4 stars
**I was provided an electronic ARC by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**
Rosaria Munda presents to us in Fireborne a world that is still recovering from revolution. The oligarchy of the dragonborn has been overthrown in favor of a merit-based class system determined by testing. We join the narrative where the new dragonriders, or Guardians as they’re known, are composed of both low born and high born students that are being ranked in a tournament. We follow Lee, one of the few surviving dragonborn who has adopted a new name to hide his true identity, and Annie, daughter of a highland serf. Both Annie and Lee are dragon riders and their loyalty to their families, society, and each other are explored in Fireborne.
I felt completely validated in learning that Munda was inspired by Virgil and Plato in writing Fireborne; the parallels are both apparent and well-executed. Munda managed to build a well-developed world with distinct culture while also developing her characters to the point that readers are attached to both Lee and Annie. There is no clear “winner” and the amount of grey space in which Munda operated regarding the old and new regimes was beautifully and tactically done.
This book, while definitely entertaining in the dragon riding aspects and the interpersonal relationships front, has an inherent amount of political intrigue which may be offputting for some readers. I happened to really like the political portions and they worked for me.
I am so grateful that Munda allowed the romance, which was apparent, to develop at the pace and in the manner she did. It was very appropriate that the romance take a backseat, and refreshing that it was allowed to do so. Munda also allowed Annie to be a fully realized character without the romantic relationship being key to her person, despite how very integral Lee is to her development.
Overall, this book was a refreshing take on classic dragonriding within the fantasy genre, and I would be happy to see where the rest of the series goes.
Bumpy Oak Books 
Leave a comment