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dearhaleynicole 's review for:
Firebird
by Juliette Cross
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Overall, I personally really enjoyed this book. It was fast-paced and packed with lots of great political intrigue (and ofc good-good spice). Plus a dragon-shifting Rome was too interesting to not read.
I will try to responsibly begin, though, by mentioning this book had some darker themes alongside its romance and you should always check content & trigger warnings when reading to make sure a book is for you! Contextually and tracking with the story, I didn't personally have troubles suspending my imagination for the sake of the story being told when these themes came into play, but I could see how this would be a non-starter for someone else. There are things like unfair power dynamics (ie - master/slave) that I personally understood to be intentional and indicative of the time/place/culture of the book's setting. I think knowing that upfront is important to the reading experience, regardless.
Now onto the things I looooooooved about this book! Something I really appreciated about was the way the author Juliette painted us such a clear picture of the world and how the mythos crossed over into the magic abilities we see in play. Like there's still a lot to be explored but I think I have a good grasp on the world from the way she built it in her writing. I also can't speak more highly of the narration for this book! I listened to an ALC of this book and am really glad I did because Blair Dade (Malina) and Kale Williams (Julian) gave a phenomenal performance! I think their narrations made me like this even more. I also personally like insta-affection stories as a result of fated-mates so this one definitely scratched an itch for me in that regard. Also the possessive MMC that Julian (and his dragon) were was *chef's kiss* to me.
I'm really excited for the next book now! I want to know what's going to happen next after that ending and look at the next book 👀 Like what's the next move?? I guess I'll have to wait to find out. Side note: I always do this to myself with fantasy series when I choose to read an advanced copy of a Book 1 😩 But it's okay I think it's only going to be three books so we just gotta wait for two more 😅
A huge thank you to NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for an ALC of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts!
I will try to responsibly begin, though, by mentioning this book had some darker themes alongside its romance and you should always check content & trigger warnings when reading to make sure a book is for you! Contextually and tracking with the story, I didn't personally have troubles suspending my imagination for the sake of the story being told when these themes came into play, but I could see how this would be a non-starter for someone else. There are things like unfair power dynamics (ie - master/slave) that I personally understood to be intentional and indicative of the time/place/culture of the book's setting. I think knowing that upfront is important to the reading experience, regardless.
Now onto the things I looooooooved about this book! Something I really appreciated about was the way the author Juliette painted us such a clear picture of the world and how the mythos crossed over into the magic abilities we see in play. Like there's still a lot to be explored but I think I have a good grasp on the world from the way she built it in her writing. I also can't speak more highly of the narration for this book! I listened to an ALC of this book and am really glad I did because Blair Dade (Malina) and Kale Williams (Julian) gave a phenomenal performance! I think their narrations made me like this even more.
I'm really excited for the next book now! I want to know what's going to happen next after that ending and look at the next book 👀 Like what's the next move?? I guess I'll have to wait to find out. Side note: I always do this to myself with fantasy series when I choose to read an advanced copy of a Book 1 😩 But it's okay I think it's only going to be three books so we just gotta wait for two more 😅
A huge thank you to NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for an ALC of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Violence, War