#crissa sur phaedra

[allaboardthexwing]

its just some of my faves from Fireborne, the first book of the Aurelian Cycle

[katiifaye]

Crissa sur Phaedra

She is THE moment

More Fireborne fanart 🔥

[luminousdryad]

characterization and relationships in The Aurelian Cycle

a common criticism Fireborne gets is the slow start and how it starts off feeling generic? personally I liked that it opened with the tournament because it immediately established character dynamics and archetypes, which were then played with and even subverted later on

Lee choosing his new family, the Guardians over his surviving relatives made so much sense because we were already shown from the beginning how close he'd become to these people. Annie is narratively the most important person in his life, but Cor, Crissa, even Duck are given a lot of importance. He and Cor are like brothers, so Duck has become a sort of younger brother to him too. I love that Lee mentions becoming close with Cor and Crissa because they were the squadron leaders and had to cooperate often. It's understandable that Annie would be friends with Duck, who is often bullied. Outside of Lee and/or Annie, they have their own interactions as well. Cor and Annie are both protective of Duck and are friends. Annie and Crissa are roommates and get along better than the other girls. Crissa acts like an older sister to Duck because he's her squadron leader. What I'm saying is, all of their relationships with one another are so understandable and organic, none of their interactions feel forced and it gives the story so much heart.

I love, love LOVE the tiny bits of background sprinkled throughout the text about the side characters, among them Lee mentioning Crissa was nervous about being squadron leader, Annie's flashbacks with Duck, Lee and Annie visiting the Sutters often.

Even the minor characters have individual personalities with what little we get from them. Rock is a gentle giant who makes bets with his buddy Lotus, and they're always around each other. Alexa and Deirdre are Those Two Girls who giggle and snicker but are capable dragonriders themselves. Ola is the shy girl who sometimes participates in the fun. Max and Deirdre are together.

And the character who surprised me most: Power. I originally dismissed him to be the one-note bully archetype, but I got curious about his character after Annie defeated him in the tournament and he didn't throw a tantrum or anything (which was what I was expecting). He was an ass, sure, but then he turned out to be more complex than that. He helped Annie with mastering spillovers, which turned out to be the gateway to her ability to summon without a summoner. He genuinely tried to get her to win, and he only got better in the later books. That moment where it was revealed he was adopted was such a jaw-dropper because, like I said, I initially dismissed him to be a flat character (too used to this being a thing in YA) but there were more layers to him than I thought.

[teashh]

I just posted a gist about Furysong by Rosaria Munda. What a thrilling conclusion to a beautiful series. Simple with political intrigue, angst, dragons, morally grey characters and a narrative that will keep you hooked. Word of advice: don't get attached. My heart hurts. My hurt hurts. My heart is gone. It was amazing.