After reading this book, I immediately went on to purchase the next available ones in the series. It's a very interesting world that is very detailed, and holds the reader captive till the end.

ARC - I voluntarily offered to review this book with no obligations and my opinions are honest!
Elena is having a really bad day.
On the run w/ her father, they are attacked by dragons.
That is right: Dragons!
How could her father not tell her that he could turn into a dragon?
There are so many things that Elena did not understand.
Now she is in Paegeia living a new life + trying to learn the new rules.
Thank god for her new friends!
She would not know what do to without Becky + Sammy.
Let's not forget the delicious Lucian + Blake.
Both of them are Yummy.
How is a girl to chose ?
Lucian is her choice, but there is something about Blake.
I loved the storytelling + the characters.
After reading book 1, I had to buy the whole set.
I needed to know what will happen to Elena,
You get sucked into the story and you don't want to come out of it

Well, I unfortunately had to DNF this novel very early on. The premise sounded great, but when it came down to the actual writing and follow through, I was disappointed.

I was really hoping on enjoying this novel, but the way it was written felt like I was reading something that hadn't been edited and was written - frankly - by a teenager.

I don't think I'll be writing a review about this novel, purely because I didn't really read enough to have an opinion on the plot.

"Firebolt" is the story of Elena, a girl who suddenly finds out that dragons do exist after her father is killed - and not only that, she'll have to go to school with some of them from now on. She discovers a world that is completely strange, Paegeia, and has to deal with a lot of new information, impressions and also classes. She is to be trained to ride a dragone at some time and the education she had prior to her arrival didn't really prepare her for that. It's no wonder that she is completely overwhelmed, as she also mourns her father. Some reviewers have criticized that Elena cried easily and was initially completely helpless, but I thought that this was very realistic. She is 16 years old, lost her only parent and is thrown into a strange world. Of course she reacts emotionally. I found it rather admirable that she never gave up and was ready to fight and stand up for what she felt was right. She must learn to believe in herself and do things she never thought possible while finding friends (and a boyfriend).

The characters are unfortunately still a bit blank, which can be explained by the fact that the book is told from Elena's point of view and therefore only offers a limited view on her friends and
acquaintances. There are already scenes, however, in which it is shown that Blake is more than an arrogant, potentially dangerous idiot and that her friends also have flaws. I hope that the second book will show more of it; it didn't really bother me in "Firebolt", but I would like to see more developments in a few more characters.

I adored the world building. Paegeia is interesting so far, I liked the categorization of the dragons and the historical background. There were some scenes in which the reader got a lot of information at once since Elena got some kind of crash cure, but the author also weaves tidbits through her story. She also teased certain events; we still don't know much about the more recent events and their impact, yet there is enough to get an idea on what went down. The speculation is certainly fun. The plot was interesting and (especially towards the end) very gripping; while the first volume is largely self-contained, there are still a few things left open, and I already have some theories about the role Elena is going to play and the connections between events. Let's see if I'm right - I can't wait to find out.

I read this book front to finish without putting it down. I am so excited for the next. Mixing magic, dragons and humans was genious. Don't look for Harry Potter here.

Book review
Title: Firebolt
Author: Adrienne Woods
Genre: Fantasy/YA/Romance
Rating: ****
Review: The opening to Firebolt was brilliant, we meet 16 year old Elena and her father who are on the run for unknown reasons. One night when they are moving one again they are attacked by dragons and she learns that her father also transforms into a dragon. Elena’s reason is perfect she is freaked out, intrigued yet terrified all at once. After the attack Elena wakes up in Paegeia, where she learns of her father's death and that she bears a special mark but it is a dark mark. Elena learns that she can't leave Paegeia because of the wall but her mark does get her admittance to Dragonia Academy.
As we approach the 1/4 mark in the novel we see Elena learn more about the different kinds of dragons, their abilities and their Dragonians. In addition she learns about dragon history and how dragons and human interact and why there are so many rules surrounding dragon society. All the while Elena is trying to wrap her head around this information and figure out why her father kept this hidden from her and why it ultimately led to his death. I loved watching the friendships form and learning about the different types of relationship a dragon can have with a human like Elena.
As we cross the 1/4 mark in the novel we see Elena bombard herself with all these questions linked to all the information she is uncovering. I never expected Becky to be George's dent as their personalities are polar opposites but the claiming ceremony was amazing and exciting to read. The prophecy Elena receives was also great although many people at the school feel she doesn't belong there but has no choice since she can't pass back through the wall. She also begins to have dreams about a married woman I believe to be her mother. As Elena doesn't know who and what her mother is means no one can 100% sure of what Elena is.
As we cross into the second half of the novel we see Elena still struggling at school as she tries to understand the dragons. We are also introduced to Goran a dark sorcerer trapped in Etan and he may become the antagonist later on. This also marks the beginning of a strange love triangle, Elena is seeing Lucien but is drawn to Blake making me think she could be his dent but then it’s complicated because Lucien of trying to claim Blake so there is a lot to keep up with. At this point in the novel there seems to be a lot of teen angst but apart from school and extra lessons and training nothing has really happened. Also Elena`s scenes with Cheng seems to just expositional and don't really have a purpose other than to provide background information to the reader.
As we approach the 3/4 mark in the novel Elena learns that her prophecy was written in the Book of Shadows where only the most important prophecies go and that the woman she is dreaming of its actually Queen Catherine although she doesn't have any idea why. When The King of Lion Sword is stolen this begins to heat up because the stood is the only thing that can stop Goran and if he has it and destroys it there will be nothing and no one would could stand against him. As the school is out on high alert Elena decides she needs to prove herself and finding the sword would do just that. She decides to go to the Sacred Cavern where she could find the swords location but extremely dangerous things lie inside. A large group including Sammy, Becky, Lucian, Blake and Brian asking other set out for the cavern. When they get there they are told by the gate keeper only one can enter and that person has to be a virgin and female as these people are the only ones to come back, so Elena enters.
As we cross into the final section of the novel Elena manages to complete the challenges inside the Sacred Cavern and get the information she needs. They need to travel to The Mountain of Ekwador where a mysterious man is going to destroy the sword and the group need to intercept him before it’s too late. The final pages are filled with action and heart break in equal measures and while the group complete their objective they have thrown a massive wrench in Goran’s plan.
Overall, I did like Firebolt and will definitely be getting the second novel very soon but I would have liked more action and less romance but it was still a great novel. I loved the characters especial Brian because he was funny and quirky and ultimately is a great friend to Elena. Highly recommended to fans of YA dragon fantasy novels.

Great story, couldn't put it down captured my heart from the first page till the last! Hungry for more !

Though the story was great, I wish the writing had been a bit more fluid. I felt that the conversations were stilted and lacked a natural touch.

Elena's life is turned upside down when she discovers the truth of her father's identity and finds herself at a school for dragons and the humans who can control them. She has a lot to learn at her new school and readers may be overwhelmed as Elena's new friends educate her in the ways of her new environment in large data dumps.
The story moves very slowly, with the protagonist ignoring clues which are frustratingly obvious to readers, until about 70% in when Elena and her friends finally embark on their quest.
At the end of the book readers may be disappointed by the number of questions left unanswered. There is a second book which may address readers'' pressing questions but as a single title this book fails to deliver.

I can't get enough of this book! This is not your typical "just another dragon story" this one is action packed and very interesting.
Long story short. Elena and her father moves from place to place to hide/run away from something/someone. Elena wants to know the knowledge behind her father's decision until one night she finally found out a part of the reason why behind her father's decisions.
Everyone must read this book. It's amazing and it will suck you right into the story. The author, Adrienne Woods, is phenomenal when it comes to describing the emotions the character is feeling and the setting. Paegeia sounds like such a wonderful place that you want to live in.

Awesome book, got lost in reading it, would recommend to YA readers.

~1/5~
Note: I read about a quarter-way through the book and just skimmed the rest of it so I wouldn't waste as much time, mostly because the writer's writing style was very irritating.


From the start, I felt like the author was trying too hard to portray the main character as a nonchalant-Carter Kane-like kind of character. The "oh yeah, this is just a typical day" sort of air to the beginning rubbed me off the wrong way. Rick Riordan does the same in his books, but he pulls it off well by adding humor and everything to his writing on top of his extremely developed world. This novel uses the Bermuda Triangle as well, and even though it isn't a big deal, the combination of the Riordan elements produced a questionable mixture.


The beginning in general was not my cup of tea. Really though, there wasn't a buildup to anything and, all of a sudden, it was just like whoosh this is happening, accept it. A lot of the book was the same way. Things just occurred. The distance from Point A to Point B was pretty much nonexistent. I could explain more, but I don't want to go into too much depth about the book.


Woods's writing style just wasn't my favorite. Here are a few partial quotes from the first quarter or so of the book so you can somewhat see where I'm coming from:

"...Matt said with a darkness returning to his eyes."
"...she pleaded with my immobile body."
"She had an air of a pixie running on adrenaline."
"...pleading with my eyes for any way out of this situation." (didn't want to put in two pleading-related quotes, but it captures her writing)
"You're a prince for real?"



Maybe it's me, but I kind of feel like either cringing or laughing, definitely not a good way. Cons of reading, I guess. You hardly ever know how much you'll like a book until you actually read it. With Firebolt, I wasn't happy with much of anything about it other than the dragons. The book gave off some Harry Potter vibes in terms of the world, but the same can't be said in terms of the writing, which is a bad thing. Dragons and fantasy are nice, but not enough to cover up the rest of the messier elements.


The characters lacked depth. Lacked any substance. Even Elena, the main character. She was just...there. Her love interest too. I don't even know how they got together. Talked a few times, that's all, and then they're together. Okay...


The author seemed to try to add some mystery to the fantasy land, but I wasn't into it at all. From the summary/preview, I thought this would be a pretty good read, but I guess I was wrong. It was a like a terrible high school book in a different setting. Not kidding.


I felt like I was reading the same words over and over again. Too much begging and giggling.


Basically, I wouldn't recommend this book to you Harry Potter lovers. It had iffy writing, an iffy plot, and was just very shallow and dull. There was a decent amount of potential, but if high school stories in a fantasy setting are your thing, then I guess Firebolt might be worth the read.


Thanks to Netgalley anyway for letting me read this.

I loved the idea behind this book, I love dragon books and when I first heard about this book I was super excited to read this book and I started it as soon as I received it. I'm disappointed to say that I didn't like this book at all, I had such a hard time getting through it, I liked the concept of the story, and I love the magical world with the dragons, I had a hard time connecting with the characters, I found that I just didn't care what happened to them. However, I would say that my biggest issue with this story is the writing, to me it looks like the writer has a hard time with dialogue, it looks some how incomplete with the short paragraphs. Regardless I'm not giving up on the writer or the series, hoping the writing improves.

Firebolt is like a breath of fresh air. The ideas in the story are ingenious and unique. The author captures the mannerisms and characteristics of a sixteen-year-old girl beautifully, while not allowing the story to take on a juvenile tone. This is the beginning of a promising, “edge of your seat” series about dragons, magic, danger, love, loss, and coming of age.
As the very first chapter unfolded, I was on the edge of my seat, wanting to know what happens to our main character, Elena. I was hit with intrigue, peril, and heartache. I was brought to believe that dragons were real, and introduced to Dragonia. Instead of bringing me in to an unbelievable fantasy world, the author took me in to a world quite similar to our own, minus dragons. I was able to relate to and live through our heroine as she built relationships in this new, but somewhat familiar, world that she was thrown in to. I learned of the histories of Dragonia, along with Elena, and fell in love with all the beautiful teenage boys with the same unadulterated teenage hormones she felt. When Elena makes her choice to take on her heroine’s journey, I was making the choice right alongside of her.
By time I finished this book I had already bought the next few in the series. Adrienne Woods did a fantastic job of creating this world that is full of magic, splendor, and unbelievable things, all while keeping you grounded with the major ties to the real world. Her creation of characters that are both human and dragon to go along with the old idea of “dragon riders” is definitely new and exceptional. I thoroughly believed I was taking this journey with a group of sixteen-year-old kids, yet never felt like the story was “too young” or immature for me. I cannot wait to finish this series.

This book was pretty awesome. The heroine of this book in my opinion has times that she is really strong and others petty but all in all i like her. The storyline is amazing. I liked this book so much i literally just got the reat of the series.

I really enjoyed the story. The characters were interesting in the storyline was very easy to follow. I will suggest a story to my friends.