The Phoenix King: 1 (The Ravence Trilogy)

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Aang prepares himself to fight Fire Lord Ozai, but has difficulty deciding how to defeat him without taking his life. His friends push him, urging him to kill the Fire Lord, but Aang insists it goes against his beliefs. In his sleep, Aang is drawn toward a mysterious island that appears suddenly in the sea. His friends find June, the bounty hunter, to attempt to locate him again. Fire Lord Ozai crowns himself Phoenix King and Aang awakens on the unknown island now in the middle of the sea. Synopsis [ ] 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? 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 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. 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. 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, or benu, is a mythical sacred firebird which originated in many ancient mythologies, including Egyptian, Phoenician, Greek, Indian, Persian, Roman, and Chinese, among others. It is a radiant bird with a tail of gold and red plumage, or purple and blue, by some sources, and has a 500 to 1,000 year life cycle, near the end of which it builds itself a nest of myrrh twigs that it eventually ignites. Both nest and bird burn and are reduced to ashes, from which a new, young phoenix or phoenix egg arises, reborn anew to live again. The Fire Nation crafted a large platform with a depiction of a phoenix for Ozai's coronation as Phoenix King.

Similarly, I asked myself how people who live in a desert settled upon worshiping a fire god, and not a water one. Generally in mythology, people end up worshiping gods that offer something they want, such as a bountiful harvest, wisdom, fertility, etc.. But again, I never saw any direct benefits of worshiping the Phoenix, except that supposedly the royal family made a deal with her to found the nation of Ravence initially. And though Elena tells readers her father only focuses on his nation, and doesn’t do a good enough job taking care of his people, I never really see anyone suffering in the streets or crying out for the Phoenix’s aid. But anyways, as much of the novel centers around the Phoenix and the prophecy surrounding the rise of her mysterious prophet, who is foretold to burn the world, the actual benefits of worshiping the Phoenix seems like a very important question. I also would have really liked to learn more about the religion’s practices in general. There were priests and priestess, sayings that her followers uttered, and some ceremonies, but not a lot of actual substance beyond it. I think the story of The Boy with Fire has potential. Aparna is a good writer, and her prose was gripping. To me, however, the book had several key flaws - including the way that it was marketed - that let me down.

Once again the Asur found themselves leaderless during a time of war. The clear candidate, Mentheus of Caledor, was dead, and none could agree on a suitable replacement. In the end Bel-Hathor, a wizard prince of Saphery was chosen and crowned. He was chosen because many in the Elven court believed that he could easily be manipulated to their own ends. They were proven wrong, and Bel-Hathor became a ruler as famed for his resolve as for his wisdom. The most notable example of this was his refusal to agree to an invasion of Naggaroth: while he was aware that the High Elves could likely destroy the Dark Elves in their weakened state, he feared that such a bloody and bitter war would leave so many dead that the extinction of the Elven race would be assured. He would not gamble his people's future simply for the satisfaction of revenge. I received this book for free from Orbit Books in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. The Boy with Fire follows three separate characters: Yassen Knight, the Arohassin’s most notorious assassin now on the run from the authorities and his former employer after suffering a horrible accident; Elena Ravence, heir to the Ravence throne; and Leo Ravence; the current king and Elena’s father. Their stories intertwine and connect as Elena and Leo’s kingdom teeters on the edge of war and prophecy. In Chinese mythology, the phoenix, also known as fenghuang, is one of the four Sacred Creatures, the other three being the dragon, the qilin, and the turtle. An androgynous creature, it was also associated with Yin; femininity, the moon, and the earth, as opposed to the dragon, which represented Yang; masculinity, the sun, and the sky. The new phoenix is destined to live as long as its old self and the creature is also associated with fire, justice, obedience, and fidelity.

Yassen is my favorite. He has such a compelling ARC, and his journey went in directions I never expected. His story was what pulled me in, as his opening scene is so tense and dangerous. Elena, a princess preparing to ascend to the throne, feels bound by duty but refuses to be a pawn in other people’s games. She’s fierce, and I’m excited to see where her journey takes her. And Leo! I was so fascinated by his chapters. Leo is Elena’s father and the king. Determined to protect his daughter and wanting the nest for her, Leo does some terrible, unforgivable things, and yet you can understand his thought process as he reveals the lengths he goes to for love. Even the secondary characters are layered and multi-dimensional, as are their relationships and obstacles. This is something I had the most problem with- it is being heavily marketed as a romance. It is not romance. Romance is a subplot. The slow burn was kinda meh. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed their moments together. But if there was supposed to be pining, I didn't see it from Elena's side. I didn't see any vulnerability from her. Considering Samson's involvement, things could have been interesting but they were not. When Elena and Yassen finally kiss which is right towards the end, it does feel like a good moment but only for Yassen. Elena needs some emotions to her, desperately. If there was one thing Yassen could claim, it was this: that even in the darkness of death, he would know her.”

Aang meditates on the beach house porch, accompanied by Momo. He and Momo later fall asleep, and with the sudden appearance of a strange small island off shore, Aang is unconsciously drawn toward the island with Momo flying after him.

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i love prophecies and mythology inspired books so that aspect was definitely interesting to read about. the writing is beautifully worded to draw you into Ravence and the worldbuilding is intricately planned. particularly loved the setting of the desert b The Phoenix King is the first instalment of a new sci-fi fantasy trilogy loosely inspired by Indian mythology.