Thank you to NetGalley, Pan MacMillan and Juliette Cross for allowing me to read this arc.

Firebird is my first book by Juliette Cross. The world within this book is beautifully portrayed, taking place in Ancient Rome, and follows Julianus Dakkia, a powerful dragon shifting general in the Roman Army as well as nephew of the emperor, and Malina, a Dacian dancer gifted with god-like powers from the Goddess Minerva.

I loved the aspect of dragons throughout this book and the concept was unique but, I feel like this book lacked some depth which could and can easily be rectified in the next novel.

I wasn’t a huge fan of the master/slave dynamic and was surprised it was there as the blurb gave no inclination it was included when I requested this ARC. I would recommend to those who like dark romance as well as fantasy.

Due to the master/slave trope what was not mentioned, more like hidden in the marketing campaigns, I DNFed the book.

*Firebird* by Juliette Cross is a fun and exciting read. The story is full of magic, adventure, and romance. The characters are interesting and easy to connect with, and the love story is both sweet and steamy.

The world-building is well done, and the plot keeps you turning the pages. If you enjoy fantasy with a strong romance and a bit of action, this book is a great choice. I really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it!

This is the first Ancient Romanian fantasy I have read and I fear that I didn’t connect with the atmosphere. The language used within the book was not the my taste, which has nothing to do with the writing itself and more my taste. I loved the aspect of dragons throughout the book, however the dynamic between slave and captor did not sit right with me.

I didn't realise when requesting this book that it contained a multitude of scenes of sexual violence as well as a master slave dynamic between main characters so will not be reading or providing a review as these are themes i dont feel comfortable reading or reviewing on my page - but i thank the publisher and netgalley for approving me for an arc and giving me the opportunity to make this decision!

I enjoyed the grand scale of this Romantasy and the dragon magic was interesting and heightened the stakes.

For me, although I appreciate a more introverted FMC, I really wanted less passiveness. I was frustrated that the majority of the story saw her go with whatever she had to. I completely understand that the threat of death was high but I just wanted her to push back more. I thoroughly enjoyed the moment when she did.

I was unsure of the romantic dynamic which made it hard for me to root for them as a couple. It felt very imbalanced. Slave/slave master.

Thank you Pan Macmillan for a copy of this book. Thoughts are my own.

I liked this book. It has dragons, rebellion, forbidden love, and an Ancient Rome-inspired world where danger lurks around every corner.

The overall premise really worked for me, and the world-building was solid. The political intrigue was probably my favourite part. There were plenty of tension and high stakes that kept the pages turning.

The romance leans heavily into the forbidden, fated mates dynamic between captor and slave, with a strong FMC (a witch and enslaved war prize) and a possessive MMC (a dragon shifter and Roman general) who’s secretly working to bring down his uncle, the tyrannical king.

That said, there were definitely plot holes and moments where things didn’t quite add up. Some parts felt rushed or conveniently wrapped up, which took me out of the story a few times. Still, I devoured it. The tension, the pacing, and that twist (plus the teaser at the end) have me hyped for book 2.

The book ends with a HEA for Malina and Julian, but the revolution is far from over. I’m excited to see where the series goes next.

Headlines:
Power dynamics
Servitude
Dragons

This romantasy was extremely easy to read and get into. The idea of a Roman army led by humans who can transform into dragons changed some elements of what I previously knew of that time in history and gave it an interesting twist. I liked how the themes of this story and context really explored the misogyny and cruelty of that regime.

The MMC Julian, was a fierce general with a kindness inside. He was in quiet opposition to the current regime, a champion for women, servants and anyone unfairly prejudiced against. There was much to explore about his character, his past and what he planned for the future of Rome and beyond.

The FMC Malina was really interesting from her early adulthood to her devastation over her family and where she found herself with the Celts and then captured. This story carried a complex power dynamic with Malina as Julian's slave but there was so much more to this than first glance and an initial ick about that power dynamic. I think the author navigated that aspect well as I was quick to understand appearances against reality.

Malina's magical gifts were interesting which made her reckless and over confident with a slice of bravery. The connection between these MCs was believable although I didn't vibe with the intimacy elements that well.

The story raced to the end rather quickly, so that I was surprised with the wrap up. I am unsure if this series will continue with a side character in the fore or with Julian and Malina; I would be happy reading either.

Thank you to PanMacmillan/Tor Bramble for the review copy.

I didn't realise how dark this was going to be, so maybe the marketing on this needs to be slightly more targeted to that audience, as I was going in thinking it was a full romantasy but oh was it more than that.
But I did enjoy this book and thank you for the opportunity for an early read

Firebird is the epitome of supporting women’s rights, and women’s wrongs, but also of women who have been wronged by greedy, lustful men and who seek to redress that balance. With such a damning world view, it’s hard to see how our lovely Malina could open her heart to anyone, but open it she does, to a striking, fierce, handsome dragon shifter who she cannot resist, no matter how much she would wish it, and who would k!ll for her without hesitation. If Gladiator x House of the Dragon x King Arthur (2004) vibes is your thing, this is the one for you.

FireBird is a fun, fast-paced fantasy romance with great chemistry between the main characters. I am not sure how I feel about it being a slave x slave master book.

I was quite excited to read this initially however unfortunately it didn’t really work for me.

The romance is the main plot point and I just couldn’t find myself rooting for them as I didn’t feel they had the depth o prefer to see in character development and there wasn’t a lot of build up to the romance.

It’s also good to note this is not really “enemies to lovers” and more oppressor/ slave which is a very different dynamic for me so again meant I wasn’t as invested.

"𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘴, 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳."

If you love Ancient Rome, dragons, and spicy books - Firebird NEEDS to be on your TBR!

I could not put this down! It's fast-paced, the plot keeps you on your toes, the spice is *chefs kiss* and I am now yearning for the next book already! There are some trigger warnings, so definitely check them out before picking it up.

Thank you so much to @netgalley for the eARC

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the review copy!

Firebird is the first book of a new series set in a fantasy version of Ancient Rome, where noble families are descended by dragon-versions of ancient gods. Eight years after first being dazzled by a Dacian dancer, a commandant finds her again on the battle field and HAS to save her from the hands of his soldiers. He can't help swooping in, because his dragon-self has claimed her as his mate/treasure. He takes her to Rome as his personal slave and tries to protect her from the eyes of his enemies, while other plots are also afoot.

Unfortunately, this didn't work for me. I have to admit to not having read the blurb in detail enough, but being instead swept away by the beautiful cover and the mentioned of dragons and Ancient Rome, or I would have realised it would have probably not been my kind of book. The Ancient Rome mythology was quite interesting and I enjoyed the reimagined myths and gods described throughout the book. I also liked the power given to the FMC and the way she was "fated" to change things.

But that was about it for me. I felt there was too limited a world-building for a fantasy and very little character development, with all the focus put on the insta-lust (it felt significantly more like lust than love) and its development, rather than on bringing the plot forward or giving the characters much more depth. And the romance was something I couldn't get on board with - no matter the redeeming qualities given to the MMC, I struggled with the master-slave dynamics and power imbalance. She literally wears a slave collar throughout it all! The sexual language used in the repeated spicy scenes was also not my favourite.

I can see readers who like a romance-heavy / insta-lust / fated-mates concept, and who don't mind lack of world-building and huge power imbalance, enjoying this romantasy.

3.5⭐️

I had a great time with this book. I loved the world and the unique take on ancient Rome. The magic system is simple without needing much explanation so the storyline can focus on the plot.

Malina is a strong FMC. She’s wilful, independent, and jumps at every opportunity to be a part of the resistance. She has empath powers, and I really hope we see more of this in the next book. Julian is a good man in a bad situation. He’s part of a secret rebellion whilst playing the role of a cold-blooded general. His love for Malina is unwavering. After bringing her into his home to save her from a worse fate, he shows her kindness, compassion, and patience whilst she starts to understand what they are to each other, and what she could be for the rebellion.

I wouldn’t call this enemies-to-lovers; it was more insta-love imo. Julian felt the connection immediately (which is normal for shifter romance), but I felt like Malina softened too quickly considering their dynamic and that she doesn’t know what he’s a part of until later in the book.

Thank you to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for this arc.

I like to dive in head first not knowing what its about. So finding out it was Set in ancient Rome it normally wouldnt be my first pick so its good sometimes just to go in blind.

Still, within the first chapter it got my interest and I found myself wanting to pick the book up to find out what is coming.

Reading some other reviews people dnf because how the set up was, master - slave relation. Actually I was enjoying the dynamic and the tension wich was building.
The idea of the half shifting dragon was something nice and diffirent.

Was it the most high standing plot or story telling/world building, no. But it was a very nice and a typically romantasy read wich I enjoyed very much.

Defenitly I m looking forward to book 2

Firebird is a dark fantasy that’s set in Ancient Rome, featuring dragons. I thought the premise sounded great and a bit different. It was definitely different. I liked the quick plot and pace throughout, and flew through this read.
I felt the world building wasn’t rich enough to really transport me. The mythology was interesting though.
Overall the romance didn’t work for me, it’s dark themes but the execution of this came across as too much of an imbalance for me personally. The characters also didn’t feel real to me, which takes me out of a story.
I think some will enjoy this, the ideas are fresh and fated mates is a popular trope.
I think an audio would probably be a better format for this book to bring it alive more.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

I have to admit that ancient Rome and I have a rocky relationship. I understand stories need action, but violence is not really me thing, especially not the kind of useless violence in ancient Rome. However, I read other books by the author before and loved them. I also really love how the author writes romances, so I really wanted to give the book a chance. Luckily Tor Bramble granted me a digital review copy through Netgalley.

I loved this story from start to finish and that's mostly because this story is in the first place a love story. At the centre of everything we have two characters, mated and perfect for each other, and this book is about them falling in love and finding a way to be together. The rest is setting, background and complication. The rest is purely designed to make it hard for these characters to be together, to make them fight for it.

Which doesn't mean that the world-building is not well done. It's just not as detailed as some fantasy readers prefer. And for me that worked. There was just enough Ancient Rome to get what life was like in Ancient Rome. There was just enough violence to understand why both leads were fighting so hard and there was just enough politics to get a slightly forbidden romance vibe, like Romeo and Juliet. Some nasty things were happening, but it never became truly dark.

I also liked the mythology woven into the story. The book started with a very nice prologue and more ancient lore was sprinkled throughout the rest of the novel. I also liked how in this case Minerva had the right motivation to do to Medusa what she did. And I love that this series is gonna follow the interconnected tales format. It means there is less drama to keep characters apart and it means that the next book brings us new and interesting leads and perspectives. I can't wait to read it!

I absolutely devoured this book. From the moment I began, I was unable to put it down. I went on an emotional roller coaster throughout this entire book.

Firebird by Juliette Cross is an absolute triumph — a thrilling, passionate, and beautifully written story that captured my heart from the very first page. Cross delivers a masterful blend of rich world-building, unforgettable characters, and emotional depth that makes this novel completely unputdownable.

The chemistry between the characters is electric, and their growth throughout the story feels both natural and deeply satisfying. Cross has an incredible ability to balance steamy romance with genuine character development, creating a story that is as emotionally resonant as it is exciting. The fantasy elements are vividly imagined, seamlessly weaving magic, danger, and destiny into a narrative that feels both epic and intimate.

Every page of Firebird is packed with heart, tension, and beauty. Juliette Cross proves once again why she is a standout voice in fantasy romance. I absolutely loved this book and cannot wait to see what she gives us next!

Highly recommend to anyone who loves a story filled with fierce love, unforgettable characters, and a touch of magic.