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mad_ds's review against another edition
3.5
overall i enjoyed this debut! the world building was enjoyable (a sci-fi fantasy? yes please!!) the political intrigue was, well, intriguing (haha) and i enjoyed seeing the to-be queen dynamic with elena and (king) leo’s perspective within those political dynamics. i think most of the characters were fine, yassen & ferma were definitely my favorites. of all the characters, i think yassen was the most fascinating. his background, his internal struggle/seeing his perspective and thoughts were interesting. that said, i also did like elena, our main protagonist! she was fierce, intelligent, determined, and stubborn in the very best way. i wish we had seen more interactions with leo, though i know that their lack of connection was intentional. samson!! samson… he was not interesting to me this book- but i am VERY interested to see how he develops and we see him play more into the next installment of the series! overall i think the plot was interesting and kept me engaged the whole way through :)
i do think the romance (which was marketed very enemies-to-lovers slow burn) did not fulfill my expectations. in my opinion, this was a very quick ‘enemies’ (more like tense & unfamiliar), quickly falling into romantic intrigue and later rivals/betrayers. all that to say it was a sweet & pleasant romance subplot and i did like it! it just was very much not what was advertised in my opinion:)
“I’ll go far enough,” she told the fire.
"You're killing me, Yassen," she said softly, "and at the same time, you're the one keeping me from death." Her eyes met his. "What am I supposed to do?"
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Sexual content
doahdancer's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Death, War, and Violence
Minor: Sexual content
aliteraryescape's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Gun violence, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Slavery
inkdrinkers's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
Told through three point of views, The Phoenix King is a blend of science fiction and fantasy, set in an India-inspired world. Yassen, an assassin turned bodyguard, Elena, heir and future queen, and Leo, the current king, all battle each other as they fight against a prophecy that might end their world as they know it.
The Phoenix King has a highly interesting premise and gorgeous cover.
I had such high expectations for this novel, and unfortunately it met none of them. Going in, I knew it would be a blend of sci-fi and fantasy (or science fantasy), something done rarely, but when done well it's incredible (see: Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao) - this was not done well. I felt so disconnected from the world from the first page, and as I kept reading I just kept feeling more and more confused and like every bit of science was shoehorned into the plot and just left half-wedged in there to "make it fit" since the book was trying to genre blend.
I found it very awkwardly written, from the character perspective changes, to the way the world felt almost like a parody of sci-fi in some moments (the strange new curses, the religious zealots with no purpose). The tone of the entire novel is set forth with a prologue that I absolutely didn't connect with, featuring a bizarre chase (he's a highly trained assassin, why does he suddenly suck at his job?) and throws the reader into a world that doesn't even attempt to ground itself before creating and introducing new ideas.
I know this was the author's debut, and I feel like you can TELL it was their debut, because the writing is so choppy and, on a technical level, seems to be unable to handle the massive task of building an entire world, religion, and plot in 400 pages. I, also, can't help but be a little annoyed that this was published prior in 2021, and this is the updated edition of the book, with apparently edits, more content, and extras. I'm a little shocked that this version of the book is the one that's gone through more editing because I still feel like it's lacking clarity in far too many areas.
I wish I had enjoyed this as much as I hoped I would, but it completely and utterly missed the mark for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing me a copy of this book for an honest review.
Content warnings: Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gun violence, Racism, Violence, Sexual content, Slavery, Xenophobia
The Phoenix King has a highly interesting premise and gorgeous cover.
I had such high expectations for this novel, and unfortunately it met none of them. Going in, I knew it would be a blend of sci-fi and fantasy (or science fantasy), something done rarely, but when done well it's incredible (see: Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao) - this was not done well. I felt so disconnected from the world from the first page, and as I kept reading I just kept feeling more and more confused and like every bit of science was shoehorned into the plot and just left half-wedged in there to "make it fit" since the book was trying to genre blend.
I found it very awkwardly written, from the character perspective changes, to the way the world felt almost like a parody of sci-fi in some moments (the strange new curses, the religious zealots with no purpose). The tone of the entire novel is set forth with a prologue that I absolutely didn't connect with, featuring a bizarre chase (he's a highly trained assassin, why does he suddenly suck at his job?) and throws the reader into a world that doesn't even attempt to ground itself before creating and introducing new ideas.
I know this was the author's debut, and I feel like you can TELL it was their debut, because the writing is so choppy and, on a technical level, seems to be unable to handle the massive task of building an entire world, religion, and plot in 400 pages. I, also, can't help but be a little annoyed that this was published prior in 2021, and this is the updated edition of the book, with apparently edits, more content, and extras. I'm a little shocked that this version of the book is the one that's gone through more editing because I still feel like it's lacking clarity in far too many areas.
I wish I had enjoyed this as much as I hoped I would, but it completely and utterly missed the mark for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing me a copy of this book for an honest review.
Content warnings: Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gun violence, Racism, Violence, Sexual content, Slavery, Xenophobia
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Murder, and Grief
Moderate: Gun violence, Violence, and Racism
Minor: Slavery, Xenophobia, and Sexual content
thereadinghammock's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I knew going into this book that it was the first in a trilogy. I knew there would be some kind of cliff hanger, adorning to leave us readers wanting more. I thought I knew where Aparna was going to leave it off, but then the story kept going, and I was like "Ok,ok,ok,ok... tell me MORE!" I'm not usually a reader who speculates as they read. I usually prefer to just immerse myself in the story and pick up on the story beats just before the characters do. There were a few moments in the back quarter that I thought I had all figured out, but then there were ✨️plot twists✨️, which I am totally here for. Keep me on my toes as a reader and definitely hooked me for quietly anticipating book 2. There was a lot of world building in the first half or so of this book, but none of it felt too heavy handed. We learned things through explaining traditions to the "outsider" characters, discoveries of information previously withheld from characters, and through general context of the characters moving through the world. I always prefer to be dropped into a bookish world and have an author trust me as a reader to figure things out as we go through the story or give me enough clues to do some googling on my own to figure it out.
I knew Elena and Yassen would end up together in some context. I really thought Yassen was being lined up to be The Prophet, but then the reveal at the end that IT WAS SAMSON THE WHOLE TIME! I was shocked! I liked seeing Yassen and Elena grow closer, especially after their shared losses at the coronation gone awry. I was so glad to see my prediction of the double-double-cross come true on that front. I was a little disappointed in Yassen and Elena finally coming together. It was only like 3 paragraphs! I would have much preferred that be drawn out a little bit more. I'm also holding out hope for a royal throuple (swords crossing please!) With Elena, Yassen, and Samson. I knew since we didn't see a body during the commotion of the ceremony at the temple that Samson didn't die. I just didn't see his role as the Prophet coming. But he clearly cares so deeply for Yassen, and I think to a certain degree Elena too. I don't see why they can't all be happy together!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Grief
Moderate: Racism, Gun violence, Violence, Death of parent, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail, and Police brutality
Minor: Xenophobia, Slavery, Mass/school shootings, Sexual content, and War
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