Review by reposefulreads - Firebird

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reposefulreads 's review for:

Firebird by Juliette Cross

2.75

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Firebird is a dark fantasy novel set in ancient Rome with dragons reimagined as gods and rulers. While the unique idea has potential, the lack of developed world-building, the repeated emphasis upon the oppression of women and the slightly questionable romance between the main characters lead to a story that may be disappointing for some readers.

The main character, a former dancer named Malina is viewed as a witch due to the unique abilities she posesses. She is eventually rescued from depraved soldiers by Roman general Julianus Dakkia and becomes his “body slave.” A situation that would normally be horrific, but Julian is not portrayed as cruel like the other Romans.

The pace of the novel is fairly quick and the writing itself is engaging. As a fan of mythology, the instances where the gods are mentioned/play a role in the plot are some of the better aspects of the story.

Malina is a resourceful main character, compassionate towards those around her and spirited despite her distressing situation. Julian is more morally grey as a Roman general, forced to bear witness to the cruelties of others to protect his personal objectives and yet still responsible for the deaths and enslavemnts of others.

As the history of Rome was changed to include dragons, I expected that there would be slightly more leeway given to provide the female characters within the story more agency. While not all historical fiction needs to be interpreted through a modern lense, having most of the male characters be powerful shapeshifting creatures, while the female characters are either slaves, dead or subjugated is frustrating.

Power imbalances are also fairly common in darker romantasy and the witch and shapeshifter dragon aspects add in the possessive “fated mates” and instant attraction tropes. As such, the romance between Malina and Julian lacks a certain depth, despite the physical intimacy and may be wholly unpalatable to some due to the master/slave dynamic.

Aside from Malina and Julian, many of the secondary characters lack nuance and development. The main villain and his underlings are all utterly evil and sadistic and the slaves within Julian’s household and his encampment are helpful towards the main characters and serve as evidence that Julian isn’t as bad as the other Romans due to his treatment of them.

The resolution of the novel is more positive than I had anticipated and as this is apparently only the first book in a series, there are possibilities for things to develop. Narrators Blair Dade and Kale Williams are fantastic and infuse the characters with emotion.

Nevertheless, the audiobook might benefit from warnings at the very beginning, in case the reader didn’t seek out the summary due to wanting to avoid spoilers.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Bramble Romance for providing access to this audiobook. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

Content Warnings