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pxl8dwulf's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and Violence
Minor: Sexual content
openbookheartmind's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
inspiring
sad
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? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, War, Child death, and Death
aseel_reads's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book gives me such Russian Revolution with dragon vibes, but maybe that's just me. I can also understand how this is a better version of Fourth Wing. The bigger focus on actual dragon riding/fighting was really cool to see, the actual impact of the war and the horrors they have to commit was deeply gripping, and the struggle of our two main characters and whether they can accept and move on after what their families have experienced? Captivating. Definitely had some "hands to mouth" moments which is always fun and very excited to start the second book immediately. Will say that the beginning is a little hard to get through, but you'll be hooked after 15%.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Classism, Bullying, Blood, War, Vomit, Medical content, Violence, Sexism, Police brutality, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Grief, Death of parent, Death, and Child death
calmcozycorner's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The more I think about this book, the more I come to the conclusion that it was kind of.. disappointing. I thought the premise was interesting at first, but I found the story to be pretty slow. It just didn't feel like a whole lot happened until the very end. There was also a lot of non-verbal communication, which I do often appreciate, but there was so much of it here that I found myself wanting the characters to just speak to each other directly.
This also read like an adult novel, which sometimes made it awkward that the main characters were teenagers. Half the time they were expected to behave like adult military personnel and other times they were discounted because of their age (i.e., "The physician stares at her, like he doesn't quite believe a second underage person is volunteering out of turn.") It made the story less believable to me. There were a few adult characters who were supposedly given supervisory roles, but they didn't seem to do much. I didn't buy that a group of 16-17 year olds were solely responsible for the defense of an entire city.
I will probably continue on to the next book, as I'm curious where it will go from here, but I will definitely be taking a break before then.
This also read like an adult novel, which sometimes made it awkward that the main characters were teenagers. Half the time they were expected to behave like adult military personnel and other times they were discounted because of their age (i.e., "The physician stares at her, like he doesn't quite believe a second underage person is volunteering out of turn.") It made the story less believable to me. There were a few adult characters who were supposedly given supervisory roles, but they didn't seem to do much. I didn't buy that a group of 16-17 year olds were solely responsible for the defense of an entire city.
I will probably continue on to the next book, as I'm curious where it will go from here, but I will definitely be taking a break before then.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Classism, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
nebraskanwriter's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, War, Bullying, Grief, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Torture, Alcohol, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Violence
onthesamepage's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I just love it when I finish a book and realize I wouldn't change a thing about it. This is definitely a different kind of YA fantasy. The characters are teens, but they come across as very mature. There's a complex political system, high stakes, and moral dilemmas facing our two main characters. I've always enjoyed political fantasy, and this was top notch.
There are plenty of books where the plot centers around a revolution, but this one is about what happens after that. An old regime gets toppled, its leaders killed, and now the revolutionary leader must come up with something that is better. The question this book asks is, is it really better? Does putting good people in charge mean the system is fair?
The old regime used dragons as a weapon to terrorize people and extort them for resources. Those who disobeyed were burnt by dragon fire, as a lesson to the rest. Only the nobles from specific families were allowed to ride dragons, even though dragons can bond with anyone. The post-revolutionary government sets out to make the system fair by allowing anyone from any class to try and bond with a dragon, and so become a dragon rider. This is what happened to our two main characters, Annie and Lee. And the new system does sound like it's fair. There are still classes in the population, named for metals, and the metal you test into decides what kind of job you get. But it also factors into what information you are given by the government, and how much of it is propaganda. After all, according to the new government, not everyone can be expected to understand nuance. And the further you get into the story, the more relevant the question of what makes a government good becomes. Is it really about implementing a better system, or is it about power? And what happens when this new regime is put under pressure?
If these kinds of questions make your brain sit up and pay attention, I highly recommend this book.
Aside from the fascinating political machinations, we also have two characters with very distinct arcs, both of which really appealed to me. Annie is lowborn, and this has affected her standing among the dragon riders. Even though they are supposed to compete for the title of Firstrider, some officials quickly make it known that they don't see her as suitable for the role. The way she handles this and builds her confidence was fantastic, and I really enjoyed following her journey.
Lee's challenge is very different. Firstrider should have been his birthright, but even though the revolutionaries executed his family, he firmly believes the new regime is better than the old. But when he finds out that there are survivors among his family who have been hiding away and biding their time, he is faced with a difficult choice: defend those of his blood, or the family he found? Regardless of the choice he makes, the process he goes through to get there is compelling to read about.
There are plenty of books where the plot centers around a revolution, but this one is about what happens after that. An old regime gets toppled, its leaders killed, and now the revolutionary leader must come up with something that is better. The question this book asks is, is it really better? Does putting good people in charge mean the system is fair?
The old regime used dragons as a weapon to terrorize people and extort them for resources. Those who disobeyed were burnt by dragon fire, as a lesson to the rest. Only the nobles from specific families were allowed to ride dragons, even though dragons can bond with anyone. The post-revolutionary government sets out to make the system fair by allowing anyone from any class to try and bond with a dragon, and so become a dragon rider. This is what happened to our two main characters, Annie and Lee. And the new system does sound like it's fair. There are still classes in the population, named for metals, and the metal you test into decides what kind of job you get. But it also factors into what information you are given by the government, and how much of it is propaganda. After all, according to the new government, not everyone can be expected to understand nuance. And the further you get into the story, the more relevant the question of what makes a government good becomes. Is it really about implementing a better system, or is it about power? And what happens when this new regime is put under pressure?
If these kinds of questions make your brain sit up and pay attention, I highly recommend this book.
Aside from the fascinating political machinations, we also have two characters with very distinct arcs, both of which really appealed to me. Annie is lowborn, and this has affected her standing among the dragon riders. Even though they are supposed to compete for the title of Firstrider, some officials quickly make it known that they don't see her as suitable for the role. The way she handles this and builds her confidence was fantastic, and I really enjoyed following her journey.
Lee's challenge is very different. Firstrider should have been his birthright, but even though the revolutionaries executed his family, he firmly believes the new regime is better than the old. But when he finds out that there are survivors among his family who have been hiding away and biding their time, he is faced with a difficult choice: defend those of his blood, or the family he found? Regardless of the choice he makes, the process he goes through to get there is compelling to read about.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism and Violence
Moderate: Death and Murder
carleighheckel's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Sexual content and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit
stone_stupas's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The beginning is rocky but the book picks up and when it does, it is unputdownable. I don't think I've ever read a YA set in the aftermath of a revolution and Fireborne does a wonderful job in showing a nuanced world that feels real, dragons and all. The writing could've been better but I'm sure it will be so in the sequels.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Classism, and Child death
albernikolauras's review
adventurous
challenging
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Fireborne is a series that is about two teenagers - Lee and Annie - from different classes who were given the opportunities to become dragon riders, sort of. Really, it is about the construction of an "equal society" based on the ability to take a test and what happens when that society is tested by war.
I found this series stress inducing in the best way. This was a reread and I was just as sucked into this story as the first time. Lee and Annie constantly had to weave their way through situations where there is no right answer and grappling with how those decisions affect others. It's a tough book to read and I am both excited and terrified of the sequel - hence why I haven't picked it up.
I found this series stress inducing in the best way. This was a reread and I was just as sucked into this story as the first time. Lee and Annie constantly had to weave their way through situations where there is no right answer and grappling with how those decisions affect others. It's a tough book to read and I am both excited and terrified of the sequel - hence why I haven't picked it up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse and Classism
Moderate: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, War, and Death of parent
katymat18's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
At the end in the author’s note Munda attributes the inspiration of this book to draw from Virgil’s Aeneid and Plato’s Republic. But I have to say the whole time I was reading I saw the Dragonlord’s as the Romanov’s, the last imperial family of Russia before the Russian Revolution, and Lee to me felt like the “lost” princess Anastasia if she survived her families massacre. Which, while keeping that in mind, made this story so incredibly intriguing to me. The politics, the ties that bind whether it be blood or a found family (think blood vs water, nature vs nurture), and the dragons! I mean who doesn’t love dragons! Fireborne is an incredible story - just what a ride - honestly I couldn’t put it down.
All in all, if you are looking for a new fantasy read that has complicated familial ties, and makes you really think which is the better side - or in my case just be as utterly torn as the characters in the story then this is the book for you! I can’t wait to dive into the sequel.
All in all, if you are looking for a new fantasy read that has complicated familial ties, and makes you really think which is the better side - or in my case just be as utterly torn as the characters in the story then this is the book for you! I can’t wait to dive into the sequel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Violence, War, and Death
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Vomit