NetGalley Review: The Fireborne Blade by Charlotte Bond

Hey all, Sam here.

So here’s something interesting. I’ve been making myself sit down at least a few times a week and type up a blog post or two and then prep another one or two. When I prep, I basically set up the post, so for a book review I add in the cover photo, the book summary, and then add in the section for my review and put in my star rating. I also go ahead and add in the post details like date/time of publishing, and the categories and tags for the post. Sometimes in the prep I’ll draft up the intro section here, but other times I won’t. Getting a post prepped up in this way means that I only need to spend a few more minutes drafting the body and then it’s ready to be scheduled.

What I’ve noticed in the past week, especially the past couple of days, is that I’m starting to feel the more creative writing section of my brain wake up and be a little more active now. Yes while I read books, there’s certain aspects of story craft that I find myself pondering, but I guess as I focus on thinking of these books for the purposes of review, I’m finding that my own novel, my long awaiting draft, is really starting to move to the front of my mind and start telling me more scenes that I need to write.

I’d be okay if that continues. I miss creative writing. It has sucked to want to write, and to know that I should be writing, and then I sit down at my notebook or my computer and just stare at the page or screen. The words just either don’t come out at all or they sound so wrong that I know I can’t continue with them like that.

Anyway, let’s go ahead and jump into this book review…oh, and this book was released in the US yesterday, so if it sounds interesting, then you can pick up your own copy now.

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

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.

My Thoughts

Rating: 4 stars

This was an interesting novella. I thought the way this story was told was intriguing, but it also made it all flow less easily. Basically we jump between written transcripts of knights and dragon encounters, Maddileh’s journey from months ago, and Maddileh’s journey now.

It takes most of the novella for the pieces to truly fall into place, and I didn’t even see it coming until it was revealed to Maddileh, although obviously, I am not going to speak to specifics because I try to avoid discussing spoilers in my reviews.

Honestly, I was a little disappointed that this was only a novella, because I did want to know more, but considering the split story and timelines, I don’t know that this story would have worked as well if it had been longer.

We met some interesting characters in this story, and some I liked, some I thought were fun and fascinating, and some I definitely disliked, so I always appreciate when the characters make me feel something. That is especially true in a novella where there’s only a couple hundred pages to really get a reader invested in the characters and the plot.

I read this pretty quickly, and I think it was a good introduction to this world and the magic and the dragons, as well as some of the deceptions and betrayals. I will say that I already put the next installment on my anticipated releases list, and I’m looking forward to reading it in October. I want to know what will happen next for Maddileh and Saralene.

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All right, well, that is all from me for today. Thank you so much for stopping by, and I’ll be back soon with more geeky content.