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A review by laicsouza
Flamefall by Rosaria Munda
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Usually, I read to relax. But the Aurelian Cycle gets me super tense all the time. I am either eating up for hours or almost, like, "procrastinating" getting back to it even though I LOVED this book.
Since Flamefall is the series' second book, there will be spoilers from Fireborne in this review. Also, Annie, I freaking love you girl. Calliopolis don't deserve you.
SO, Lee returned from the battle with his cousin, Julia, really messed up in the head - super understandable. Things get worse when he learns that Atreus wanted him dead all along. Important reminder: he is still a deeply traumatized teenager, so, yeah, he gets confused about what to do moving forward, and a new resistant movement growing in the city is like a siren call to him.
Annie shoulders way too much for a 17-year-old in this book. Lee named her Firstrider in his place, and now she is fighting so many battles that, honestly, I feel suffocated with anxiety when I try putting myself in her shoes. She needs to battle New Pythos to prevent the return of the fallen Triarchy that wants to see her (and any others like her) back into servitude. Annie also needs to enforce the new (fucking unjust) ration government program, which makes her a target for public hate. And, finally, she battles just to exist. The level of prejudice and sexism she lives through daily is inhumane.
And now, a surprise: our dual POV becomes a triple POV. We are introduced to Griff, a low-borne dragon rider who works as a squire and servant to the Triarchy families occupying New Pythos. His life is a tightrope that he crosses with no end in sight. The Triarchy needs the low-borne Dragonriders but hates their existence.
Rosalia Munda has a masterful way of writing about emotions and violence that comes from it. People are desperate, hungry, traumatized, or just raised with such horrible beliefs that they might justify their deeds in their heads. I want to learn how to do that.
Also, she is a queen of plot twists. I was not expecting the end.
Since Flamefall is the series' second book, there will be spoilers from Fireborne in this review. Also, Annie, I freaking love you girl. Calliopolis don't deserve you.
SO, Lee returned from the battle with his cousin, Julia, really messed up in the head - super understandable. Things get worse when he learns that Atreus wanted him dead all along. Important reminder: he is still a deeply traumatized teenager, so, yeah, he gets confused about what to do moving forward, and a new resistant movement growing in the city is like a siren call to him.
Annie shoulders way too much for a 17-year-old in this book. Lee named her Firstrider in his place, and now she is fighting so many battles that, honestly, I feel suffocated with anxiety when I try putting myself in her shoes. She needs to battle New Pythos to prevent the return of the fallen Triarchy that wants to see her (and any others like her) back into servitude. Annie also needs to enforce the new (fucking unjust) ration government program, which makes her a target for public hate. And, finally, she battles just to exist. The level of prejudice and sexism she lives through daily is inhumane.
And now, a surprise: our dual POV becomes a triple POV. We are introduced to Griff, a low-borne dragon rider who works as a squire and servant to the Triarchy families occupying New Pythos. His life is a tightrope that he crosses with no end in sight. The Triarchy needs the low-borne Dragonriders but hates their existence.
Rosalia Munda has a masterful way of writing about emotions and violence that comes from it. People are desperate, hungry, traumatized, or just raised with such horrible beliefs that they might justify their deeds in their heads. I want to learn how to do that.
Also, she is a queen of plot twists. I was not expecting the end.