This was a fun story with plenty of war, power corruption and dragons to keep you thoroughly entertained. It is a great entry to fantasy for those who haven't read the genre before with easy but compelling world building to accompany the story.

I've been wanting to read this book for years, but up until recently, it hasn't been available to buy in the UK.
I love a dragon book, and although it was different from what I was expecting, I was not disappointed. With it being on my wishlist for years, I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting.
I enjoyed the two different POVs we got of Lee and Annie. Even though they grew up in the same orphanage, they have very different backgrounds, both with their own set of trauma. The supporting characters, Duck, Cor, and Chrissa, are essentially a found family for Annie and Lee. Even Power, I think, will have a place in the found family.
I'm very much looking forward to diving into my copy of Flamefall.

Their childhoods drenched in the brutality of a revolution promising a new beginning for those from all walks of life—especially the lowborns, who suffered most by the barbaric ruling of the dragon lords—Lee and Annie’s friendship was forged by trauma and reliance in the orphanage they grew up in. In Fireborne, we meet the pair as they’re reaching adolescence, both rising stars in their dragon riding academy, yet unbeknownst to practically everyone their beginnings couldn’t have been further from the same, and this becomes especially prevalent when a new threat arises.

On the surface, Fireborne has the trappings of everything I adore in a young adult fantasy: mysterious characters, political intrigue, class warfare and uprisings, tension, and of course, dragons. I enjoyed Lee and Annie’s characters, their dual perspectives and their progression throughout the book. Annie was my favourite of the two – she goes through some particularly gruelling experiences at points during the story and I appreciated the care and attention given to how these experiences affected her due to her background. I was also really rooting for her during each of the tournaments, and loved her growth and development as the story progressed, right up to where she ended up at the end of the book.

Whilst I enjoyed the book on the whole, it did take me a while to get sucked into the story. I would’ve liked more in the way of world building because I felt like we only just scratched the surface, and I especially would’ve liked more of the dragons; whilst they were certainly present in riding and tournament scenes, I’d have really loved more exploration on the bond between the dragonriders and the dragons. Nonetheless, overall I enjoyed the book and I feel like I’m going to continue on with this series.

I kinda feel like I've done 10 rounds of dragonback combat now I finished this rollercoaster of a read 🐉

Callipolis is under a new regime. No longer ruled by the three Dragonlord families, everyone is tested into one of four classes. Iron for unskilled labour, bronze for skilled labour, silver for the spirited (the military force), and gold for the philosophical (those who govern the city).

The new dragonriders, known as Guardians, are made up of anyone, including lowborn, commoners & serfs, who tested both as spirited (silver) and philosophical (gold). Annie & Lee were born on opposite sites of society, but were raised in the same orphanage. Now they are both Guardians, riding dragons, and competing for the title of Firstrider.

I was not prepared for how much I'd grow to like and respect Annie (Lee too, but not as much) and her story continued to tug at my emotions right up until the last page.

if you want dragonriders, politics, and found family, this is definitely worth a read.

I've got book two ready to be because I desperately need to know what happens next!

I can't decide if DNFing this will haunt me but I didn't get the magical world building and depth to the plot or characters like I was expecting. It was all very surface level and I think that's why I couldn't make it past the 30%-40% mark

I really enjoyed this book. Love anything to do with dragons recently. The fact that this was centred around the two main characters was interesting. We found out about their backgrounds - one from the royalty of dragon riders - and the other from an orphanage.
There is competition amongst all the characters in this book as they compete for positions within the school and here you get to see the main characters relationships with the side characters.
If you don’t like a book where there is a lot of background info and lots of world building.together with a political storyline all the way through then you might not enjoy this book. It does concentrate on giving you background storylines and the political theme which I enjoyed. It will be very interesting to see where book 2 takes us.
Overall I enjoyed it. I like the slow build up of the storyline and getting to know the MMC and FMC and the world they live in. The history behind it is important to understand what is happening in the current timeline.
I’d recommend it if you like a fantasy story where there are dragons but don’t mind that they aren’t the main focus of the plot but yet are still important. I will definitely be reading the next book as I’d like to see what happens to our main characters.
Thank you for letting me read this

Overall, I found it to be an impressive fantasy debut with a compelling premise.

The relationship between Leo and Annie really stood out to me. I'm a bit of a sucker for the childhood friends to maybe more trope, and their bond was sweet, hopeful, and pure.

There were a few rocky parts, though. The world-building early on felt a bit vague and shaky. While it was clear there was an uprising and some of its causes, there were still some grey areas regarding the classes and the ongoing war. I might have missed some details, and I think this could be attributed to the pacing in the first half of the book, which felt almost too fast. The constant jump from action scene to action scene, with days, weeks, and months passing between, was a bit jarring at times. I believe the first half of the book could have benefitted from slowing down a bit and allowing scenes to breathe, rather than feeling like a series of one-shots smashed together.

That being said, the second half of the book is much stronger. The pacing improves, and I felt I had a better grasp on the characters and factions at play. I do wish more had happened by the end of the book, though. While I enjoy competitions, each round felt repetitive, and the dragonriders' school aspect reminded me too much of a certain fictional sport and magical school.

Despite these issues, I came to love Annie and Leo's characters. I sympathized with both of them over what they had lost, and I was particularly taken with Leo's character. I'm curious to see where the series will take his journey.

In summary, 'Fireborne' is a solid fantasy debut with a few minor issues but is overall an enjoyable read.

Dnf at 30%
Just couldn’t get into it.
Nothing horrible about the writing, it just wasn’t my cup of tea.
I would recommend it to my friends who enjoy this sort of fantasy book however.

Good grief, where to start?

I loved the plot, the world building was exceptional; the slow drop feed of backstory and questioning what you know as a reader and what you can discern. Certainly, young adult, if that wasn't clear, but, as with all the best young adult, packed with emotion. Lee, seen through Annie's eyes, has the potential to be an icon and we we see him in a way we just wouldn't be able to without the split POV. Annie is less nuanced, you know what she is from herself; whereas, Less is not to others how Annie sees him.

I didn't want to put this down as I read.

However, and this may be petty, but it is a MASSIVE part of reading any book - the names. Oh dear, the names. For UK readers, one character is called Amon Holmes..... Albans and Cheapside are two more that are so borrowed, and in the case of Albans, probably taken from a map with the 'St' dropped and the possessive not understood. And on the topic of being taken right out of the narrative, I have never read and I hope never to read again, in a romantic passage, how one character reveals the 'taste of his saliva'.... Ick.

Maybe I'm harsh, but some images can't be unseen.

But, for all that, and my few gripes, it was gripping and exciting and there's a moment you have to pick sides. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Before I launch into my review, I would like to say a huge thank you to Rosaria Munda, DK Children, and Netgalley for what was originally provided as an Advanced Digital Reader Copy of this title. For anyone with their eye on this title, here is my personal review of the book to help you decide whether you are interested or not. All opinions offered are my own.

I have not enjoyed a book about dragons this much since my reading of The Inheritance Cycle Series by Christopher Paolini. What’s not to love?

I spent an age reading this book. Not because it was not good, or because I found myself bored, but because I fell in love with the characters and wanted to savor them for as long as possible. The book boasts a strong cast of characters with the story told through the perspective of two of the most prominent characters, Annie and Lee. Trained since childhood to protect their city and take up the mantel from a regime that was felled by their First Protector because he did not approve of the ruling classes and their methods, Fireborne is the story of Annie and Lee’s childhood as orphans, and their rise within the ranks of dragonriders, a role formerly held by those considered ‘high-born’. Coming from vastly different beginnings and finding themselves fated to similar outcomes, the pair, alongside their peers have to learn what it is like to lead, whilst doing all they can not to repeat the mistakes of the class before. This book is a story of their trials and tribulations and marks a wonderful beginning to what is already shaping up to be an epic journey.

I loved the way the story was told through overlapping perspectives, the voice of one male and one female narrator, the fact that one character is confident, whilst the other falters. I love that the group they belong to is a mix of genders, personalities, and skills. I also love that despite them being part of a ‘brotherhood’ of sorts, there is in-house rivalry as much as there is conflict outside their faction.

The story is imaginative and serves as a great escape. The emotional pulls that come with highs and lows keep the story moving and your heart racing with some gut-wrenching scenes told in graphic detail. I am fan and I am so here for the rest of the series.

Admittedly, I found the first few interchanges confusing until I learned who the characters were and had worked through the flashbacks, but aside from that, the book was an absolute joy to behold. It served up tension, romance, family drama, war, revenge, lust, all the ingredients of a well-told, well-rounded story. The pace was reasonable throughout with regular episodes worthy of climax status that sped the story up and made the reader want to speed up. I found myself discipling myself to put the book down or I was going to have a sore wait for the next instalment. As far as it goes, it has been the best fantasy read in fore3ver and worthy of 5 out of 5 stars.

If you love fantasy books, with dragons that are perfectly written with just enough depth, then you will absolutely love firebourne. Can’t wait for book 2.

I can’t remember when this book was recommended to me but I have had it in the back of my mind since I was really excited when I saw it was being published in the UK. I really enjoyed the characters in this book and am looking forward to continuing the series as books 2 and 3 are published in the UK later in 2025.

Fireborne follows Annie and Lee who were friends born on the opposite sides of society but raised together and have the chance to lead the city’s dragonriders but when survivors from the old regime threaten another civil war the pair face a challenging choice.

It took me a while to get into this book but once I got a feel for the story and characters I just wanted to keep reading and see what would happen to these characters because you didn’t know who to trust and what would happen.

One of my favourite parts of this book was the politics. The world felt really well-developed and I could understand what was going on in the world, what had previously happened and what the characters' backgrounds were and how that impacted their perspectives. I found that because I understood the politics of the world so well it allowed me to have a really good understanding of what was going on and enjoy the book more which I really liked.

I am looking forward to reading more about Annie and Lee in the rest of the series as from the start of the book they were both characters that really interested me and as I learned more about them that only grew. They both felt like complex characters with a real history, that made their relationship more complex which I really liked reading about. It was the same for many of the other characters whose history really impacted their actions which made the politics feel even more real.

I could not put this book down in the second half desperate to know what would happen because I couldn’t predict what some of the characters were going to do.

This is a series I am really looking forward to continuing because I really don’t know how things will end, and I loved the writing. I can see why people recommend it and I think I also will be doing so.

if you like the fantasy genre and you like well written stories about dragons then you'll enjoy this. Well paced, good character development and nicely set up for the next book in the series which you'll want to read.

Thank you to NetGalley for an e-arc of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts and review.

I actually DNFed this book as it felt like an info dump, and I struggled to relate to the characters as they were so young.

I didn't like the romance, I hate a miscommunication trope and this just had it in spades.

I won't say too much more as I didn't finish it so think it's unfair to comment further, but I did request this book as it was described as Fourth Wing meets Game of Thrones and it didn't give me that feeling.

This is a well written YA fantasy which follows the story of two teens.

Great world building to set the scene and dragons / although I'd like more dragons and hopefully we'll get that in book 2!

The way the author explores some important themes in such a well written and thoughtful way really helps you understand and get into the minds of the characters.

I can't wait to see where book 2 takes us!

I was very much looking forward to getting stuck in with another dragon related story - but I didnt quite get the hype with this one.
The story was ok - and everything was mostly just 'alright' in my opinion. I felt a lot of details in the book were lacking and you had to try and fill the gaps in yourself. I just dont think the writing style was quite for me.

I enjoyed the world building and the politics in the book however there were a lot of characters introduced in a short space of time with little backstory. I probably would read the other two books in the series as I am curious where the story will go.

My opinions on this book are quite conflicting. There are a number of aspects of the story that I didn’t get on with at however by the end of the book I was very invested.

The tale comes from the dual perspectives of the two protagonists Annie and Lee. I feel like they both fall into very standard tropes. The naturally talented and entitled royal in hiding and the hardworking commoner underdog. While I do like them as friends I find the potential romance a bit forced and was much more interested in Lee’ relationship with Crissa.

The world building around the revolution, the newly defined meritocracy and the strain it experiences as the result of external pressure I found to be the best aspect of the book. The challenges faced by a new government following a violent revolution, even with the best of intentions, are clearly far more complex than the glossy dreams of budding revolutionaries. The discussions on how to split rations to the varying classes of people are brutal yet unfortunately logical and the struggle you see in Annie and Lee as they come to the same realisation demonstrates bravery on the part of the author to not just give us the typical outrage.

The biggest disappointment to me was the dragons. With so many excellent Dragonfic novels existing these days it was sad to see how underutilised the dragons were used in this book. They kind of just exist to be called upon for dramatic set pieces. With the ability to ride dragons being the greatest honour and display of power in the universe it’s unfortunate that the dragons take such a minor role.

The book included the first chapter of the second in the series and that certainly was a very enticing continuation of the series. While not enamoured with this entry I really hope to see how the series can grow.

Power Sur Eater, you would have been loved and rocking your best bitchy life.

Fireborne follows the dual POVs of Lee (formerly Leo Stormscourge, youngest child of a dragon blood aka ruling family) and Annie (an orphaned child from a village) in the aftermath of a coup which took down the dragon blood families and installed a by-merit system. Except it didn’t.

I still can’t put my finger on what the overall message of the book is meant to be with regards to the political system. The characters easily fall into the systems of the past however they had never truly moved away from them to begin with, a metal based system replacing traditional class hierarchy. This was possibly the intent but it’s muddled behind a laborious set up with the POV changing at crucial reveal moments that left me feeling frustrated and wanting to stay where the action was happening rather than deal with inconsistent insecurities.

It took far too long for this book to start getting interesting. The last third of the book gained it an extra star as my rating was low for the majority of the book.

I couldn’t help but compare the change in regimes to Poison Study which also shows the flaws inherent in the system but also puts the work in to make it solid. The immediate return to past standards, still with sexism felt like a cop out. And then the family resemblance also irked me. If Lee looks so much like his father, why did no one else notice? What about bastard children from the dragon lords which is not factored in anywhere in the first book?

The supposed romance between Lee and Annie was barely there and would have been more believable if they were kept as friends.

Annie is lowborn and she was brought up in an orphanage where she met Lee.
Lee saw his family slaughtered but is higher born. They are both training to be dragon riders.
Annie struggles with confidence but is an excellent dragon rider.
I liked the characters and the worldbuilding and of course the dragons and other creatures.
The friendships and loyalty and relationships are really heart-warming.
I really enjoyed this book.
Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher.