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bethtabler's review against another edition
2.0
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this in exchange for my open and honest review.
DNF at 40%
I first want to start off saying that I am a longtime lover of Katie Macalister books. She is hands down one of my favorite authors, and thus I jumped at the chance to start reading this book as soon as possible. I tried, I really tried and could not become engaged in the story, narrative, characters, or anything. I am not sure I can specifically point to one thing that was an issue, but more of a combination of things I did not like or it felt unsettling. Firstly, the shifting narration style and POV on the top three characters (Allegria, Deo, and Hallow) was jarring and confusing to follow. The sex scene that I read before DNF was awkward and uncomfortable. The dialog did not flow as her usual character-driven stories do. It all felt forced and unnatural. This is a shame because like I said, I love her books, but this was a hard miss for me.
DNF at 40%
I first want to start off saying that I am a longtime lover of Katie Macalister books. She is hands down one of my favorite authors, and thus I jumped at the chance to start reading this book as soon as possible. I tried, I really tried and could not become engaged in the story, narrative, characters, or anything. I am not sure I can specifically point to one thing that was an issue, but more of a combination of things I did not like or it felt unsettling. Firstly, the shifting narration style and POV on the top three characters (Allegria, Deo, and Hallow) was jarring and confusing to follow. The sex scene that I read before DNF was awkward and uncomfortable. The dialog did not flow as her usual character-driven stories do. It all felt forced and unnatural. This is a shame because like I said, I love her books, but this was a hard miss for me.
onepageatatime's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book because of the world building. It wasn't anything too crazy and was easy to keep up with. Those who are new to fantasy should definitely start with this kind of book. That being said this book is filled with action and adventure and is an entertaining read. The characters were light hearted and
I loved reading about them. There are some sex scenes which I wasn't expecting but I don't mind it but am only mentioning it because some people steer clear of books with sex scenes in them.
I loved reading about them. There are some sex scenes which I wasn't expecting but I don't mind it but am only mentioning it because some people steer clear of books with sex scenes in them.
inmyhumbleopinion's review against another edition
4.0
After a slow start Fireborn takes off and keeps you riveted. This isn’t typical light hearted Katie MacAlister this is epic fantasy. This is trudging through the detritus of war. Dealing with the politics of prophecy and gods. It took me awhile to warm up to the characters but by the end I liked them and wanted to see them succeed. Great world building. Cliff hanger.
christinawegner's review against another edition
2.0
I enjoyed the first 40% of this book so much. But then whoever wrote that part of the book handed it over to Katie MacAlister and she wrote more of the same crap sex scenes and women who say “manhood” and “blasted” all the time. And then we randomly skipped around in time a bunch for no apparent reason. And then there was a weird romance between two people who had zero chemistry. And then sometimes we went back to the interesting author. But mostly we just had the terrible bantering and bad chemistry. And that was disappointing.
There wasn’t enough world building. The pacing wasn’t great and suddenly it was a year later for no discernible reason.
Not sure I’ll read the next book. Bummer.
There wasn’t enough world building. The pacing wasn’t great and suddenly it was a year later for no discernible reason.
Not sure I’ll read the next book. Bummer.
hookedbythatbook's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to like this book, I really did. I love reading Katie MacAlister. This one was hard to get into. The world it happens in seems quite interesting, and that is probably the best part about the book. There are a lot of things going on, maybe too much, and it became confusing at times.
It is impossible to tell who are the good guys among the main characters. Nobody really stands out on their own. Deo is about the most interesting character of them all, and looks like he will get more time in a second installment. I did not understand Lord Israel and his motivations at all. He was very vague about everything, especially with his son. His attitude screamed “This is my decision and you don’t need to understand it, just abide by it.”, which works for small children, but not adult ones. I couldn’t get behind the relationship between Allegria and Hallow either, I just didn’t really care that much about them. Like my teenager would say, I wouldn’t have shipped them together.
The dialogue seemed immature at times. There would be a serious situation, and then these random thoughts from the characters would pop out their mouths. Maybe it was supposed to provide a bit of comic relief, but it didn’t quite read that way.
It ended with the promise of more to come, and I’m leaning towards wanting to continue the series.
I received an advanced copy of the book from Netgalley to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
It is impossible to tell who are the good guys among the main characters. Nobody really stands out on their own. Deo is about the most interesting character of them all, and looks like he will get more time in a second installment. I did not understand Lord Israel and his motivations at all. He was very vague about everything, especially with his son. His attitude screamed “This is my decision and you don’t need to understand it, just abide by it.”, which works for small children, but not adult ones. I couldn’t get behind the relationship between Allegria and Hallow either, I just didn’t really care that much about them. Like my teenager would say, I wouldn’t have shipped them together.
The dialogue seemed immature at times. There would be a serious situation, and then these random thoughts from the characters would pop out their mouths. Maybe it was supposed to provide a bit of comic relief, but it didn’t quite read that way.
It ended with the promise of more to come, and I’m leaning towards wanting to continue the series.
I received an advanced copy of the book from Netgalley to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
timitra's review against another edition
4.0
Rated 3.5 Stars
I liked Fireborn especially the world and the abilities of the different factions. However there were some issues, like cohesion. There were jumps within the timeline without any indication. The romance between seemed to come out of left field to me because I expected it to blossom between elsewhere. I'm still looking forward to reading the next in this action packed and adventurous series with the cliffhanger of sorts ending.
Copy provided by publisher through Net Galley
I liked Fireborn especially the world and the abilities of the different factions. However there were some issues, like cohesion. There were jumps within the timeline without any indication. The romance between seemed to come out of left field to me because I expected it to blossom between elsewhere. I'm still looking forward to reading the next in this action packed and adventurous series with the cliffhanger of sorts ending.
Copy provided by publisher through Net Galley
nicole_nicole's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
hannas_heas47's review against another edition
4.0
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC to read and give my honest opinion.
This is probably the best book of hers lately, I'm not a fan of her humor books. This is an actual prophecy fantasy book. She usually has a ton of romance in hers but this one is all about prophecy and very little romance. So the prophecy is about a son born to rid them of Harborym, an evil presence that has taken over his mother's land.
What did I like? First...this is not like her other recent novels, with the wit and sarcasm. I really enjoyed a fantastical journey ....that from the ending, will have several more parts. This is an actual novel with a great story. The characters are great, and while there is a blooming relationship, it is but a teensy part of the story. I loved Allegria, who was such a fun and charming character.
Would I buy this book? Yes, given its part of a series, and since I've started I would really like the next part. I think people who love fantasy will love this epic tale of prophecy.
Thoughts for the author? Keep writing books like these. I kind of hesitated asking for this one because since the light dragon books I haven't really dug into your books even though I have them all. This book however was written differently, and I really enjoyed it. Four fantastic stars for fantasy!
This is probably the best book of hers lately, I'm not a fan of her humor books. This is an actual prophecy fantasy book. She usually has a ton of romance in hers but this one is all about prophecy and very little romance. So the prophecy is about a son born to rid them of Harborym, an evil presence that has taken over his mother's land.
What did I like? First...this is not like her other recent novels, with the wit and sarcasm. I really enjoyed a fantastical journey ....that from the ending, will have several more parts. This is an actual novel with a great story. The characters are great, and while there is a blooming relationship, it is but a teensy part of the story. I loved Allegria, who was such a fun and charming character.
Would I buy this book? Yes, given its part of a series, and since I've started I would really like the next part. I think people who love fantasy will love this epic tale of prophecy.
Thoughts for the author? Keep writing books like these. I kind of hesitated asking for this one because since the light dragon books I haven't really dug into your books even though I have them all. This book however was written differently, and I really enjoyed it. Four fantastic stars for fantasy!
racheleanne06's review
This book is all over the place. The writing is rushed and over the top, the dialogue is ridiculous and it keeps jumping in time with no explanation, all of which makes it quite difficult to read.
i_hype_romance's review against another edition
3.0
I was provided with an ARC of this title by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Allegria wants to fight against the horde of invaders that threaten her country. But first she has to convince them that she is a worthy soldier - even though she is female. She runs away from the priory that has sheltered and raised her to join the outlier army.
Her childhood friend Deo leads the army - but she does not recognize him. He has been transformed by the Chaos magic he has harnessed. Because of Allegria's own skills as a Light Bringer, Deo allows her to become part of his forces.
Along the way she finds unexpected love, avoids execution, and discovers her purpose.
Overall, this was a solid book. However, I found myself skimming lengthy unnecesssary sections. The world-building, while unique, was not fully fleshed out. The character development arcs were too rushed, as was the love at first sight subplot.
3 stars.
Allegria wants to fight against the horde of invaders that threaten her country. But first she has to convince them that she is a worthy soldier - even though she is female. She runs away from the priory that has sheltered and raised her to join the outlier army.
Her childhood friend Deo leads the army - but she does not recognize him. He has been transformed by the Chaos magic he has harnessed. Because of Allegria's own skills as a Light Bringer, Deo allows her to become part of his forces.
Along the way she finds unexpected love, avoids execution, and discovers her purpose.
Overall, this was a solid book. However, I found myself skimming lengthy unnecesssary sections. The world-building, while unique, was not fully fleshed out. The character development arcs were too rushed, as was the love at first sight subplot.
3 stars.