The Phoenix King (The Ravence Trilogy Book 1)

Laura P

mythical and engrossing

"This book took you on a journey to a old world, steeped in myths and symbols. I had no idea what was going to happen one chapter to the next. The story washed over me and I was along for the ride. The characters are finding and losing their identities and themselves throughout. Someone characterized this book as a romance. It is not. There’s a romance subplot but this is an epic fantasy, with a tight cast of characters. I can’t wait till the next installment. My review is rambling but I highly recommend! ["

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March 4, 2024 Verified Purchase

Rupertswife

Fantastic debut!

"First impression. I read a LOT of fantasy, and to me the cover and blurb suggested more fantasy so I was initially very disoriented when the story opened with a very sci-fi world and fight scene with pulse guns, blinding metal buildings, and face shields. It took me a couple chapters to settle into in, but I was definitely hooked from the first line. What kept me reading (or didn’t). The world and the story telling reminded me of Frank Herbert’s Dune. Not just because of the desert setting, but the style of writing, the ease of reading, and the way the political intrigue was laid out. Honestly, it wasn’t hard to figure out who the players would end up being, but the author still made the revelations feel fresh and surprising. I fell in love with Yassen almost immediately as the assassin trying to escape his fate by any means necessary. I was truly caught off guard by his story, but he redeemed himself well. Elena’s frustration with her father and her seeming lack of ability to control fire drove the story as she discovered all that had been hidden from her. My heart broke for her as she was betrayed over and over by those she desperately wanted to trust. Not getting into Samson’s head at all in the story made him a true mystery, but it was obvious he had ulterior motives throughout the story. I really wanted to like him and trust his relationship with Yassen, but the author did a great job of securing the reader’s doubt in him. After taste. Betrayal abounds in this first installment of the Ravence Trilogy, and I am looking forward to the next book! I have to know what happens to Yassen and how Elena gets her throne back! Overall impression. The audio was excellent! All the Narrators fit the characters and I hope they return for the next installments. ["

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January 23, 2024 Verified Purchase

Lili E.

Great world building, but something was lacking

"This was intense high fantasy, where the reader is thrown in the deep end with so much world building - names, nationalities, religions, countries, secret society groups, etc. I floundered for a few chapters, as you do, and then I settled in and enjoyed the ride. The writing was good and really helped me visualize this desert kingdom described. I adored the FMC. I liked how powerful and good she was, willing to do anything to protect her people. The MMC's history was sad and dark, which made his natural kindness and warmth all the more impressive. He was probably my favorite character. The 3rd perspective you read is the FMC's father. His actions were shocking most of the time, and confusing at others. But he loved his daughter so he was redeemable. Politics leads the majority of the story, all the characters striving for their own agendas and goals. There were some twists I didn't see coming, which I enjoyed very much. The reason for only 3 stars was this was advertised as a slow burn, pinning, and longing love story, with a bunch of action included. But I didn't feel any pining at all from the MMC. He didn't seem unable to do his guard duty job well, he wasn't distracted, only noting the beauty of the FMC once. It's obvious he cares for her a great deal - too obvious sometimes as he had no hesitation in touching or hugging her. It felt much more like instant love, with the MMC indifferent to acting upon his feelings, given their positions. But none of that suffering was portrayed. In a lot of ways, when the couple does finally have a moment, it would have felt a little out of left field if I hadn't been waiting for it to happen. Additionally, there are some deaths in the story, and I didn't feel the impact of loss when they happened. This is a fault of not enough character building, which was sacrificed for deep world descriptions and perspective hopping. Overall, I enjoyed the book quite a bit, and I'll gladly read the second one when it comes out, but with the understanding that it's a political story more than anything. I hope it becomes a journey is more character driven from now on, with fewer perspectives. ["

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January 4, 2025 Verified Purchase

HCR

Epic Science Fantasy With Compelling Characters

"Overall Rating: 3.5 ⭐ rounded up to 4 Spice Rating: 1 🌶️ I received a free copy of this audiobook from the publisher. I am reviewing it voluntarily and all opinions are my own. I would lilke to apologize to Orbit and Hachette Audio for this embarrassingly late review. I have no one to blame but myself for forgetting I requested this and not checking my NetGalley email address. I have mixed feelings about this one, but I enjoyed it overall. Perhaps my favorite things about it were the plot twist and cliffhanger at the end. I was sure I knew which of the characters would turn out to be a certain mysterious figure only to be taken by surprise in the best way. The way the book wraps everything up is also a fantastic hook for the next installment in the series. Another of this book's biggest strengths is the characters, all of whom are morally grey to some extent. You don't always agree with their actions, but they're written so well that you can understand why they do what they do. Each of the major players has lingered with me in the week since I finished listening. I can usually pick one or two favorite characters in a book, but I can't with this one because they were all so compelling. This is a story about what it means to do what's right for the people you love and for your country. What does that look like when there are no easy answers? Where do you ultimately place your loyalty when you have to choose who and what will come first? The Phoenix King had a depth that surprised me as it caused me to ponder those questions. Those looking for a romantasy should look elsewhere because this one is fantasy first, romance second. But the romance that was where was a beautifully written slow burn that unfolded in a way that felt very natural for the characters. While there is a sprinkling of spice, I would not call this a spicy read as what is there only takes up a tiny portion of the book and is pretty mild. As an audiobook lover, I appreciated that this was a recording with a different narrator for each character. The production quality was good, and all of the narrators did a great job. I couldn't always understand what was being said at the beginning, but I chalk that up to my not being super used to hearing Indian accents rather than being an issue with the audiobook itself. However, this book was slow in the beginning, and it was a while before I became invested. If it had not been a long overdue ARC, I might have DNFed. While I'm glad I kept going, this was definitely one where I had to push myself to do so. I'm also not sure it needed to be as long as it was and wonder if parts of it could have been shortened or cut. The world-building and mythology were interesting, but they weren't the most riveting or creative I've ever come across. There were also some aspects of the world and the plot that didn't quite add up. I vaguely picked up on them while listening, and now that I've seen other reviewers pointing them out I can't unsee them. However, since this is only the first book in a trilogy, I hope that everything that seemed off in this one will make more sense in future installments. Despite my misgivings, I'm looking forward to the release of The Burning Queen and am curious to see where the story is headed! ["

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June 26, 2025 Verified Purchase