Reviews with content warning for Fire/Fire injury - Fireborne

There is a lot to love in this book. An interesting fantasy world with complicated politics, a bloody revolution with morally grey characters on both sides, a competitive dragon-riding school setting, characters with serious trauma who face moral dilemmas and have complex interpersonal relationships, and an emotional romance that doesn't feel childish or like insta-love.
Everything that I wanted Fourth Wing to be, which failed hard on every aspect that this book did so well. I'm so glad that Reads With Rachel on YT recommended Fireborne as an alternative book that focuses on a dragon-riding school and is actually written well and has a well thought out world.
It does feel a bit like a toned down Games of Thrones, but with less explicit violence, no sexual assault, and focused on just one setting and two characters, not jumping around an entire continent and 25 different POVs.
I absolutely loved it, and I really want to continue the series.

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luckykosmos's review

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adventurous tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Fascinated by the internal politics of this one, the complicated politics of bringing together people who came from classes that were hurt by the current regime in very different ways. The world is coded as Roman, but the development of the new society feels post-Russian Revolution - 'equalized', except for the particularly poor, with an internal hierarchy that makes upward movement particularly difficult.

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kaitrates's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

I really enjoyed this first entry into this romantic fantasy series. I found it fast paced and intriguing, with a fun will-they-or-won't-they romance subplot. The yearning, the tension (romantic and otherwise), and the twists kept me ROOTED. This one is equal parts inspiring and devastating with a strong political lens and I can't wait to dive into the rest of the series.

I've seen some describe this as a love triangle and while I did tell my dog many times "he's kissing the wrong person!" I found it pretty obvious that there weren't deeper feelings from Lee. As Annie says later in the book,

“Who am i to begrudge him the ways he’s found to escape his darkness? I’ve been escaping mine with [redacted] for years."

It felt convenient and escapist, rather than actual interest. There was never any "what if he actually ends up with [her]?!" concerns like in a proper love triangle. I did really appreciate how the two girls handled it with such maturity rather than pettiness.

I've seen this recommended in addition to or instead of Fourth Wing and, while I understand the sentiment, I think if you go into this with that expectation you will be disappointed. First of all, they're different age groups (NA for FW vs YA for this) which impacts the themes and how the characters act. Secondly, the focuses are very different (e.g. training vs politics). Additionally, the dragons also aren't their own characters in this. There is a connection between rider and dragon that we're toold about and a choosing but all that happens in the past with only brief recollection on page. I think if FW (re)sparked your interest in fantasy novels with dragons, to add this one to your TBR; however if you want something that *feels* similar and has a similar level of spice, this isn't for you.

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