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A review by lassarina
The Phoenix Empress by K. Arsenault Rivera
5.0
Wow I shoved this book into my brain really fast and so much happened and I'm still reeling a little.
Much like its predecessor, it's told in a mix of current events and epistolary-like recounting of the past; this time, it's mostly Shizuka telling Shefali about what happened to her while Shefali was eight years in exile. How did she go from the shining princess to this Empress who is so damaged? In the book we find out; we find out how she came to depose her uncle, and some more of what Shefali found on her long journey, and some of who they are now that they're grown up. Shizuka has grown and changed, not so much that she cannot be recognized, but the years have definitely taken a toll. We're still missing a chunk of time - Shefali's journey in exile, which presumably will make up most of the third book as they try to solve the problem of the Traitor and, well, Shefali's problem - but I'm looking forward to finally getting the third book from the library and finishing the series, even though I already foresee that it's going to tear my heart out, roast it, and eat it in front of me. WOW.
Much like its predecessor, it's told in a mix of current events and epistolary-like recounting of the past; this time, it's mostly Shizuka telling Shefali about what happened to her while Shefali was eight years in exile. How did she go from the shining princess to this Empress who is so damaged? In the book we find out; we find out how she came to depose her uncle, and some more of what Shefali found on her long journey, and some of who they are now that they're grown up. Shizuka has grown and changed, not so much that she cannot be recognized, but the years have definitely taken a toll. We're still missing a chunk of time - Shefali's journey in exile, which presumably will make up most of the third book as they try to solve the problem of the Traitor and, well, Shefali's problem - but I'm looking forward to finally getting the third book from the library and finishing the series, even though I already foresee that it's going to tear my heart out, roast it, and eat it in front of me. WOW.