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bookish_mk 's review for:
The Phoenix King
by Aparna Verma
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A new favorite story for me and I cannot wait until the next books are out!!
A strong ready-to-rule heir (Elena), her closest protector/auntie/friend, her ruthless father, two friends who grew up together in trauma (one got out, the other didn't), desert landscape, mountains, cities, sci-fi elements, fire magic, ancient powers, etc.
I loved that Elena didn't need to be trained by the love interest as it happens with so many other books in the fantasy/sci-fi genre. She is skilled and confident and speaks up for herself. I'd like to see much more like this character, this author, and this book. The book also focused on the plot instead of just on the romance. I would say this is a fantasy-first, with a romantic subplot. For me, I enjoyed all of the relationships in this book that the main character had and appreciated that the author spent time to build all of these in the story.
It's easy to become connected to the characters. The writing is elegant and smart. It's extraordinarily well-balanced. It's nicely edited. The pacing is just right, although I did feel like there were two endings in this book and it could have stopped at the first one. But this was okay with me because I didn't really want it to end.
Highly recommend and I'm surprised by the rating on Storygraph for this book, I'd like to see it much higher!
A strong ready-to-rule heir (Elena), her closest protector/auntie/friend, her ruthless father, two friends who grew up together in trauma (one got out, the other didn't), desert landscape, mountains, cities, sci-fi elements, fire magic, ancient powers, etc.
I loved that Elena didn't need to be trained by the love interest as it happens with so many other books in the fantasy/sci-fi genre. She is skilled and confident and speaks up for herself. I'd like to see much more like this character, this author, and this book. The book also focused on the plot instead of just on the romance. I would say this is a fantasy-first, with a romantic subplot. For me, I enjoyed all of the relationships in this book that the main character had and appreciated that the author spent time to build all of these in the story.
It's easy to become connected to the characters. The writing is elegant and smart. It's extraordinarily well-balanced. It's nicely edited. The pacing is just right, although I did feel like there were two endings in this book and it could have stopped at the first one. But this was okay with me because I didn't really want it to end.
Highly recommend and I'm surprised by the rating on Storygraph for this book, I'd like to see it much higher!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content