Book Review: Fireborne

FIREBORNE | Rosaria Munda
(The Aurelian Cycle #1)
10.15.2019 | Penguin Books
Rating: 4/5 stars

Annie and Lee were just children when a brutal revolution changed their world, giving everyone – even the lowborn – a chance to test into the governing class of dragonriders. Now they are both rising stars in the new regime, despite backgrounds that couldn’t be more different. Annie’s lowborn family was executed by dragonfire, while Lee’s aristocratic family was murdered by revolutionaries. Their paths brought them together in an orphanage where they formed a strong friendship. After seven years of intense training, they find themselves rivals for the top position in the dragonriding fleet. Everything around them changes when survivors from the old regime surface, bent on reclaiming the city. 

I’ve never been much of a fantasy reader, but this year I’m determined to make it a genre that I explore more. What better place to start than with a YA fantasy? I instantly fell into the lives of Annie and Lee from the moment I opened the pages of FIREBORNE. Munda has formed two incredibly different characters with unique voices. In addition to our main characters, there is a cast of secondary characters that help to fully round out the story. Perhaps the strongest element in Munda’s writing is the worldbuilding within FIREBORNE. There is an incredible amount of detail provided, but it never feels bulky or over your head. Everything serves a purpose in driving the story forward.

Going into a YA fantasy story I always find myself a little apprehensive because they so commonly hold a romance focus, which is something I don’t find myself drawn to in books. While there is romance within FIREBORNE, it felt like a natural part of the story versus something thrown in just because it needed to be present. 

If you enjoy fantasy, dragons, and how politics drives revolutions, this is a solid choice! I’ll definitely be picking up the follow up, FLAMEFALL, soon!

This book is available to buy from: Amazon | Book Depository

A huge thank you to Penguin Teen for my gifted copy!

Disclosure: What Jess Reads is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This in no way influences my opinion of the above book.