madisonx 's review for:

The Phoenix Keeper by S.A. MacLean

3.0

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

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“Do you ever wish you could go back and tell your younger self to just keep going? That it will all get better in a few years?”

This was honestly a really cute read, a little slow to start but I absolutely devoured the last 100 or so pages.

I feel that in some aspects this book is exactly what I wanted it to be- a loveable main character, really sweet side characters, and a world that felt alive. I found myself really loving both the characters, and animals throughout the book.

Unfortunately, The Phoenix Keeper fell short in many instances- The writing was excessively descriptive at times when it really didn’t need to be. I predicted the ending by page 300, which didn’t help with how much the first ¾ of the book dragged. It felt unrealistic to me how Tanya forgave Aila almost immediately for pushing her volunteer programme aside- there were, maybe, two snarky comments made to hint that she was upset and then the conflict was resolved a few paragraphs later. It was unsatisfying, and didn’t feel like Aila had any real character growth in this instance. I also disliked that the relationship between Aila and Luciana was very rushed and not fleshed out, it was like one minute they hated each other, and the next they were madly in love. 

Despite the few issues I had with this book, it was still a fun, light read that was overall enjoyable. It wasn’t an amazing book, but it definitely wasn’t bad either- I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys cosy, low-stake romantasy. I won’t be opposed to reading more of S.A. MacLean’s work in the future.