RATING- 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
AUTHOR- Rosaria Munda
"Logs on a fire. Fires to burn the world down. A lifetime in the ashes of such a fire has taught me that it doesn’t end there. Anyone can start a fire. The problem is what happens after."
Alright, you all know how I wouldn't shut up about Fireborne when I read it a few months ago? Well, now the sequel is out, aand I had been itching to start reading this!
Anyway, if you don't know what Fireborne is about, it is a Russian Revolution inspired fantasy with dragons! It follows the story of these two best friends from an orphanage, Annie and Lee, who come from completely opposite backgrounds.
Lee comes from the family of aristocratic dragonborns whose whole family was executed in the Revolution, and Annie's serf family was interestingly killed by Lee's aristocrat family before that. In Fireborne, that are both trying to become Dragonriders for this new government and we get chapters from both of their POVs.
Munda also does a stellar job of adding a new POV and character, Griff. He is a serf working in New Pythos for the remnants of the Old Regime, one of the few who have been given a dragon...and he is absolutely amazing! His character just adds another layer of depth to the story, where she explores every possible perspective in a revolution.
There's so much and such beautiful character examination, examination of trauma, all while examining this new form of government, which may or may not be better than the former government.
The ending of the first book was a hint devastating and I've been so excited for this one! It was so good, and I was pretty sure I was gonna like the sequel, but oh my gosh, it was so much more than I was hoping for! Which I didn't even know was possible...
Right from the very first chapter things were not, looking good for our characters, and just for a second I was like, "Oh I know where this is going" but then things would worsen, and then I would think I had guessed what was about to happen and then the situation would get even worse!
I. LOVED. IT.
This just shows that Rosaria Munda is not afraid to show the brutal and ugly side of revolution. It's like a reading a real novelization of a revolution. She writes the elements of an uprising so masterfully, the reactions of the population are so realistic, and she shows different point of views and the way the characters have to try and decide what they align themselves with, in a situation where the consequences are so extreme and large-scale.
And she has a Political Theory graduation degree from Princeton, so guys, she knows her stuff.. .
It is really edge-of-your-seat, and I stayed up so late reading this book. The whole is so high stakes, but towards the end things really heat up and start to get really, really tense.
Even if you are the type of reader who is hesitant to pick up YA novels, this would definitely appeal to your tastes. If you are a fan of political fantasy, I highly recommend picking up this series.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rosaria Munda grew up in rural North Carolina, where she climbed trees, read Harry Potter fanfiction, and taught herself Latin. She studied political theory at Princeton and lives with her husband in Chicago. Her debut young adult fantasy, Fireborne, was published in 2019.
Let's Chat!
What are some you favourite political-fantasy recommendations? Any good ones that I should know about? If you've already read Flamefall, what are your thought on THAT ENDING?? What bout that shocking reveal at the end? Any predictions for the third book?
Let me know in the comments!
Until then,
Happy Reading!
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