Scan barcode
A review by mels_reading_rook
Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto
5.0
4.5 stars
After being betrayed by her sister, Veronyka strikes out on her own to find the Phoenix Riders, who have been biding their time and regaining strength after the last war. Unfortunately, they are not recruiting right now, and they're especially not recruiting girls. So Veronyka takes on the guise of Nyk and begins working for them as a stableboy in hopes to earn an apprenticeship and one day be part of their ranks. Meanwhile, there are forces moving to make sure the Riders disappear once and for all as the reappearance of her sister threatens to shatter the life Veronyka has worked so hard to create for herself...
There are a lot of things to like about this book. The world is rich with an incredibly interesting history, and snippets of it can be seen between chapters as it slowly reveals the parallels beginning to occur in past and present. Because of the author's attention to the worldbuilding, it has led the story to take place in a setting that feels almost alive, especially at the end of the book as hints to bigger machinations led by people with their own goals and desires.
The writing is also great to read. It flows really well, is easy and fast to read, yet flowery without dragging down the pace. I honestly started to switch often between the audiobook and the physical just so I could consume the story even faster. I think that really shows how engaging the writing and the story is, as it left me wanting more in a good way.
One thing to mention, though I said the writing didn't bog down the pacing, unfortunately, I found the beginning of the book slow to read for an entirely different reason. As the setting and history was being established, there would be sections of exposition explaining pieces of the setting's history that interrupted the flow of the story. I actually thought about DNFing the book because of it, but I'm so glad I didn't!
Another thing I really liked was the characters. They became so dynamic, influenced by their experiences and each other! They were so much fun to watch and follow along on their adventures. For example, how Tristan acted in the beginning of the story was so much different from the end, and he would have reacted to certain reveals from the end of the story so much differently if it happened in other places of the book. So good!
Overall, I recommend this story who wants a fun fantasy adventure with awesome phoenix action!
After being betrayed by her sister, Veronyka strikes out on her own to find the Phoenix Riders, who have been biding their time and regaining strength after the last war. Unfortunately, they are not recruiting right now, and they're especially not recruiting girls. So Veronyka takes on the guise of Nyk and begins working for them as a stableboy in hopes to earn an apprenticeship and one day be part of their ranks. Meanwhile, there are forces moving to make sure the Riders disappear once and for all as the reappearance of her sister threatens to shatter the life Veronyka has worked so hard to create for herself...
There are a lot of things to like about this book. The world is rich with an incredibly interesting history, and snippets of it can be seen between chapters as it slowly reveals the parallels beginning to occur in past and present. Because of the author's attention to the worldbuilding, it has led the story to take place in a setting that feels almost alive, especially at the end of the book as hints to bigger machinations led by people with their own goals and desires.
The writing is also great to read. It flows really well, is easy and fast to read, yet flowery without dragging down the pace. I honestly started to switch often between the audiobook and the physical just so I could consume the story even faster. I think that really shows how engaging the writing and the story is, as it left me wanting more in a good way.
One thing to mention, though I said the writing didn't bog down the pacing, unfortunately, I found the beginning of the book slow to read for an entirely different reason. As the setting and history was being established, there would be sections of exposition explaining pieces of the setting's history that interrupted the flow of the story. I actually thought about DNFing the book because of it, but I'm so glad I didn't!
Another thing I really liked was the characters. They became so dynamic, influenced by their experiences and each other! They were so much fun to watch and follow along on their adventures. For example, how Tristan acted in the beginning of the story was so much different from the end, and he would have reacted to certain reveals from the end of the story so much differently if it happened in other places of the book. So good!
Overall, I recommend this story who wants a fun fantasy adventure with awesome phoenix action!