Hello Fellow Journeyers,
Wow, after a month long hiatus of not being able to get into a single book, here we are, June! It took a lot of effort and determination, but I was able to get back into reading and finish a book that really needed to be completed. We have another fantasy book that one review compared to Red Rising that definitely got my interest piqued, even if I didn't take it seriously enough at first.
What's the story about: Fireborne is a multiple POV story of a pair of best friends: Lee and Annie. Lee and Annie are part of a society that was revolutionized and drastically changed ten years prior after the previous regime was seemingly killed off or displaced. Lee, secretly spared from the revolution's wrath that destroyed his family, must choose a new path on the ashes of the old world or be complicit in the coming retribution that threatens to tear it apart. Annie, a low serf who has worked her way out of the slums of her upbringing by sheer force of will, must deal with every obstacle imaginable in order to attain her dreams in the new world order. Most importantly, Fireborne is a character driven story of people's struggles to make the best decisions among difficult choices.
Fireborne reminded me of two of my favorite series, The Hunger Games and Red Rising. It was similar in its YA aspects of teen-centered characters, romantic interests, and societal similarities to ancient cultures. But also leaning more closely to Red Rising because the characters are written superbly and have a much greater depth and likeability than the standard YA book. Moving on, Fireborne really gets going fast, with the main story following two basic plotlines that keep tension and pacing peaked at all times. And since Lee and Annie's stories directly impact each other at all times, there isn't too much distraction from the main story. Because the character writing is so good, I got hooked to Lee and Annie faster than I expected within the first 30% and it really didn't let go until the very end, which finished on a typical satisfactory, but not completely resolved note.
This leads to the next fantastic point, and that consists of the pacing and progression. Again like Red Rising, it's almost nonstop tension and release, cause and effect is relentless. From the first 30% mark, I was sufficiently hooked to find out how so many events would take place and resolve that I basically couldn't stop and went on a binge spree over the course of four days. I even read a whole fourth of the book in one sitting because it gets that engaging. I can't remember another book that had my rapt attention like this since Red Rising, and I loved it.
Lastly, my favorite part of any book are the characters and how they develop. It's hard to say who I liked more between Lee and Annie because they're both written so well in terms of fallibility, relatability, and ideological leanings. They're just so human and suffer from human emotions that I couldn't help but care deeply for both of them. But they're not the only ones that are good. The side characters also do shine, some for better, one for worse, in such realistic ways that every interaction is full, rich, and unexpectedly good. It's for this reason that I'd barely call this book YA. Fireborne has such great young characters that aren't cliche or one dimensional. They breath with drama in the most human ways that the book seemed older, more mature, and frankly, more relatable to how I remember those ages being in my life.
★★★★★ 5 Stars - Fireborne is a book I needed to have read when I was younger and in high school. The struggles these characters experience are unique to their situations, but are also so universal in their feelings and outcomes that I wish I could've been comforted by them whilst going through my own trials. Munda has created a world that teems with trial, difficulty, and struggle, but also manages to capture the intimate moments with equal weight and potency. Separately, this has to be my favorite book involving dragons because while they're essential to the story, they are not focused on more than the characters. I simply cannot wait to dive in to book two and would recommend Fireborne as highly as nearly any other 5 star book. Definitely Essential Reading!
Let me hear from you! If you like what you read, want to hear more thoughts on this book, other reviews, or talk book recommendations and Essential Reading, leave a comment below.
Rating system:
★★★★★ 5 Stars: It was amazing; I loved it. Read this book; it is definitely Essential Reading!
★★★★★* 4.5 Stars: It was nearly perfect. I really loved almost every aspect of it, but a few things kept it from being amazing.
★★★★ 4 Stars: It was very worth reading and satisfying; highly recommend.
★★★★* 3.5 Stars: I thoroughly enjoyed this story, but it was lacking in certain crucial areas.
★★★ 3 Stars: It was good, but could've been better or improved upon significantly.
★★★* 2.5 Stars: I wanted to enjoy it. Certain aspects were good, it was worth finishing, but many issues.
★★ 2 Stars: It was okay, I didn't feel strongly about it.
★★* 1.5 Stars: I finished it, but it was a chore to get through.
★ 1 Star: I did not like it. It was not worth finishing or I did not finish it.
*I round up based on the system on Goodreads.