AUTHOR: Charlotte Bond
SERIES: The Fireborne Blade #1
GENRE: fantasy
AGE: adult
BLURB:
Slay the dragon, find the blade. True love can’t be far behind…
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.
Will Maddileh prove her mettle? Or will she end up like countless knights before her―as a puddle of gore and molten armor?
In Fireborne Blade , Bond 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…
Thank you to Tordotcom for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book read almost like a folklore book intermixed with a historical account. It’s a bit hard to explain. At first I wasn’t sure what was going on but I was intrigued enough to continue with the book.
I did feel at some parts that something was missing. I’m not quite sure how to explain it. I’m just wondering if the book itself should have been longer. There was practically no world building – not that it was needed over much for how condensed this book was.
I liked the journal entries interspersed with the main storyline. I think part of the problem though was the pacing, because there are essentially three? Different timelines.
It’s definitely dark fantasy with your typical dragon, dragon hoarding, dragon slaying kind of theme.
I think that this will appeal to some readers.