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reading_ninja's review
4.0
I love books in which there is a place that exists between our reality and a world we know nothing of, be it magical or extraterrestrial, the Innkeeper series is a wonderful example of this, and this series has this so i was looking forward to reading it. I wish we could have explored the other worlds connected to the Inn more, but i quite enjoyed this book, exlporing the place that connects worlds, magic and the slow reveal of the mystious goings on that our heroine is looking into in this book and book 1.
ember_firefly's review
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
belles_bookishlife's review
3.0
3.5 stars! I think the story could do with more detail and development. With such a short story I found there to be a big much going on. I wish it was just a bit longer and delved into more details and thoughts
lostinthepaiges's review
3.0
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Phoenix Flame by Sara Holland.
I was really happy to be accepted for an ARC of this book as I read Havenfall last year and enjoyed it! I also re-read Havenfall this week in preparation to reading this one!
I've been on a long train journey today and I've sat and read Phoenix Flame cover to cover. It wasn't that long, which was a shame as the first book was also quite short. I would of loved a bit more to read, but on the other hand I did also appreciate the fast pace of the story and maybe it would have been too 'filler' if more was added in between the main plot points.
I enjoyed Phoenix Flame, but I don't think I enjoyed it quite as much as Havenfall. That's not to say it wasn't good, because it was an enjoyable and easy read, but I don't think the story really elevated as well as it could have.
I was able to predict almost everything that was going to happen, and the plot twists just made for me rolling my eyes a bit because I desperately wanted to be proven wrong.
I also feel like the characters could of had some more substantial development. Havenfall's timeline is only set over a few days, and the characters all have some growth, whereas Phoenix Flame's timeline spans over the rest of the summer (10/11 weeks?) and I feel like they don't grow like I wanted them to as a reader.
Overall, Phoenix Flame, much like Havenfall, was a simple and easy read. It wasn't bad, but it isn't groundbreaking.
I was really happy to be accepted for an ARC of this book as I read Havenfall last year and enjoyed it! I also re-read Havenfall this week in preparation to reading this one!
I've been on a long train journey today and I've sat and read Phoenix Flame cover to cover. It wasn't that long, which was a shame as the first book was also quite short. I would of loved a bit more to read, but on the other hand I did also appreciate the fast pace of the story and maybe it would have been too 'filler' if more was added in between the main plot points.
I enjoyed Phoenix Flame, but I don't think I enjoyed it quite as much as Havenfall. That's not to say it wasn't good, because it was an enjoyable and easy read, but I don't think the story really elevated as well as it could have.
I was able to predict almost everything that was going to happen, and the plot twists just made for me rolling my eyes a bit because I desperately wanted to be proven wrong.
I also feel like the characters could of had some more substantial development. Havenfall's timeline is only set over a few days, and the characters all have some growth, whereas Phoenix Flame's timeline spans over the rest of the summer (10/11 weeks?) and I feel like they don't grow like I wanted them to as a reader.
Overall, Phoenix Flame, much like Havenfall, was a simple and easy read. It wasn't bad, but it isn't groundbreaking.
brii_brii's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
charliauthor's review against another edition
2.0
A bitt too tame for me in that this was very light, ver predictable so just very boring. No spice, no danger, no twists. I read it just to complete the set but it was i credibly dull.
keyia_b's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
openmypages's review
3.0
{3.5 stars}
Havenfall was a 5 star read for me, I really loved the balance of the contemporary real world and fantasy realms that intersect in an unusual way with a select few folks guarding the doors. Maddie is a plucky, opinionated, passionate teen at the center of it all. She copes with balancing the world on her fingertips and her angsty teenage feelings quite well.
At the end of Havenfall, we had a nice resolution of the threat to the balance of the worlds and it wrapped up without a heavy YA cliffhanger. That helped contribute to my high rating, I love a story that wraps up its tale but leaves more potential to play in that world. Phoenix Flame comes back with Maddie and her friends/family looking to focus their energies on solving how to stop the abuses of Solarian magic they uncovered in the last story. This story has us seeing more of the other realms and getting some more backstories on characters beyond Maddie.
I enjoyed the action of the plot but was sometimes annoyed with long sections of Maddie overthinking every little thought and interaction in her head. This felt much more prominent in this story than in the previous novel. I get that she's a teenager but her overanalyzation gave me anxiety, I wanted her to just talk to her friends / love interests rather than making assumptions about their motives and pondering for pages and pages. That said, I wanted about 100 more pages in the end to wrap up the story knowing that there is not another book planned for this story.
I still think this was a fun fantasy ride with unique magic and fascinating realms to explore but it didn't quite meet the mark Havenfall set for me.
Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this novel. All opinions above are my own.
Havenfall was a 5 star read for me, I really loved the balance of the contemporary real world and fantasy realms that intersect in an unusual way with a select few folks guarding the doors. Maddie is a plucky, opinionated, passionate teen at the center of it all. She copes with balancing the world on her fingertips and her angsty teenage feelings quite well.
At the end of Havenfall, we had a nice resolution of the threat to the balance of the worlds and it wrapped up without a heavy YA cliffhanger. That helped contribute to my high rating, I love a story that wraps up its tale but leaves more potential to play in that world. Phoenix Flame comes back with Maddie and her friends/family looking to focus their energies on solving how to stop the abuses of Solarian magic they uncovered in the last story. This story has us seeing more of the other realms and getting some more backstories on characters beyond Maddie.
I enjoyed the action of the plot but was sometimes annoyed with long sections of Maddie overthinking every little thought and interaction in her head. This felt much more prominent in this story than in the previous novel. I get that she's a teenager but her overanalyzation gave me anxiety, I wanted her to just talk to her friends / love interests rather than making assumptions about their motives and pondering for pages and pages. That said, I wanted about 100 more pages in the end to wrap up the story knowing that there is not another book planned for this story.
I still think this was a fun fantasy ride with unique magic and fascinating realms to explore but it didn't quite meet the mark Havenfall set for me.
Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this novel. All opinions above are my own.
kylielovesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed Havenfall a little bit more than this one, but it was still a solid sequel. We pick up right where we left off, and since I just finished the first one, it was great to just jump right back into the story.
I enjoyed the characters a little more, Maddie really felt like she grew from the first book. I liked the development of some of the other characters too (but I won't name them because spoilers). The character I didn't love this time around was Brekken. I liked him in the first one, but it really seemed like he was a different person in this one. I really enjoyed the family aspect in this book, but I won't go into any more detail than that.
The plot was kind of all over the place. It felt like there was enough to continue into a third book, but it all got crunched into this one. I wish some of the major things that happened were drawn out more, but every single one felt rushed. We find out about the selling of the soul-silver in the first book and that is really just so unique to me, I loved reading about how passionate Maddie was about fixing it and how it really connected everything in the book. There were some things that weren't resolved at the end, there is one character who goes off to do something important and then we never find out what happened for example.
In the first book, I loved the setting of Havenfall. That was a high point of the book for me. In this book, while we get to explore some of the other worlds, we don't get to explore them a lot. The scenes in those other worlds are rushed. I would have loved to explore them more.
There is an extra chapter at the end told from a different character's POV which I actually loved. If there happens to be another book in this series, or a spin off, I would want it to be exactly like that chapter, following that plot line. It did answer one of the questions to the unresolved plot points in the actual book, but it really only answered the what and not the how, so we are still left guessing about what exactly happened with this person.
I enjoyed Havenfall a little bit more than this one, but it was still a solid sequel. We pick up right where we left off, and since I just finished the first one, it was great to just jump right back into the story.
I enjoyed the characters a little more, Maddie really felt like she grew from the first book. I liked the development of some of the other characters too (but I won't name them because spoilers). The character I didn't love this time around was Brekken. I liked him in the first one, but it really seemed like he was a different person in this one. I really enjoyed the family aspect in this book, but I won't go into any more detail than that.
The plot was kind of all over the place. It felt like there was enough to continue into a third book, but it all got crunched into this one. I wish some of the major things that happened were drawn out more, but every single one felt rushed. We find out about the selling of the soul-silver in the first book and that is really just so unique to me, I loved reading about how passionate Maddie was about fixing it and how it really connected everything in the book. There were some things that weren't resolved at the end, there is one character who goes off to do something important and then we never find out what happened for example.
In the first book, I loved the setting of Havenfall. That was a high point of the book for me. In this book, while we get to explore some of the other worlds, we don't get to explore them a lot. The scenes in those other worlds are rushed. I would have loved to explore them more.
There is an extra chapter at the end told from a different character's POV which I actually loved. If there happens to be another book in this series, or a spin off, I would want it to be exactly like that chapter, following that plot line. It did answer one of the questions to the unresolved plot points in the actual book, but it really only answered the what and not the how, so we are still left guessing about what exactly happened with this person.