized crow that liked the look of your truck? Any one of those would be scary and two of them are real. It just makes the protag look so out of it when she says something like that!

I'd just like to add that I have no ill will towards the author or anything like that. I'm glad that she's able to write books, and I hope that she continues to do so! It just wasn't the book for me.
Fleur xx

ARC - I voluntarily offered to review this book with no obligations and my opinions are honest!
Elena is having a really bad day.
On the run w/ her father, they are attacked by dragons.
That is right: Dragons!
How could her father not tell her that he could turn into a dragon?
There are so many things that Elena did not understand.
Now she is in Paegeia living a new life + trying to learn the new rules.
Thank god for her new friends!
She would not know what do to without Becky + Sammy.
Let's not forget the delicious Lucian + Blake.
Both of them are Yummy.
How is a girl to chose ?
Lucian is her choice, but there is something about Blake.
I loved the storytelling + the characters.
After reading book 1, I had to buy the whole set.
I needed to know what will happen to Elena,
You get sucked into the story and you don't want to come out of it

Well, I unfortunately had to DNF this novel very early on. The premise sounded great, but when it came down to the actual writing and follow through, I was disappointed.

I was really hoping on enjoying this novel, but the way it was written felt like I was reading something that hadn't been edited and was written - frankly - by a teenager.

I don't think I'll be writing a review about this novel, purely because I didn't really read enough to have an opinion on the plot.

"Firebolt" is the story of Elena, a girl who suddenly finds out that dragons do exist after her father is killed - and not only that, she'll have to go to school with some of them from now on. She discovers a world that is completely strange, Paegeia, and has to deal with a lot of new information, impressions and also classes. She is to be trained to ride a dragone at some time and the education she had prior to her arrival didn't really prepare her for that. It's no wonder that she is completely overwhelmed, as she also mourns her father. Some reviewers have criticized that Elena cried easily and was initially completely helpless, but I thought that this was very realistic. She is 16 years old, lost her only parent and is thrown into a strange world. Of course she reacts emotionally. I found it rather admirable that she never gave up and was ready to fight and stand up for what she felt was right. She must learn to believe in herself and do things she never thought possible while finding friends (and a boyfriend).

The characters are unfortunately still a bit blank, which can be explained by the fact that the book is told from Elena's point of view and therefore only offers a limited view on her friends and
acquaintances. There are already scenes, however, in which it is shown that Blake is more than an arrogant, potentially dangerous idiot and that her friends also have flaws. I hope that the second book will show more of it; it didn't really bother me in "Firebolt", but I would like to see more developments in a few more characters.

I adored the world building. Paegeia is interesting so far, I liked the categorization of the dragons and the historical background. There were some scenes in which the reader got a lot of information at once since Elena got some kind of crash cure, but the author also weaves tidbits through her story. She also teased certain events; we still don't know much about the more recent events and their impact, yet there is enough to get an idea on what went down. The speculation is certainly fun. The plot was interesting and (especially towards the end) very gripping; while the first volume is largely self-contained, there are still a few things left open, and I already have some theories about the role Elena is going to play and the connections between events. Let's see if I'm right - I can't wait to find out.

I read this book front to finish without putting it down. I am so excited for the next. Mixing magic, dragons and humans was genious. Don't look for Harry Potter here.

Great novel however there was just something missing. I'd be interested to read more from this author however the story was amazing up until the second half of the book. It would be fantastic for an high fantasy lover or anyone who loves dragons.

I'm sorry, but I did not enjoy this. The characters were flat and irritating - especially MC Elena, who spent most of the book whining and being clumsy and confused. The premise is good but the execution is poor. The writing was wooden with very few descriptions and very little tension that made me want to keep reading. The dialogue especially sounded cold and unnatural.

Book review
Title: Firebolt
Author: Adrienne Woods
Genre: Fantasy/YA/Romance
Rating: ****
Review: The opening to Firebolt was brilliant, we meet 16 year old Elena and her father who are on the run for unknown reasons. One night when they are moving one again they are attacked by dragons and she learns that her father also transforms into a dragon. Elena’s reason is perfect she is freaked out, intrigued yet terrified all at once. After the attack Elena wakes up in Paegeia, where she learns of her father's death and that she bears a special mark but it is a dark mark. Elena learns that she can't leave Paegeia because of the wall but her mark does get her admittance to Dragonia Academy.
As we approach the 1/4 mark in the novel we see Elena learn more about the different kinds of dragons, their abilities and their Dragonians. In addition she learns about dragon history and how dragons and human interact and why there are so many rules surrounding dragon society. All the while Elena is trying to wrap her head around this information and figure out why her father kept this hidden from her and why it ultimately led to his death. I loved watching the friendships form and learning about the different types of relationship a dragon can have with a human like Elena.
As we cross the 1/4 mark in the novel we see Elena bombard herself with all these questions linked to all the information she is uncovering. I never expected Becky to be George's dent as their personalities are polar opposites but the claiming ceremony was amazing and exciting to read. The prophecy Elena receives was also great although many people at the school feel she doesn't belong there but has no choice since she can't pass back through the wall. She also begins to have dreams about a married woman I believe to be her mother. As Elena doesn't know who and what her mother is means no one can 100% sure of what Elena is.
As we cross into the second half of the novel we see Elena still struggling at school as she tries to understand the dragons. We are also introduced to Goran a dark sorcerer trapped in Etan and he may become the antagonist later on. This also marks the beginning of a strange love triangle, Elena is seeing Lucien but is drawn to Blake making me think she could be his dent but then it’s complicated because Lucien of trying to claim Blake so there is a lot to keep up with. At this point in the novel there seems to be a lot of teen angst but apart from school and extra lessons and training nothing has really happened. Also Elena`s scenes with Cheng seems to just expositional and don't really have a purpose other than to provide background information to the reader.
As we approach the 3/4 mark in the novel Elena learns that her prophecy was written in the Book of Shadows where only the most important prophecies go and that the woman she is dreaming of its actually Queen Catherine although she doesn't have any idea why. When The King of Lion Sword is stolen this begins to heat up because the stood is the only thing that can stop Goran and if he has it and destroys it there will be nothing and no one would could stand against him. As the school is out on high alert Elena decides she needs to prove herself and finding the sword would do just that. She decides to go to the Sacred Cavern where she could find the swords location but extremely dangerous things lie inside. A large group including Sammy, Becky, Lucian, Blake and Brian asking other set out for the cavern. When they get there they are told by the gate keeper only one can enter and that person has to be a virgin and female as these people are the only ones to come back, so Elena enters.
As we cross into the final section of the novel Elena manages to complete the challenges inside the Sacred Cavern and get the information she needs. They need to travel to The Mountain of Ekwador where a mysterious man is going to destroy the sword and the group need to intercept him before it’s too late. The final pages are filled with action and heart break in equal measures and while the group complete their objective they have thrown a massive wrench in Goran’s plan.
Overall, I did like Firebolt and will definitely be getting the second novel very soon but I would have liked more action and less romance but it was still a great novel. I loved the characters especial Brian because he was funny and quirky and ultimately is a great friend to Elena. Highly recommended to fans of YA dragon fantasy novels.

Great story, couldn't put it down captured my heart from the first page till the last! Hungry for more !

Though the story was great, I wish the writing had been a bit more fluid. I felt that the conversations were stilted and lacked a natural touch.

Elena's life is turned upside down when she discovers the truth of her father's identity and finds herself at a school for dragons and the humans who can control them. She has a lot to learn at her new school and readers may be overwhelmed as Elena's new friends educate her in the ways of her new environment in large data dumps.
The story moves very slowly, with the protagonist ignoring clues which are frustratingly obvious to readers, until about 70% in when Elena and her friends finally embark on their quest.
At the end of the book readers may be disappointed by the number of questions left unanswered. There is a second book which may address readers'' pressing questions but as a single title this book fails to deliver.

I can't get enough of this book! This is not your typical "just another dragon story" this one is action packed and very interesting.
Long story short. Elena and her father moves from place to place to hide/run away from something/someone. Elena wants to know the knowledge behind her father's decision until one night she finally found out a part of the reason why behind her father's decisions.
Everyone must read this book. It's amazing and it will suck you right into the story. The author, Adrienne Woods, is phenomenal when it comes to describing the emotions the character is feeling and the setting. Paegeia sounds like such a wonderful place that you want to live in.

Awesome book, got lost in reading it, would recommend to YA readers.

Here’s the cliff notes version. Elena is on the run with her dad who she thinks is just paranoid and over the top. Poof there are dragons, Poof Dad is a dragon she’s in a medical facility Dad is dead she gets a crash course on dragons being real and starts to attend school with the rest of Paegeia bad stuff happens and Yay they save the day.

Honestly I have really mixed feelings about Firebolt. I mean it started out quick paced and on fire. no really dragons and fire… it was great and I was super excited thinking I found myself in a modern times Lord of the Rings. However, after the first couple chapters it started to roll downhill a bit. The author introduces you to this whole new world and you are awaiting its wonders but nothing. You get a slight introduction to Paegeia but that’s it. The same thing happened in regards to romances between the characters it was more like “ Hi nice to meet you, now let’s kiss and be head over heels” There was really no build up it just happened with no explanation. On top of missing information there were pages and pages of just information overload that left you more confused and with more questions than when you started. To be honest this felt more like a filler novel or even a prequel than the actual beginning of a series. Dear lord the characters, in a word. Flat. They weren’t well developed or believable and by the end I wanted to reach in the pages and strangle Elena myself. Why is she crying all the time? It’s like the author can’t decide if she is the Heroine or the Damsel in Distress. The imagination behind the story is amazing but the liftoff crashed and burned shortly in. I am going to continue on with the series in hopes that it lives up to the ideas presented.

To be honest all I am left with after reading this book is a desire to stay away from blueberries.

~1/5~
Note: I read about a quarter-way through the book and just skimmed the rest of it so I wouldn't waste as much time, mostly because the writer's writing style was very irritating.


From the start, I felt like the author was trying too hard to portray the main character as a nonchalant-Carter Kane-like kind of character. The "oh yeah, this is just a typical day" sort of air to the beginning rubbed me off the wrong way. Rick Riordan does the same in his books, but he pulls it off well by adding humor and everything to his writing on top of his extremely developed world. This novel uses the Bermuda Triangle as well, and even though it isn't a big deal, the combination of the Riordan elements produced a questionable mixture.


The beginning in general was not my cup of tea. Really though, there wasn't a buildup to anything and, all of a sudden, it was just like whoosh this is happening, accept it. A lot of the book was the same way. Things just occurred. The distance from Point A to Point B was pretty much nonexistent. I could explain more, but I don't want to go into too much depth about the book.


Woods's writing style just wasn't my favorite. Here are a few partial quotes from the first quarter or so of the book so you can somewhat see where I'm coming from:

"...Matt said with a darkness returning to his eyes."
"...she pleaded with my immobile body."
"She had an air of a pixie running on adrenaline."
"...pleading with my eyes for any way out of this situation." (didn't want to put in two pleading-related quotes, but it captures her writing)
"You're a prince for real?"



Maybe it's me, but I kind of feel like either cringing or laughing, definitely not a good way. Cons of reading, I guess. You hardly ever know how much you'll like a book until you actually read it. With Firebolt, I wasn't happy with much of anything about it other than the dragons. The book gave off some Harry Potter vibes in terms of the world, but the same can't be said in terms of the writing, which is a bad thing. Dragons and fantasy are nice, but not enough to cover up the rest of the messier elements.


The characters lacked depth. Lacked any substance. Even Elena, the main character. She was just...there. Her love interest too. I don't even know how they got together. Talked a few times, that's all, and then they're together. Okay...


The author seemed to try to add some mystery to the fantasy land, but I wasn't into it at all. From the summary/preview, I thought this would be a pretty good read, but I guess I was wrong. It was a like a terrible high school book in a different setting. Not kidding.


I felt like I was reading the same words over and over again. Too much begging and giggling.


Basically, I wouldn't recommend this book to you Harry Potter lovers. It had iffy writing, an iffy plot, and was just very shallow and dull. There was a decent amount of potential, but if high school stories in a fantasy setting are your thing, then I guess Firebolt might be worth the read.


Thanks to Netgalley anyway for letting me read this.