*I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
Title: The Phoenix King
Author: Aparna Verma
Publisher: Orbit
Publication Date: August 31, 20213
ISBN: 9781668627983
Synopsis:
The Ravani kingdom was born of a prophecy, carved from unforgiving desert sands and ruled by the Ravence bloodline: those with the power to command the Eternal Fire. Elena Aadya is the heir to the throne—and the only Ravence who cannot wield her family’s legendary magic. As her coronation approaches, she will do whatever it takes to prove herself a worthy successor to her revered father. But she doesn’t anticipate the arrival of Yassen Knight, the notorious assassin who now claims fealty to the throne. Elena’s father might trust Yassen to be a member of her royal guard, but she is certain he is hiding something. As the threat of war looms like a storm on the horizon, the two begin a dangerous dance of intrigue and betrayal. And the choices they make could burn down the world.
I will admit, I had this book in my TBR for QUITE a while, due to its size. In the world of reviewing (plus motherhood!), a larger book is a commitment that I can’t always keep. I’m glad I finally delved into the complex world that Verma has built because it was a beautifully written place full of magic, prophecies, spirituality, and so much of the unknown. Following a variety of perspectives, this novel takes the reader into the heart of the royal palace in the kingdom of Ravani. An impending coronation awaits, civil unrest is stirring, war seems imminent. This is a kingdom at the precipice of disaster and it is the heir, Elena’s, burden to inherit. It is her search for truth and her responsibility as the future queen that drives this story forward, as she seeks to start her reign on the right foot.
If you’re looking for some interesting and complex world building this summer, you’ll find it here. This story introduces the reader to the dangerous desert sands that fall under Ravani rule, with a taste of the forest lands that fall outside of King Leo, the Ravani king, and Elena’s jurisdiction. The deserts are full of wonder and mystery. Fire is the element that rules this nation and it’s rooted in mysticism and spirituality, and is full of anger and vengeance. Ravani is a dangerous kingdom and there is a constant threat from both within and without. Elena must learn to control fire, but the secrets of taming this wild element are kept from her. Experimenting on her own, with the help of notes from her late mother, she uncovers secrets about fire and her nation that she’d never dreamed of. Coming to terms with the truth of her family’s history and devoting herself to the study of holding fire, Elena opens herself up to a untapped power.
In contrast to Elena is the assassin Yassen. Trained to be ruthless and deadly, he’s a character whose purpose until now has been to kill very high profile rulers around their world. What I found to be profoundly interesting about Yassen is that though we know his history of loss and violence, we get to see his perspective and discover the softer and more human side of him. Though externally he is a warrior, internally he is just regular human underneath it all. This particular character sees a ton of personal growth from start to finish. His chapters were my favourite to explore.
I feel like the one thing I always harp on in a lot of stories is unnecessary romance. In the case of this book, I was shipping the romance, but I don’t feel like it progressed naturally in any way. It’s not exciting and you can see it coming a mile away. It’s so obvious that it’s actually anticlimactic when both involved parties come together. It the one thing in this story that I think could have been improved significantly. Otherwise, this is a pretty good read, though a tad long. Verma’s writing is strong and eloquent and she’s got excellent characterization. I’d be interested in following these characters further to see how their stories develop even further. There’s enough action building at the end, and a great cliff hanger, to ensure that many readers will stay hooked.
Happy reading!
Worn Pages and Ink 