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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
adventurous
medium-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
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Well written, but unfortunately I just didn't connect with any of the characters and it meant I was just trying to get through the book and didn't really care what happened.
The way I wanted to smash through this book in one setting and the way my life conspired against me in this last month are truly at odds with the way I LOVED THIS BOOK WITHOUT RESERVATION EVEN THOUGH IT TOOK ME THREE WEEKS TO GIVE IT ITS DUE AND FINISH IT! I normally write to you, amorphous Goodreads friends, or to myself about the experience of the story.
But perhaps because of how I discovered this book, I write to Author Aparna Verma: Hi!! I just finished The Phoenix King and I’ve been following this journey since the teasers and your cover reveal. I can’t express quite yet how wonderful it has been losing myself in Ravence with Elena, Yassen, and (unexpectedly!!) Leo and Ferma and Samson. What a magnificently complex cast of characters to fall head over heels in love with! Thank you also for the nuanced, yet completely normalized, Desi and Asian and African strains of folklore, culture, and mythology woven within. It was beautiful to not see italics everywhere for normal words like mera/o/I or lehenga or pav bhaji. Also the gasp I practically screamed at my dining table towards the end was delicious and wrecking. I read fantasy, scifi, and mystery as though my life depends on it (it probably does at this point) and the way I tell you I didn’t see the Prophet coming??????? Anyway, LOVE your work! Can’t wait for the next installment
But perhaps because of how I discovered this book, I write to Author Aparna Verma: Hi!! I just finished The Phoenix King and I’ve been following this journey since the teasers and your cover reveal. I can’t express quite yet how wonderful it has been losing myself in Ravence with Elena, Yassen, and (unexpectedly!!) Leo and Ferma and Samson. What a magnificently complex cast of characters to fall head over heels in love with! Thank you also for the nuanced, yet completely normalized, Desi and Asian and African strains of folklore, culture, and mythology woven within. It was beautiful to not see italics everywhere for normal words like mera/o/I or lehenga or pav bhaji. Also the gasp I practically screamed at my dining table towards the end was delicious and wrecking. I read fantasy, scifi, and mystery as though my life depends on it (it probably does at this point) and the way I tell you I didn’t see the Prophet coming??????? Anyway, LOVE your work! Can’t wait for the next installment
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Sexual content
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Tried twice and just could not get into it. The sci-fi elements felt out of place and I just didn’t get sucked in.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved everything about this book. The ending surprised me and i am very excited for the next.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thoroughly enjoyed this debut novel. This is at its core a fantasy story that includes some sci-fi elements. We also have a slow burn romantic subplot and a very interesting magic system that includes fire bending.
The world building had me hooked from the very beginning, but it was slightly confusing and clunky at the beginning. Once we got closer to the 40-50% mark, I did feel like I had a much more solid grasp of the politics and people of this world, but it did take a minute to settle into place.
The characters themselves were interesting and had me wanting to know more about some of the different groups of people like the Yumi. The story is Multi POV and while I usually love this story telling method, I don't think we got to spend enough time with any of the POVs.
Overall, this was an incredibly solid start to a trilogy and by the end of the book I was desperate to know what happens next. Very excited about the sequel and to see more from this author.
The world building had me hooked from the very beginning, but it was slightly confusing and clunky at the beginning. Once we got closer to the 40-50% mark, I did feel like I had a much more solid grasp of the politics and people of this world, but it did take a minute to settle into place.
The characters themselves were interesting and had me wanting to know more about some of the different groups of people like the Yumi. The story is Multi POV and while I usually love this story telling method, I don't think we got to spend enough time with any of the POVs.
Overall, this was an incredibly solid start to a trilogy and by the end of the book I was desperate to know what happens next. Very excited about the sequel and to see more from this author.