Firebird by Juliette Cross
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice Rating: 🌶🌶
Blurb:
House of the Dragon meets From Blood and Ash in this epic, scorching dark romantasy.
A conqueror captivated…
A witch prophesied to save them all…
An unforgiving world where dragons rule Rome.
Julian Dakkia, Roman general and nephew to the emperor, has played his role as conqueror well. Yet, the moment he laid eyes on Malina, he was enthralled by the Dacian dancer. Years later, the fierce beauty stands before him, a captive on a scarred battlefield, her life in danger. He instinctively shifts into his fierce dragon form to save her, an action that may mean his head on the imperial gate.
The rules of their world dictate that he is the conqueror and she is the captured. But he and his dragon know one thing: their bond has nothing to do with the laws of mighty Rome. She belongs to them. And they belong to her.
Fierce and powerful, twenty-one-year old Malina has survived the loss of her family and she is determined to fight until her dying breath. Still, she can’t believe that the centurion who had once bestowed a secret talisman on her is the Roman general of legendary brutality…and now holds her life in his hands. Nor can she deny how her soul has always seemed to answer his. Slowly she learns that Julian is caught in his mad uncle’s machinations for domination, and helps him plot the downfall of the empire itself.
As they navigate a world where flying deathriders conquer and burn, their love will ignite a firestorm that can only end in heartbreak or death. Or both.
Firebird is a fantasy with some dark themes, including elements of master/slave relationship, attempted sexual assault (not between MCs), and dubious consent (not between MCs). Readers who may be sensitive to these elements, please take note.
A conqueror captivated…
A witch prophesied to save them all…
An unforgiving world where dragons rule Rome.
Julian Dakkia, Roman general and nephew to the emperor, has played his role as conqueror well. Yet, the moment he laid eyes on Malina, he was enthralled by the Dacian dancer. Years later, the fierce beauty stands before him, a captive on a scarred battlefield, her life in danger. He instinctively shifts into his fierce dragon form to save her, an action that may mean his head on the imperial gate.
The rules of their world dictate that he is the conqueror and she is the captured. But he and his dragon know one thing: their bond has nothing to do with the laws of mighty Rome. She belongs to them. And they belong to her.
Fierce and powerful, twenty-one-year old Malina has survived the loss of her family and she is determined to fight until her dying breath. Still, she can’t believe that the centurion who had once bestowed a secret talisman on her is the Roman general of legendary brutality…and now holds her life in his hands. Nor can she deny how her soul has always seemed to answer his. Slowly she learns that Julian is caught in his mad uncle’s machinations for domination, and helps him plot the downfall of the empire itself.
As they navigate a world where flying deathriders conquer and burn, their love will ignite a firestorm that can only end in heartbreak or death. Or both.
Firebird is a fantasy with some dark themes, including elements of master/slave relationship, attempted sexual assault (not between MCs), and dubious consent (not between MCs). Readers who may be sensitive to these elements, please take note.
My Review:
Firebird wasn’t what I expected at all. Going into it, I had heard a lot of negative opinions, and honestly, if I hadn’t read the book myself, I probably would have assumed they were right. Based on the way people talked about it, I was braced for disappointment. Instead, I ended up getting something completely different than what I had been led to believe.
What surprised me most was the world itself. A setting dominated by Roman dragons is such a bold and intriguing concept, and I genuinely enjoyed how that element shaped the story. The atmosphere felt rich and distinct, and once I settled into it, I found myself invested in how everything operated under that rule. It wasn’t just dragons for the sake of spectacle, they were woven into the fabric of the world in a way that mattered.
That said, the way the story unfolded was absolutely crucial to my enjoyment. The pacing and direction made all the difference. Had the plot taken a different turn or lingered too long in the wrong places, I think my experience would have been drastically different, and not in a good way. This is one of those books where the execution truly makes or breaks it.
In the end, Firebird turned out to be a pleasant surprise. It didn’t live up to the negative expectations I’d absorbed beforehand, and I’m glad I gave it a chance rather than letting outside opinions decide for me. It may not be for everyone, but for me, the story and its unique world came together in a way that worked, and if it hadn’t, I would have walked away feeling very differently.
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