Book Review: Going Down in Flames by Chris Cannon

Going Down in Flames (Going Down in Flames #1)
by Chris Cannon
Genre: Young Adult (Fantasy Romance)
Date Published: June 30, 2014
Publisher: Entangled: Teen

If her love life is going down in flames, she might as well spark a revolution.

Finding out on your sixteenth birthday you’re a shape-shifting dragon is tough to swallow. Being hauled off to an elite boarding school is enough to choke on.

Since Bryn is the only crossbreed at the Institute for Excellence, all eyes are on her, but it’s a particular black dragon, Zavien, who catches her attention.

Zavien is tired of the Council’s rules. Segregated clans, being told who to love, and close-minded leaders make freedom of choice almost impossible. The new girl with the striped hair is a breath of fresh air, and with Bryn’s help, they may be able to change the rules.

At the Institute, old grudges, new crushes, and death threats are all part of a normal day for Bryn. She’ll need to learn to control her dragon powers if she wants to make it through her first year at school. But even focusing on staying alive is difficult when you’re falling for someone you can't have.

Going Down in Flames is the first book in the Going Down in Flames series by Chris Cannon. I absolutely loved this book. There are many different types of dragons within this world and each type, or I guess a better term would be caste since they are pretty much in a caste system of sorts, has it's own talents and abilities. Bryn is a simply awesome main character. I loved her attitude and spunk. Even after she's thrown into a whole new life with new people and a new species, she's a total spit fire... literally. She sticks out like a sore thumb, but she makes some friends, and slowly but surely I think others will come around too.  I'm not sure who to trust still. I keep wondering about Zavien's true intentions..if he has any. I have some predictions about Bryn, but they could fall into the spoiler category, so I better not say here. She takes the death threats and day to day problems like a champ, but yet she lets herself fall apart sometimes. This gave her a very realistic feel, and helped flesh her out even more. The whole dragon Directorate is pretty backwards and horrible. I'm surprised more Dragons haven't gone crazy before now, but it seems like a revolution is on the horizon(as it says in the blurb). I thought from the beginning that this may turn into a love triangle too. I'm still not 100% sure, but also from pretty early on, I kinda liked Jaxon, the guy we're probably not supposed to like.  because he comes off as a flaming a-hole. I just think there is more to him than what we've seen. I think his a-hole-ed-ness is a cover. Valmont was a fun character too. I'd like to learn more about him. I don't think he'll be romantically involved with Bryn. I just didn't feel that chemistry between them. Who knows though. I guess well find out in the next book.

Going Down in Flames by Chris Cannon was kindly provided to me by Mark My Words Book Publicity for review. The opinions are my own.

Check out my review of the other books in this series!

Chris Cannon lives in Southern Illinois with her husband and her three dogs, Pete the shih tzu who sleeps on her desk while she writes, Molly the ever-shedding yellow lab, and Tyson the sandwich-stealing German Shepherd Beagle. She believes coffee is the Elixir of Life. Most evenings after work, you can find her sucking down caffeine and writing fire-breathing paranormal adventures and snarky contemporary romance.

To learn more about Chris Cannon and her books, visit her website.You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, and Twitter.