Fireborn by Aisling Fowler || Magical Adventure With Plot Twists Galore

Fireborn

Lyra. Lucy. Percy. Once in a generation, a hero emerges whose story enthralls readers worldwide.

Fireborn is an epic quest, perfect for fans of the His Dark Materials and The School for Good and Evil series, that will spin readers into a magical world like no other--and introduce them to an unforgettable new heroine named Twelve.

Ember is full of monsters.

Twelve gave up her name and identity to train in the art of hunting them--so she says. The truth is much more deadly: she trains to take revenge on those who took her family from her.

But when Twelve's new home is attacked, she'll find herself on an unexpected journey, where her hidden past is inescapably intertwined with her destiny--and the very fate of her world.

Content Tags:

Perfect for readers who want:

• Enemies-to-friends with definite squad vibes.
• A coming-of-age story filled with grief, loss, and growth.
• A magical world filled with danger and fun adventure.
• Lots of plot twists that’ll keep you turning pages.
• Plenty of snarky banter.
• A super adorable (and slightly cantankerous) doggo guardian.
• Also adorable (and slightly less cantankerous) squirrel sidekick.
• Secrets and betrayal. You know, the fun kind!

Many thanks to Harper Collins and TheWriteReads for an eARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. Quotes taken from an unfinished version and may differ from the final product.

I’m not gonna lie: on a scale from 1 to stunning, the cover for Fireborn is drop-dead gorgeous, okay? I’m not ashamed to admit I 100% was attracted to this book because of that fierce cover. I mean, just look at it. It promises magic and fierceness and stone animals (I know that sounds weird, but bear with me) and FIRE, which is always a good time. Well, usually. In this case, the story definitely delivers on the promise the cover makes.

Fireborn is a coming-of-age adventure filled with magic, danger, and secrets, with not one but TWO animal sidekicks and a banter-filled enemies-to-friends character arc that will utterly steal your heart.

This book was everything I hoped it would be and then some! I’m already dying to read the next book. It took me a minute to get into it (especially since it was hard to empathize with Twelve’s attitude early on, though it doesn’t take long to understand her). Once I was into it, though, I was absolutely hooked and couldn’t put it down. I’d call this one a must-read for anyone who loves middle grade fantasy.

Fowler sweeps the reader into a world filled with magic and danger and all sorts of creatures, both delightful and dark.

A little bit like Avatar the Last Airbender (but not really), the world is divided into clans. The balance between the clans is rather tenuous, as you might imagine. So the world has the Hunters, which keep the balance and act as a neutral intermediary between them. Well, that’s how it’s supposed to work. Cue our main characters, who are youth at the Hunters Lodge with an impressive amount of baggage and no real clue yet how to actually be real Hunters.

This adventure takes our protagonists far from the safety of the world they’ve known and thrusts them into the “real world,” where they learn the hard way that being a Hunter isn’t always easy.

I mean, there are all sorts of dangerous creatures out there in the wilds and, oh my gosh, I just loved them! Some will definitely give readers goosebumps. Some are a little more straightforward but not any less dangerous. I absolutely loved exploring this world, and I can’t wait to see more of it in the next book!

There is not one but two animal sidekicks in this . . . though I’m not sure Dog really counts as a “sidekick” so much as “older, wiser guardian who is currently questioning his existence and what he did that was so horrible that he’s now stuck with these children.”

In other words, Dog is obviously my spirit animal. I mean, haven’t we all been there? Dog’s attitude and personality absolutely crack me up, and I was immediately taken with him. He obviously cares and isn’t a bad person . . . but human children are frustrating and ridiculously exhausting and definitely don’t listen to a thing you tell them.

As if that’s not enough (and let’s be honest, it definitely is), there’s a second animal sidekick: a squirrel named Widge. And Widge isn’t just there for show, either. Widge may not talk like Dog does, but it’s got a definite personality and plays a significant role in the story. Plus, it’s just so stinking cuuuuute!

The main character, Twelve, is a fun protagonist—not without her faults, of course, but witty and sarcastic and with a backstory that will make you want to just squeeze the stuffing out of her.

I mean, she’s still a kid, and kids can be frustrating, and I wouldn’t expect anything less. Still, all the things Twelve has been through and where she’s ended up are amazing, just for her resiliency and strength. Middle grade books isn’t generally where one might think of finding badass female characters, yet here we are. She’s a character that young girls could easily look up to, flaws and everything, especially with the growth she makes in this book.

Two of my favorite tropes are enemies forced to work together and squads, and Fireborn takes these tropes and makes them its own.

To be fair, our little squad of characters aren’t supposed to be enemies. They’re supposed to be working together as Hunters for the betterment of the world and in fairness to all. Buuuut … well, they’re kids. Kids who happen to have tragic backstories, no less. Nemeses will be declared and enemies will be made and that’s just how things are sometimes.

Forcing this particular group into working together, though, is just *chef’s kiss*. I definitely felt bad for poor Dog, who had to deal with them all and be the adult of the group. The banter between them is sarcastic and hilarious, but there’s also a rather delicious tension between them, too. Which is what makes enemies working together so fun. You never know when one of them is bound to snap, and what disastrous circumstances might befall the group then, hmm?

The most satisfying thing about enemies forced to work together in this case (for me, at least) is the fact that they do, against all odds, manage to create a squad vibe. Mostly unintentionally. Definitely against their wishes. But it’s there and I live for it and I want more of it.

About Aisling Fowler

Aisling was born in 1985 and wishes that she had grown up in a magical, mountainous kingdom, but was actually raised in Surrey on a diet of books and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Her early ‘adventure’ stories involved surprisingly little action and her first novel (3 pages long) was politely declined by publishers at age 11. After earning a BSc in Biology and working as a support worker and then a nurse, the idea for her debut novel, Fireborn, came to her as she moved back and forth between London and the US. Now based in Hackney, when she is not reading or writing, Aisling loves cooking and plotting adventures (for herself as well as her fictional characters). Fireborn will be published by HarperCollins in 2021.

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