This review was written by: C
Received: ARC from Publisher
Date of Publication: September 2018
Rating: 4.5/5
Official Summary:
Official Summary:
A woman with power over fire and illusion and an enslaved son of a chieftain battle a corrupt empire in this powerful and deeply emotional romantic fantasy from the USA Today bestselling author of Radiance.
Every year, each village is required to send a young woman to the Empire's capital--her fate to be burned alive for the entertainment of the masses. For the last five years, one small village's tithe has been the same woman. Gilene's sacrifice protects all the other young women of her village, and her secret to staying alive lies with the magic only she possesses.
But this year is different.
Azarion, the Empire's most famous gladiator, has somehow seen through her illusion--and is set on blackmailing Gilene into using her abilities to help him escape his life of slavery. And unknown to Gilene, he also wants to reclaim the birthright of his clan.
To protect her family and village, she will risk everything to return to the Empire--and burn once more.
My Thoughts:
It's not every day that I come across an adult fantasy novel that's capable of taking my breath away. In fact, I wasn't even sure if I was going to enjoy the book at first. I've never read any of Draven's work before, so I was eager to see what was in store for me when this gem arrived at my doorstep. The book's summary seemed interesting enough and the cover is gorgeous. I didn't think I had anything to lose so I figured I'd give it a try.
The world that Draven created truly drew me in. I have to admit that I am an avid lover of fantasy novels, but I tend to stick to the YA end of that spectrum. I don't know why, but I feel that sometimes adult fantasy novels build magical worlds that can be confusing, especially with their magic systems, fabricated cultures, and complex societies. Some authors just don't do a superb job of easing the reader into unfamiliar lands and things get confusing very quickly, especially when there are a ton of characters or rules of the world to keep track of. Consequently, I was so happy that I was capable of easily diving into the world of Phoenix Unbound! Heck, I was hooked from the first page.
There are so many interesting cultures and lands to explore. However, I have to admit that this book isn't filled with rainbows and unicorns. There's quite a bit of dark content -- slavery, murder, and rape to name a few. I mean, the entire plot starts off with Gilene leaving her village to be sacrificed yet again for the Empire. She endures it every year and suffers the physical consequences of using her ability to survive and the mental anguish knowing that every other girl won't be saved. They're given to the gladiators to be raped the night before they're burned alive, so there is definitely a heavy atmosphere to this book.
Aside from Gilene, we have Azarion, the prime gladiator and one of the empress's favorite play things. He's capable of seeing straight through Gilene's magic, and he may know more about her origins than even she does. The two of them must face the odds of standing against the Empire and bring a new era. From this alone you kind of get the gist that there's definitely a romance in this book, and I loved how the author expertly brought the two together. Watching their romance unfold was spectacular, and I loved every second of it. Plus the banter was superb.
Overall, this book has a bit of everything for everyone -- magic, rebellion, love, and impossible odds -- all great aspects of a plot that culminates into a worthy read.
The world that Draven created truly drew me in. I have to admit that I am an avid lover of fantasy novels, but I tend to stick to the YA end of that spectrum. I don't know why, but I feel that sometimes adult fantasy novels build magical worlds that can be confusing, especially with their magic systems, fabricated cultures, and complex societies. Some authors just don't do a superb job of easing the reader into unfamiliar lands and things get confusing very quickly, especially when there are a ton of characters or rules of the world to keep track of. Consequently, I was so happy that I was capable of easily diving into the world of Phoenix Unbound! Heck, I was hooked from the first page.
There are so many interesting cultures and lands to explore. However, I have to admit that this book isn't filled with rainbows and unicorns. There's quite a bit of dark content -- slavery, murder, and rape to name a few. I mean, the entire plot starts off with Gilene leaving her village to be sacrificed yet again for the Empire. She endures it every year and suffers the physical consequences of using her ability to survive and the mental anguish knowing that every other girl won't be saved. They're given to the gladiators to be raped the night before they're burned alive, so there is definitely a heavy atmosphere to this book.
Aside from Gilene, we have Azarion, the prime gladiator and one of the empress's favorite play things. He's capable of seeing straight through Gilene's magic, and he may know more about her origins than even she does. The two of them must face the odds of standing against the Empire and bring a new era. From this alone you kind of get the gist that there's definitely a romance in this book, and I loved how the author expertly brought the two together. Watching their romance unfold was spectacular, and I loved every second of it. Plus the banter was superb.
Overall, this book has a bit of everything for everyone -- magic, rebellion, love, and impossible odds -- all great aspects of a plot that culminates into a worthy read.
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