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Battleborn #1
Fireborn: The Battleborn Series, Book 1
Two brothers. One lie. A tangled destiny.
Gaeron Andel is a champion of the people. A faithful servant. An oath burned into him by his dying mother. He follows her path, the way of the warrior.
Gaeron upholds Heliran Andel’s honor as he seeks freedom from bondage while his treacherous brother spits on her memory in search of selfish glory.
With steel, Gaeron shields those who can’t protect themselves, while his brother casts family honor aside to claim an undeserved title.
A usurper lurks in the fold, a menace from within that may break their people. Gaeron wants his freedom, but he’s blood in the sand. His people come first. Freedom may have to wait for blood to be spilled.
Pitted against what is true and what revenge demands, Gaeron must decide between upholding family loyalty or bringing his brother to justice.
Can treachery grounded in shame be washed away by a brother’s blood?
Gaeron Andel is a champion of the people. A faithful servant. An oath burned into him by his dying mother. He follows her path, the way of the warrior.
Gaeron upholds Heliran Andel’s honor as he seeks freedom from bondage while his treacherous brother spits on her memory in search of selfish glory.
With steel, Gaeron shields those who can’t protect themselves, while his brother casts family honor aside to claim an undeserved title.
A usurper lurks in the fold, a menace from within that may break their people. Gaeron wants his freedom, but he’s blood in the sand. His people come first. Freedom may have to wait for blood to be spilled.
Pitted against what is true and what revenge demands, Gaeron must decide between upholding family loyalty or bringing his brother to justice.
Can treachery grounded in shame be washed away by a brother’s blood?
Audible Audio
Published August 19, 2024
52 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
About the author
Paul Sating
42 books70 followersJoin Paul's newsletter and get three free stories: https://www.paulsating.com/free-books
Paul Sating is a fantasy author and podcaster who spends most of his time traveling the Pacific Northwest in search of elusive monsters everyone claims aren't real.
The creator of the Audio Fiction podcast, Paul began adapting many of those scripts to novel form and published his first three books in 2018. He is now fooling around with his first love--dark fantasy. He writes epic, urban, and even litrpg (a trust jack of all trades and master of none).
He stays grounded by rooting for bad soccer teams, traveling around his beautiful corner of the world, and spending every moment he can with the three people who don't let him think too highly of himself--his wife and daughters.
Paul Sating is a fantasy author and podcaster who spends most of his time traveling the Pacific Northwest in search of elusive monsters everyone claims aren't real.
The creator of the Audio Fiction podcast, Paul began adapting many of those scripts to novel form and published his first three books in 2018. He is now fooling around with his first love--dark fantasy. He writes epic, urban, and even litrpg (a trust jack of all trades and master of none).
He stays grounded by rooting for bad soccer teams, traveling around his beautiful corner of the world, and spending every moment he can with the three people who don't let him think too highly of himself--his wife and daughters.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
April 7, 2022
Brother against Brother. Lies against Honor. Great character development and interaction keeps you turning the page, wondering where this will go next. I loved the glimpses into the other characters and hope to see more of them in the upcoming installments of the series.
Fireborn is my first introduction to this writers works and must say it did not disappoint. Look forward to checking out more of his works.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Fireborn is my first introduction to this writers works and must say it did not disappoint. Look forward to checking out more of his works.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
April 27, 2022
I've been thoroughly enjoying Paul Sating's Zodiac series, so I was quite excited to see the beginning of a new series of his, this time a foray into the Epic Fantasy genre, to delve into.
Fireborn introduces a tale of two brothers, Gaeron and Nevilan, pitted against each other in a world where nothing matters more than honor and the skills of a warrior. There's intense sibling rivalry, themes of honor, valour and betrayal, thrilling combat scenes... A lot of promising (though familiar) ingredients in this series opener, but I've gotta be honest: I had hoped I'd enjoy this more. It's a solid beginning, but didn't exactly knock my socks off.
For one, there's the characters. We've got the typical hero - hotheaded, honorable, exceptional fighter - and his sidekick, we've got the typical villain - devious, cowardly, smarmy little shit (and, kudos to Sating: it takes some skill to introduce a character one despises quite so much from the very first page he turns up on) - and his underling. They could all use some more depth and complexity, so far they're all feeling a mite one-dimensional. The most interesting character for me was Chali, I felt a lot more invested in her fate than that of any of the others. Now, I know this author can write excellent character development over the course of a series, which gives me hope that these guys will acquire more depth in time... I just wish we'd seen a little more of it right off the bat.
Another area I was not as thrilled with as I would have hoped is the worldbuilding. It's not your run-of-the-mill medieval Europe-esque fantasy land, which I'm all in favour of. This universe has a distinctly different feel. It's just... a little vague at the moment. On the one hand, I greatly appreciate that Sating doesn't hit his readers over the head with endless infodumpy exposition but instead just tosses them into this new world to discover it for themselves. On the other hand, however... I need more background. I have so many questions about this world, its history, culture, social spheres, how and why some of its more... let's call them "unique"... customs came into being. Once again, I have no doubt more depth will be given and questions answered in time... I'm just not sure I'm invested enough to stick around long enough.
On the whole, the book kept me entertained, but didn't really suck me in. I might give the second volume a try to see if that does the trick... if not, I'll just stick with the Zodiac books.
*** I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. ***
Fireborn introduces a tale of two brothers, Gaeron and Nevilan, pitted against each other in a world where nothing matters more than honor and the skills of a warrior. There's intense sibling rivalry, themes of honor, valour and betrayal, thrilling combat scenes... A lot of promising (though familiar) ingredients in this series opener, but I've gotta be honest: I had hoped I'd enjoy this more. It's a solid beginning, but didn't exactly knock my socks off.
For one, there's the characters. We've got the typical hero - hotheaded, honorable, exceptional fighter - and his sidekick, we've got the typical villain - devious, cowardly, smarmy little shit (and, kudos to Sating: it takes some skill to introduce a character one despises quite so much from the very first page he turns up on) - and his underling. They could all use some more depth and complexity, so far they're all feeling a mite one-dimensional. The most interesting character for me was Chali, I felt a lot more invested in her fate than that of any of the others. Now, I know this author can write excellent character development over the course of a series, which gives me hope that these guys will acquire more depth in time... I just wish we'd seen a little more of it right off the bat.
Another area I was not as thrilled with as I would have hoped is the worldbuilding. It's not your run-of-the-mill medieval Europe-esque fantasy land, which I'm all in favour of. This universe has a distinctly different feel. It's just... a little vague at the moment. On the one hand, I greatly appreciate that Sating doesn't hit his readers over the head with endless infodumpy exposition but instead just tosses them into this new world to discover it for themselves. On the other hand, however... I need more background. I have so many questions about this world, its history, culture, social spheres, how and why some of its more... let's call them "unique"... customs came into being. Once again, I have no doubt more depth will be given and questions answered in time... I'm just not sure I'm invested enough to stick around long enough.
On the whole, the book kept me entertained, but didn't really suck me in. I might give the second volume a try to see if that does the trick... if not, I'll just stick with the Zodiac books.
*** I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. ***
April 17, 2022
Editing to add that I actually didn't initially mean to request this ARC from Booksirens. I thought I was getting a different one with a similar title. Figured I'd give this three chapters to attempt to hook me and, it succeeded! So, kudos to Sating for hooking me from the beginning! :) Read on for my full thoughts!
Will likely be writing a longer review later but immediate thoughts are as follows:
-liked the mostly dual pov as I always enjoy seeing how differently people see each other
-pretty good worldbuilding
-prose was decent; however, I felt there was an overuse of analogies that often distracted from the scene rather than enhanced it (for me at least)
-there ended up being a lot of rehashing of various things, but particularly of the opening sequence. Personally, I wanted them to face the consequences of their actions much sooner and then move on to the fall out of those.
Please note that a 3 star means I did enjoy this book and would recommend it to those who like a quick fantasy read that has decent battle scenes, discussions of loyalty vs betrayal, and a form of sibling rivalry.
I wrote the above quite literally as soon as I finished Fireborn. What kept this from being a 4 star read for me was that I felt we spent too long on one event. My guess is that we will see a progression of scenarios in sequels; however, I wanted more progression and more heightening of stakes within this installment. I'm aware but that felt like a middle of the book conflict rather than the climax for me.
All that to say, I will be keeping an eye out for the sequels to see how Nevilen and Gauran's journeys continue. I've also got a bit of a soft sport for Drulf and want to see more of him, too!
This book is good for those who would like:
-a taste of epic fantasy in a size that is easily consumable
-a focus on traditions, honor, betrayal, etc.
-minimal to no romance in the book (there is one brief sex scene but romance is definitely NOT the focus of this book)
-fight scenes versus both creatures and humans
-dual(ish) pov [there is a third pov but she gets, I believe, two chapters? Never fear, women also play an important role in the story but only one has any pov story time]
I received an ARC of this book and am leaving this review voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Will likely be writing a longer review later but immediate thoughts are as follows:
-liked the mostly dual pov as I always enjoy seeing how differently people see each other
-pretty good worldbuilding
-prose was decent; however, I felt there was an overuse of analogies that often distracted from the scene rather than enhanced it (for me at least)
-there ended up being a lot of rehashing of various things, but particularly of the opening sequence. Personally, I wanted them to face the consequences of their actions much sooner and then move on to the fall out of those.
Please note that a 3 star means I did enjoy this book and would recommend it to those who like a quick fantasy read that has decent battle scenes, discussions of loyalty vs betrayal, and a form of sibling rivalry.
I wrote the above quite literally as soon as I finished Fireborn. What kept this from being a 4 star read for me was that I felt we spent too long on one event. My guess is that we will see a progression of scenarios in sequels; however, I wanted more progression and more heightening of stakes within this installment. I'm aware but that felt like a middle of the book conflict rather than the climax for me.
All that to say, I will be keeping an eye out for the sequels to see how Nevilen and Gauran's journeys continue. I've also got a bit of a soft sport for Drulf and want to see more of him, too!
This book is good for those who would like:
-a taste of epic fantasy in a size that is easily consumable
-a focus on traditions, honor, betrayal, etc.
-minimal to no romance in the book (there is one brief sex scene but romance is definitely NOT the focus of this book)
-fight scenes versus both creatures and humans
-dual(ish) pov [there is a third pov but she gets, I believe, two chapters? Never fear, women also play an important role in the story but only one has any pov story time]
I received an ARC of this book and am leaving this review voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
March 10, 2022
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
There's something special when you read a novel centering around the ties of brotherhood/sisterhood or basically the powerful connection between siblings. Here the author explores the dark side of the bond and history of two brothers - one born for greatness and loved by all, and the other being looked down on his whole life and being ready to do anything to get what is rightfully his no matter the cost. Everything that happens between the two leaves you breathless, shocked and wanting for the best of ending - even if deep down you know it's not so simple. Amazing start! Can't wait to see the other two installments!
There's something special when you read a novel centering around the ties of brotherhood/sisterhood or basically the powerful connection between siblings. Here the author explores the dark side of the bond and history of two brothers - one born for greatness and loved by all, and the other being looked down on his whole life and being ready to do anything to get what is rightfully his no matter the cost. Everything that happens between the two leaves you breathless, shocked and wanting for the best of ending - even if deep down you know it's not so simple. Amazing start! Can't wait to see the other two installments!
March 12, 2022
Fireborn tells the tale of two brothers - Gaeron Andel is a noble younger brother who strives to serve and defend his people honourably as a warrior, Nevilan Andel is a cunning older brother who plots his ascension on lies and betrayals. The story is fascinating and attention grabbing. There are some great side characters like Chali and Gaeron's best friend. This is definitely a series worth reading. 4/5 stars
April 12, 2022
Received an ARC copy and read it I have to say it's excellent if a bit short for my tastes lol
March 19, 2022
Received as a review copy from Booksirens, this is an honest review. The author Paul Sating known for his witty urban fantasy trends quite a dark road with Fireborn that begins this epic fantasy series. Follow the harrowing journey of two brothers: Gaeron and Nevilan, both desiring completely different things; discovering their fate as darkly intertwined with both of them facing harsh truths as haunting secrets expose so much pain. Brimming with intense fights, scary creatures that are the stuff of nightmares and complex rituals that define the brothers' world; Fireborn keeps you engaged and questioning why it's secrets had to exist in the first place. Highly recommended.
May 22, 2022
Great beginning to a new series!
As a fan of Paul Sating’s Zodiac series, I was looking forward to reading Fireborn, and I am happy to say it didn’t disappoint. The dark world of the Battleborn series pulled me in from the first page and didn’t let go until I finished the last page.
The author built a complicated and intriguing new world. The two main characters—the brothers Gaeron and Nevilan—are just as different and complex as their paths and destinies in this world. The story is filled with beautifully written and intense battle scenes, terrifying creatures and dark secrets. Highly recommend to anyone who loves Dark Epic Fantasy.
As a fan of Paul Sating’s Zodiac series, I was looking forward to reading Fireborn, and I am happy to say it didn’t disappoint. The dark world of the Battleborn series pulled me in from the first page and didn’t let go until I finished the last page.
The author built a complicated and intriguing new world. The two main characters—the brothers Gaeron and Nevilan—are just as different and complex as their paths and destinies in this world. The story is filled with beautifully written and intense battle scenes, terrifying creatures and dark secrets. Highly recommend to anyone who loves Dark Epic Fantasy.
June 5, 2022
I enjoyed the book and have started to read the next in the series. The plot revolves around two brothers, one good one not so much. A little sex, but not over the top, and the battles are decent, but mostly it is the drama between the two brothers which kept me into the book until the end. The book ends unfinished in that this series is just a series of books that will eventually lead to a conclusion but what that conclusion will be is still uncertain. I'm still hooked and looking forward to seeing what adventures the next book provides.
June 16, 2022
I received this book free for an honest review. I really struggled with this book. I am a big fan of this author, but this book was hard for me to get into. I did consider not finishing, but decided to keep trying for 2 more chapters. It did get better after that and I did end up enjoying the book. I'm also very very curious as to how the rest of the story is going to go. But I did struggle. It had nothing to do with anything poor in the story it self. The story is a good concept and I enjoyed it. But, for me, at first I found it slow and a difficult read. It is very different from Sating's Zodiac series.
December 16, 2023
Audiobook: This was my first experience with Paul Sating's work, and it was entertaining. Gaeron was honorable and a champion of the people. Nevilan traveled a different path. The worldbuilding was extensive, and I enjoyed the various fantastical creatures created by the author. The characters were too one dimensional as Gaeron only had good characteristics and Nevilan didn't seem to have any good qualities. There were some exciting descriptive fight scenes. Paul Sating's narration was fine, and his performance kept my attention. I was given a free copy of the audiobook, and I have voluntarily posted this review.
August 6, 2022
The MC lives in a rather ridiculous barbaric desert matriarchal warrior society. The MC is a brave capable grunt while is brother is a showy, intrigant, cowardly thinker who progresses undeservedly.
The brother reminded me partly of Tyrion Lannister and if the author would not have gone out of his way to make him loathsome i would have liked him more than the grunt like MC. The story is nothing to write home about. We read about archaic pubescence rituals involving male scrotum and the huge moral dilemma the MC has with his brother. Nothing interesting happens within this book.
The brother reminded me partly of Tyrion Lannister and if the author would not have gone out of his way to make him loathsome i would have liked him more than the grunt like MC. The story is nothing to write home about. We read about archaic pubescence rituals involving male scrotum and the huge moral dilemma the MC has with his brother. Nothing interesting happens within this book.
August 5, 2022
.
.
I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT’S GOING ON IN THIS SERIES. Also the writing seems bad to me.
I quit immediately and dumped the book.
I hate this book.
.
.
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I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT’S GOING ON IN THIS SERIES. Also the writing seems bad to me.
I quit immediately and dumped the book.
I hate this book.
.
.
February 23, 2023
Loved this book. It has great ideas and characters, even if one is particularly unloveable, and moves at a good pace. Easy reading and extremely enjoyable.
May 20, 2025
pulls you right in
That was such a great start to a series, it draws you right in and has great action scenes and can’t wait to learn more about the characters
That was such a great start to a series, it draws you right in and has great action scenes and can’t wait to learn more about the characters
September 1, 2023
Fireborn is a great start to a new series as our MC struggles with a terrible secret of treachery and betrayal by his brother during a battle gone wrong. Due to his brothers cowardly nature their leader falls in what should have been a simple monster fight. Yet his brother regains his heroics as the slayer of the beast. Can Gaeron overcome his brothers treachery gain his own freedom and make an honorable name for himself? Time will tell as the brothers move forward in a silent battle as lies, and deceit overshadow truth and honor.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews