Furysong

Fireborne: 4/5
Flamefall: 3.5/5 (4/5 on a good day)
Furysong 3.5/5


I started Fireborne morning of December 16th, and finished Furysong by noon of December 17th. I came into the series without reading any of the synopsis or reviews - I only knew that it had dragons in it. I think it was the best decision I've ever made. The Aurelian Cycle is such an impressive debut series by Rosaria Munda, and while I don't exactly love it quite yet, I think I will with time. The highlights of the story included the prose and character development. I cried so many times reading the series - certainly, not a comfort read by any means. I came to love the characters that I wasn't fond of in the beginning: Power, in particular - I'll always have a soft spot for him. Lee I've loved from the beginning. I still have mixed feelings for Antigone, but she certainly makes a compelling MC.

There were a few gripes: a lot of lore terms that sort of muddled within the story; other countries, which I wish had been incorporated more seamlessly starting in book 1; Lee and Annie's relationship. In truth, I think it would have been a beautiful friendship. Lovers, however, I'm still not entirely convinced by. I think Power was done dirty, and that Annie and Power together would have been incredibly compelling. I loved the way he lifted her up, made her independent in all the ways Lee couldn't. Similarly, I wish there was more depth in Delos & Griff's relationship, and the exploration of the shift of servitude and power. Pacing also became a significant issue in books 2 and 3. Furysong felt slow, but the ending felt rushed.

In my opinion, I think the fantastical aspect of the story fell flat as well. It felt as if you could replace dragons with any other object or magic system, and it wouldn't change much at all. For me, this series was less fantasy, and more political intrigue. Don't get me wrong, I love political intrigue and The Aurelian Cycle does it splendidly; however, I wish it tapped more into the fantasy as well.

What I found most disappointing: I wish that Ixion posed as a more compelling villain. The questions posed within Fireborne: in the face of two evils, how do you choose the lesser? With the power to choose which regime rises and falls, how do you cope with the choice? How do we break this senseless cycle of violence? All this sort of dissolved as the series went on when the balance clearly tilts to one side where Ixion clearly becomes the extreme.