A review by laurareads87
Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee

adventurous emotional hopeful 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

Thoroughly enjoyed this.  The world-building -- political dynamics, magical pigments & painting, automatons given personality characteristics and capacities with magical masks -- was impeccable, and the plot exciting without feeling hurried.  I adore the representation in this story: a non-binary protagonist and an array of relationships depicted.  The ending felt slightly rushed, and I do wish there were going to be more stories in this world.  This is not complex in the ways that Lee's <i>Machineries of Empire</i> books are, but it's a satisfying read.  The dragon is not as central as some of the book descriptions make it out to be, so those most excited for a dragon story might feel a bit disappointed, but I really liked this novel.
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