A review by paigemcarter
Phoenix Flame by Sara Holland

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.