The Phoenix King: 1 (The Ravence Trilogy)

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Thank you so much to New Degree Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review! In spite of my constant distraction over these questions, my struggles with the pacing, and that much of the earlier plot of the book doesn’t ever go anywhere, I kept reading The Phoenix King because I wanted to find out the identity of the Phoenix’s prophet. The novel does a great job twisting and turning things so that it could easily be several different characters. I would be certain I had the mystery figured out, only to get more information that had me second guessing and thinking it was actually someone else. I thought there was a lot of payoff to the reveal and though I’m interested in the motivations of this character in question, I feel like I can guess them, and don’t think I’m quite curious enough to read the next book in the series to find out if I’m correct. In Avatar Extras, it said that Zuko was the first person to find the Avatar after he went missing for a hundred years, though this is not true as Katara and Sokka were the first to find Aang. When Toph sandbends a model of Ba Sing Se, she is standing away from the wall, but when the camera angle changes she is closer than before. A kingdom set in the desert and born out of a prophecy is ruled by the Ravence who command the eternal fire. Elena is the heir to the throne and wants to prove herself, not only to her kingdom but her father too. But she doesn't approve of the arrival of Yassen, an assassin who is to be her royal guard. War looms on the horizon and it all depends on the choices they make.

Leo Ravence is not ready to give up the crown. There’s still too much work to be done, too many battles to be won. But when an ancient prophecy threatens to undo his lifetime of work, Leo wages war on the heavens themselves to protect his legacy. 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. One aspect that I want to delve into, and one I know I’ll get many questions about is the woman on the cover. Why is there a woman when the title says “king”? It’s a valid question, and the answer (I regret) is a bit vague as I don’t want to reveal too many spoilers! But I can say this: the theme of family sin and inheritance is heavy in The Phoenix King. The idea of the sins of the father being passed down from generation to generation or, in other words, generational trauma, is no strange concept in Hindu mythology. Often, we hear stories of sages cursing a king’s family line, or of gods being reborn as humans as a consequence of their actions in an earlier life. In The Phoenix King, Leo Malhari Ravence (one of the three POV characters) upholds the burden of the throne. His family has ruled the Kingdom of Ravence for generations, but they also guard a secret and a curse — not unlike the ones we’ve seen in Hindu mythology. Leo’s daughter, Elena Aadya Ravence (another POV character), must answer for her forefather’s sin. But will she finally free her family from it? Or will she fall for the curse that runs through her family? In the beginning and throughout this episode, Toph wears her Earth Kingdom uniform, but for the brief section of clips when Zuko tells Aang to roar like a tigerdillo, Toph is seen wearing her Fire Nation disguise. Toph is also shown in her Fire Nation disguise while she is on her "field trip" with Zuko. This also occurs with Katara shortly before Sokka claims that Appa must have eaten Momo. When Toph is commenting on Aang's Appa sand sculpture, her belly button is not visible for several frames but reappears when she moves slightly.

The Phoenix King PDF

That quote by the author sums up everything I feel about her characters. They are so dynamically layered, and there’s a moral greyness in each of them. I went from loving some characters to hating them, and felt every feeling in between. The story is told from three different perspectives, and each is unique and compelling.

So began a last deadly conflict. As the Witch King and his councillors began their terrible ritual, the greatest wizards of the Elves attempted to stop them, but such was the awesome power of the Witch King's dark magic that he and his coven of mages slowly and inexorably gained the upper hand. The heavens shook and the earth trembled. In the far north of the world, the Realm of Chaos churned and prepared to advance once more. In the camp of the Phoenix King, Caledor prayed to all the gods and to his grandsire to aid him. [4a] For Yassen Knight, fire is redemption. He dreams of shedding his past as one of Sayon’s most deadly assassins, of laying to rest the ghosts of those he has lost. If joining the court of flame and serving the royal Ravence family-the very people he once swore to eliminate-will earn him that, he’ll do it no matter what they ask of him. I am my father's daughter." She reminded him proudly and watched as he rolled his eyes as though weary of hearing the fact.In a kingdom where flames hold magic and the desert hides secrets, an ancient prophecy comes for an assassin, a princess, and a king. But none are ready to face destiny—and the choices they make could burn the world. The cloak felt like wings, lifting him up, borne aloft by the flames. He closed his eyes but nothing changed; still the flames filled his vision. A gentle breeze seemed to wash over him, its touch smoothing away skin and flesh and bone, reducing him to delicate ash; all without the slightest hint of discomfort. Imrik thought that he imagined it.

Meanwhile, her father, King Leo, has given up on following religion entirely and stops at nothing to prevent the foretold Prophet from rising and destroying the nation…which obviously flies in the face of their entire religion. Normally when we see people worshiping this kind of deity, it’s because they’re getting something out of it and that wasn’t really demonstrated for me in The Phoenix King beyond the cons. The royal family’s fire power doesn’t help their citizens in any way, except supposedly as a deterrent to war somehow. But how is one king or queen that is able to wield the Phoenix’s fire, fight off entire armies? It doesn’t seem likely. Elena and Yassen however, were not given that courtesy. By the end of the novel, Elena was supposed to have experienced a moral decline; unfortunately, her initial motivations and characterisation were so unclear that it felt ingenuine, the reasoning behind her decisions flimsy at best. Elena felt, very fundamentally, like a Young Adult heroine. Her existing personality traits would have been compelling on a 16 year old, but on an adult woman naivete, daddy issues and a coming of age story arc feel almost incongruous. There’s nothing wrong with YA literature - some of my favourite books are YA fantasy - but TBWF was marketed as an adult SFF. It did not feel like one. For Elena Aadya Ravence, fire is yearning. She longs to feel worthy of her Phoenix god, of her ancestors who transformed the barren dunes of Sayon into a thriving kingdom. But though she knows the ways and wiles of the desert better than she knows her own skin, the secrets of the Eternal Flame elude her. And without them, she'll never be accepted as queen. I don’t know how to put into words how much I loved this book. It was amazing. It’s my new favorite book. If I could give it more starts I would. It has everything that I love in it. The plot is so interesting, and I love the characters. When Aang sleepwalks to the "island" he is barefoot, but when Momo wakes him up he is wearing shoes.From her pose, the woman comes across as a fierce warrior. Let’s hope that she has the strength to face a cruel, vindictive god like the Phoenix. the power of myth. Give the people something to believe in. Make it strong enough, fearsome enough, and they would all bow." The world building is confusing. There were too many names of different groups and spies and they all seemed the same, which is one of the reasons why I was confused. For a book written so good, I would expect the world building to sweep me off my feet but it didn't. I still do not have a concrete idea about it, so will see in the next book. Thank you to Netgalley and New Degree Press for an e-ARC of The Boy With Fire in exchange for a sincere review. There is a romance, though it’s not the main focus of the story. The love stories are always my favorite parts, and I enjoyed this one. Many of the quotes I highlighted revolve around the couple’s feelings for each other. Though riddled with obstacles that broke my heart on more than one occasion, it was a pairing I wholly rooted for, and I’m hoping beyond hope that there will be more to this part of the story in the next book.