4.5 ⭐️

Firebird was an addictive, fast paced read with chemistry off the charts! Malina is the last living Celtic of her clan and she possesses a special magic that allows her to control others emotions. That’s how she has survived so long. Julian is a pure blooded Roman and therefore, a powerful dragon shifter. He leads his uncle, the Cesar’s, army but is harboring a secret. Our two leads first meet in the prologue 4 years prior to the main plot and there is an immediate connection between them.

This alt historical Roman inspired fantasy is best gone into blind! Just be sure to read the short glossary to understand the types of dragons.

Touch her and die
Fated mates
Insta love
🌶️🌶️🌶️

Thank you so much Bramble for an eARC, I enjoyed this immensely!

This book is a gripping romance filled with rich historical layers, fantasy elements, and high-stakes danger. The Roman rule and shifter dragons create a fascinating landscape and a brutal society. If you love forbidden romance and fierce characters mixed with political intrigue, this is your book.

The book is told from a dual point of view between Julianus and Malina. Julianus is a powerful Roman noble with a long history and linkage to the great dragons of Rome. His role as a fierce Roman general and nephew to the Emporer is legendary. Yet he exposes his protective side for Malina. His inner conflict between duty and Rome and his bond with Malina adds to his character development.

Meanwhile, Malina is fiercely independent as a Dacian dancer with no home. She is captured as an enslaved person to be sold in the Rome market. Julianus saves her from a soldier and purchases her to help in his household. Their chemistry is incendiary, shaped by fate and ancient bonds. The dragon lineage adds a thrilling, supernatural touch that raises the stakes, especially as their union defies the constraints of Roman rule and the ever-looming danger of imperial punishment.

The book is not just romance but also a strong backdrop of political intrigue and savage rule that heightens the tension. Expect a read filled with love, betrayal, and unforgettable battle scenes against the historical and supernatural world.

I received an ARC ebook for my honest review. Thank you, NetGalley and Tor, Bramble.

Thank you Tor Publishing Group for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This book has magic, dragons, Roman Gods, and some serious chemistry between the FMC and MMC. The story has a quicker pace, since it’s just over 300 pages. It hooked me fairly quickly and kept me wanting to come back for more. I really enjoyed Malina and Julian’s story and I’m excited to see where the rest of the books go. Oh, and there’s a nice little plot twist at the end!

Some of the writing was a little cringy and if we could not make “Cunny” a thing, that’d be great 🫣 But overall very much enjoyed this story!

Such a clever and interesting setting and premise. I really enjoyed this. I felt perhaps the romance happened too quickly for the initial premise? But I’m hoping that further books in the series might focus on other characters in which case the fast relationship would make more sense. Either way, I’m overall happy with the book and highly suggest to anyone looking for an excellent fantasy romance.

While there are many aspects of Firebird that I enjoyed, one thing stood out from the beginning that put me off. Set in a world adjacent to Ancient Rome (but with dragons), our male lead Julian is a Roman general and our female lead Malina is a Dacian dancer toward rebel. As was typical at the time, when she's captured after battle, Malina is enslaved. Yes, Roman slavery was different than our more modern understanding and yes there are compounding factors that are revealed partway through the book, but at it's heart, I did not like the master/slave dynamics. This is a conversation that has been had a lot in romance (no nazis, no master/slave romance), it hasn't been really touched in the growing realm of romantasy. I think there are ways the book could have been handled where there were still complex power dynamics at play without having Malina enslaved to the love interest.

I feel like in its desire to hit the romantasy beats Firebird rushed everything else. A romance plot that might have been stretched over 2-3 books is crammed into one book's plot. I have a feeling the series will be structured like a romance series (different main couple each book) and I think given what I've read I would rather more POVs from the beginning and everything stretched out.

This is not to say the book was bad. There are many aspects I enjoyed. Beyond the insta-love with her oppressor, Malina was a fascinating character. I liked her interactions with the other enslaved individuals. Given her status, I think it would have been interesting if the book leaned in a Spartacus/slave uprising direction instead of a more basic "kill the emperor" direction. The level of rebellion that characters engage in would mainly benefit the noble and free Romans, neither of which includes Malina.

On a completely unrelated note, Julian is mentioned as being seven feet tall and I could not get that out of my head the entire book. Malina's height is never mentioned but context clues make her seem to be of average height. Despite likely being freakishly taller than her and everyone around him, Julian's height is never touched on again. I almost wonder if it was a typo and it was supposed to say six feet tall? Yes, being seven feet tall is totally possible, but would create a serious height difference that maybe should have been remarked upon more. Also, their sexy times would have required more contortions that there were.

I will likely check out book two in the series and am curious how the rest of the series is handled, but I do think this could have been handled better.

Firebird surprised me in the best way possible. This dark romantasy masterfully blends dragons, Roman generals, and magic into a captivating tale. I initially had some skepticism, but I’m so glad I pushed past it. Julianus is a magnificent character—holy hell, I have a new favorite ML. More, please. The chemistry between him and Malina is electric, and their relationship is one of the most compelling parts of the story. Despite not usually enjoying darker romantasy themes, Firebird made me fall in love. It’s tender, raw, and surprisingly realistic (character development, depth, and so on). Malina's character and her journey also deeply resonated with me.

I devoured this book and couldn’t put it down. I'll definitely be reading it again and again. The world, with its dragon mythology and imperial politics, is richly imagined, though I hope future books will delve deeper into the worldbuilding. Overall, Firebird is a fantastic start to what promises to be an exciting series—perfect for fans of high-stakes romance and fantasy. I'm eager to see what comes next, and I am rushing to see what other stories this author has to offer.

This book is an absolute treasure for lovers of dark romantasy! It masterfully blends the epic political intrigue of House of the Dragon with the intoxicating passion of From Blood and Ash. The writing style is lush and immersive, transporting you directly into a world where dragons soar and love is a battlefield. The author crafts vivid imagery that makes every scene come alive, whether it’s the heat of battle or the quiet moments of connection between the characters. The love between Julianus and Malina is raw and genuine, filled with longing and uncertainty. You can feel their struggles as they navigate a dangerous world, with the stakes continuously rising around them. Their connection is beautifully portrayed, and as they confront their fears and desires, it becomes clear that their love is both a refuge and a source of conflict. It captures the essence of what it means to love fiercely amid chaos and uncertainty. The author’s ability to delve into the characters’ inner lives makes every triumph and heartbreak resonate deeply. If you’re looking for a story that will make you laugh, cry, and hold your breath in suspense, this one is a must-read. It’s a passionate tale that reminds us that love can ignite even in the darkest of times. And, I can’t wait to read more from this author.

Malina is a Dacian dancer who captures the attention of Julian, a Roman general and the nephew to the emperor. Julian does not support the emperor, and he works with others to rebel and assassinate him. Julian installs Malina in his household, but her safety is threatened when the emperor notices how much Julian cares for Malina. This book is written in Julian and Malina's point of views.

I really wanted to like this book. The ancient Rome setting was really intriguing to me, but the book's execution was poor. The book was all telling and no showing. I was not a fan of the instant-love that occurred between Malina and Julian. The sex scenes between the characters was cringey, and I felt like there was not enough relationship building. The worldbuilding was not fully fleshed out and the constant mentions of Malina being a witch didn't feel earned. The magic system in the book was not explained, and it was not consistent. Although the book is written in Julian and Malina's perspectives, the tone and voice in their chapters sounded exactly the same. This is not a good readalike for Jennifer L. Armentrout or Rebecca Yarros.

This publishes on my birthday next year and it’s a sign because this book is freaking glorious. GLORIOUS!

Gloooooooooooooooooooooorious!!

This world is an ancient Roman Empire but also dragons and gods and magic. Like I said. FREAKING GLORIOUS.

Julian is a dragon, but obvs he’s still a man, who finds a beautiful foreign girl dancing one night and gifts her a golden coin. Malina, said girl, is drawn to this dragon man and keeps this coin as protection and never forgets about this man.

Four years later these two are reunited when Julian leads an army that kills the entire village she’s living in (See?! See?! Glorious) and when she’s taken as a spoil of war Julian is NOT having it. He recognizes his foreign dancer girl being attacked by one of his men and his dragon is rumbling suuuper possessively and wonderfully and yaaaaalll. It’s delicious. DELICIOUS. This dragon isn’t gonna let this girl get away this time, no matter what the cost.

I loved this one so much. Gobbled it up. Pre-ordering the beautiful edition of this book. It’s so freaking good. I don’t want to share too much because you just need to read it and trust me that it’s great and thank me later.

Thanks for the ARC, review is my own.