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shoni's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-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
5.0
It has been well over a day since I finished and I have still not stopped thinking about the characters or the story. Everything about this story made me happy and I wanted the second book as soon as possible. I always wanted more South Asian representation and this book delivered for sure. Inspired by Indian myths and it being a high fantasy is truly combining some of my favorite aspects.
I also really appreciated that we had a POV of the father. Leo's perspective was so refreshing. We saw how he struggle doing what's right for his people but also for his daughter and it was so refreshing. Plus seeing the south asian father daughter struggle from a father's perspective isn't something you see often.
I also really appreciated that we had a POV of the father. Leo's perspective was so refreshing. We saw how he struggle doing what's right for his people but also for his daughter and it was so refreshing. Plus seeing the south asian father daughter struggle from a father's perspective isn't something you see often.
I loved having a strong female lead. Especially in the adult genre! I’m so used to seeing YA characters so I love seeing an older character who isn’t backing down and fights for what she believes in. My favorite is that even though she is a royal, and looks great in a red lehenga, SHE FIGHT BACK AND DOESN’T HESITATE. Like what’s not to love about that. Elena is everyone I've always wanted in a female lead and she's south Asian so it's even better.
On the other hand, Yassen is my boy. I love him. Being of a mixed race constantly not knowing where he belongs and being mistaken and never enough for either is something so personal to me. Aparna did such an amazing job to show the struggle of not knowing where you belong but struggling finding your place. AND THE LONGING BETWEEN YASSEN AND ELENA UGH! I am still not over the iconic dupatta scene. Like the fanart is so beautiful and I think about it constantly. Like that scene was absolutely beautiful and it had so many emotions behind it. And how it the symbolism behind it is so much more than what the surface shows ESPECIALLY WHEN SHES THINKING OF THE PRACTICE WITH YASSEN WHEN ELENA IS DANCING WITH SAMSON. ALSO CAN WE TALK ABOUT HIM SURIVING AND HIM BEING THE PROPHET?!? AND HOW HIM, ELENA, AND YASSEN ARE THE 3 DIFFERENT TIMES OF FIRE BECAUSE I WAS NOT EXPECTING THAT.
The story was also just captivating. From the very first page to the last I could not put it down nor stop thinking about it. I wanted to know what would happen, I wanted to know how everyone's paths would cross and what it would mean in the long scheme of things. The story itself is dark, there is a reason it's an adult and not a YA book. It covers some dark themes and topic and it doesn't shy away from it. It doesn't shy away from discussing what war not only does to a person but what it can push a person to do. It wad do interesting to see and I'm so excited to see more of it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Gun violence
tc_booksandmore's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
slow-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
4.0
Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for gifting me with an eARC and physical ARC copy. This is my honest opinion.
This is an interesting blend of science fiction and fantasy and Indian mythology. It took me a little bit to get into the book and I was thrown off by the modernistic weaponry and technology because you don't normally see that in fantasy books. But the characters grew on me and I am intrigued by their stories and what is going to happen going forward. I do like knowing that this is the first in a trilogy because there was world and character building but it wasn't overwhelming. The multiple points of view gave insight into what the characters were thinking and a little about what was missing from the narratives.
There is very little in terms of romance and the little that is there grows naturally and doesn't seemed forced between the characters.
The characters are beautifully flawed and the world is crazy. If you like The City of Brass, A Darker Shade of Magic, An Ember in the Ashes, then I recommend this book.
4 out of 5 stars. No spice.
This is an interesting blend of science fiction and fantasy and Indian mythology. It took me a little bit to get into the book and I was thrown off by the modernistic weaponry and technology because you don't normally see that in fantasy books. But the characters grew on me and I am intrigued by their stories and what is going to happen going forward. I do like knowing that this is the first in a trilogy because there was world and character building but it wasn't overwhelming. The multiple points of view gave insight into what the characters were thinking and a little about what was missing from the narratives.
There is very little in terms of romance and the little that is there grows naturally and doesn't seemed forced between the characters.
The characters are beautifully flawed and the world is crazy. If you like The City of Brass, A Darker Shade of Magic, An Ember in the Ashes, then I recommend this book.
4 out of 5 stars. No spice.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, War, Racism, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Gun violence
Minor: Blood and Death of parent
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
ddnreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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? No
4.0
Fiuuuuuhhhhh it was one hell of a book. I have mixed feelings about it. It started with a very great premise and I love the beginning. Halfway through I found it hard to finish the story. It's not like I didn't like them, I just sort of felt flat towards the characters. It doesn't ignite the sparks it initially did.
Let's start with what I love:
- The world building
I love it. It's rich, detailed, diverse, and very atmospheric. The author navigated it well. However, my small brain sometimes find it hard to keep up where or who. All fault on me. Hopefully in the final copy there will huge map detailing the places.
It's a science fiction fantasy where the modern technology was blended into the antique world building.
- The characterization
We're given 3 point of view. Leo, the king, Elena, the Heir, and Yassen, the assassin.
I love seeing how their thoughts woven into the plot. It gave them the depth and well explained their behaviour and decision. None of the characters are insufferable. All of them are strong in their stance. Are capable of fight 👌
- Enemies to lovers are acceptable. It's a slowburn definitely. But the romance is definitely much little. It's a plus point for me. I felt it yet it's not overpowering the whole story. It's just enough.
- The writing style is beautiful 🫶🏽😭 I love when the authors create their own phrases and it becomes iconic 👌♥️ I can see the research and mastery it put through to create such a world.
What I have mixed feelings for:
- The palace and political instrigue
The conflicts were overlapping one another.
The international affair conflicts and war felt too rushed and cramped at the end of the book.
- The twist didn't work for me. Including the epilogue. It didn't make sense?????
- I would love it if the pace is a bit faster.
To conclude, if you're into adult SFF, slowburn enemies to lover, political + religion + international war conflicts, badass FMC, twist and turn with a detailed explanation and lengthy actions to get there, give this book a go.
I would definitely read the sequel!!!
Let's start with what I love:
- The world building
I love it. It's rich, detailed, diverse, and very atmospheric. The author navigated it well. However, my small brain sometimes find it hard to keep up where or who. All fault on me. Hopefully in the final copy there will huge map detailing the places.
It's a science fiction fantasy where the modern technology was blended into the antique world building.
- The characterization
We're given 3 point of view. Leo, the king, Elena, the Heir, and Yassen, the assassin.
I love seeing how their thoughts woven into the plot. It gave them the depth and well explained their behaviour and decision. None of the characters are insufferable. All of them are strong in their stance. Are capable of fight 👌
- Enemies to lovers are acceptable. It's a slowburn definitely. But the romance is definitely much little. It's a plus point for me. I felt it yet it's not overpowering the whole story. It's just enough.
- The writing style is beautiful 🫶🏽😭 I love when the authors create their own phrases and it becomes iconic 👌♥️ I can see the research and mastery it put through to create such a world.
What I have mixed feelings for:
- The palace and political instrigue
The conflicts were overlapping one another.
The international affair conflicts and war felt too rushed and cramped at the end of the book.
- The twist didn't work for me. Including the epilogue. It didn't make sense?????
- I would love it if the pace is a bit faster.
To conclude, if you're into adult SFF, slowburn enemies to lover, political + religion + international war conflicts, badass FMC, twist and turn with a detailed explanation and lengthy actions to get there, give this book a go.
I would definitely read the sequel!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Blood, Body horror, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, and War
bloggingwithdragons's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I received this book for free from Orbit Books in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Phoenix King is a debut fantasy novel taking place in an Indian-inspired world. It has a really interesting premise centering on an ancient prophecy and is told from the alternating perspectives of a king, a princess, and an assassin. I was initially drawn to The Phoenix King due to its promises of an enemies-to-lovers romance, unique world-building, and morally gray characters. Unfortunately, though the ideas of The Phoenix King were superb, I found they were often contradictory and that the execution was lacking.
The world-building especially felt all over the place for me. The setting was both futuristic and antiquated, for lack of a better term. People use hoverpods, holopods, pulse guns, and visors, but then use scrolls for reading. The lore surrounding the Phoenix also felt contradictory to me. The Phoenix is supposed to be vengeful, so why do her followers say things like, "we the blessed few," when it sounds like they're anything but blessed to worship an angry goddess who seems anything but forgiving and loves a good fiery purge. I don't really understand why her people worship the Phoenix with seemingly little to no benefits. Even Elena, the princess and future queen of the kingdom of Ravence seems to wonder this herself at times.
The Phoenix King is a debut fantasy novel taking place in an Indian-inspired world. It has a really interesting premise centering on an ancient prophecy and is told from the alternating perspectives of a king, a princess, and an assassin. I was initially drawn to The Phoenix King due to its promises of an enemies-to-lovers romance, unique world-building, and morally gray characters. Unfortunately, though the ideas of The Phoenix King were superb, I found they were often contradictory and that the execution was lacking.
The world-building especially felt all over the place for me. The setting was both futuristic and antiquated, for lack of a better term. People use hoverpods, holopods, pulse guns, and visors, but then use scrolls for reading. The lore surrounding the Phoenix also felt contradictory to me. The Phoenix is supposed to be vengeful, so why do her followers say things like, "we the blessed few," when it sounds like they're anything but blessed to worship an angry goddess who seems anything but forgiving and loves a good fiery purge. I don't really understand why her people worship the Phoenix with seemingly little to no benefits. Even Elena, the princess and future queen of the kingdom of Ravence seems to wonder this herself at times.
“‘I’ve seen how fire can tear apart its followers,’ he continued, ‘The Ravani know all this yet continue to worship the Phoenix. Others call it madness, but I think your people have tapped into an ancient force that no other nation understands….Ravence has survived because it knows what it means to burn. It knows loss, yet its people continue to believe.’”
Meanwhile, her father, King Leo, has given up on following religion entirely and stops at nothing to prevent the foretold Prophet from rising and destroying the nation...which obviously flies in the face of their entire religion. Normally when we see people worshiping this kind of deity, it's because they're getting something out of it and that wasn't really demonstrated for me in The Phoenix King beyond the cons. The royal family's fire power doesn't help their citizens in any way, except supposedly as a deterrent to war somehow. But how is one king or queen that is able to wield the Phoenix’s fire, fight off entire armies? It doesn’t seem likely.
Similarly, I asked myself how people who live in a desert settled upon worshiping a fire god, and not a water one. Generally in mythology, people end up worshiping gods that offer something they want, such as a bountiful harvest, wisdom, fertility, etc.. But again, I never saw any direct benefits of worshiping the Phoenix, except that supposedly the royal family made a deal with her to found the nation of Ravence initially. And though Elena tells readers her father only focuses on his nation, and doesn’t do a good enough job taking care of his people, I never really see anyone suffering in the streets or crying out for the Phoenix's aid. But anyways, as much of the novel centers around the Phoenix and the prophecy surrounding the rise of her mysterious prophet, who is foretold to burn the world, the actual benefits of worshiping the Phoenix seems like a very important question. I also would have really liked to learn more about the religion’s practices in general. There were priests and priestess, sayings that her followers uttered, and some ceremonies, but not a lot of actual substance beyond it.
For instance, at one point the novel proclaims, “To be forgiven, one must be burned.” But readers never see any public burnings or anything of the sort. Thieves don’t have brands burned into them or fingers burned off or anything. For a nation supposedly filled with fire fanatics, it certainly doesn’t seem to actually play that much of a role in the everyday life of its citizens (especially outside of the Royal Family).
Other factors of the world-building were also head scratchers. I found it a little odd that in a book taking place in an Indian inspired world, with characters wearing lehengas and saris, that characters had names like “Elena,” “Leo,” and “Samson.” Side characters seem to have completely different names, like “Ferma,” “Yassen,” “Maru,” “Jasmine,” “Giorna,” “Saayna,” “Erwin,” “Arish,” and “Aahnah.” Granted, some of these characters were from different origins, but there were never any common denominators in the choices of names or a whole lot of explanations surrounding them or their countries. I thought perhaps “Elena” and “Leo” were regnal names, but as they’re never called anything else (except for “Leo,” which is apparently a nickname), this does not appear to be the case. This just struck me as odd that all of these names were so disparate (or at least seeming so to me), and there were next to no commonality in names of people from a similar origin. Sure, there’s no rule stating someone has to pick a name from their culture or language, but this is typically something we see in both the real world and fantasy worlds. This may seem like a small thing, but this, along with my consternation over the lore, made my immersion into the world challenging.
In spite of my constant distraction over these questions, my struggles with the pacing, and that much of the earlier plot of the book doesn’t ever go anywhere, I kept reading The Phoenix Kingbecause I wanted to find out the identity of the Phoenix's prophet. The novel does a great job twisting and turning things so that it could easily be several different characters. I would be certain I had the mystery figured out, only to get more information that had me second guessing and thinking it was actually someone else. I thought there was a lot of payoff to the reveal and though I’m interested in the motivations of this character in question, I feel like I can guess them, and don’t think I’m quite curious enough to read the next book in the series to find out if I’m correct.
But I think readers who love Own Voices will very much enjoy The Phoenix King. One of the main characters, assassin Yassen, is half-Ravani and half-Jantari, which is something that irrevocably renders him an outsider in both worlds. He spends a lot of time struggling to process his identity and watching others rudely do it for him. This portrayal is really poignant and I think it will resonate with a lot of readers.
Unfortunately, despite really liking the mystery of the prophet and Yassen’s struggles with belonging and identity, the rest of The Phoenix King felt bland. Though I liked the idea of the characters, I found them to be more archetypes than actual complex characters. Likewise, the enemies-to-lovers romance failed to capture my interest, as I never felt like the two characters in question were ever enemies or lovers. Like yes, it was clear at one point that he planned to kill her due to circumstances beyond his control, but to me, it was pretty obvious he'd make the right choices the whole time. I never feared for her safety around him, despite the fact that he was a notorious assassin who made his name killing royals. I am still positively perplexed as to why a former assassin, specializing in the murder of royals, would be given guard duty to the future queen and basically unlimited access to her. I could understand bringing him on as a special security expert, with his inside knowledge of the feared assassin organization, but as her personal guard? That required a lot of suspension of disbelief on my part.
I also wasn’t the biggest fan of the prose. It was mostly very direct and simplistic, but then had tons of expressions sprinkled in that felt forced and unnatural to me, like they desperately wanted to be quotable and poetic. Many of these sentiments also felt rather over the top and melodramatic to me as well, with not a whole lot of actual meaning behind them. For example:
“Ash begets ash. Heavens burn to reveal the truth. May the sinners be forgiven, and the pretenders see their doom….And thus justice shall bloom.”
Why in an expression about fire and ash is there a reference to blooming? This just doesn’t make sense to me and I quickly learned to stop trying to find the logic in these types of expressions. As a whole, The Phoenix King also suffers from a lot of telling over showing. And to me, it read mostly like a young adult fantasy, with characters making emotional and impulsive decisions, a focus on familial relations, not knowing how to handle relationships or responsibility, and coming into one’s own. It also has a lighter tone than most adult fantasy novels.
So if any of those former themes are your thing, than The Phoenix King will make for an enjoyable read. While The Phoenix King regrettably didn’t work for me and I probably won't read any follow ups in the series, I do think the novel had a strong premise and is the perfect read for those looking for an Indian-inspired fantasy with unique gods, characters struggling with their senses of identity or a follow-up read to The Jasad Heir.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Murder, Death of parent, Mental illness, and Racism
jane_underground's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Violence, Ableism, Xenophobia, War, and Grief
concretecorn's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
spoilers ahead & ALL personal opinion
let’s do the good first—
i love own voices stories, i am so glad to see representation in fantasy/scifi. this book is creative and not taken directly from indian lore so it’s cool to see it developed into a story that is inspired by my nation. i liked the depictions of kurtas and lehengas, i thought the kingdom politics had potential, and i liked the attempt to make the desert sort of its own character. i thought the internal lore was very well done, and though it took me a little bit to get it, the internal rules of the world ended up working out too.
i liked samson a lot. he’s the type of guy i’d hang out with. i thought yassen’s background story was shaping up nicely. liked the bits and pieces dangled for us to consume so we stay interested and invested in a trilogy since that’s what this is gonna be.
now the bad, and please remember this is just my opinion.
i legitimately was excited for this book, so it’s a shame how it turned out. at first, i thought i was just being harsh when i didn’t like the characters. i thought the point was that they’re flawed, and have bad relationships with one another. for example, i don’t understand king leo’s character at all. i mean, at all. his relationship to his daughter is so confusing because sometimes he’s mean, and other times his inner dialogue is filled with sweetness and love for her. elena was so uninteresting as a character that i didn’t learn her name until like, the 17th chapter. yassen was also similarly extremely boring, while spouting randomly “deep” one liners that make no sense. for example, at one point when he saves elena from an attack on her life, he is asked by king leo why he saved elena’s life. he says, “raveni or not, the desert does not claim me as it’s own. i am only what i am.” what does that mean?!?!?! he says things like this throughout the whole book. by the way, why was it supposed to be out of character for him to save elena? he is literally a part of her guard. they distrust him so much, yet give him unyielding access to the future queen, which literally sets them up to be betrayed in the worst possible way so easily. oh, also, there is no “slow burn” at all. the romance is injected randomly towards the end, and it really gives off “they are together because they are a male and female character traveling together.”
the world building is fine, the lore is fine. i mean, i think the writing could have more intricately woven elements of the story together. it didn’t escape me that the main conflict— the identity of the prophet— was missing from basically the last half of the book because king leo was driving that conflict and he dies. the twist about the gender of the prophet i saw coming from a mile away, and the eventual last twist was not big enough to counter for the unsurprising and mediocre middle.
elena learns to wield fire like, halfway through, and then that conflict becomes a background element in the overall story. the characters are fundamentally underdeveloped. the best characters were the yumi and samson, who disappear from the book halfway through. they’re not even main characters (though i assume samson will be in the next book).
also can we just talk about how yassen literally planned to betray elena from the very beginning, and sort of just became attached to her, and then was like “oh no! the princess! she’s broken!” and then randomly falls in love with her and she with him? and she just casually forgets that he was a) an assassin who was very good at what he did and b) participated in killing her father and betraying her at the highest magnitude? love how she’s like “i don’t trust yassen” at the beginning but then is like “oh he betrayed me in the worst way possible so now i love him.” i didn’t like the character’s actions, which would be fine, if i had understood why they were doing anything, ever. like, elena has a minor conflict moment when she remembers the jantari are, in fact, humans, but then decides to burn down their mines anyway.
the arohassin are not developed well. why are they doing what they do? i wish we got more of yassen’s time with them because i honestly think it would have been way more interesting.
the political commentary on how the kingdom doesn’t take care of its own is overshadowed by the way-to-long scenes with the king nonsensically obsessed with destroying the prophet.
and just as a point of personal conflict for me, the names were boring. elena and leo? i didn’t really care for the character names.
all in all, pretty disappointed.
let’s do the good first—
i love own voices stories, i am so glad to see representation in fantasy/scifi. this book is creative and not taken directly from indian lore so it’s cool to see it developed into a story that is inspired by my nation. i liked the depictions of kurtas and lehengas, i thought the kingdom politics had potential, and i liked the attempt to make the desert sort of its own character. i thought the internal lore was very well done, and though it took me a little bit to get it, the internal rules of the world ended up working out too.
i liked samson a lot. he’s the type of guy i’d hang out with. i thought yassen’s background story was shaping up nicely. liked the bits and pieces dangled for us to consume so we stay interested and invested in a trilogy since that’s what this is gonna be.
now the bad, and please remember this is just my opinion.
i legitimately was excited for this book, so it’s a shame how it turned out. at first, i thought i was just being harsh when i didn’t like the characters. i thought the point was that they’re flawed, and have bad relationships with one another. for example, i don’t understand king leo’s character at all. i mean, at all. his relationship to his daughter is so confusing because sometimes he’s mean, and other times his inner dialogue is filled with sweetness and love for her. elena was so uninteresting as a character that i didn’t learn her name until like, the 17th chapter. yassen was also similarly extremely boring, while spouting randomly “deep” one liners that make no sense. for example, at one point when he saves elena from an attack on her life, he is asked by king leo why he saved elena’s life. he says, “raveni or not, the desert does not claim me as it’s own. i am only what i am.” what does that mean?!?!?! he says things like this throughout the whole book. by the way, why was it supposed to be out of character for him to save elena? he is literally a part of her guard. they distrust him so much, yet give him unyielding access to the future queen, which literally sets them up to be betrayed in the worst possible way so easily. oh, also, there is no “slow burn” at all. the romance is injected randomly towards the end, and it really gives off “they are together because they are a male and female character traveling together.”
the world building is fine, the lore is fine. i mean, i think the writing could have more intricately woven elements of the story together. it didn’t escape me that the main conflict— the identity of the prophet— was missing from basically the last half of the book because king leo was driving that conflict and he dies. the twist about the gender of the prophet i saw coming from a mile away, and the eventual last twist was not big enough to counter for the unsurprising and mediocre middle.
elena learns to wield fire like, halfway through, and then that conflict becomes a background element in the overall story. the characters are fundamentally underdeveloped. the best characters were the yumi and samson, who disappear from the book halfway through. they’re not even main characters (though i assume samson will be in the next book).
also can we just talk about how yassen literally planned to betray elena from the very beginning, and sort of just became attached to her, and then was like “oh no! the princess! she’s broken!” and then randomly falls in love with her and she with him? and she just casually forgets that he was a) an assassin who was very good at what he did and b) participated in killing her father and betraying her at the highest magnitude? love how she’s like “i don’t trust yassen” at the beginning but then is like “oh he betrayed me in the worst way possible so now i love him.” i didn’t like the character’s actions, which would be fine, if i had understood why they were doing anything, ever. like, elena has a minor conflict moment when she remembers the jantari are, in fact, humans, but then decides to burn down their mines anyway.
the arohassin are not developed well. why are they doing what they do? i wish we got more of yassen’s time with them because i honestly think it would have been way more interesting.
the political commentary on how the kingdom doesn’t take care of its own is overshadowed by the way-to-long scenes with the king nonsensically obsessed with destroying the prophet.
and just as a point of personal conflict for me, the names were boring. elena and leo? i didn’t really care for the character names.
all in all, pretty disappointed.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent, Gore, Grief, War, and Xenophobia
otiliasae's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, and War
vaniavela's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-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? No
4.0
An heiress who does not know how to wield fire, a skill that defines her family's dominance.
A former assassin who desires freedom.
A king whose reign is coming to an end.
When a prophecy threatens them all, what will they do to save their kingdom?
Let's start with the cover. The color palette is incredible, despite being somewhat dark colors, they blend perfectly and capture the reader's attention.
The Child of Fire is filled with Indian-inspired mythology, high technology and intricately written characters. In addition, we can find themes of colonialism, genocide and racism in a thoughtful way. If you are not used to reading science fiction, you may find this book difficult to understand (at least that's what happened to me).
I found the romance to be a bit fast paced. It was categorized as an enemies to lovers, but I couldn't notice the signs that would give me hints of a possible future romance. I feel it lacked a bit of development, especially since it felt a bit forced at the end.
I follow Aparna Verma on TikTok and the idea I had of this book was totally different than the one I had when I finished reading. In many ways, I say this in a positive way, but in others I felt something was missing.
A former assassin who desires freedom.
A king whose reign is coming to an end.
When a prophecy threatens them all, what will they do to save their kingdom?
Let's start with the cover. The color palette is incredible, despite being somewhat dark colors, they blend perfectly and capture the reader's attention.
The Child of Fire is filled with Indian-inspired mythology, high technology and intricately written characters. In addition, we can find themes of colonialism, genocide and racism in a thoughtful way. If you are not used to reading science fiction, you may find this book difficult to understand (at least that's what happened to me).
I found the romance to be a bit fast paced. It was categorized as an enemies to lovers, but I couldn't notice the signs that would give me hints of a possible future romance. I feel it lacked a bit of development, especially since it felt a bit forced at the end.
I follow Aparna Verma on TikTok and the idea I had of this book was totally different than the one I had when I finished reading. In many ways, I say this in a positive way, but in others I felt something was missing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Murder, and War
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury