I wish there hadn't been a love story

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This one ended up being so much better than I anticipated. As a kid, I grew up obsessed with dragons and stories about them from Eragon (which came out when I was 11) to Dragonriders of Pern. Fireborne felt like such a great up-to-date take on the classic dragon rider story. The book takes a deep dive into classism (and sexism), by directly contrasting Annie (from the lowest caste) with Lee (your typical YA "hidden prince"). What really impressed me was how these two characters continued to work together - up until Lee started going off and doing his own thing. Annie consistently challenged Lee's elitism and privilege and I felt like this was a great message for readers.

The thing that I really hated was how, after all of their competing, their unwavering support for each other, and secrets between them, it still ended up with Annie in love with Lee. It felt like an insult to the depth of Annie's character. However, I will still absolutely read book two!