Reviews with content warning for Blood - The Fireborne Blade

Reviews tagging 'Blood'

The Fireborne Blade by Charlotte Bond

8 reviews

obscurepages's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I FINALLY FINISHED A BOOK AFTER OVER A MONTH? 😭

Okay this was *chef's kiss*. Like, I'm not going to lie, I was giggling and kicking my feet 😂

This story capitalizes on its world-building. It's clear that the this fictional world is rich with history and lore. And I think the author succeeded in showing that—every other chapter alternates between the present storyline, a flashback, and an entry in an archive about dragon lives and deaths. I think this storytelling paints a picture for the readers of how dangerous and magical their world is—and it worked for me.

The plot is easy to follow, although you really have to notice the small details, because trust me they have a part in the story lol. For the most part, it's entertaining. But it wasn't until the last quarter of the book that you get hit on the face with plot twists after plot twists! The level of plot twists reminded me a bit of Harrow the Ninth??? (If you've read Harrow the Ninth, you'll know what I mean 😂) It was so damn good.

I also loved the underlying themes of feminism and misogyny. In this world ruled by men, both Maddileh and Saralene face struggles as a knight and a mage adept. They're both in fields where they're not exactly welcome and definitely not respected enough. I guess you could say this book also falls into the "Good For Her" genre? I love Maddileh and Saralene, and I would k!ll for them probably.

My only complain would be the lack of romance maybe??? The chemistry between Maddileh and Saralene was so palpable on the pages. It's a true shame we never really got something more of full romance? I wanted to see more of them and maybe see where their relationship developed. Still, I'm happy with their individual endings, it was just desserts 👏

((Also I want to mention, I believe this has been marketed as "lesbians and dragons"?? So I originally thought the MC was lesbian. But I think there was no explicit lesbian rep 🥲 Maddileh could be bi or pan imo. So I think it was sapphic rep instead. Unless of course Saralene was lesbian, but then again it wasn't specifically pointed out in the story and we didn't see much of her relationship with Maddileh.))

Exact rating: 4.5 ⭐️

CW: blood, gore, violence, misogyny, murder, death, a bit of body horror, fatal wounds

Find me elsewhere: <a href="http://www.instagram.com/obscure.pages/">Instagram</a> | <a href="http://www.twitter.com/lxndrnae">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://enthralledbookworm.wordpress.com/">Blog</a>

Marking this book as part of my reading challenge: <a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/fcf9e7dc-39a5-49e2-9f7d-a243f5073985">#ReadQueerly2024</a>.

Content Warnings

devynreadsnovels's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

britt_reads1's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This is a short and straight-forward novella. I did struggle to get into it for the first 30% as every other chapter is the main plot line where the main character is off to slay a dragon and find the Firebourne sword to reclaim her tarnished honour. The chapters in-between are either excerpts from a dragon book that exists in the story that provides background and side information, or flashbacks to between 3 and 6 months before the main story. The jumping around did initially make it hard to get really into the book as I found it interrupted the flow for me, but I am so glad I pushed through! Things started to pick up after 30% in and then it continues to pick up faster and faster once some horror elements start to become involved. Oh man, the twists and turns with the characters and plot at the end! Nothing is what you think it is and I could never have guessed what was going to happen. I listened to the audiobook version and absolutely couldn't stop from 60% onward. The narrator, Helen McAlpine, did a great job of giving a distinctive voice and feel to each of the characters, conveying tone and emotion (including a great deal of suspense!) effectively.

If you like a bit of horror mixed in with your fantasy, dragons, kick-ass female knights with complicated emotions, a story that gets darker as it goes, and big twists at the end, then this book is for you!

I received an advanced audiobook copy for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley, and MacMillan Audio.

Content Warnings

ezwolf's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I’ve been seeing this book hyped up a lot, so I had pretty high expectations. The beginning had me really questioning what I had heard but I had come around by the end.

For a novella, it has a pretty slow start, and I was a bit confused and then off put by our main character, Maddileh. By the 40% mark I had heard enough about her dislike of magic and seriously considered stopping. But once I understood the side stories and flashbacks, I liked it more. I am always a sucker for female/non-male knights being called “sir”, it is just as fun for me as to when they are called “prince”. As well as Saralene’s declaration of reversing the “noblewoman being saved by a knight”.

I didn’t really see the twist at the end coming, though the clues are all certainly there. And even though this wasn’t a hit for me right off, I do look forward to reading the next book.

Content Warnings

aliteraryescape's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Content Warnings

booksdogsandcoffee's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

4.0

Dragons, and mages and knights oh my! I did not see that twist coming!! This fast past medieval novella will have you sitting on the edge of your seat needing answers till the very end.

Content Warnings

meganpbell's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

If you want to get lost in a labyrinthine dragon’s lair full of phantoms, dark magic, treachery, and worse—The Fireborne Blade is yours for the wielding. While I predict many readers will lament the low page count’s limitations when it comes to character depth, pacing, and foreshadowing, this clever, gory novella shines in bringing the bloody and claustrophobic reality of a dragon’s den to life, with badass, sapphic characters doing the daredeviling.

Content Warnings

allyareads's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Content Warnings

More...