Firebird by Juliette Cross: 20-Question Quiz
This quiz covers the full story of Firebird, from the Dacian prologue to the Britannia epilogue. Questions are grouped by type and include both multiple-choice and short-answer formats. Use your memory of the novel—or the chapter outline—to answer. The complete answer key follows the quiz.
Plot & Sequence (8 questions)
1. (Multiple choice) In the prologue, what object does the Roman centurion give to Malina?
- A) A silver locket
- B) A gold aureus of Fortuna
- C) A dragon scale
- D) A lock of his hair
2. (Multiple choice) Why does Julian kill his own soldier Silvanus in Chapter 5?
- A) Silvanus tried to desert the army
- B) Silvanus attempted to rape a Celtic prisoner
- C) Silvanus insulted the emperor
- D) Silvanus stole from Julian’s war chest
3. (Short answer) What name does Julian give Malina the first time he sees her again in Gaul?
4. (Multiple choice) What is the “Rite of Skulls” ceremony that Ciprian performs?
- A) A gladiator duel to the death
- B) A ritual where dragon generals add blood to a skull bowl
- C) A marriage rite between dragon lords
- D) A funeral for fallen Roman soldiers
5. (Multiple choice) How does Julian defeat Ciprian in the Colosseum duel (Chapter 28)?
- A) He burns Ciprian with dragon fire
- B) He wounds Ciprian’s wing and thigh, pinning him
- C) He beheads Ciprian with a sword
- D) The emperor declares a draw before the fight begins
6. (Short answer) What does Malina use to bind a bargain with the goddess Minerva in Chapter 32?
7. (Multiple choice) Where do Malina and Julian flee to at the end of the novel?
- A) Gaul
- B) Dacia
- C) Britannia
- D) Hispania
8. (Short answer) What gift do Julian and Malina send to Emperor Igniculus in the epilogue?
Character Motivation (5 questions)
9. (Multiple choice) Why does Julian initially agree to take Malina to the forum in Chapter 4?
- A) He wants to show her off to the senators
- B) He agrees only if she will answer his questions about her magic each evening
- C) He hopes to sell her to a wealthy patrician
- D) He needs her to identify a spy for him
10. (Multiple choice) What is Julian’s primary personal motive for plotting against Emperor Igniculus?
- A) Greed for more land and slaves
- B) Revenge for the murder of his parents
- C) Ambition to become emperor himself
- D) Loyalty to a rival senator
11. (Short answer) Why does Malina accept the dangerous mission to live in Ciprian’s house after the Colosseum duel?
12. (Multiple choice) Why does Julian keep Stefanos hidden in his household?
- A) Stefanos is a disgraced former legatus
- B) Stefanos is a dragon-born child of mixed blood, against Roman law
- C) Stefanos has a magical curse that Julian hopes to break
- D) Stefanos is a spy for the emperor
13. (Multiple choice) Why does Malina decide to help Julian kill Caesar after she tends his poisoned wound?
- A) She fears Julian will kill her if she refuses
- B) She feels the truth of being his “treasure” and resolves to fight beside him
- C) She hopes to be rewarded with freedom and gold
- D) She wants revenge on Caesar for killing her sister Lela
Theme & Symbol (4 questions)
14. (Multiple choice) What does the “firebird” nickname primarily symbolize in the novel?
- A) A destructive force that burns everything in its path
- B) A defiant spirit that refuses to be tamed, inspired by the legend of Aurelia
- C) A prophecy of doom for Rome
- D) The dragon houses’ highest military rank
15. (Multiple choice) What does the gold aureus of Fortuna come to represent for Malina?
- A) Her family’s lost fortune
- B) The hope of good fortune and the fateful bond with Julian
- C) A pledge to return to Dacia one day
- D) The price of her own freedom
16. (Short answer) According to the myth retold in Chapter 3, what three gifts does the goddess Minerva give to Medusa and her sisters?
17. (Multiple choice) Which theme is most clearly expressed through the character of Enid, the older Celtic woman?
- A) The power of forgiveness
- B) The cost of war on the innocent and the importance of mercy
- C) The superiority of Roman culture over other peoples
- D) The futility of rebellion against dragons
Synthesis (3 questions)
18. (Short answer) How does the novel’s ending in Britannia reflect a transformation in both Malina and Julian compared to their first meeting?
19. (Multiple choice) Which character best illustrates the theme that even oppressors can be redeemed through love and a willingness to change?
- A) Emperor Igniculus
- B) Ciprian Seneca
- C) Julian Ignis Dakkia
- D) Trajan
20. (Multiple choice) How does the author use the concept of “tether” (or empathic bond) to support the novel’s central romance?
- A) It forces Malina to obey Julian’s commands
- B) It allows Malina to control Julian’s dragon completely
- C) It deepens their mutual understanding and demonstrates that love transcends power imbalances
- D) It is a temporary spell that wears off by the epilogue
Answer Key
1. B) Julian gives Malina a gold aureus of Fortuna, a family heirloom, telling her Fortuna chose her. [Prologue]
2. B) Julian kills Silvanus for attempting to rape a Celtic witch (Malina), violating Julian’s order to keep prisoners unspoiled. [Chapter 5]
3. “Firebird.” Julian whispers “Firebird” upon recognizing her jade-green eyes. [Chapter 5]
4. B) The Rite of Skulls involves dragon generals adding their blood to a gold-plated skull bowl; Malina carries it to each general. [Chapter 24]
5. B) Julian wounds Ciprian’s wing and thigh, pinning him; the emperor declares a draw. [Chapter 28]
6. The aureus of Fortuna. Malina sacrifices Julian’s coin to bind a prayer to Minerva, using it as a talisman. [Chapter 32]
7. C) They flee to Britannia, living in a farmhouse with their allies. [Epilogue]
8. A wedding coin. The epilogue reveals a gold coin minted with the Dakkian seal and Malina’s profile, enraging Igniculus. [Epilogue]
9. B) Julian agrees to let Malina go to the forum on the condition that she answers his questions about her empathic magic each evening. [Chapter 4]
10. B) Julian learns that Emperor Igniculus murdered his parents; Ciprian’s father was the assassin. This fuels Julian’s revenge. [Chapter 35, 37]
11. She offers to kill Ciprian herself. Malina believes she can control Ciprian’s emotions and insists on going to carry out the assassination plot. [Chapter 29]
12. B) Stefanos is a dragon-born child of mixed blood, hidden because Roman law forbids low-born dragons. [Chapter 16]
13. B) After Julian calls her his “treasure” during his fever, Malina feels the truth of their bond and resolves to help him overthrow Caesar. [Chapter 18]
14. B) The firebird nickname alludes to Aurelia, the golden dragon who chose death over submission. It symbolizes defiant spirit and unbreakable will. [Chapter 30, 33]
15. B) The coin represents hope, fate, and the bond between Malina and Julian; Julian says Fortuna told him she would need it one day. [Prologue, Chapter 33]
16. Medusa receives the power to inflict malice and control men; her second sister becomes a siren whose blood forces obedience; the third receives Charon’s kiss, which kills corrupt men. [Chapter 3]
17. B) Enid’s suffering and eventual death highlight the cost of war on the innocent, and Julian’s grief and kindness toward her show his moral awakening. [Chapters 9–11]
18. In the prologue, Malina is a defiant Dacian girl and Julian a conquering centurion. By the epilogue, they are equal partners living peacefully in Britannia, married and working together to build a new future. [Prologue, Epilogue]
19. C) Julian begins as a “Coldhearted Conqueror” but through his bond with Malina learns compassion, breaks laws to protect outcasts, and ultimately sacrifices power for love. [Throughout]
20. C) The tether allows Malina to sense Julian’s emotions and vice versa, creating intimacy and trust that erodes the master-slave dynamic, proving their love is genuine and mutual. [Chapters 6, 18, 27, 38, etc.]
Want to explore more about the novel? Check out the book overview or dive into the ending explained. Have specific questions? Visit the Q&A page.