i knew absolutely nothing about this book. i saw it randomly in my local waterstones and i got it because the edition that was there was simply too stunning to pass up. the gorgeous sprayed edges? i have a lot of pretty books but this one was truly love at first sight. since it’s a middle grade fantasy (for ages 9-12 i believe) i knew it would be a easy read and a good break from the usual stuff but i didn’t expect it to be just as good as it is. I mean I could go on and on but I think the most important part of this book is both self-forgiveness and friendship. Twelve has always in some way hated herself for the death of her sister and her whole village. The poor girl had to dig holes to bury the bodies, you can understand that she is broken and that it would shape itself into anger and vengeance. But when she finds out that the clan she has hated for so long as produced people she now calls her friends, she is immediately disgusted and angry. I am happy that she realized that it was not their fault. Since the Dark War, Ember has been mostly at peace but one night after a fight breaks out between Twelve and Five which results in the two of them spending the night in the dungeons, all hell breaks loose and one of the huntlings is kidnapped by Goblins. Twelve, Five, Six and Dog team up to rescue her and from then on the book is all adventure, scary monsters, fighting and danger!

Firebornswept me away to a rich, vibrant world filled with bold characters and enthralling monsters. A fantastic debut’ Joseph Elliott, author of The Good Hawk But with her new powers come new responsibilities. When a plea for help arrives from the long-lost witch clan, it’s clear Phoenix’s newfound fire is their only hope. Phoenix and her friends must travel to Icegaard, the witches’ home, to combat the mysterious darkness there—one that grows stronger each day. But deep within this darkness lies an enemy that could destroy Ember entirely . . . unless Phoenix can find the strength to stop it. Astounding. An incredibly accomplished fantasy that’s not afraid of the dark side.” — Nicola Skinner, author of Starboard One should never judge a book by its cover but this cover seems to work very well for its target group: Once my son, age 11, saw the cover in my review he asked me to get him the book once it is translated to German. So this is what we will do 😃. Especially as this book will be perfect for my son even though the main character is a girl. This book is the perfect fantasy novel for middle grade children of all sexes.

The perfect balance of high adventure, breathless action and eerie wonder’ Jonathan Stroud, author of the Bartimaeus trilogy I loved the character of Twelve so much, she was strong and resilient but also flawed which is something that I absolutely loved becasue we got to see her change and learn from her mistakes and her flaws throughout the course of the book. Five, Six, and Dog made up a great team with Twelve, and seeing them all interact was so fun and interesting, especially as certain things got revealed and their growing friendship was tested. I also loved the monsters and the goblins becasue they were written very well and were suitably evil, which means that they posed a great challenge to Twelve and the hunters. And Victory, I have so many spoilery thoughts so I won't share them here! This book should come with a CANNOT BE PUT DOWN warning. Children are going to fall in love with this heart-stopping adventure, and I was with Twelve and Dog every thrilling step of the way.” —Jenny McLachlan, author of The Land of Roar Het is slechts drie maanden nadat het Jagersfort (de plek waar Feniks en haar vrienden voor getraind zijn om het fort te beschermen) verwoest is. Een heks van het ijspaleis uit IJsgaard schakelt de hulp van Feniks en haar vrienden in, het verkeert namelijk in groot gevaar en wordt belaagd door een kwaadaardige grootmacht: de Schaduwwerper. There were loads of things that I liked about this book. Aisling Fowler’s writing is fantastic. Her writing style is really easy to read and she maintains the pace all the way through the book.

My son and I loved this middle-grade debut fantasy, full of friendships, magical creatures and a quest to save a fellow hunter! It was well written with some great figurative language that I could appreciate and discuss with my 9 year old. I loved the trials she overcame, both physical and emotional, and the supporting cast around her, whose personalities were slowly revealed as Twelve just as steadily opened herself to them. I'm very eager to discover what the second series instalment has in store for her.You also do not find out or even suspect who the real villain is in the story until the end and I never even suspected it so that was a brilliant surprise! In this book we follow the story of four of these huntlings. Twelve, Five, Six and Seven as well as the lodge guardian Dog and Twelve’s adorable squirrel companion Widge. I absolutely loved Fireborn. Such a cinematic journeyin both the literal and emotional sense! Right away ithad the feeling of something that’s going to be huge,and the world Aisling has created is so rich andengaging. I cannot wait to read what happensnext to Phoenix and her friends’ LD Lapinski, author of The Strangeworlds Travel Agency Epic, sweeping and full of heart – FIREBORN is truly something special. I can’t wait for the next book in the series!” —Hannah Gold, bestselling author of The Last Bear