Fireborne is the first installment of The Aurelian Cycle, a YA fantasy trilogy, and the debut of author Rosaria Munda. Featuring a dragon tournament, political intrigue, morally-gray characters and great world-building, it contains pretty much everything you could wish for in a YA fantasy. Inspired by the French Revolution and Plato's Republic, you will find Fireborne has a depth and relevance to its story that could put other YA novels to shame.
Synopsis:
Leo was the son of Leon Stormscourge, a dragonlord, and he who lost his family in the Revolution. Now he's Lee sur Pallor, a Guardian of Callipolis.
Antigone was a peasant who lost her family due to the dragonlord regime. Now she's Annie sur Aela, a Guardian of Callipolis.
Different in nearly every way possible, Lee and Annie ended up in the same orphanage and grew inseparable there. Now, however, as they're both vying for the title of Firstrider during the Firstrider tournament, and neither can shake the other from their thoughts, it seems they are star-crossed.
But an unexpected threat from the north grows bigger and bigger, putting more pressure on their relationship than ever before. While Lee struggles when faced with the ghosts of his past, Annie must prove herself against those who wish to see her fail, and, most of all, herself. Are they ready to do what it takes to protect Callipolis?
Spoiler-free review:
I went into this book having only read the Goodreads synopsis after seeing a TikTok recommendation saying that "Fourth Wing walked so that Fireborne could run". Though determined to read this book, I was quite unassuming about it. I had little idea of what an amazing story it would be.
The thing that hooked me was the complicated relationship between Annie and Lee. From there-on out it only got better. I noticed how the knowledgeable the author was, and how it seeped through in the writing. Munda proceeded to surprise me through her skill in crafting character, never one-dimensional or shallow, as she managed to let bits of complexity shine through in even the side-characters. She made me feel my heartbeat in my throat in moments of action. and my stomach twist together during arguments between characters in which both of them are right and wrong at the same time.
The story is filled with moral and political dilemma that invite more pondering, while it also seems to make clear that there is no straight answer - that would be too easy, wouldn't it? Books that give clear-cut answers to the difficulties they raise aren't that engaging anyway. In the end, this story isn't so much about dragonriding and tournaments as it is about dealing with grief, how to reconcile your past with your future, how to find your identity when others are all too eager to create it for you (the same way Star Wars isn't really about lightsabers and starships as much as it is about family, good vs. evil, power, and love). Is there a clear-cut solution? No. But maybe that's the point; the act of trying to be better, failing and trying again.
As for the plot, it was in some aspects predictable, and in other aspects completely surprising. I have no complaints about the pacing (but keep in mind that slower pacing never bothers me so long as the scenes are still interesting).
The last thing I will mention to those who are still hesitant about reading Fireborne is that it has been, and is still being, pitched as "Hermione Granger and Aegon Targaryen with dragons". I don't know who made this comparison or where, but my recommendation is to not pay any heed to this pitch. I'm very much against that type of marketing for multiple reasons, but in this case especially, I think it does Fireborne a disservice. Fireborne is a great YA novel that holds up perfectly well on its own. It is a beautiful story with characters as complex as their relationships, bad-ass dragons and a surprising moral and political depth to it. It impressed me so much that, after finishing Fireborne, I read the second and third book in the span of 2 weeks. Because of this, I can assure you that Flamefall (book 2) and Furysong (book 3) are also well worth your time.
In-depth review (spoilers):
+ Characters
Munda has a knack for writing beautifully well-rounded, flawed but admirable characters. They might make me want to tear out my hair with the decisions they make, but I still love them all the same.
In the beginning, I was afraid, with the mature tone of the novel, that Munda would forget she's dealing with teenagers in this story - her main characters are sixteen years old. But this doesn't happen. Her characters cry, laugh, party, kiss, fight, and learn. I was pleasantly surprised how natural this all felt, even within the context of everything else that was going on.
My personal favorite is Crissa, who subverts all expectations from a romantic rival. It was frustrating to see, through Annie's inner monologue, how she gives Crissa credit for being so kind and easy-going, but doesn't act on it at all. Crissa was more gracious to her than she deserved.
Power is an excellent example of subverting your average bully expectations as well. His remarks are cruel and infuriating, and sometimes his actions are, too, but he's also smarter than anyone gives him credit for.
+Identity
If your young adult book is not going to be themed around identity for some part, then you might as well just not write it in my opinion. Figuring out and shaping identity is integral to the development of adolescents. Often, it is a painful process. You make discoveries about yourself that you don't necessarily like.
That's why I think one of Munda's most impressive feats in Fireborne is the portrayal of how two very different political regimes have affected the sense of identity of the main characters. How, on the surface, it might look like they want nothing more than to outrun and escape that part of themselves, but beneath the surface, there's a longing to accept it despite everything.
One prevailing question within the issue of identity is of how much you're destined to become like your parents. This question haunts Lee, who came to the heartbreaking conclusion as a child that, however much he may have loved Leon as a father, he inflicted an immense amount of pain on others. When Annie first explains to Lee that her family was murdered by Aletheia, Leon's dragon, and he shouts: "Then they must have deserved it!" it is incredibly shocking to read. Of course Annie's family didn't deserve such a fate, even a child must see that?
But young Lee who saw his parents killed, who misses a mother's embrace and a father's encouragement, who doesn't want to taint the precious memories he has of them, can't see that. Because if that was the family he loved, what does that say about him?
With this in mind, the discovery that Atreus meant to have Lee killed even after his did exactly what was demanded of him in order to prove his loyalty by (kin)slaying Julia in a duel, creates a fascinating parallel between Atreus and Leon. What is a more maturing experience than realizing the person you've always looked up to is, in the end, just human, as flawed and complex as anyone?
+Writing style
Munda has a concise writing style that, I think, suits the story perfectly. Her lines pack a punch; they hit right where they need to. She gets straight to the point, and that's necessary for a story with such a political undertone. I did notice that she often includes complex terms that could easily be replaced by more obvious synonyms. For me, it was no problem; as a non-native English speaker, I'm still trying to expand my vocabulary.
The one thing I can think of that could have been improved is the matter of voice in the two POVs. I can't say I noticed much of a difference in voice between Lee's and Annie's POVs, and at times that could get a little confusing. This is not to say that their views or experiences were too similar; not at all. I'm simply referring to the way their inner monologue sounds.
I'm of the belief that, if you write from first-person point of view, this reflects the inner mind of your character, and if your character is unique (which they should be), they can't sound the exact same as any other character - just like everyone talks in a different way. I'm of this belief, even though I know this is incredibly difficult to do as a writer. I never judge harshly on this, because I'm not sure I could pull it off, either, and I've never read a book in which there actually was a clear distinction in voice between first-person POVs (except for a book that was authored by two different writers who each stuck to 1 POV). I'm not going to hold it to that standard, especially not because it's a debut.
+Influences
Munda's Goodreads biography states that she studied political theory, and it shows ā and I mean that in the best way possible. Within the first few chapters, I could tell that I was reading the writing of someone who knows what she's talking about. As a result, this novel stands out from many other YA fantasy novels. It makes you think and deals with matters that, well, matter. Munda has explained that Fireborne was inspired by the Battle of Britain, the French Revolution, and Plato's Republic ā and I myself have to add the obvious influences of Homer's Iliad to that list. Though a work of both fiction and fantasy, Fireborne is about very real political dogmas, dilemmas and struggles play their part in our world still. In addition, it deals with the complicated relationships between people of different class and background. In today's world, we're bound to build such relationships ourselves - that is, if we haven't already. In any case, the literary influences were well-incorporated and enriched the story.
+Emotion
I don't know what it is, but this book really tugged at my heartstrings. It doesn't shy away from violence in the slightest. The tournament wasn't exactly a fight to the death, and especially with doused or unsparked dragons there wasn't too much reason to worry. Still, I felt my own racing pulse when Annie and Power competed, even more when Annie and Lee competed, and of course the duel between Lee and Julia was filled with high tension as well.
But not only the action-packed scenes made me feel everything and more, so did the arguments between the characters. Like Annie, I held my breath hearing the conversation between Tyndale and Lee. I felt Annie's frustration as if it were my own when Lee decides she wouldn't be able to handle a blazesite. Concise as it is, Munda's writing is effective. This book sucks you into its plot and makes you care and feel.
+-Dragons
The dragon breeds were new to me and therefore refreshing. I liked the concepts of sparking and of the spill-over, and especially the former felt unique to this fictional world. The mental connection to the dragon is not something that's new to the genre, but the notion that this can either strengthen or weaken someone's performance on dragonback is for as far as I know. This is an interesting addition and brought more dimension to the art of dragonback dueling.
I have to note, however, that the characterization of the dragons was a little lacking. Surely, they have personalities, and since they are so important to our main characters, isn't it only logical to get more of an insight into their characteristics?
-Names
Now, this is a matter of personal taste so I will keep this short. I was not the biggest fan of some of the name choices. Duck, Power, Rock, Lotus... Now I get that most are just nicknames, but still I'm not sure about them, especially in the context of other names like Crissa (Latin), Deirdre (Irish/Gaelic), Antigone/Atreus (Greek), Goran (Slavic), Richard (English). It's the apparent arbitrariness that bothers me a little. I would love to hear more from Munda about the thought process that went into naming the characters; I'm sure there is some logic to it that I am just not getting. What I'm getting is that there's a mix of Greek and English inspired names, but their distribution is a little confusing.
-+Map
Maybe it was my ebook formatting, but there was no map in my version of the book, even though I could have really used one. Not just of all of Callipolis and its surroundings, but also of Pytho's Keep. There are so many important buildings and places in this city that it would really be beneficial to be able to see it put together instead of having to piece it together in your head.
It has been a while since I rated anything five stars, and so the fact that this book is getting one is saying something. If anyone asks, I will still not have a straight answer to the question: "what is your favorite book?" but I will. at least, be able to name Fireborne as one that I recently greatly enjoyed and is definitely a favorite. Of course, I have already finished reading the second and third books, of which I will be writing reviews as well. Needless to say, I'm very impressed by Rosaria Munda's writing feats and I'm very curious to find out what her next projects are.
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