Farah OomerbhoyThe Last of the Firedrakes: 1 (The Avalonia Chronicles)

This book is so good! With wonderful world-building, and a captivating cast of characters. When I first picked this up I wasn't sure what to expect. But once I got to chapter two I couldn't put it down.Aurora is an orphan, dragged into a magical world. She finds herself in Avalonia, a land of myth and magic where anything is possible. I couldn't put the book down and finished it in 2 days. There is also a school for magic, a Pegasus (whom I loved by the way) and a swashbuckling romantic hero, everything I want to see in a well balanced fantasy story. I simply can't wait to find out what happens to Aurora and Rafe.Aurora can be stubborn at times, but she's brave with an inner courage and sense of duty that goes beyond what would be expected of a girl that age. She goes after what she wants, and even if she makes mistakes she picks herself up. I love that about her.All the other characters are interesting too and their stories and motivations are well thought out.Overall, this is a wonderful debut novel. This author is one to watch. I can't recommend this book enough. Read it trust me you won't be disappointed.

This was my first book by an Indian author,honestly I'm not disappointed at all!.This book is about Aurora our main character who is dragged into a magical world where her life in on the line.She is being hunted by her own aunt who wants her end.This book has a rich description and plot line,it gets interesting after each chapter.This book is a page turner.Though Aurora kept making really stupid decisions, I couldn't bring myself to dislike her.I'm happy I gave it a try!

Did not expect this book to be so intriguing. The way author described the new world was short and kept me reading. I did not find anything that can be improved. I would love to read this book to my girls once they grow older. Yes, this book has some similarities with Harry Potter and other series and you can clearly see how the author was inspired by them. After reading so many fantasy books, I kind of find lot of similarities in all fantasy books now.This is one of fantasy books I loved reading after Throne Of Glass series. Can't wait for the next books in the series --- The Avalonia Chronicles 2 and 3

This book is awesomely good...I loved the way Farah casted rafe and of course Aurora.The book potrays the journey of Aurora from a grumpy teen to a responsible Queen.I liked the way Rafe's personality was created. Deep,mysterious and courageous.It looked like in a few places the plot was borrowed. The Evolon school was little like Hogwarts and Shadow guards like the dementors. Anyways this book is too good and perfect for a fantasy or young adult readers....

“Most maidens are perfectly capable of rescuing themselves in my experience, at least the ones worth something, in any case.”----Erin MorgensternFarah Oomerbhoy, an Indian bestselling author, has penned her debut engaging young adult fantasy novel The Last of the Firedrakes which marks as the first book in The Avalonia Chronicles where the author has weaved a mystical fantasy universe where a young princess has just returned back to rightfully proclaim the throne that belongs to her from an evil queen who killed her parents when she was just a baby, but before that she needs to be groomed and proper training to face that ruthless queen thereby saving the kingdom.Synopsis: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.Aurora is a sixteen year old orphan girl who is ill treated by her adopted family. But soon Aurora gets relived from all the bully from both home and school when she returns back to a fantasy world separated by a magic portal from our world, called, Avalonia, where she actually belongs. Her father was the king of such a mythical land, but an evil and ruthless queen Morgana killed him and his wife and took away that kingdom and now Morgana wants to kill Aurora who is the rightful ruler of that kingdom and Aurora needs proper training in magic and skills in fighting before facing that evil queen in order to save the fate of the entire land. But that's not an easy thing to achieve when the challenges welcome her at every turn of her path, can Aurora save her birth land?No wonder why these fantasy novels are hitting off the bestselling shelves when they are more of an evolved version of the classic fantasy series like Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and Rowling's Harry Potter. There is no way that I cannot give any credit to the author for being so much unoriginal right from the plot development to the character development, everything has a starking similarity to Harry Potter with a Cinderellaish kind of feel. So despite of an unoriginal story line, the readers will slightly feel connected with the story only because of the author's diligently developed fantasy world that is hard to give it a miss.The author's writing style is coherent that the readers will find it easy to comprehend with. The narrative of the book is okay as the dialogues are somewhat cliched hence the readers might find it difficult to grasp the story from the main character's point of view. Right from the very beginning, the story opens in an arresting manner so despite of the lack of depth in the characterization, the readers might feel glued to the book just for the sake of such a vast and creative universe. The pacing of the book is real slow as the author has included so many unnecessary descriptions in the plot, that make the story bit dull, but near the end, the readers will be pushed to the very edge to find out what happens with Aurora and the kingdom.The world that is developed by the author is extremely vivid and bright that the readers will be immediately transported to such a mythical land filled with equally enchanting yet dementors like creatures, captivating landscape with magical fae. The alluring backdrop proves that there is no boundary to the author's creativity and imagination that even holds the power to astound the readers with its grandeur.The characters are very much stereotypical, especially their narratives along with their unbelievable demeanor make the story unstimulating. Not to mention when the main character, Aurora is a typical damsel in distress who needed to be be saved and protected at each and every step of her way. The supporting cast is also not that interesting enough to make the readers feel immersed into the story line. The romance part is cheesy, predictable and extremely tacky.In a nutshell, this was unfortunately an okay read for me and if you fancy a good fantasy or dystopian novel, then you need o look other way, as this one draws a close line to the Harry Potter series.

Many people think it's similar in many ways to other stories such as Harry Potter. But don't think so. This book is unique in its own ways. The book is written in a nice style and it's a mix of medieval kingdoms and magic and what not. I enjoyed reading the book. +Rep, definitely worth the time and money to read this book. Good to know that the author is an Indian.

Negatives- Familiar elements of a powerful, special person thought dead but found alive- A clichéd forbidden romancePositives- An Indian fantasy writer, which is rare as far as i know and didn't know when i started reading the book. I know, what has that got do with quality of the book? But that does make my reading heart quite happy- A familiar but relatable lead character- Interesting range of characters- Slow build up that results in an exciting second half and an interesting caper to the story- Intriguing antagonists especially the lead villain from the family which makes it even more enjoyable- Believable increase in powers and the girl doesn't become an all powerful hero in the end and which leaves room for growth not just in her powers but her thinking too which is much appreciated

Franchement, je ne m’attendais pas à ça ! Bon, en même temps, je n’avais pas lu le résumé. Mais j’ai bien fait ! Avalonia est rempli de créatures magiques dont la plupart sont connues, mais ça n’empêche pas que ce soit super intéressant à découvrir. La magie est omniprésente, même si tout le monde n’en est pas doté. La politique des royaumes est aussi abordée en surface, je pense que l’autrice garde les détails pour la suite.J’ai adoré la découverte d’Avalonia ! On voit plein de choses, sans pour autant être submergées d’informations. L’intrigue prend place assez rapidement. La menace est présente dès l’arrivée d’Aurora à Avalonia. Elle doit y échapper, et tous les moyens sont bons. De nombreuses péripéties viennent agrémenter le récit ainsi que des révélations. Je ne me suis pas ennuyée un seul instant. C’est plutôt classique par certains aspects, mais ça n’empêche pas le roman d’être parfait. Il m’a fait oublier toute notion de temps.Dès le début, j’ai accroché avec Aurora. Elle n’a pas de chance dans la vie, mais elle ne se laisse pas abattre et ne passe pas son temps à se plaindre. Elle est curieuse, intelligente et plutôt mature. Elle évolue énormément et se montre combattive !

Please read this, trust me it's completety worth it. This is in my top 10 book of all time now.

“I had been trying to run from my destiny. I had to stop running. I had to turn and face my life head on. It wasn’t enough being like everyone else; I had to be the best, and I was going to show everyone what I was truly made of. I was done with being a terrified princess, constantly waiting to be saved”Aurora had not had an easy life; she was adopted and knows nothing of her real parents. When they are killed she is taken in by an uncle and his wife and their daughter, Cornelia does everything they can to make her life miserable. She doesn’t fit in at school and has not friends and now she has started to have a recurring nightmare from she wakes up terrified and screaming every night. After a humiliating experience at school her uncle picks her up one day and tells her they are going on a trip to visit his bosses’ home in the country. Despite the fact that her aunt and cousin are also on the trip she is determined to enjoy herself. Little does she know that everything is about to change in her life and she will finally discover who she is, the meaning of the nightmare and her amazing destiny, if she is strong enough to embrace a new life in a new world that is both beautiful and frightening.After seeing her uncle killed by the man who appeared through from behind a tapestry who can shoot bolts from his hands, Aurora is dragged through the portal into Avalonia, a world that is beautiful but so different from the one she left. She knows that she must escape; she knows that the man intends to turn over to the Queen who has been searching for her. She see a chance t get away and attempt t run, but he quickly stops her and proceeds to choke her without touching her; he only stops once she is about to lose consciousness and he tells her it his only because the Queen wants her alive that he doesn’t kill her but if she tries anything else, she’ll be alive when he takes her to the Queen nothing was ever said about what condition she had to be in and he is sure that the Queen will not mind if she is missing a few parts. When they arrive at his bleak and sinister looking castle she is thrown into a cell in the pit with two boys who look to be about the sixteen like her. It is at this point that she learns a little about the world she is now in as she wonders why the Queen wants her and how she will ever get back to her life in her world. But Aurora’s life will never be the same and once she discovers who and what she is she will also find everything that she has been looking for.This was the author’s first novel and while there a few flaws that I am sure will improve a she hones her craft this is a wonderful story. All the characters are well-drawn and the world she has created is so beautifully described the reader feels as she is in the world. The descriptions of the foods will make you hungry even if you have just eaten a holiday dinner; they are mouth-watering even tough some of them will never be found in our mundane world we can imagine the taste because of the way it is written. This is only the second book that I’ve read that the descriptions of food impressed me enough that I mentioned it in the review.This is one of the best new series that I’ve read this year and I look forward to reading the next book.4.5/5 **I want to thank the author and/or the publisher for providing a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review; all opinions are mine.**

I absolutely loved this book i was hooked from start to finish the world-building and mythical creatures were amazing I was completely spellbound!! I love Aurora she definitely comes into her character throughout the book! Now Rafe.......what can I say he is so hot I love him, everybody needs a bit of Rafe in their lives!I highly recommend anyone who is a paranormal fantasy fan who likes a bit of romance to read this you will not be disappointed.......I just wish the second book was available now as I really need to find out what happens next. Farah your an amazing author please don't leave me hanging too long. 5* happy reading :)

The Last of the Firedrakes begins the adventures of 16 year old Aurora Darlington, who is thrown unexpectedly into the magical land of Avalonia.This book contains a lot of familiar fantasy elements — a protagonist who lost both parents at an early age; magical beasts; fae; a magic school; an evil ruler who will stop at nothing to get our hero — but it takes the best of these and creates a world that will suck you in and make you never want to leave. The story moves along at a great pace, and the many mysteries surrounding Aurora's past, her destiny, and the true intentions of the many interesting characters she meets along the way make this book very hard to put down.Where the book really shines is with its beautiful descriptions and detailed world building, which paint vivid pictures of all the locations, and create a believable, living fantasy land rich with history.This is very much a romantic fantasy, which may not suit fans of darker stories, such as those by George R R Martin, Tolkien or Abercrombie. But if you prefer a slightly lighter shade of fantasy, with a good helping of action, danger, and intrigue, The Last of the Firedrakes is for you.