No, no, no, ABSOLUTELY NOT.

Hard fail. The only reason I actually pushed through and finished this was that it was so short I figured I might as well. But maybe I shouldn’t have, because the twist-reveal-and-ending was actually a really cool idea…executed so poorly. And I find that more annoying than a book that is just bad and boring with no interesting ideas in it.

THIS COULD HAVE BEEN SO GREAT.

BUT IT ISN’T.

It starts well, with a transcript of an interview between a knight and the mage council; the knight is giving an accounting of how he slayed his most recent dragon. It quickly becomes clear that dragons in this world emanate strange and dangerous magic that makes traversing their lairs very dangerous – those a dragon kills become ‘dragon ghosts’ who unintentionally guard their killer, and if you get past them and succeed at killing the dragoon, well…dragon corpses are even more terribly dangerous, and there’s no way to predict what kind of dangerous before the dragon is dead.

This is all reasonably interesting. What’s more interesting is that the mages reveal that this particular knight is a lying scumbag, and it did not go down the way he said it did.

But forget all that, because that has no bearing at all on the actual story, which is very, very TiredTM.

Nothing about Maddileh distinguishes her from The Woman Who Wants To Be A Knight template. We have seen this exact same character THOUSANDS of times before, facing exactly the same challenges in exactly the same setting; a quasi-Medieval patriarchy where women can’t be knights or mages. We do not know how Maddileh managed to become a knight despite that, especially since her mother doesn’t approve; it may have something to do with the king liking her a lot, but we have no idea why he does and we don’t see their relationship at all. We do not know how Maddileh earned her epithet, the Knight of the Stairs – there’s one blink-and-you’ll-miss-it reference to her possibly defending her younger brothers from monsters by guarding a staircase, but we don’t get the story behind or around that. We do not see what Maddileh’s life as a knight is actually like: where does she live, who pays for her horses and tourney fees and (presumably expensive if they must reflect her rank) clothes, does she have the respect or friendship of any knights or do they all hate her, does she spend her time riding around the kingdom helping the needy or is she strictly a ‘dancing attendance upon the king’ type of knight?

We don’t get any of that, because she’s just a cardboard cut-out, a prop – and not a good one. For crying out loud, she has exactly one personality trait – she doesn’t like or trust magic.

THAT IS LITERALLY IT.

We get two timelines, more or less; the present, where Maddileh and her deeply suspicious squire are in the dragon’s lair, hunting the Blade; and another starting six months before, showing us – kinda – how Maddileh got the knowledge and tools she needed to potentially survive taking on this particular dragon. In between, we also get excerpts from an in-universe book on dragons and their history. That was fairly interesting, but neither timeline of the actual story was.

The squire has his own agenda, and frankly, it is garbage. Besides the reveal being info-dumped on us (like very nearly EVERYTHING ELSE IN THIS STUPID BOOK) it made very little sense, and almost all of it hinged on information the reader had no way of knowing beforehand – the worst kind of reveal. (Do not get me started on the fucking BOWL.)

And then – the twist. No spoilers, but it was legitimately a really cool reveal, albeit again, pure info-dump. But then came the second twist, the bigger, much more important one, and –

Look: it was rushed. It happened way too fast to be as impactful as it should have been. There was zero explanation as to how it worked, what exactly they did. And it was written in plain, blunt language that drained it of any possible mystique, any sense of awe. Capped off with a Very FeministTM oration that was clearly supposed to fill me with Girl Power vibes, but fell flat on its face because a) I didn’t care enough about the characters to care and b) I was still trying to understand wtf just happened and what the ramifications of it were supposed to be.

(At this point it will probably not surprise you when I say that my questions were not answered.)

Also, I’m calling bs on that blurb, because there is no amount of mental gymnastics you can perform that would justify describing Fireborne Blade as ‘a sapphic romance’. Even the Puritans wouldn’t see anything to object about in the ‘relationship’ (a term I use extremely loosely) between Maddileh and the woman who is not, even if I squint and turn the book upside-down, her love interest. The freaking Westboro Baptists wouldn’t bat an eye at handing this book to their kids (unless they have issues with women knights or dragons or anything else that isn’t queerness). There is maybe a moment – another one of those blink-and-you’ll-miss-its – where Maddileh has a reaction to being touched by a pretty girl. But it’s so brief and so vague that I could argue in a court of law that Maddileh instead had a moment of anxiety, or wariness, or FREAKING GAS, and every person in that jury box would agree with me!

What romance? What are you talking about? They don’t have any kind of relationship, never mind a romance!

Gods, I hope whatever idiots wrote the blurb edit it before release day.

This story desperately needed to be a full novel: every aspect of it, except maybe the dragons themselves, is underdeveloped and has no room to breathe. The breakneck pace of a novella did Fireborne Blade absolutely no favours; it needed more pages so it could slow down and immerse us in the world, give us time to connect to the characters – give the characters space to have actual personalities! In its current form, what is original and interesting comes too late (in the form of the plot twists) or in too-small doses (the info on the dragons) to be worth bothering with. There’s nothing in the characters, world, or plot to hold a reader’s attention, and the prose is too weak and basic to make up for that lack.

Definitely one to skip!

This was a wild ride (in a very good way). The first half was a little hard to follow with the combination of Maddileh’s past, her present, and the excerpts about dragon lore and history. But you can tell something is building where it will all wrap together, and when it finally does, the rest of the book flows quickly and smoothly.

I do believe the disjointed beginning is intentional on the part of the author to mirror Maddileh’s state of jumbled nightmares and confusion, and I’m in awe of how well it worked.

This sounds like a typical knights fighting dragons story with a female protagonist, but it becomes so much more. I crave more of this world and its magic. The strengths definitely lie in worldbuilding and the magic system, not in any kind of character arcs, but as an avid fantasy reader I’m definitely hooked into this world.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this galley in advance.

This was a fun, action-filled novella. The story is told at a couple of points in time - two of them focusing on our Main character Maddileh and the other telling stories of older knights. Since this is a novella, there is not a lot of set up world building, but through the stories of the past, you learn a lot about the world. This is a great way to get into fantasy, or just as a pallet cleanser between longer sagas.

Rated 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC ebook.

Thank you @tordotcom #partner for the free ebook and book!

“Slay the dragon, find the blade. True love can’t be far behind…”

In this book we meet Meddileh who is a kick booty kind of woman knight. She is a standout kind of girl since there aren’t many knights that do her job. She catches a lot of flack from her peers but she knows she just stay focused because as punishment for a minor infraction she is tasked with quite the feat. She is responsible for retrieving the Fireborne Blade from its keeper. No big deal right?! Well it’s that or die trying and she’s not about to let that happen. Maddileh isn’t one to lay down and die and she knows it’s her chance to fight and find her place in the world!

Thoughts: 💭

This book would be perfect for someone looking to dabble in a little fantasy book without the immense amount of world building that sometimes happens in fantasy books. The writing was very straight forward and takes the reader on an entertaining journey with solid twists. I loved the stories of the dragon slayers throughout the book! I felt like it gave the story more depth which I definitely appreciated! This book was easy to devour in one sitting since it was only 170ish pages. It definitely left me wanting more! I am looking forward to the next one to see where this adventure takes me!

PS: How beautiful is that cover?! 🐉

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


The Fireborne Blade
by Charlotte Bond
Pub Date: 28 May 2024

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.

I’m going to start with my plea to fantasy publishers to hire Martina Fačková for all book covers, because this one is stunning (she also did the covers for the Empire of the Wolf trilogy by Richard Swan).

On to the review! This is a novella that follows a woman knight who is seeking to redeem herself after falling into disgrace in front of her king. Interspersed throughout her story are historical accounts of dragons and the knights who slew them. This story only takes a few hours to read, but it packs a big punch for its size. Bond expertly creates tension and a sense of horror without it being just for shock value. This story is easy to immerse yourself in, and I found myself wanting to pick it up whenever I had a few minutes to spare. I’m fascinated by stories that can convey so much in such a short length. If you enjoyed The Six Deaths of the Saint (or if you wanted to like it but wished for a slightly longer story), definitely give this a read.

I’m not sure how many titles will be in this series, but the second installment The Bloodless Prince, is scheduled for release at the end of this October. I will be picking it up when it comes out.

Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for the ARC.

An interesting novella featuring a tale about two women fighting for their places in man-dominated fields alongside several entertaining asides pertaining to the world of dragons.

DNF. I really liked the premise but the writing did not work for me at all. It wouldn't be fair to the book if I finished reading and gave it a low rating.

The Fireborne Blade is a dangerously epic journey into the lairs of dragons and betrayal. It feels illegal that Charlotte Bond was able to cram so much delicious worldbuilding and character development into a tiny 176 page novel. Yet, here we are. Fireborne Blade is all about knights and squires going into the dens of dragons to slay the beasts for honor and glory while dodging manipulative magic and dragon-dead ghosts. To help unfold the rich tapestry of this world, there are chapters strictly dedicated to entries in a dragon codex that give us tales of numerous knights in their various quests and how each conquered dragon fought differently, died differently, and wielded magic differently. There was never a wasted page.

I liked how the chapters flipped back and forth from the current time to flashbacks and tales of dragon/knights. It really added to the world building and makes a short book do a lot with so little.

The ending did wrap up a little quickly though and a little too neatly.

I am looking forward to reading the second book.

I was hooked to The Fireborne Blade as soon as I started reading it. The worldbuilding is given parallel to the main plot in chapters named "the demise and demesne of dragons" which help us understand the motives and the history that leads to the main plot. The plot twists are exciting and really original and I only wish this book had been longer so I could have bonded to the characters more. Beautifully written.

Thank you for allowing me to read this!

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Tor Publishing Group for this novella about dragons who are dangerous passed death, mages who fear death, and a knight willing to face death or worse to prove her right and place, in a society that seems to care very little for her.

The problem with pride is that it usually causes men and woman to do things that are frankly dumb. No one likes to be embarrassed, and no one likes to be thought of as a failure. However to compound this by doing something crazy, like going deep into the earth and fighting a dragon, who doesn't need to sleep, to steal a sword that might make people go, ohh you are cool. Sneaking past the ghosts of the recently killed by dragons, passed dangers like little lizards that latch on to one, eating away skin with acid, confusing the poor human for a meal. In this case on only is pride involved, but the fact that a woman knight, no matter her skills in tournaments, will always be thought of as lesser, well this adds a little more incentive. This is what has sent Maddileh deep under the earth, though she doesn't remember entering the caverns, nor why she picked this squire to accompany her. The Fireborne Blade by Charlotte Bond is a novella filled not only with magic and adventure, but also a history of the interaction of dragons and knights, interactions that usually end fatally for both sides.

Maddileh is a knight in disgrace. Maddileh's trust in a fellow knight lead to betrayal, laughter, and for that other knight a punch in the face. This lead to Maddileh losing her status, her armor, and only a thirst to prove everyone wrong. Maddileh is brave, good at tourneys, but her being female is something that has always been used against her. Maddileh though has a plan. To find the Fireborne Sword, one crafted in legend to fight the ultimate of evils, and one that can return her to her place of honor. The only problem is the sword resided in the lair of the White Lady a fearsome dragon who has turned many to molten piles. Maddileh ventures deep into the underworld accompanied only by her squire, one she has no memory of hiring, and one who seems to have a lot of secrets, and a lot of magical training for a squire.

A novella that is bigger than most series. When I finished I could not believe the book was less than two hundred pages, as there was so much going on. A big epic adventure, and a lot of world building, and done very cleverly. In this world there are different ranges of mages, all involved in a little bit of battle with each other, which is covered, but have magics that can record actions for later viewing. This means that knights planning to slay dragons can be recorded to see how they succeeded. Or how they most likely died. Even worse how they lied. The story is told in alternating chapters like this with Maddileh's adventure, along with some moments from Maddileh's past, with historical encounters with dragons. This allows for a lot of world building without info dumping or getting in the way of the main story, and really is a great way to tell the story. This historical interludes can be quite funny, as well as violent, gross and in some cases sad. Maddileh is an interesting character, and I look forward to more adventures with her, as I hope this was just a prelude to much more.

Recommended for fantasy fans who want a big tale, but don't want to read 6 books that have a lot of wandering around. This really was a very good story, and I really can't wait to read further adventures.

I love a novella. Curling up and reading a complete, snappy story in a single sitting is one of my greatest pleasures. But sometimes a novella comes along that I have to make a real effort to not hold its length against it, and The Fireborne Blade was one of those instances.

The concept was so intriguing, and the lore of the dragons and their dwellings was fascinating! I wanted at least 100 more pages of knights recalling their dragon-slaying adventures and the horrors they witnessed along the way.

Our lady knight protagonist Maddileh was fierce and angry in a way that made the final act of the story absolutely delicious, but I wanted to know more about her. She's on a quest to slay the infamous White Lady and retrieve the titular sword from the dragon's hoard, and we're given a brief reason as to why she's doing it, but it ultimately feels a bit shallow.

This was also advertised as being sapphic, and like...it barely is. This is probably nitpicky, because we only have 170 pages to work with here, but I wish this element had been fleshed out a bit more. I see now that there's an upcoming sequel, so maybe that one will give the romance some room to shine, but in the meantime I'm left wanting more.

Like I said, I really try not to criticize a novella for being a novella, but I feel like this story has so much potential that I can't help but wish it was longer!

Quick little fantasy novella that I really enjoyed! I loved the dragon lore we got through the various chapters from the in-world book along with actual on page dragons as well. I also really liked the different timelines for our story and how they came together nicely, with one not informing the other too much. I like the fantasy world, despite not getting the standard amount of world building time given this is a novella but I think there is room for more books to expand while maintaining the novella length. My only complaint is that the ending moved pretty quickly, but was still satisfying and left it open enough that I am very excited to see what the sequel brings!

The Fireborne Blade is a fantasy novella and the first installment in The Fireborne Blade series. The book will be released on May 28th.

In Fireborne Blade , the author creates a rich history of dragons, ill-fated knights, ghosts, scheming squires, and sapphic love to tell a story of the place we make for ourselves in the world, and the roles we refuse to accept. With deceptions and double-crosses that will keep you guessing...

It is a very adventurous story with determined female knights on epic quests, involving dragons, magic, and betrayal, with a touch of sapphic romance and a conclusion full of surprises.

i really enjoyed reading it and I am very intrigued by the ending to read the sequel. It is a very simple story about a Knight that goes on a quest to retrive a sword but it is done really well.
I would have liked it more if there was more information about the world or if the length of the book was longer. We could have learned more about the world and the characters then.

3.5 stars

DRAGONS !! That could be my whole review and it would probably suffice.

This book was so fun! The amount of world building and lore that is stuffed into 176 pages is crazy. I adored the multimedia like aspect that helped tell the story, it was really creative and helped flesh out the world more than a regular 3rd person POV would have.

The book was twisty, gross, and full of magic, and I can't wait to see what comes next!

The idea of a lady knight on a quest to slay a dragon sounded awesome.
What I got, was a somewhat meandering tale. I didn’t mind the alternating chapters between following the MC, and the dragon-slaying guide. What was a problem was the timeline perspective would swap mid-chapter. It was jarring and made things very repetitive.

I think this book would have worked better as a full novel. There wasn’t enough time given to the characters or world-building for me to get as invested as I would’ve liked. It made the world feel surface-level, and the plot rushed.

This novella packed a lot into less than 200 pages. There were snippets from a guide to dragon hunting journal, flashbacks and current timeline. This was fun in a way with the focus on a female knight and her squire mage going on a dragon hunt to get the Fireborne Blade to redeem herself in court. Being a novella, there wasnt much character or world development, and threw us straight into the quest part with a dummy guide. would appeal to people after a quick read with dragons but i wanted more.

3,5 ⭐️

Short and easy to read fantasy novella about a knight who goes to kill a dragon and retrieve a sword.

The magic system seemed really interesting but wasn’t explained well enough. I would have liked to learn more about it.

The book was really short, so there wasn’t much time for world-building or character development.

Plot-wise, there was a lot happening and no dull moments. The first half of the book was really good and interesting, but the ending felt rushed and a bit confusing. I think the story would have worked better as a longer book instead of a short novella.

I was looking for something new and short to read, when Charlotte Bond's The Fireborne Blade became available for review. With no preconceptions, I dove right in, and found myself quickly swept up by the story and writing. I really enjoyed this.

It's really difficult to review this, without spoiling most or all of the story. I shall, therefore, keep this very short.

Bond's novella introduces readers to a fantasy world that is both familiar and distinct. The novella has the feel of many classic fantasy stories; especially sword-and-sorcery tales. The story brings together knights, dragons, even the fiction-equivalent of a dungeon-crawl. There are so many familiar components to the story, but the author brings some modern twists and original takes on classic tropes, therefore making the book feel very fresh. I loved the author's take on dragons, ghosts, and the knightly orders. There's a fantastic twist at the end, very well plotted and revealed, and Bond sticks the landing perfectly.

If you're looking for a fresh, new take on classic fantasy, then I would highly recommend you give The Fireborne Blade a read. Bond's characters are engaging and well-drawn, and the story is told in excellent prose and with great pacing. An excellent novella, and one of my favourite fantasy reads in years. I can't wait to read whatever Bond writes next.