Scan barcode
A review by stardust_heidi
The Phoenix Keeper by S.A. MacLean
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Okay so. Outside of the FMC, I loved the book. This world and its magical animals was a delight, and I loved the meticulous detail and care taken to embellish these creatures and the zoo system. I loved the side characters and enjoyed the sapphic romance — though it must be noted it was not a major part of the plot. The Illumicrate edition of this book is absolutely gorgeous! The art is stunning, and I'm glad I got it. I really enjoyed the conservation message throughout the story.
However... I found the FMC to be utterly infuriating. Look. I think it’s important to have neurodivergent rep in books, I truly do. But for about ⅔ of this book, Aila used her extreme social anxiety, introvertedness, and hyper fixation on her phoenixes as an excuse to be a complete asshole to everyone around her. Aila was so obsessed with her birds that she didn't bother to attend staff meetings, had no ideaLuciana's griffin died until TWO WEEKS later, and was put out when she found out her best friend (Tanya) was putting time that could have been spent working with the phoenixes to work on her own project. (Honestly, Tanya is a saint.) Like....GIRL. You are 28 years old. Put on your professional pants and grow tf up. I was about to give up on her character before she had a much needed come to Jesus moment and finally — FINALLY — opened her self-centered eyeballs to notice that other people around her were also going through stuff. Important stuff! I do wonder if this moment came a bit too late in the book, as I spent the overwhelming majority of it getting increasingly pissed off at our FMC.
I will note that once Aila did face her reckoning, I liked how her character arc grew. I think it was a clever parallel to make when Lucianatold Aila that Aila's anxiety made the phoenixes' anxiety ratchet, which resulted in this vicious cycle of the birds hating each other and Aila living in this bubble of anxiety. I liked the message about how spending time with the right people will make you feel happy/comfortable/at ease -- Aila realizing this in the face of exploring her feelings about Connor (dick) was GOOD.
Overall, definitely worth the read. I think if you love animals, magical creatures, zoos and conservation efforts, you'll definitely enjoy it. Just be mindful of the FMC.
However... I found the FMC to be utterly infuriating. Look. I think it’s important to have neurodivergent rep in books, I truly do. But for about ⅔ of this book, Aila used her extreme social anxiety, introvertedness, and hyper fixation on her phoenixes as an excuse to be a complete asshole to everyone around her. Aila was so obsessed with her birds that she didn't bother to attend staff meetings, had no idea
I will note that once Aila did face her reckoning, I liked how her character arc grew. I think it was a clever parallel to make when Luciana
Overall, definitely worth the read. I think if you love animals, magical creatures, zoos and conservation efforts, you'll definitely enjoy it. Just be mindful of the FMC.