A Good Story of Teens and Dragons, War and Politics
Ten years ago a revolution left Lee and Annie orphaned. Now, at sixteen years old, they are dragon riders and leaders of the new world. This book follows their story as they compete with classmates and friends for the position of Firstrider: the one who will lead their dragons into war. Each will be confronted with their past, as well as a future that includes an imminent war with the dragonlords who were cast out during the coup. Everyone has difficult choices to make.
Fireborne, by Rosaria Munda, is a good read. The main storyline is compelling, the history rich and deep. The Firstrider tournament is a great backdrop for the political turmoil in Callipolis, having just broken from its Dragonlords ten yers ago. The young dragonriders of Callipolis are being trained to fight the war their parents started, while dealing with their own stuff at the same time. They are angsty teenagers dealing with the first sparks of love, lust, and fitting: trying to find their way in a world that has an indistinct future. Add in politics (many issues that hit home today) and family drama, and you have the bones of a fascinating story. Plus dragons!
The characters are pretty great, too. The only adult that gets regular time is Atreus, leader of the Revolution and First Protector of the new world. It is clear from the beginning his character is tortured, both by his past actions and the decisions he is going to have make in the future. The bulk of the characters are teenagers, with Annie and Lee getting the lions-share of page time. They are both well-written, having been best friends since the orphanage and looking out for each other. Annie and Lee also deal with having romantic feelings, each afraid to admit it to the other. Their cast of friends is diverse and interesting, sometimes gentle sweet, sometimes mean and cruel.
There are a few items keeping this book from having a higher rating. The first is the author's overuse of certain descriptions. This book has a few, but one example of this is the phrase "dry mouth" or "dry throat". It seems like every time a character is met with an unexpected, unwanted surprise or twist some form these phrases are used. There are a few more like this, and I hope these are caught in final editing so as not to detract from the story.
The bigger issue for me is a certain way Annie is treated in the book. At one point, the author attempts to use the verbal abuse from another character to make her Annie more powerful. This happens over and over again during her training, and I just think this could have been done better. Annie herself is strong and amazing, and this treatment is never brought up as something that is wrong or dangerous. I understand what the author is trying to do here, but a different medium could have been used.
Overall, Fireborne is a very book that, despite its flaws, kept my interest. It reminds me a lot of How to Train Your Dragon, with a deeper, darker story. I look forward to Book 2.
Fireborne, by Rosaria Munda, is a good read. The main storyline is compelling, the history rich and deep. The Firstrider tournament is a great backdrop for the political turmoil in Callipolis, having just broken from its Dragonlords ten yers ago. The young dragonriders of Callipolis are being trained to fight the war their parents started, while dealing with their own stuff at the same time. They are angsty teenagers dealing with the first sparks of love, lust, and fitting: trying to find their way in a world that has an indistinct future. Add in politics (many issues that hit home today) and family drama, and you have the bones of a fascinating story. Plus dragons!
The characters are pretty great, too. The only adult that gets regular time is Atreus, leader of the Revolution and First Protector of the new world. It is clear from the beginning his character is tortured, both by his past actions and the decisions he is going to have make in the future. The bulk of the characters are teenagers, with Annie and Lee getting the lions-share of page time. They are both well-written, having been best friends since the orphanage and looking out for each other. Annie and Lee also deal with having romantic feelings, each afraid to admit it to the other. Their cast of friends is diverse and interesting, sometimes gentle sweet, sometimes mean and cruel.
There are a few items keeping this book from having a higher rating. The first is the author's overuse of certain descriptions. This book has a few, but one example of this is the phrase "dry mouth" or "dry throat". It seems like every time a character is met with an unexpected, unwanted surprise or twist some form these phrases are used. There are a few more like this, and I hope these are caught in final editing so as not to detract from the story.
The bigger issue for me is a certain way Annie is treated in the book. At one point, the author attempts to use the verbal abuse from another character to make her Annie more powerful. This happens over and over again during her training, and I just think this could have been done better. Annie herself is strong and amazing, and this treatment is never brought up as something that is wrong or dangerous. I understand what the author is trying to do here, but a different medium could have been used.
Overall, Fireborne is a very book that, despite its flaws, kept my interest. It reminds me a lot of How to Train Your Dragon, with a deeper, darker story. I look forward to Book 2.