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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
Exuding charm, this fantasy tale captivated me—a reader typically drawn to darker narratives. What sets this book apart is its engaging storyline and, notably, its intricately crafted characters. Each character is flawed in relatable ways, exhibiting motivations and emotions that resonate deeply with me.
I highly recommend this book to those seeking a whimsical yet profound read, as it strikes a delightful balance between fantasy and depth.
I highly recommend this book to those seeking a whimsical yet profound read, as it strikes a delightful balance between fantasy and depth.
This review will be in stream-of-consciousness dot-jot form here we go:
- threw so many place names at me in the first few chapters that I felt dizzy, where are we and what are we talking about
- this was a cozy read but also I was bored?? I blame Aila (the main character/narrator) for this, she was just so boring and two dimensional that I couldn’t even enjoy the warmth of the world to the fullest
- my issue with Aila isn’t that she’s shy, I’ve read many a book with a shy main character and they have been lovely. I think my issue with her is that there didn’t seem to be any growth, like everything was just stagnant and I didn’t feel like we ever got anywhere with her, if that makes sense
- Also the miscommunication trope is heavy with her and that sucked
- Aila started off being a character that I could see myself liking but that quickly evaporated, what a bummer
- I think this book would’ve really benefitted from some illustrations, with all of the info dumping and vague descriptions of the creatures and the world I really didn’t know what to be visualizing. Like if you asked me to describe everything in detail, I fear I would just be like “well there are birds” and that’s it and I wish I could say more so badly
- I keep seeing people praising the world building and now I’m wondering if we read the same book… maybe I missed something
- for a “cozy fantasy romance” the romance was really lacking (and so was the fantasy too, to be honest, outside of the magical birds) and when it did happen, it just fell a little flat. The best romance was Tanya and her partner and they can be technically considered “sub characters”, more on them please!
- love the anxiety representation! definitely think we need more of that in the fantasy genre, I don’t buy for one second that every main character is cool, calm, and collected about everything that’s happening to them. there are often (needed and welcomed) explorations of ptsd in fantasy books but I feel like other mental health struggles tend to get glossed over a little bit. so that was so great to see! it did feel a bit overdone at times and almost like a caricature of anxiety created by someone who read web md but it was there and we have to recognize that
- anyway, this book wasn’t ~bad~ it just kinda felt empty, like everything was almost there but not quite but also sometimes it was too much there?? truly don’t know how to describe it, it was very just fine for me
- with that being said, I can see some people really loving it!! the low stakes make it a very nonchalant read and sometimes it’s okay to read a book where the main purpose is just vibes. but alas, these vibes just did not hit for me personally
3/5
- threw so many place names at me in the first few chapters that I felt dizzy, where are we and what are we talking about
- this was a cozy read but also I was bored?? I blame Aila (the main character/narrator) for this, she was just so boring and two dimensional that I couldn’t even enjoy the warmth of the world to the fullest
- my issue with Aila isn’t that she’s shy, I’ve read many a book with a shy main character and they have been lovely. I think my issue with her is that there didn’t seem to be any growth, like everything was just stagnant and I didn’t feel like we ever got anywhere with her, if that makes sense
- Also the miscommunication trope is heavy with her and that sucked
- Aila started off being a character that I could see myself liking but that quickly evaporated, what a bummer
- I think this book would’ve really benefitted from some illustrations, with all of the info dumping and vague descriptions of the creatures and the world I really didn’t know what to be visualizing. Like if you asked me to describe everything in detail, I fear I would just be like “well there are birds” and that’s it and I wish I could say more so badly
- I keep seeing people praising the world building and now I’m wondering if we read the same book… maybe I missed something
- for a “cozy fantasy romance” the romance was really lacking (and so was the fantasy too, to be honest, outside of the magical birds) and when it did happen, it just fell a little flat. The best romance was Tanya and her partner and they can be technically considered “sub characters”, more on them please!
- love the anxiety representation! definitely think we need more of that in the fantasy genre, I don’t buy for one second that every main character is cool, calm, and collected about everything that’s happening to them. there are often (needed and welcomed) explorations of ptsd in fantasy books but I feel like other mental health struggles tend to get glossed over a little bit. so that was so great to see! it did feel a bit overdone at times and almost like a caricature of anxiety created by someone who read web md but it was there and we have to recognize that
- anyway, this book wasn’t ~bad~ it just kinda felt empty, like everything was almost there but not quite but also sometimes it was too much there?? truly don’t know how to describe it, it was very just fine for me
- with that being said, I can see some people really loving it!! the low stakes make it a very nonchalant read and sometimes it’s okay to read a book where the main purpose is just vibes. but alas, these vibes just did not hit for me personally
3/5
This book did not need to be this long. The first half of this dragggggged but I enjoyed the second half. I did super guess the plot twist but I still enjoyed watching it play out.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-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
Poor writing, thr main character was "not like other girls" and "too shy to talk to strangers" 🙄
I absolutely loved this book and the story. It was nice having a fantasy book that wasn’t heavy in world building and didn’t have to concentrate really hard in that aspect. I loved having a fantasy book that was centred around animals and the conservation around endangered animals. I found Aila extremely relatable with her social anxiety and love of animals. The Phoenix Keeper covered a variety of topics and I honestly loved it all round. I have the illumicrate exclusive edition which is stunning but I listened to it on audio and the audiobook is really good. I will definitely be reading this book again. I loved it so much.
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Would have given 4 stars but Alia was so unlikable and whiny for 75% of the book. The trope of scientist is bad with crowds etc. is just so overdone too