Review: The last of the Firedrakes

[Royal Bibliophile]

Title: The Last of the Firedrakes
Author: Farah Oomerbhoy
Series: The Avalonia Chronicles
Genre: Young-adult, Fantasy




Goodreads Description:

16-year-old Aurora Darlington is an orphan. Mistreated by her adopted family and bullied at school, she dreams of running away and being free. But when she is kidnapped and dragged through a portal into a magical world, suddenly her old life doesn’t seem so bad.

Avalonia is a dangerous land ruled by powerful mages and a cruel, selfish queen who will do anything to control all seven kingdoms—including killing anyone who stands in her way. Thrust headlong into this new, magical world, Aurora’s arrival sets plans in motion that threaten to destroy all she holds dear.

With the help of a young fae, a magical pegasus, and a handsome mage, Aurora journeys across Avalonia to learn the truth about her past and unleash the power within herself. Kingdoms collide as a complicated web of political intrigue and ancient magic lead Aurora to unravel a shocking secret that will change her life forever.




My review:

This is one of the more complicated ARC’s to review considering my mixed feeling towards it. First impression of the first few chapters, I found the book dull and to be a poor reimaging of the classic Cinderella tale. Aurora has a relationship with her adopted Aunt and cousin very similar to that of Cinderella and her wicked step sisters.

“I flinched at her harsh words but chose to ignore them. It was too early in the morning for another fight. I knew my aunt hated me and didn’t want me around. I had tried being nice and helpful, and I cleaned my room and helped with the chores, but she was still mean to me whenever she got a chance. After a while I had given up trying.”

Aurora’s story got much more interesting once she passed through the tapestry into Avalonia.

The good:

I loved the world Oomerbhoy created; Fae, Pegasi, Mages- OH MY! Hello Magic! Sprinkle all your fairy-tale-land ideas into one and bippity, boppity, boom you have Avalonia. The world seems gorgeous, Oomerbhoy gave every vivid detail into every aspect of the kingdoms. I found myself turning back to the map often to review, this world is huge!



I like how the book didn’t solely focus on romance; it was there but it wasn’t the main focus of the story. Aurora made her own decision without relying solely on her feelings towards Rafe. Rafe’s character had a bit more depth to him, of course he had the typical dark and broody attitude, always turning up to save the day and harboring his own secrets. But at the same time it was his determination to help those who couldn’t help themselves that I found to be utterly pleasing.


Not So Good:
Can Aurora be any more NAÏVE?! In her case ignoranance is not bliss, in my case it was just frustrating! I hated sitting around waiting for her to finally figure out a plot line or characters secret pages in advance.

I was truly disappointed to find everything so predictable.

Don’t get my started on the final battle scene… warning SPOILER!


If your most fearsome evil mage queen orders you to “kill them all” why the hell would you knock the Fae on the back of the head yet slit the throat of the unicorn?! How does this make sense? Wouldn’t it be more proficient to stab the Fae in the back or something so that he would have a less likely chance of surviving? Sounds harsh I know, but it seems rather… off and unrealistic with the way it was written. It may be silly, but this scene SERIOUSLY BOTHERED ME to no end.




Not to mention the ending! OH! Hey look, a secret passageway. The End. UGH WHAT?! Tries to turn page… GRRRRR GRRRR GRRR


I’d give The Last of the Firedrakes 2 out of 5 stars, plus an extra .5 for my curiosity on what happens next.