I was very partial to Lee, both a victim of the new government and a privileged benefactor of the old. His perspective was really interesting to watch evolve. And, man, I'm glad I went in suspending hopes of any kind. Fireborne hit every need of mine when it comes to a fantasy story: Fireborne by Rosaria Munda is the first book of the young adult fantasy The Aurelian Cycle series. Told from multiple points of view this fantasy is one of young dragonriders dealing with a world with plenty of political intrigue with a small bit of romance added into the mix. With war on the horizon and his relationship with Annie changing fast, Lee must choose to kill the only family he has left or to betray everything he’s come to believe in. And Annie must decide whether to protect the boy she loves . . . or step up to be the champion her city needs. Game of Thrones meets Fourth Wing in a debut young adult fantasy that’s full of rivalry, romance . . . and dragons.

The telepathic dragon/companion trope is pretty well worn by now, and Munda doesn't do much to add to it. But if you like that trope, you're going to be okay with the eggs, impression, shared emotional states with dragons, etc. Munda does a great job with it. Fireborne is everything I want in fantasy: deep world-building, fierce and vivid characters, heartbreaking choices, and dragons, dragons, dragons.” — Rachel Hartman, New York Times bestselling author of Seraphinaand Tess of the Road As for Lee's family, let's talk about Julia, I'm really surprised that she got killed off so fast. I expected her to play a more important role in the series, the family standing against each other. Plus she was possibly flying her dragon for longer than Lee, and I suppose she would get better tutors. And still, Lee's win felt very cheap. Recommended for both teens and adults who enjoy a mentally stimulating novel and for those who wish to lose themselves in a world full of dragons.” — School Library Journal, Starred Review

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This series opener thrills with dragon action, from aerial tournaments to wartime battles . . . a near-perfect work of high fantasy with wide appeal.”— Booklist, starred review By the time 35% of Fireborne rolled around I was firmly rooting for Annie and Lee to overcome the uncomfortableness between them to be together. But I also realized this read like a boring adult fantasy to me. Cool ideas were introduced but bogged down by politics (not much), government (a lot!) and day to day interactions (slice of life feel). I loved everything about this book: it’s exciting, it’s philosophical; it’s hopeful; it’s dark; it’s full of dragons and politics; it’s romantic in that grand, heroic tradition, without downplaying the ugly reality of governance and revolution and war. It talks about the cost of leadership, the weight of decision-making, and the responsibility of those in power to those without it. At the same time the story works as a close, intimate tale of friends who have been through fire together and what they will do for each other.

Fireborne moved me, it surprised me, it thrilled me, it enraged me, it made me cry, it made me think. I know my teenage self would have LOVED this, but its heady mix of fantasy, politics, philosophy, and yes, a dash of romance feels entirely fresh.” — Bridget Tyler, author of The Pioneer By 80% I wanted to kill myself or DNF the rest!! Because the regime imagined from Plato's The Republic is incredible depressing. They are totally amoral and no different than the powers they overthrew. Again I thought... this is so adult. Sure the world is not a nice place. As we age from teens to adults we realize that life isn't all books, tea and leather chairs. We have to work to pay for our books and once college is over real life takes over. I just didn't want to read this in book form. Life will catch up to us with time, when I read I want to have hope, be inspired and take action!! This series is not what I expected. I assumed it would be a cheeseball fantasy romance with weak world-building. Nope. This story centers around Annie and Lee, two orphaned survivors of a great revolution that brought about the end of the ruling Barron class of dragon riders in favor of a 'communist' system. Annie's family was killed by the establishment, while Lee is the last surviving child of the dragonlords that oppressed the masses. Years later, they find themselves competing for a coveted spot in the country's dragon-riding military, only to be faced with the return of the surviving dragon lords and the reality of a second war.

This is only the first book of three and yet I already know this is going to be a series I will never forget. There is such a huge focus on government corruption and its ability to make anything seem alright with the right words. The right spin on a history they say they don't want to repeat. Is burning a man at the stake okay if you stop at a point where he can be healed? Is starving a group of people okay because they have no worth in the future? First line from my Booklist review: “What happens after a revolution, when the fire and fury of the righteous must turn from violence to governance?” Early on, we get a glimpse of a past event, an execution. Lee and Annie, tight friends, both misunderstood the other's reaction--and when the reader realizes it, the game alters. Nothing is predictable anymore. Moral dilemmas, with huge emotional freight attached, lie like landmines everywhere. There are no easy choices in this world. With war on the horizon and his relationship with Annie changing fast, Lee must choose to kill the only family he has left or to betray everything he’s come to believe in. And Annie must decide whether to protect the boy she loves . . . or step up to be the champion her city needs

Annie and Lee's new world involves book burnings, tightly spun propaganda, and a clear overclass that still has privilege over the expendable lowest class. Their rulers believe that murdering children from the old regime is okay. and yet...things were truly worse under the DragonLords Wait. What???? What kind of synopsis is that?! (The kind to make me add it, that's what kind it is 😐😂) As for the romance, as you may be wondering, that’s where my teeny tiny complaint lies. You can’t pitch something as dragons + romance and then have a very secondary romantic subplot. Having said that, the romance was still there; the pining, the longing, the almost impossibility of it all that at the same time gave off this meant to be vibe. It was there and it was delicious in all its subtlety, leaving me wanting MORE. I said "Sort of" above because we get snippets of the revolution, and Lee's story, along with Annie's. She is our secondary protagonist, once a serf. As a serf she would never have been permitted near a dragon, but now she and Lee are dragon riders, for the revolution made it possible for commoners to test for dragon riding.The characters are exceptional. The side characters have enough depth to make you care what happens to them, but Lee and Annie are both beautifully fleshed out and trigger some intense emotions in you as the reader. The book does a great job developing their long-term friendship and showing how they have come to understand each other and despise growing up in the circumstances they did. Both characters also have very unique and fascinating internal monologues where they work through both their trauma and their relationship with the new world that has been built around them, Annie's sobs are drilling into me, that particular sound that I'm primed, from so many years ago, to respond to. Hopeless, lost, frightened. The desire to go to her is almost overwhelming. This book has everything to keep you glued to it. A complex fantasy world and political system, layered characters that are a treat to delve into and all the dragon action. Trust me, this was an impressive fantasy debut and it deserves your time and attention. The cover is okay. I wish that it gave a little more of a hint to its ancient classic underpinnings. And less feature to the dragons. I also think the original title was a little more on target... The Dragonlord's Son. It's just this book isn't really about dragons. So all the marketing is really misleading.

Thought-provoking and full of social and political intrigue.”— School Library Journal, starred review Fourth time reading this book and I just continue to be amazed by it. I sincerely don't think there will ever be a book that I love more than this one.Emotional turmoil, political intrigue, the horrors of the past and the hopes of future peace may rest on the shoulders of young dragonriders who have trained together and are now faced with heart wrenching decisions. Do they follow their hearts, the stations in life they came from or do they forge into a new future and do what is best for their world? The thing is this book has all these tropes but they’re presented in a way that doesn’t feel tropey. Also I’m just trash and enjoyed this book beyond reason but either way, still recommend In the beginning, I really struggled with the characters. I was unsure if I really enjoyed Lee's POV because just in his first POV, I was annoyed by Annie before we even really meet her. She was just so heavily mentioned that I could not stand her. But in the end, I prefered Lee's POV to Annie's. His character was calmer, more reasonable and less... sensitive in a sense. I felt like Annie was always annoyed by something or someone.