READING IS SUBJECTIVE!

Had to start by saying that since this book just wasn’t for me. This is definitely a high fantasy with very intense world building. I definitely enjoy high fantasies but this for me was too much world building I felt like I couldn’t get into the plot of it. Every time I felt like I was getting somewhere, there was just so much information to take in I couldn’t keep up with it. It’s definitely very heavy on the politics and culture aspects aswell so again a lot to take in and remember as you’re going along.

I did really enjoy the magic system it was very unique, definitely haven’t read another book with anything like this. I’m pretty sure I was pronouncing over half the people/places incorrectly but that’s just my own incompetence 🤭

The story line was very interesting and I think a lot of people will definitely love this. Unfortunately for me it was too much from the start to understand what was going on and follow along. But please give this a go as not every book is for everyone so please try it before you walk past it 💖

I found the worldbuilding in this book a bit too heavy, with far too much detail given to the magic system and politics and not enough to character relationships. The main character was difficult to like as she was constantly changing identities and forgetting parts of her past. I also found the ending quite disappointing.

Dawn of the Firebird is most definitely a high revenge fantasy novel and is being compared to the likes of Sword of Kaigen & The Will of Many.

My first impressions of the book were great. You follow Khamilla our FMC who is brought up amongst a tribe and taught magic and stories about the Jinn folk you get a real introduction to the beginning of her own story and her character. Tragedy hits and she is forced to run with her Uma to Azadniabad where the emperor is actually her father. In an attempt to be accepted by her father, her siblings and her kingdoms people, she abandons her tribal heritage and succumbs to the wills and ways of this new kingdom which are incredibly harsher than those she has been brought up in. Tragedy hits AGAIN and she succumbs to even stranger/harsher conditions to infiltrate the enemy military to exact revenge on them. But all is always not as it seems as we learn throughout Khamilla’s journey.

I loved learning about all the different places that Khamilla experiences although a lot of the words and names of things were a bit lost on me. You can tell that the author Sarah is an academic and incredibly smart. I found myself looking up the names of objects, pronunciations and for this reason I feel like this took me a longer time to read and digest the story. It was a big learning opportunity for me and I didn’t dislike that.

I thought the authors writing was descriptive and felt immersive. I absolutely loved that it has very Middle Eastern vibes and you definitely could tell the author is passionate and knowledgeable about the culture. It’s so refreshing to read about a different culture in the fantasy genre. I felt like I could almost taste the food that was described and visibly imagine the clothes and colours.

I liked the main character Khamilla and enjoyed her interactions with other characters but I did feel it was sometimes hard to connect on a deeper level although I’m not sure 100% why.
I enjoyed the twist with ‘No Name’ and do feel the ending of the book leaves it open nicely for a sequel.

I think it would be really helpful to add a map to the book as I would have loved to refer to the different areas mentioned in the book and help imagine it all.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend this book if you like high fantasy, martial arts and revenge!

Thank you for the opportunity of reading this ARC Bloomsbury!

4⭐

Dawn on the Firebird by Sarah Mughal Rana is for fans of The Poppy War, She Who Became the Sun and The Will of the Many, a breathtaking fantasy novel about the daughter of an overthrown emperor.

This was a unique take on fantasy and this story was fresh from an own voice author. It kept me hooked to the narrative the entire time and while I did enjoy it, my only problem was that there was more telling than show. This is not exactly my cup of tea, especially with the some of the lines but I think others would enjoy it!