This review is based on the audiobook version of The Fireborne Blade. The narrator was exceptional. There were some chapters with a significant dialogue that went back and forth. This would have been difficult to follow if the narrator hadn't of been so exacting in their voices for each person speaking.

The book had three parts to the story: the main story with the female main character, parts of her past to give context to her current situation, and chapters that provided information on dragons. While I understood the purpose of each part it felt like the main story suffered because of so much time spent talking about dragons and injustices towards the women characters. While underlying themes like gender equality can give a story more depth, it seemed to make the story sound whiny instead of empowering.

The narrator does a great job of moving the story along. I am not sure I would have finished the physical book. The narrator helped me make it through to the end. The ending is the best part of the book, so I am glad that I got to hear the end. Five stars for narration. Two stars for the book/story itself. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

This was a fun and suspense filled fantasy novella!

We follow our female knight who has been disgraced and must regain her honor slaying a dragon by returning with The Fireborn Blade.

This was rich with betrayal and magic. You can't trust anyone. I loved the twists and turns of this novella. The world building was fun and interesting. The characters were interesting and engaging. I found them to be well developed and everything they did made sense to their character. I found their interactions to be very beneficial in unraveling the story.

A lot was accomplished in such a small story. I loved it! Fast paced and the conclusion was well framed. I loved it.

This was just fine, I enjoyed the setup and the very end with the twist but most of the novella I just found a bit bland.

This story was absolutely packed, but I kind of loved it? It was a great retelling but from a female perspective, which made it so much more interesting. I'm definitely really interested in Charlotte's works now, this book have really hooked me with its enjoyable and gripping tale.

Definitely a fast read and an enjoyable, easy one to follow along with!

There's a whole lot of story in this short book! The lore about dragons, how they can and can't be killed, and what happens to people who are killed by them was all very interesting and made for an immersive world.

Maddileh is a rare female knight seeking a legendary sword in the hoard of a dragon in order to redeem her honor. There is a bit of a sapphic love story starting in this book as well as familial and professional relations being built.

Overall, this was a great book one and I hope more of this series makes it to audiobook.

Maddileh is a knight. A dragon hunting knight. A dragon hunting knight of dragons that spread ichor in many gruesome ways and leave ghosts of knights behind. She is also a woman in a profession of men. A woman who needs the Fireborne Blade to regain her honor. She does not like mages or magic. She is going to do this like everything else she does - with a squire and grit.

First, this was a very well done audiobook. The narration is spot on with all the appropriate inflection and cadence. I listened to it at 1.25x speed and that was perfect. The novel flew by in no time - it was that easy to listen to and get drawn into it.

I really enjoyed the novel itself too. The structure of Maddileh’s story with side notes and stories interspersed throughout really helped the pacing. It also balanced the doubts that she was coping with while on her trek throughout the dragon’s caves. As pieces of the adventure unfurled, I found that I was enjoying the novel even more. Definitely recommend. 5 stars.

Review based on a Advanced Audiobook provided by Macmillan Audio and NetGalley. Thank you!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this Audio ARC Copy!

I enjoyed this book but I had a really hard time staying interested though the whole story. Not sure if it was just not something that was good for me to read on Audio or if it was just a generic enough story that follows a bad ass character on a quest.

For a novella there was a decent amount of world building that was pretty well done, but also nothing that I have never seen before. I feel like the whole story I was really left just wanting more, and I think that was my biggest issue is that I just wanted more. I have noticed recently that that is a common issue for when when reading novellas so I should say that is definitely a me problem and not the book.

I was provided a copy of the audiobook through NetGalley. The Fireborne Blade is an exciting new series from Tordotcom set in a world that is as magical as it is brutal. Many knights fail to return from their forays deep into dragon lairs and those who do live to tell the tale--their perspectives offered via excerpts of historical logs--rarely seem to escape unscathed. Each chapter brings new details of the gruesome nature of these perilous expeditions and the book early on plants the idea that dragons might be more than the beasts they are viewed as by humanity. The story of Maddileh is also laid out unchronologically in a way that keeps the reader guessing until a late novella reveal causes many of the pieces to fall into place. The pacing near the end was slightly rushed even keeping in mind the novella format, but it sets up the next book with an intriguing new premise.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

Quite a bit happens in such a quick read, without feeling too complex! It didn't completely draw me in but I still enjoyed it, and the narrator did a good job.

This had good bones to try and be an interesting Sapphic fantasy, but it felt more like a rough draft than a final story. The plot twist was extremely predictable and the world building was too minimal.

Received this one from NetGalley, so thanks to them and Tordotcom! The narration done by Helen McAlpine was awesome. Good accents, differing tones and variations. Nice and quick.

This has all the feel of an old school classic fantasy, without any of the additional background world building or lore. As a novella, it gets to the point awfully quick, while some of the additional bits that the author dropped did make the world feel whole to me, like maybe they knew it much deeper than they wrote it out. For me, that works quite well. There’s certainly a line where a lack of information can feel like it’s genuinely missing, but this toed that line just enough with its epitaph-esque interlude chapters, bringing a historical background to why they are on the hunt. IE., a complete and somewhat linear story that doesn’t stray from the plot, while appearing to take place in a whole, fleshed out world/universe.

This novella feels like it spawned from the single line of, “I am no man” and went on from there to become its own thing. A feminist, sapphic dragon hunting novella that packs a punch with its toxic masculinity and gender roles. And Knight Maddileh is knocking down those barriers and putting mouthy squires in their places.

This was quick, enjoyable, and features quite a twist that I was not ready for. I do wish the actual situation with the dragon was longer, as it appeared like it would be the focal point, and with such a beautiful cover, I was imagining Smaug or GoT level battles in my mind, but there is certainly room for more…and an already announced sequel.

Feminine rage+Magic+Dragons.
Thank you to #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review of #FireBorneBlade, because I went to buy a physical copy just to tab how many "Oh shit" moments there were.

Though I like to write little blurbs about the characters, and given how short it was with less than 200 pages and 6 hours audio, all you need to know is in the summary. Maddilleh our fallen Knight, seeks redemption by going after the infamous dragon, The White Lady. The chapters alternate between flashback, present time, and research notes/exposition. It slows the pace down, but is filled with foreshadowing. I loved the world building of the dragons with all its hidden details.
4.5 stars. $20 for a hardback at Barnes and Noble is a bit steep for a short book, but this will be the first in my Bond collection.

Summary:
Maddileh is a knight whose honor has been tarnished and to redeem herself she must retrieve the fireborne blade from a dragon lair. And not just any dragon lair, but the lair of the White Lady, who is one of the oldest known living dragons. Many a knight has sought to retrieve the blade, but none have succeeded. While Maddileh is not quite like any other knight, her squire admitting he used to be a mage is not the most unusual part of her journey.

Review:
I really enjoyed the dragon lore-building. It was well thought out and well described and engaging. In the audiobook I found it a little difficult to keep tack of what viewpoint we were at in the beginning, since you not only hop from the past to the future, but also into these historical reviews that, while interesting, sometimes felt a bit disruptive to the pacing.

I think how the breadcrumbs were laid out was very well done. Sometimes hints towards a twist can be clumsy and too obvious, but I feel like Bond struck just the right balance of giving you hints so you could figure it out, but not so obviously that you definitely had it figured out by the end. I, in fact, did not see the twist coming until it was happening. While I think the lore was super well set up and while I really liked the ending, it felt a bit fast relative to the rest of the book.

Finally, I think the audio narration was quite well done. The reader was very expressive and engaging and, while I found certain character voicings a little annoying, that was in line with the character so I can't really fault it, and it was likely intentional and thus she did it very well.

All that said, I really enjoyed the story. I thought the characters were well-built, the story was fresh without being too complicated that it felt rushed for a short-format, and while the end was a bit rushed for me I felt like the story was completed and I was happy with how everything tied up!

The Fireborne Blade by Charlotte Bond left me with mixed feelings. This is a fantasy story about a knight named Maddileh on a quest to recover a legendary blade, with lots of plot twists.

The narrator, Helen McAlpine, did a fantastic job bringing the characters to life, making each one sound unique and distinct. The quick-paced plot jumped between Maddileh's past, her present quest, and tales of dragon encounters, making it feel like diving straight into an adventure!

The second half of the book felt very rushed. The big reveal at the end needed more build-up, and I wish I had gotten to know the characters better. The story has some awesome ideas, but they weren't given enough space to really shine.

Overall, The Fireborne Blade was very intriguing and has a lot of potential. If you enjoy fast-paced fantasy with strong female leads, you might like this one. I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next in this series.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for providing me with an ALC. All opinions are my own and unbiased. 🖤

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for an ALC of this title.

At first I wasn't sure how I felt about this book. It's listed in some instances as LGBTQ but there really wasn't much of that in here aside from the MC thinking the other woman is beautiful. But I wouldn't really count that as LGBTQ honestly. So if you're looking for any sort of lesbian romance in this high fantasy, then this isn't the one for you. However, this small novel really packs a punch!

The ending took me completely by surprise. Along the way there were clues here and there that would suggest it heading in that direction, but unless you're looking for/expecting it, you won't see it coming.

I love a good dragon book, and while 90% of the book had no dragons, the one it did mention (The White Lady) was awesome. The description was fantastic and I love that the narrator gave her a Scottish accent. It was perfect. All in all, I would recommend this book to fantasy lovers.

Maddileh is one of few women who are knights, and as such is used to putting up with the sexist remarks of her peers. But when she lets her temper get the better of her, she finds herself sent on a quest to restore her honor by retrieving the Fireborne Blade from its guardian dragon. There’s a prophecy telling of the impossibility of slaying the dragon, but Maddileh thinks she might just be the one to break it – only time will tell if this is a heroic mission or a fool’s errand.

This novella packs quite a punch for such a short work. While the initial plot seems relatively standard, there are many things introduced that create a more complex one. There is a primary plot/timeline that is interspersed with flashbacks or background information that is relevant to the plot or setting. This was done well without slowing the pace and added much to the development of the world.

The characters are quite strong. There wasn’t much development beyond that required for the plot, which is generally expected from shorter books. However, the characters still felt alive with strong motivations and voices, making for an excellent experience.

While things are resolved in this book, it certainly sets up for an intriguing sequel. The narrator of this audiobook is quite talented, using a full range of voices which added much to the experience. My thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is an excellent read for someone who loves the classic "old man fantasy" or high fantasy vibe and also want to see a badass woman attack a dragon. I couldn't believe how quickly I flew through the audio arc of The Fireborne Blade because the pacing was absolutely phenomenal. This story has all your classic high fantasy components - knights, mages, magic, and dragons - and a really compelling and engrossing exploration of the characters. I also loooooved how the dragon magic worked, it felt so clever!

I am so grateful to NetGalley and Tordotcom for access to this advanced reader copy - I can't wait for more in the series!

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I finished this like a week ago and I’m still not sure how I feel about it. I almost feel like the first 30% of the book focused on unnecessary stuff when it could have been world building.

This is a very short fantasy so I had concerns about how well developed the world and characters could be. I think the world needed some more focus and time but the characters felt well rounded!

I struggled giving this a rating because the first half was very slow with a lot of side stories that didnt appear to add up. But the second half was down right shocking with a complete plot twist and pretty good!

Ultimately I gave this 3 ⭐️. I think the world needed more attention as I found myself confused how certain things were possible in this world.

I reviewed the audio version of this book and it was a good experience! I could tell when the characters we r speaking aloud vs when they were in their own heads. This narrator has a very soothing voice and I found it kind of comforting? 😂

I’m not sure I’ll read the second one but it’s a quick book that involves dragons so you can’t go wrong here!

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC!

- This was such a perfect length, and it have everything I look for in a high fantasy dragons and knights story!
- Between the non-chronological narrative, the winding journey, and the interludes with records/stories about other knights, this book reminded me a lot of what I love in the Singing Hills cycle.
- For a book this short, I was shocked by how incredible of a twist there is! It's a little slow in the beginning, but it really snuck up on me!
- I loved the narrator, and her pronunciations of some of the more fantastical names and places was really helpful (I wouldn't have guessed the correct pronunciation of Maddileh otherwise).
- I loved the worldbuilding around the dragons, and I'd love to read more in this world!