The Phoenix King by Aparna Verma

Pages: 513

Publisher: Orbit 

Released: 29th of August 2023 

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.

“If we carry the burdens of our fathers, we’ll never know what it means to be free.”

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.

For Leo Malhari Ravence, fire is control. He is not ready to give up his crown—there’s still too much work to be done to ensure his legacy remains untarnished, his family protected. But power comes with a price, and he’ll wage war with the heavens themselves to keep from paying it.

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.

But the Phoenix watches over all and the fire has a will of its own. It will come for all three, will come for Sayon itself….and they must either find a way to withstand the blaze or burn to ash.

What I Have to Say 

This book was brutal. I thought for a bit that the author was going to kill ever single character in the book. It was really effective to show loss and tragedy on a character. It's going to be interesting to see how the rest of the series progresses. 

This book contained a bit of a mix of Fantasy and Scifi, it was definitely the plot and culture of a fantasy book with the weaponry and tech of Scifi occasionally popping up. It threw me a bit at first because I would forget I was reading a Scifi book and then there'd be a pulse gun mentioned. I got used to it, but I do wonder why the author chose to have that mix rather than just pure Fantasy. 

I really liked the culture in this book, of which there was plenty. I think I would love a book or series completely about the Yumi because they fascinate me completely. There was not enough written about the Yumi in the book for me. 

Aside from the culture though I found the book didn't leave much of an impression on me. I'm looking forward to the sequel because of how the book ended and I'm hoping that one catches my attention more. 

4 stars 

My thanks goes to Netgalley and Orbit for gifting me this copy for review.