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A review by pussinbooks
Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon
4.0
Silver Phoenix is about Ai Ling, a girl with the power to wrap her spirit around those of others and hear their thoughts, who runs away from home to avoid betrothal to a lecherous old man and to seek her father who has been summoned to the emperor's palace. Along the way she befriends the reserved Chen Yong after a near death experience. Though Ai Ling meets more foes than friends, she and Chen Yong make it to the palace safely, only to find an evil that has been awaiting their arrival for hundreds of years.
Cindy Pon creates a a world far different from the typical medieval england-esque fantasy setting seen in so many novels. It is a world of three-headed goddesses, monsters in the form of beautiful women, and races and tribes of her own creation, i.e. definitely not elves and dwarves. Cindy's heroine Ai Ling is a young woman who fits into her society for the most part as an obedient daughter, but has a rebellious streak in her shown through her thirst for knowledge in a place that does not advocate scholarly education of women.
One thing I admire greatly in Ai Ling is that even though she is confused by her powers, she is not afraid to learn to use them. She does what she must to survive. Cindy's characters continued to surprise me as the story went on. Ai Ling is not without fault, which she knows, but still lets her faults get the best of her at times. She makes very dark decisions that lead to changes in her, as well as wisdom.
Cindy also knows how to write villains. The worst monster in the book is a human, and Cindy does not skimp on the details of how power leads to corruption and the desire to corrupt others. From the beginning of the novel, Cindy deals with the darker side of love. She begins with the consequences of a forbidden love affair, continues the theme by introducing us to characters who have been scorned by love and jealousy, and ends by showing us how twisted a person can become when unable to let go of the past. Silver Phoenix shows us the tragedy of a world that puts restrictions on love. Ai Ling's belief that people should marry for love allows her to sacrifice for what is best for others.
On the technical side of things, Cindy creates imagery that pulls you into the setting. My mouth dropped during certain scenes, especially one that involved the description of many unique trees and their inhabitants. Her dialogue is believable; it does not sound modern yet does not feel stale in the ancient setting. The characters interact playfully, building relationships throughout the novel that readers can invest in.
Cindy builds tension and intrigue from the very first page with strong, distinct voices. Each character has his or her own set of beliefs, demeanor and ways of speaking that flesh them out and bring something important to the story.
At times I felt the story turned in interesting directions that were not developed enough. Certain sections, while being rich with character development, seemed like they belonged in another plot line. I hope these references made to places such as the land of men and the land of women, and fascinating characters-the chief of a certain tribe-with such small parts will reappear in later books with a greater purpose.
I only have one big problem with Silver Phoenix. I am not going to reveal any details about the event I am writing about, but some people may still think of this next part as a spoiler so skip to the next paragraph if you wish. As I said above, Ai Ling makes dark choices. I've been frustrated with fantasy authors for a long time because many refuse to let their characters make the wrong choice. When Ai Ling makes her choice, she is emotionally distraught but also in possession of knowledge of what consequences the choice will bring. The scene in which this occurs is brilliant and I had high hopes for the subplot until the end. In the end, Ai Ling does not suffer the consequences of a disturbing choice. So this stunning choice made by the heroine seemed suddenly like a device to show what a good person she is rather than an honest characterization that people are grey; no one is all good or all bad. I hope the sequel will handle this subject in a better manner because I believe Ai Ling is strong enough to deal with consequences she brings upon herself and deserves to show readers what she is made of.
Cindy Pon creates a a world far different from the typical medieval england-esque fantasy setting seen in so many novels. It is a world of three-headed goddesses, monsters in the form of beautiful women, and races and tribes of her own creation, i.e. definitely not elves and dwarves. Cindy's heroine Ai Ling is a young woman who fits into her society for the most part as an obedient daughter, but has a rebellious streak in her shown through her thirst for knowledge in a place that does not advocate scholarly education of women.
One thing I admire greatly in Ai Ling is that even though she is confused by her powers, she is not afraid to learn to use them. She does what she must to survive. Cindy's characters continued to surprise me as the story went on. Ai Ling is not without fault, which she knows, but still lets her faults get the best of her at times. She makes very dark decisions that lead to changes in her, as well as wisdom.
Cindy also knows how to write villains. The worst monster in the book is a human, and Cindy does not skimp on the details of how power leads to corruption and the desire to corrupt others. From the beginning of the novel, Cindy deals with the darker side of love. She begins with the consequences of a forbidden love affair, continues the theme by introducing us to characters who have been scorned by love and jealousy, and ends by showing us how twisted a person can become when unable to let go of the past. Silver Phoenix shows us the tragedy of a world that puts restrictions on love. Ai Ling's belief that people should marry for love allows her to sacrifice for what is best for others.
On the technical side of things, Cindy creates imagery that pulls you into the setting. My mouth dropped during certain scenes, especially one that involved the description of many unique trees and their inhabitants. Her dialogue is believable; it does not sound modern yet does not feel stale in the ancient setting. The characters interact playfully, building relationships throughout the novel that readers can invest in.
Cindy builds tension and intrigue from the very first page with strong, distinct voices. Each character has his or her own set of beliefs, demeanor and ways of speaking that flesh them out and bring something important to the story.
At times I felt the story turned in interesting directions that were not developed enough. Certain sections, while being rich with character development, seemed like they belonged in another plot line. I hope these references made to places such as the land of men and the land of women, and fascinating characters-the chief of a certain tribe-with such small parts will reappear in later books with a greater purpose.
I only have one big problem with Silver Phoenix. I am not going to reveal any details about the event I am writing about, but some people may still think of this next part as a spoiler so skip to the next paragraph if you wish. As I said above, Ai Ling makes dark choices. I've been frustrated with fantasy authors for a long time because many refuse to let their characters make the wrong choice. When Ai Ling makes her choice, she is emotionally distraught but also in possession of knowledge of what consequences the choice will bring. The scene in which this occurs is brilliant and I had high hopes for the subplot until the end. In the end, Ai Ling does not suffer the consequences of a disturbing choice. So this stunning choice made by the heroine seemed suddenly like a device to show what a good person she is rather than an honest characterization that people are grey; no one is all good or all bad. I hope the sequel will handle this subject in a better manner because I believe Ai Ling is strong enough to deal with consequences she brings upon herself and deserves to show readers what she is made of.