Flamefall by Rosaria Munda (The Aurelian Cycle #2)

Reviewed by Sam!

There ARE spoilers for book 1, but there’s also a review if you’d rather start there.

What I drank prior: Parker is here!! I’ve had probably a bottle of wine and still two hours to go!! Also two shots. Woo!

Goodreads Overview:

Revolutionary flames ignite around Annie, Lee, and a brand new POV character in the second book of the Fireborne trilogy.

After fleeing the revolution and settling into the craggy cliffs of New Pythos, the Dragonlords are eager to punish their usurpers–and reclaim their city. Their first order of business was destroying the Callipolan food supply. Now they’re coming for the Dragonriders.

Annie is Callipolis’s new Firstrider, and while her goal has always been to protect the people, being the government’s enforcer has turned her into public enemy number one.

Lee struggles to find his place after killing kin to prove himself to a leader who betrayed him. He can support Annie and the other Guardians . . . or join the radicals who look to topple the new regime.

Griff, a lowborn dragonrider who serves New Pythos, knows he has no future. And now that Julia, the Firstrider who had protected him, is dead, he is called on to sacrifice everything for the lords that oppress his people–or to forge a new path with the Callipolan Firstrider seeking his help.

With famine tearing Callipolis apart and the Pythians determined to take back what they lost, it will be up to Annie, Lee, and Griff to decide what to fight for–and who to love.

Drunk Overview: this is the sequel to Fireborne, the Romanov revolution with dragons fantasy story. In this, we’ve got our love Annie, who is the new first rider is trying to deal its life as first rider. Poor Lee is trying to deal with the fratricide that he committed. So there’s a war coming and this book is all about that.

Spoiler-free Thoughts: this fell into second book syndrome. I liked it but it definitely took entirely too long to get there.

Characters: There are so many that I love. Duck and Cor, my favorites. They are just so pure but also so noble at the same time. Then there’s Power and the other high-born chicklett. They get a whole dose of humble pie in this but in the absolute best way. There’s also a new set of perspective in this, from a serf in the “old world” or rather, the monarch awful folk who left during the rebellion. Griff is a serf who is beholden to Delo as a squire. We like Delo, he’s great and pure but also part of the system. But then there’s Ixion, aka the brother of the guy that Lee killed in Book 1 and he sucks. I love Griff, I love the journey he takes, it’s so traditional of a hero story, but in such a unique way.

Then we have our mai squeezes, Annie and Lee. For the love of the actual gods, I cannot even with them. Literally nothing would have happened in the way it did if they actually trusted each other and TOLD EACH OTHER what was going on. Both of them want the same thing, idiots, and they’re just on proud and I canNOT stand it.

Plot: Such a second book flaw where characters literally only need to communicate and things would be ok. We just don’t need this book if someone tells the other the truth. It’s annoying.

Writing Style: Not unique enough to matter

World Building: OK BUT DRAGONS. I know dragons aren’t always this cool, but this world is COOL.

What to pair it with: Long island. It does not taste like the alcohol is there, but it 100% is.

Rating: 3.5/5 Shots

Until next time, we remain forever drunkenly yours,
Sam