Synopsis:
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…
A world where dragons rule Rome.
From the moment Roman general and nephew to the emperor Julianus Dakkia laid eyes on Malina, he was enthralled by the Dacian dancer. Years later, the fierce beauty stands before him 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. But he and his dragon know one thing: she belongs to them.
Malina can’t believe that the centurion who had once bestowed a secret talisman on her is the Roman general of legendary brutality. His warrior prowess cannot be denied, yet they don’t reveal the secret he hides. All Malina knows is his protection and gentle touch. And she cannot deny how her soul has always seemed to answer his.
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.
Review:
I was sent Firebird in exchange for an honest review.
Let’s preface this by saying that this is a slave/master romance, so if that’s not your thing then Firebird won’t be for you. Personally, I really quite enjoyed my time reading Firebird, it’s not trying to re-invent the genre, and I was very invested in Julianus and Malina’s romance.
The setting of Ancient Rome lends it a real-world setting that works well with the fantasy plot – those of noble blood can turn into dragons and it adds another level to the ‘touch her and you die’ troupe. Malina is a strong woman who does stand up for herself, she has to learn to not draw attention to herself and Julianus’ obsession (and his dragons’ obsession) with her adds a tonne of tension to certain points in the story.
Featuring an inner circle trying to overthrow the emperor, a love interest with secrets that could ruin his life, and an fmc with the power of prophecy. There’s a fair amount of threads within this book, and at 400 pages it’s the right length to contain all of these parts. Not too long, not too short.
Honestly read this for a darker romantasy that’ll still have you giggling and kicking your feet at the romance.
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