Dragons! I loooooooooooove dragons! Seriously, there aren't enough (good) books about dragons! :D

Ahem, on to the review...

Lately, I haven't been reading a lot of books where the main hero(ine) is so young, but I must say that I enjoyed it very much. It was a great read.

The book started with a bang, introducing us our lovely Elena and her father, dragons and setting the stage for our exploration of Paegeia.
As we moved into different settings, all environments and scenes were detailed enough without being too much, letting your mind just enjoy the story.

Character development was good. Elena needs to adjust big time when she sets foot in her new world, having to cope with magic, dragons and prophecy.
Luckily she finds great friends in Sammy, Becky and Lucian.
Blake, the resident bad boy and the dragon everyone is just waiting to turn dark, hovers at the edge, treating Elena with disdain.
The characters felt real, believable (yes yes, even the dragons :p) and were fun to read about.

Pacing and flow were good, there was a good balance between action and conversation. While the book started fast-paced, it does slow down enough for the beginning of the story to fully unfold without being too overwhelming.

The book itself was well written with no (noticeable) errors.

All in all a really nice surprise, I very much enjoyed this instalment and look forward to reading the second book (my poor TBR list). ( )

This book was free on Amazon. In some ways it reminds me of the Harry Potter series or the Rangers Apprentice series--though the main character (Elena) is a bit older than Harry Potter when he first discovers his heritage. I think the Rangers Apprentice characters were closer to Elena's 16 years of age.

The cover seems a bit of a misnomer to me. The sword and the girl's face fit (if Elena is the girl and the sword is the one mentioned in the book). But Elena's not a dragon so having half the face of the girl on the cover be a dragon doesn't fit.

I think I've already figured out a major arc or two (things that I assume will be revealed in later books of the series). Whether I read on to find out if I'm correct or not, I'm not sure yet. I did like the friendships that developed in this book, but I can see some troubles ahead if my arcs prove true. ( )

Elena Watkins is a 16 year old girl who has been living a very nomadic life with her father since she was a toddler. Her mother left her and her father when she was just a very small child with really no explanation in the books as to why. The book begins with Elena and her father on the run from unknown forces, just has Elena has been accustomed to in her young 16 years. This time it is different…they get caught. Elena very drastically and quickly discovers her father is a dragon when he transforms into a full grown dragon to protect her from the other dragons who seem to want her dead. Elena does find a way to escape and she finds herself waking up in an infirmary room surrounded by unknowns adults…and no father. Her father died protecting her from the evils that she didn’t even know existed until that night.

Elena has been gut punched by reality and the world that is Paegeia. A world that is full of magic, dragons and darkness that has been simmering since the death of their beloved King Albert. Elena begins attending the school of Dragonia. A school that is built to teach and train the Dragonians, riders of Dragons, and their Dragon counterparts.

Firebolt takes you through the story of Elena Watkins, her best friends Becky (a dragonian) and Sammy (a dragon) and the search for Elena’s true destiny.

My Opinions:

AHHHHHH!!!!! I needed a good read! The story line and plot that Adrienne Woods developed is wonderful. It is definitely Harry Potter meets Vampire Academy. She did a great job of explaining the different types of dragons and abilities that the dragonians have in order to understand the trajectory the story takes throughout the book. Elena is also a really good heroine . Even though she is 16 years old, she does not carry the immaturity and whiny attitude that a lot of teenager characters possess.

There was just enough action/romance balance in order for one not to overpower the other. Sometimes in stories it is very easy to get so much of one and not enough of the other. It can become overwhelming and drown out either a really good opportunity for relationship development or just a bland and boring storyline. I was also grateful there wasn’t a lot of “fluff” put in throughout the book. I absolutely HATE to get a good taste of a theory or foreshadowing and then not hear another thing about it until the last 10 pages of the book. Who’s with me?!

Star Review:

I very happily give this book 4 stars. This was my first Adrienne Woods novel and I LOVED it. It kept be plugged in until the very end and I automatically purchased the second novel in the series. ( )

This book was mostly enjoyable, but also kind of ridiculous. It was full of so many cliches, and I will eat my hat if she doesn't turn out to be a long lost daughter of a royal family. ( )

I quickly forgot I was reading a book. Within moments I was plunged into a world where magic and dragons are real. I felt like I *was* Elena, her emotions flowing through my veins, what she saw projected in front of my eyes. A brilliant and fun read.

received as a gift ( )