Synopsis:
Kill the dragon. Find the blade. Reclaim your honor.
It’s that, or end up like countless knights before her, as a puddle of gore and molten armor.
Maddileh is a knight. There aren’t many women in her line of work, and it often feels like the sneering and contempt from her peers is harder to stomach than the actual dragon slaying. But she’s a knight, and made of sterner stuff.
A minor infraction forces her to redeem her honor in the most dramatic way possible, she must retrieve the fabled Fireborne Blade from its keeper, legendary dragon the White Lady, or die trying. If history tells us anything, it’s that “die trying” is where to wager your coin.
Maddileh’s tale contains a rich history of dragons, ill-fated knights, scheming squires, and sapphic love, with deceptions and double-crosses that will keep you guessing right up to its dramatic conclusion. Ultimately, The Fireborne Blade is about the roles we refuse to accept, and of the place we make for ourselves in the world.
Review:
Hello again dear reader or listener, today I have a bite-sized fantasy treat that will nonetheless leave you fulfilled and satisfied.
The way I ran to request this book the moment I saw the cover art is not even funny, and the fact I got approved for it on NetGalley very soon after just had me downright giddy so, thank you Tor for granting that request.
Do you enjoy epic action fantasy, love dragons and knightly quests, but are mentally exhausted and balk at the prospect of a rich and thick series just now? The Fireborne Blade is the perfect novella for any reader that is going through that (me being one), or even for anyone wanting to try out some classic fantasy for the first time but only wanting to dip their toes in it to start.
I’m not usually a big fan of novellas because I am always left wanting more, but Bond’s work actually surprised me in that even though I definitely want to read much more of this world, the story was perfectly self-contained and limited so as to not feel too short or leave me hanging. I truly felt as if I got to witness a snapshot of this world which has so many stories to tell based on where I turn to look.
In barely 200 pages, Bond managed to create deeply interesting and multilayered characters whose motivations and drives we got to gradually unravel through some non-linear storytelling, interspersed with entries chronicling dragon slaying history, which also rendered the depth of her worldbuilding further, without actually weighing down the story at all. The chronicling especially, I found somewhat entertaining juxtaposed to the main storyline of Maddileh and her squire making their way through The White Lady’s lair, for some reason, but that’s me having a very broken sense of humor.
Also, I wouldn’t say the final plot twist is predictable as much as it is very well foreshadowed, and it still had some surprising elements to it that I deeply enjoyed in any case. And, even if you can call the end, you still get that bit of a twinge to the feels that we all love because deep down we are all masochists when it comes to reading, let’s face it.
The Fireborne Blade is a speedy yet enthralling and gritty read to enrich your afternoon with knightly heroics, dragons, magic, and a badass female protag making her way in a man’s world (reminiscent of Brienne of Tarth for the GoT fans out there), while trying to reclaim her honor by slaying the dragon and retrieving a legendary magic sword. This is the kind of fresh and modern epic fantasy I am glad to be getting to read more of because it has everything that I love about classic fantasy but is more nuanced and seamlessly inclusive towards its current readership and not everything is like it seems.
Plus, I’m simple gal, I see a Boss Ass Bi and I am happy, and I will say it again, have you seen that cover art?!
And, much like the first time, I once again ran to request the second novella in this brand new fantasy series, that might just become a new favorite.
Until next time,
Eleni A. E.
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