tl;dr: The Fireborne Blade is a fast-paced novella featuring dragons, ghosts, magical swords, and a sapphic romance. Bond weaves together old-school fantasy adventuring and dragon-slaying with a fresh modern takes on gender, sexuality, family, and status. This novella packs so much in, with twists, turns, betrayals, magic, cozy romances, and more without ever feeling overstuffed or erratic. I loved the way that Bond plays with the structure of the novella, using multiple timelines and in-universe histories to flesh out her characters and world. This is a fun way to spend a few hours, and should not be missed.

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Full review:

If you have hit a heavy reading slump, The Fireborne Blade might just be the book to pull you out of it.

The Fireborne Blade is a fast-paced novella featuring multiple timelines, in-universe histories, dragons, ghosts, magical swords, lesbians, mages, and more. It is all packaged in a tight story that is simultaneously deep in its characterization and heavy in its plotting. If adventuring and dragon hunting is something you want more of in your fantasy, this is the perfect way to spend a (or a couple) of afternoons!

The Fireborne Blade tells the story of Meddileh, one of the only women knights who after a disgraceful event now must go on a special quest - to kill the White Lady (a powerful dragon) and retrieve the Fireborne Blade. This is an adventure that feels timeless and classic, hearkening back to old-school fantsay adventures, while also feeling fresh and modern with feminist and queer themes running throughout the book.

But don't get me wrong, this is not some political treatise. The Fireborne Blade is a fun adventure that you will want to devour in a single sitting. Parts of the novella are funny, while others are socially insightful, downright harrowing and scary, and others quite sweet and cozy. How Bond was able to maintain a symphony of tones within a short novella without them feeling they were were clashing (and without giving the reader tonal whiplash) is quite the feat - and made this such a bingeable book. Everytime I started to feel a bit antsy, the plot and tone shifted and drew me right back in.

You also have to add on a plot that is PACKED with twists and turns, alliances and betrayals. Nothing felt out of pocket and every twist felt earned (some are more predictable than others). And the ENDING, oh my the ending. I won't say anything more, but there were a few revelations that really got me that I didn't see coming at all. These are twists that might have felt a bit contrived in a full novel, but as a novella they are perfectly executed.

Bond also expertly plays with the structure of the narrative, shifting between two slightly different timelines (the present story and what was happening with the same characters six months ago), along with some in-universe histories/biographies of dragons and dragon-slayers. By playing with the narrative like this, Bond demonstrates the power of the novella format. While the time-jumping or constant shifts to the histories (which are really just thinly disguised info-dumps) might be tiresome or convoluted in a 500 page epic, The Fireborne Blade is so fast-paced that the jumps don't feel jarring, but elucidating. Bond is quite efficient in her storytelling, building out a world (and a rather unique take on dragons and spirits) in just a few pages while also crafting 3-4 memorable characters with full histories, personalities, and motivations. I love novellas because they get to be more experimental than full-novels, while giving us more depth and time to dwell in these worlds and with these characters than short stories. It also helps that the info-dumping histories are quite clever and at times hilarious in their dry wit. I mostly hate epigraphs and in-world encyclopeadias, but Bond makes them work beautifully here.

I ultimately had to make this a four star over a five star read because there just wasn't that extra little bit of *spark* that I usually look for in my five star reads. Everything on the page was technically well done, but I ultimately found this book to be really enjoyable rather than an "all-time new favorite read". I hope this doesn't come across as being too critical of this book; it is still a wonderful novella that demonstrates the power of a shorter narrative that doesn't skimp on plot, worldbuilding, or characters. To me a four star book is still a VERY GOOD book, and this one is very much worth your time (especially considering that it is quite short).

I was gifted this ARC via NetGalley in return for an unbiased review. This book is rounded up to a 4.5 star read for me.

Do you like Knights? Do you like dragons? Then look no further. The Fireborne Blade is literally the poster child of a medieval dragon/knight adventure story.

Charlotte Bond wastes no time getting to the storyline. This has to be the most unique fantasy/dragon book I’ve read as it throws you right into the adventure. Our main character, Maddileh, is already on her quest to recover an ancient magic blade from a dragon’s lair. There’s no set up, no exposition right at the beginning, you’re just right at the quest. Now does this sound unusual and a red flag. Normally, yes. But Ms. Bond pulls it off so well and throws you headfirst into an invigorating story that there are no red flags present at all.

The exposition and reasoning behind Maddileh’s quest is given throughout flashbacks and exposition given from the own characters mouth. This fits the vibes of fast past and adventure style so well. There is no pause in the action, and no point where you’re bored or rolling your eyes hoping to get to excitement.

Then of course we have the dragons. I was already sold on this book just because dragons were involved, but Ms. Bonds use of them is just spectacular. She writes them as very beautiful, intriguing creatures, with a tragic backstory present in her created world. Also, you know how when you read most dragon books, and it can take forever to get to the actual dragons? Well, that is not the case when it comes to the Fireborne Blade. The dragons are present from page 1, and you are quickly introduced to their sympathetic history as well.

The characters are beautifully written, the dialogue is very well put together, and I love the structure of teaching us more about the dragons and the world building by giving experts every couple chapters out of the 14 Realms history books.

The Fireborne Blade is a spectacular, quick fantasy read. It is the equivalent of if Game of Thrones took out the fluff from the first 3 seasons, and jumped right to the dragons and action, but still threw enough spoonfuls of information in there to set a story foundation.

With the way the ending left off, I hope we get more stories from the 14 Realms, and more adventures from Maddileh’s POV.

I had a great time reading The Fireborne Blade and I'm glad I did!
I found the style pretty original (and by that I mean the back and forth in time and having reports of different battle against several dragons).
To me, it's not a story where you fall in love with the characters but with the worldbuilding and the general vibe.
It is well written, with a great rythme and I do wish to know what happens next now.

‘The Fireborne Blade’ by Charlotte Bond

Feel like reading about fantasy knights but don’t have the bandwidth to commit to an 800 page saga? Want a quick palate cleansing fantasy tale between other reads? Does ‘disgraced knight seeking to reclaim her honour and prove all those (men) who doubted her wrong’ sound up your alley?

Bond’s writing is unembellished and straightforward, and read quite like a fable or a folktale. It took a short while to really get into the flow of it, but the story picks up as you go on, and it lived up to its premise in a satisfying way.

The interludes from the historical record were delightfully gruesome. These are dragons of the deadly sort. The small world-building details were very fun, and overall the story had an air of eeriness to it that I really enjoyed. Mage orbs and soot drakes and sulky squires crop up amongst all the horrors associated with dragon hunting.

I think it’s a must read for any dragon enthusiast. Sometimes you don’t want the dragons to be friendly, or misunderstood, or cunning and sarcastic and wily. Sometimes you just want them to be flat-out terrifying.
But there’s still nuance there, and hints at the greater lore of this world.

The concept of dragon death in this? Very cool.
Did I feel like I was on quest and was simultaneously learning the lore that would assist me in my task? Absolutely.
At 170 or so pages it’s practically bite-sized and is well worth a read.

The only thing I’d note is that the ‘sapphic love’ is only really hinted at. It’s not absent but it’s certainly not a focus. But it wasn’t a huge issue for me, and perhaps there’ll be more of that in a potential sequel…?

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A fantastic and far too short story of a female knight (a la Alanna of Trebond!) who goes on a quest to regain her honor. Maddileh is forced to prove herself and goes on a quest to kill the White Lady, a legendary dragon who watches over the Fireborne Blade. Slaying the Lady and wielding the Blade will redeem herself in the eyes of her community, and so she, with a reluctant mage named Petros, travels into the demesne of the dragon. There, they encounter the ghosts of dragon-dead, hallucinations caused by the intense magic of the White Lady, and finally, the beast herself. The book itself is exciting and travels along at a brisk pace, although it does switch back and forth in time, though not in a way that was confusing to the story - it all felt relevant. I wish this had been longer, but I am stoked that this is apparently only the first volume. Yay for queer knights and badass dragons!

The Fireborne Blade is the first book in this novella series. First of all that gorgeous cover caught my eye immediately. The story is fast-paced, and despite its shorter length, I found the worldbuilding and lore to be amazing. Although some parts could have been more detailed, overall, I really enjoyed it, and the ending was incredible. Luckily, the next book comes out in a couple of months, so I won't have to wait too long for the next installment. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“Ah, we are all puppets of history. What people remember about us is what is written down, and who has the power to influence writers after their own deaths? Doesn't it make you wonder what will be written about us by those who come after?"

Kill the dragon. Find the blade. Reclaim your honor.

Maddileh is a knight, a rare female amongst men. Forced to prove her worth and redeem her honor, she goes on a quest for the Fireborn Blade, said to be in the lair of the White Lady dragon.

Interspersed with stories and lore from dragon history books, we follow Maddileh’s journey—from acquiring magic armor to speaking with the mages to traveling through the caves with her squire towards the dragon’s lair.

I was kind of surprised how much I enjoyed this quick read (almost novella length), as it’s written very differently from anything I’ve encountered before. The reader gets to watch the story unfold, and we know nothing of the mystery surrounding the quest. I also really loved that every few chapters, we got a sort of “nonfiction” chapter with past knights’ stories of dragon killing.

Mysterious. Unpredictable. Dragons. Female lead. There is not a lot of world building, but somehow so much good information. I couldn’t put it down.

Thank you Tor for the advance copy. First and foremost I need more. 176 pages was not enough! AND THE ENDING?!?! Criminal.
Having to wait till for it's release in May is one thing but having till October for the sequel is another.
4.5 ★ because I think it needed a few (dozen) more pages for the plot.
For readers who liked The Six Deaths of the Saint or Brienne of Tarth from Game of Thrones or just a story with knights and dragons.

Fantastic! I look forward to more from this author and this world. An immersive adventure with dragons, knights, and magic.

The main plot of The Fireborne Blade is a quest by Sir Maddileh, a lady knight, to kill a dragon - a particular dragon, known as the White Lady, so that she may gain possession of a sword called the Fireborne Blade. She does so in the company of Petros, a mage turned squire, who relies of magic rather more than most squires or knights would be comfortable using. Along the journey, Maddileh meets an apprentice mage, who, like herself, is female - and apparently quite attractive, at least to Maddileh.

I quite enjoyed the main story. Interspersed within the main story at inconsistent intervals are bits of dragon lore, which are more or less related to the main plot. In addition to these bits of lore, the story is told in a nonlinear fashion; be sure to watch the chapter titles for time frame, or the story will be quite hard to follow. These issues made the story somewhat less enjoyable for me; I know that there are people who will like this novel better for the use of this style, but it's really not my preferred format.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to Tordotcom and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC.

The Fireborne Blade instantly sucked me into its world. I was immediately captured by the serious business of dragon-slaying, which was presented in alternating perspectives—one from woman knight Maddileh and one from the dragon slaying Bible of sorts jam packed with the experiences (and often, the untimely deaths) of other knights. The parts of the novella excerpted from this dragon slaying handbook really put me to mind of A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir of Lady Trent, because a lot of the gruesome deaths are presented as unavoidable and well, darkly comical.

"Dragons and humans have always been enemies—both love gold too much."

While I didn't have trouble jumping back and forth between Maddileh and excerpts from the handbook, the latter of which really rounded out the world-building, I wasn't the biggest fan of moving forward and backwards in time during Maddileh’s perspective. I'm a simple girl that prefers a linear timeline with maybe a flashback or two thrown in to show crucial glimpses of a character's past, but The Fireborne Blade changes the complete time and place multiple times. Luckily, Maddileh, her quest, and her mysterious new squire with murky intentions were interesting enough to make the time jumps bearable for me.

"'Master,' she said curtly. 'Not mistress. Mistresses run houses or warms beds. A squire calls his knight master, and that's what you will call me.'"

I was really excited to read about a lady knight, as one of my favorite series growing up, The Song of the Lioness, was also about a young girl determined to become a knight at any cost. While Maddileh is already a knight, she is in a bit of a pickle reputation-wise, and has to prove herself and her worthiness as a knight in some sort of grand gesture or go back home in disgrace. Though I really liked the idea of Maddileh, she wasn't as fully developed or as complex as I would have liked. Her reasons for becoming a knight, something socially unacceptable for a woman, are rather basic, merely explained in a passing comment that she always felt different. While entertaining, she lacks the depth of her more famous contemporaries like Brienne of Tarth.

Maddileh's quest, to restore her honor by stealing the eponymous Fireborne Blade from the legendary dragon, dubbed the White Lady, and to restore her honor after a romance gone wrong felt a little basic (not to mention sexist--how many male knights have to restore their reputation after they were abused in love?). But how much of a reason does a knight really need to slay a dragon? And how much of a reason does a reader need to go along on adventure? I'd argue not much of one to both questions, and part of the appeal of The Fireborne Blade is that it isn't an absurdly complex fantasy story with maps, alternating perspectives of a mass of different characters, or intricate political alliances. It is instead a classic fantasy story, knight sets out on quest to slay dragon, and readers are able to enjoy it at face value. The Fireborne Blade is a cozy tale for fantasy fans and a breath of fresh air in a genre that often takes itself incredibly seriously.

By far my favorite part of the novella was the portrayal of dragons. I found the description of the different types of dragons and how their mere deaths were so deadly to the slayer to be very unique. Not only did slayers have to kill the dragon, but they had to survive its actual death, complete with fatal outpourings of magic. The lore Maddileh describes surrounding the creation of the eponymous Fireborne Blade had me super invested as well and I honestly would jump at a chance to read this campfire story told as a whole fantasy novel. It's clear that this author has a lot of really promising ideas, but The Fireborne Blade was so short, a mere 176 pages of fun, that it was limited on how much it could explore.

"There were two schools of thought as to when to hunt a dragon. Villagers were more likely to complain about an awake dragon and would declare the knight who rid them of it a hero. But an alert dragon is suspicious and cunning; a deadly foe. Killing a sleeping dragon was easier, but the way into their lair was more perilous as a dragon's dreams could take form and stalk the tunnels. But in either case, the dragon-dead were an ever-present danger...."

The novella’s pacing did leave a little something to be desired. It seems much of The Fireborne Blade is set up for its conclusion and I spent a lot of time wondering how all of the time frames were connected and why they were important. Then suddenly, The Fireborne Blade hurtles to an abrupt end. Because of how fast paced the ending was, I felt a little bit hazy on the details of what was actually happening, and the twist didn't have quite as much impact as it should. Though the ending was not entirely dissatisfying and I was happy to see the setup for a possible sequel, I found myself in disbelief that The Fireborne Blade was over just like that and saying, “well, okay, then.”
Regardless of how quickly it was over, I'd happily return to the world of The Fireborne Blade and delight in Maddileh's adventures in the future. Readers looking for a fun and lower-stakes fantasy read with unique ideas and world-building should check out The Fireborne Blade immediately.

Every now and then a book comes along that has cover art so beautiful it will sell copies on looks alone. This is most certainly one of those books; that front cover blew me away the first time I saw it!

Should you judge this book by the cover? Well that’s going to depend completely on your reading mood I think.

I’m not a big fan of the 5 star rating system because it feels very blunt and final and doesn’t allow for wiggle room. This is the sort of book that as a reviewer I want that bit of wiggle room as I could quite easily give it a 3, 4 or 5. Hopefully the rest of the review will help to explain why.

This is a story about a knight in search of a magical sword that’s being guarded by a dragon. On the surface, is there anything more familiar to a fantasy reader? Well, Charlotte Bond is able to take what seems a conventional plotline and add in a number of twists, turns and subverted expectations to give us a fresh story that still gives that feeling of fantasy comfort. I say comfort because a quest to a dragon’s lair takes many of us back to a time when we fell in love with fantasy. I don’t believe something has to be absolutely groundbreaking and new to be good; there’s a reason many fairy stories and traditional heroic fantasy is popular.

The length of the book also gave me that vibe of being able to sit back and relax and read a new adventure. I didn’t have to use all my mental energy remembering 100 things or where multiple POVs were in a sprawling map – I could just enjoy it without having to find loads of mental focus to enjoy it. And that’s why I enjoyed it; because it’s exactly what I needed. I needed a shorter book that was solidly written, with nice prose and some cool ideas.

Readers who want some earth-shattering new sprawling fantasy epic with pages of lore to think about are considering the wrong book. But you should know that if you look up the page count – 172 pages. There is only ever so much you can achieve in that number of pages and I think this is where some readers may have mixed feelings. There are parts where it really would have benefitted from more detail that were perhaps brushed over more than they would be in a full novel and there were parts that maybe didn’t need as much focus given the restraints of being a novella.

I fully believe this book could have been 400 pages or more and I’d have liked it to have been longer to fully live up to the great potential showcased in the pages. Some novellas do suit their word count and everything feels like it could only have been written as a shorter book, but I don’t feel like The Fireborne Blade does.

And that’s partly because the author introduces us to some superb world building and interesting ideas but doesn’t expand on it enough to feel like the world building is 100% satisfying enough. My lasting impression (despite there being a full story arc) was that this could be one of those 0.5 books that an author might write to keep fans happy while they’re waiting for the next full novel, or a teaser novella to give you a taste of what the author is capable of. In this respect, it has certainly made me want to read more.

It’s why this is a hard book to rate; a lot of fun in a lot of places but doesn’t feel quite substantial enough given the quality we are able to see in so many places throughout the book not to expand further. This is 100% praise for the author’s ability that I wanted to read more and I am really hoping in book two, Bond is able to bring more depth in this really imtriguing world she’s created.

What worked incredibly well for me and something I loved were the testimonials and stories of other dragon slayers, interspersed between the main story. These sections gave context, world building, entertainment. I thoroughly enjoyed them and thought this was a fantastic idea. I also liked the timeline hopping of Maddileh’s story, between the present and the events leading up to it. The technique could have fallen flat on its face but Bond implements it particularly well so that it really worked for me.

That’s the thing with her writing – it feels really solid. And some of her ideas are brilliant (many of which I can’t really share because spoilers). It’s just a shame that some of those ideas weren’t looked at in much depth or ended sort of abruptly to fit in more of the story. The ending in particular felt a little tacked on and rushed as well as events leading up to it feeling like we just have to accept this is how the magic works, rather than having the magic system explained to some extent. Despite this, I enjoyed the twist and the concept of the idea behind the counter-twist.

Again, fleshing out the world building would have made the book so much stronger because of the quality of the author’s ideas. However, as mentioned earlier, it also has the positive effect of giving you an enjoyable fantasy story to read if you don’t want to consider too much politics and following multiple characters etc.

My constructive criticism is that the potential for stronger world building was there and the author obviously has it in her skillset but didn’t expand on it enough for me. The other main criticism as mentioned is the pacing – although the book did feel polished and there is no questioning the author’s ability, it felt like things were missed out or glossed over that could have added the needed depth to make this book truly special.

However.

I feel like if you’re in a reading slump you need to get out of, or you want to fly through a book in an evening that will keep you hooked and interested, this would be the perfect read. Sometimes when we struggle with mental health, we turn to comforts – blankets, hot mugs, chocolate. Often this extends to familiar things too and if you want to replicate that childhood feeling of being on a short fantasy adventure (though certainly much gorier here!) this will give you those feelings.

The main character Maddileh is easy to root for – a passionate knight with a good heart. The dragons are so interesting and the prose is great. Although half the review might seem like constructive criticism, that’s because what I did read, I really enjoyed! I looked forward to picking this book back up, I lost myself in the pages and I found myself smiling at a number of cool moments. If you went out for a meal and the food was delicious but you were still hungry afterwards and you left a little too early because you didn’t savour the lovely food for long enough, you’d feel positive but you’d have to add a but and that’s pretty much how I’ve came away from this book. I loved the ideas, characters, setting and cool moments. I just hope to enjoy them for longer next time!

Thankyou to the author, publisher and netgalley for the opportunity to read this eARC ahead of release.

This is a short tale about Maddileh, who is both a dragon-slaying knight, and a woman. One of those things is almost certainly going to be the death of her.

We join Maddileh on an ill-fated quest to recover the Fireborne Blade. The King himself witnessed her punching Sir Allerbon in the face, but I can assure you that he really did deserve it. So, retrieve the ancient sword, regain her honour. A simple enough proposition. Of course, the slight catch is that this weapon happens to be located deep in the lair of a legendary dragon, known as the White Lady.

The story slowly takes us towards their final confrontation, through pockets of dangerous magic and the ghosts of those who had fallen attempting the same journey. Her useless and argumentative squire Petros is also present.

Most of the world building comes in the form of academic papers on the nature of dragons, which are interspersed between the chapters of Maddileh’s story. Typically, these are records of previous encounters, which usually end in gruesome fashion for the knights involved. Even in death, dragons are still to be feared.

There are also some flashbacks to her preparations beforehand, notably getting some equipment from a mage, Kennion, and his suspiciously knowledgeable assistant Saralene. Perhaps the only thing worse in this world than a woman who wants to be a knight, is a woman who wants to wield magic.

I really enjoyed this book. The path down to the dragon is filled with twists and turns, both literally and literary. Even though it is brief at 176 pages, it paints a vivid picture of Maddileh’s world, and I quickly came to love the characters. Well, some of the characters, at least. It leaves things in such an interesting place that I hope I can read more of their adventures to find out what happens next.

Recommended.

Thanks to Tor Publishing for the early review copy.

I liked this a lot.


The magic the dragons the pacing it was all so good!!! I’m a sucker for Tor novellas though!!

Thank you so much Tor for an early copy!

This is a simple and straight forward dragon story. I hope this author writes more in this world with longer works.

I was VERY excited for this one - sapphic knight slaying dragons? - but the premise didn't hold me tight. Part of the issue was that I flat didn't enjoy the main character, Maddileh - she was prickly and combative, which would have been fine - love a powerful woman who stands up for herself! - but a lot of the fights she picked seemed needless, directed at people who didn't deserve her ire. It also didn't help that the story was sliced up into different timelines and different POVs, removing a lot of the immediacy of what was actually going on in the present. I wound up finding the disparate stories of past dragon slayers more frightening than what Maddileh was up to... and the worldbuilding also felt very, very generic. The whole story was fine, but not memorable or unique.

While I normally prefer a fantasy series over a stand alone novel, this was really interesting. The start was a little confusing because you were dealing with a story within a story, but the payoff was well worth it. Also the cover of this book is WAY cool.

The Fireborne Blade is a story of a knights journey as she seeks redemption by killing a legendary dragon and retrieving a fabled blade. Her story is interspersed with extracts from an in world book of the demise of dragons, and snapshots from her recent past that provide background for the story of the present.

This was a pleasantly quick read, though I did utilise the read aloud feature for accessibility purposes. Initially the jumping between times lines and text confused me but that was on me for not paying close attention to the chapter headings, as they are clearly labelled. I ended up finding this manor of storytelling and world building satisfying, it was not complex but there was enough of a glimpse into this world that there was enough context of the story.

“I invite you Distinguished Ones, to ponder this question before you move against me: Did I do this, or was it done to me?”

I gave this 4⭐️ as I really enjoyed this book, but it was over too quickly, I look forward to seeing more in this series. If you like dragons or want an easy introductory to dragons give this a whirl.

Thank you Netgally, Tor Publishing Group and Author Charlotte Bond for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Decent stand-alone fantasy book. The multiple timelines and perspectives at the beginning were a little confusing to keep track of, but once I got into the last third of the book, it started to make sense.

The ramp up into the hook of this dragon fantasy novella was a bit steep for me, and it was slow going at first, but I loved it once I finally got into it. It’s really challenging for an author to build an immersive fantasy world in less than 200 pages, but I think Charlotte Bond succeeds with The Fireborne Blade. Much of the world building happens in the reader’s imagination, propelled by alternating glimpses into the scribes’ record of the histories of this world and the main character’s perspective.

At its root, the plot is a simple quest with a woman-centered feminist overlay, paranormal trials, an unreliable narrator, a nonlinear timeline with nicely done twists, a traditional horde-loving dragon, and LGBTQ representation. I was able to predict, in part, one of the twists- but not all of them! There was still plenty of surprise at the denouement, and I thoroughly enjoyed this quick read. It satisfied my craving for a nice fantasy tale, without falling into the typical mode of the genre, which is to become a wordy and imposing 700-page tome. The Fireborne Blade is nicely written, and would make a good read for someone looking for a standalone “quick fix” between series, or as a palate cleanser after a hefty read.