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A review by dark_reader
Phoenix Feathers by Nya Wilcox
5.0
A phenomenal book from an extremely talented and bright young person. The bulk of this short portal fantasy novel was written when the author was age 10, finished shortly after she turned 11. Her reading bio is equally impressive; she read Lord of the Rings at the same age my younger child is struggling with early-reader material.
Phoenix Feathers features a young boy, Josh, and his younger twin sisters, who are drawn into a fantasy world and tasked to recover five phoenix tail feathers for the realm's leader, Flickfire. Aided by a ruby statue with the power of teleportation, they speed through multiple dangerous environments, always in the nick of time. Along the way they encounter multiple enemies, allies, and an adorable wolf pup named Midnight. They are gradually drawn into major conflicts that will determine the fate of this world.
The writing is superb, particularly so given the author's age. I was drawn to the book by her equally excellent blog post on busting excuses not to write (https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/6-writing-excuses-busted-or-how-an-11-year-old-published-her-first-novel/). I gave the book to my daughter and she enjoyed it, citing the wolf pup as her favorite part. I read it also and was impressed throughout. Wilcox's prose and the lack of amateur writing tells surpasses that of most authors far beyond her age. She had the help of a competent editor (her father), a must for writers of any age, but this in no way diminishes her obvious talent.
I admit to one ulterior motive for reading this now; it was in preparation to read [b:Maradonia and the Seven Bridges|6350887|Maradonia and the Seven Bridges (Maradonia Series, #1)|Gloria Tesch|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327792529l/6350887._SY75_.jpg|6537451], another book from a young author (13), also with some fatherly guidance, but that one's outcome was . . . not so positive. I needed to establish an appropriate basis of comparison, and Phoenix Feathers sets a high bar.
Phoenix Feathers features a young boy, Josh, and his younger twin sisters, who are drawn into a fantasy world and tasked to recover five phoenix tail feathers for the realm's leader, Flickfire. Aided by a ruby statue with the power of teleportation, they speed through multiple dangerous environments, always in the nick of time. Along the way they encounter multiple enemies, allies, and an adorable wolf pup named Midnight. They are gradually drawn into major conflicts that will determine the fate of this world.
The writing is superb, particularly so given the author's age. I was drawn to the book by her equally excellent blog post on busting excuses not to write (https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/6-writing-excuses-busted-or-how-an-11-year-old-published-her-first-novel/). I gave the book to my daughter and she enjoyed it, citing the wolf pup as her favorite part. I read it also and was impressed throughout. Wilcox's prose and the lack of amateur writing tells surpasses that of most authors far beyond her age. She had the help of a competent editor (her father), a must for writers of any age, but this in no way diminishes her obvious talent.
I admit to one ulterior motive for reading this now; it was in preparation to read [b:Maradonia and the Seven Bridges|6350887|Maradonia and the Seven Bridges (Maradonia Series, #1)|Gloria Tesch|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327792529l/6350887._SY75_.jpg|6537451], another book from a young author (13), also with some fatherly guidance, but that one's outcome was . . . not so positive. I needed to establish an appropriate basis of comparison, and Phoenix Feathers sets a high bar.