I'm definitely regretting putting off this arc now that I've actually finished it. I wasn't expecting much from this, to be honest, but this book was amazing nonetheless.

Not many fantasy series are set after the revolution has already happened and generally focus on what leads up to it, with an assumed happy ending. This book shows that a revolution isn't an instant happy ending for the characters, society, world etc., and rather recreating the entire world to a new vision, without falling back on to old habits, is incredibly difficult. This book spends most of its times pondering questions of morality, whether that be in society itself or in the relationships between certain characters. It asks questions that you can never fully answer, and seems to fit the gray morality most fantasy worlds function in, rather than trying to paint things black and white. Fireborne does this so well, especially in the juxtaposition of the old society vs. the new. The main characters, due to their high role in society as dragon riders, are constantly forced to make tough decisions regarding these two societies, and have to try to navigate if the post-revolution society is actually even better than the one it forced out. It's extremely fascinating to read.

The characters themselves are also full of depth and layers, from the main characters to the side characters. Even they generally exist in between good and evil, depending on which perspective you view them through, and it seems to reveal the reality of the world, that no one is all one thing and sometimes hard decisions have to be made. This is especially shown in the relationship between Annie and Lee, dragon riders who grew up and trained together yet always a tension between each other, as Lee is secretly the son of the old Dragonlord who killed Annie's family. Their navigation of this power dynamic, and whether it still remains or not, is integral to the unraveling to the story and is overall well-written. There are other characters as well that seem to play on readers' sympathies at different moments, until later truths are revealed and things are uncertain once again. This entire novel is constantly asking its readers to engage differently with each character, and the process is a tough, yet interesting one.

Overall, I can't wait to see what book 2 brings, and I'll definitely be picking it up as soon as it comes out!