Firebird Book Review

Firebird (The Fire That Binds book 1) Book Summary From Goodreads

House of the Dragon meets From Blood and Ash in this epic, scorching dark romantasy.

A conqueror captivated…
A witch prophesied to save them all…
An unforgiving world where dragons rule Rome.

Julian Dakkia, Roman general and nephew to the emperor, has played his role as conqueror well. Yet, the moment he laid eyes on Malina, he was enthralled by the Dacian dancer. Years later, the fierce beauty stands before him, a captive on a scarred battlefield, her life in danger. He instinctively shifts into his fierce dragon form to save her, an action that may mean his head on the imperial gate.

The rules of their world dictate that he is the conqueror and she is the captured. But he and his dragon know one thing: their bond has nothing to do with the laws of mighty Rome. She belongs to them. And they belong to her.

Fierce and powerful, twenty-one-year old Malina has survived the loss of her family and she is determined to fight until her dying breath. Still, she can’t believe that the centurion who had once bestowed a secret talisman on her is the Roman general of legendary brutality…and now holds her life in his hands. Nor can she deny how her soul has always seemed to answer his. Slowly she learns that Julian is caught in his mad uncle’s machinations for domination, and helps him plot the downfall of the empire itself.

As they navigate a world where flying deathriders conquer and burn, their love will ignite a firestorm that can only end in heartbreak or death. Or both.

Trigger warnings: Firebird is a fantasy with some dark themes, including elements of master/slave relationship, attempted sexual assault (not between MCs), and dubious consent (not between MCs). Readers who may be sensitive to these elements, please take note.

About the Book and Where to Buy Firebird (The Fire That Binds #1)

Firebird is the first book in The Fire That Binds series by Juliette Cross, released on April 8, 2025. You can find the gorgeous sprayed edge hard back at most major retailers, like Barnes and Noble, Target and Walmart. There’s also the Waterstones Exclusive Edition.

Or you can purchase this book through my amazon affiliate link if you want to support this review. It’s also available on Kindle Unlimited.

Tropes:

• Ancient Rome
• Enemies-to-Lovers
• Fated Mates
• Dragon Shifters
• Forced Proximity 
• Touch Her and Die
• Dark Romantasy

Special Editions

• FairyLoot
• Bookish Box

My Thoughts on Firebird (The Fire That Binds #1)

Firebird was fast paced and an easy read. It was so well written (I loved that the author incorpoarated Roman words) and the FMC and MMC were easy to fall in love with. BUT this is a DARK Fantasy Romance book and some people will absolutely hate it and DNF it because of some of the trigger warnings. So read the trigger warnings first, and avoid the book if you’re sensitive to any. I’d hate for this book to get a bad review just because you were triggered by it. And remember, this is fiction – we don’t condone these scenarios in real life.

Okay, so Julian is this general in an army but he’s also a dragon shifter. When he see’s Malina dancing one evening he literally is entranced by her. He gives her a coin and she keeps it because she feels it’ll keep her safe. Fast forward a few years and he see’s her being attacked by one of his men. He has a dragon inside of him that has a mind and heart of his own that is VERY protective and possessive of her.

Spoilers ahead……so stop reading if you haven’t read the book yet.

So this is not a slow burn romance, and it is kinda spicy. They end up being fated mates. He wants to over throw his uncle, the emperor and do away with slavery. She was gifted with powers from the goddess Minerva. He’s got a tough guy exterior, but he’s super gentle and caring with her, she turns into a bad ass despite losing all her family…or so she thinks.

The ending of the book, gives us hope that not all her family is dead and sets up the idea of hat book 2 will be about.

Stay in touch with the author

Juliette Cross’s website and her Instagram