A review by unlikelyplaces
The Fireborne Blade by Charlotte Bond

adventurous dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

Release date: 28 May 2024

⭐️ - 4

📱

This was a good, old-fashioned dragon adventure and a great time.

The Fireborne Blade follows Maddileh, a knight on a quest to steal a legendary blade from the lair of the infamous dragon, the White Lady. It’s a very classic set up but there are some unique worldbuilding elements in this that kept it from feeling stale.

I love classic fantasy quest stories, they just feel really nostalgic to me, so that was great for me. The characters were fun to follow and the magical elements were very cool.

My main criticism of this was that I think it was just too short! Maybe it’s because I’m used to like Tolkien and Sanderson but this just felt a bit rushed to me. There was a lot of really interesting stuff happening but I felt like we didn’t have time to fully explore it or get to know the characters enough for it to have the full impact. I just wanted more!

That said, I think this would work really well for anyone who generally reads YA fantasy and wants to give some adult fantasy a go.

I also want mention that I’ve seen a lot in the marketing for this about the romance but there’s not really a romance at all in this. I know it’s planned to be a series so maybe there will be more in future books but in this first book there’s like nothing but a few longing glances, just in case that’s something you were specifically looking for.

So, I think this book would work great for anyone who wants a fun, classic fantasy adventure with a bit more of a modern twist. It could be a good pallet cleanser in between heavier reads as well. I had a great time with this and I will definitely be picking up a physical copy because that cover 😍