Synopsis:
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.
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟
You know what most writers would commit murder for? Killer first chapters. Y'know, the ones that are just so perfect - in pacing, prose, tension - that by the third paragraph the contract is SEALED, kiss your free time good-bye this book is your life now. You know what Grace Draven's got that most writers would commit murder for? Killer first chapters.
Just like with Draven's Radiance, Phoenix Unbound had me gripped by the first chapter. I was intrigued by the brutal world. I loved the subtle differences between Gilene and Azarion's voices, despite their POVs being written in third person. Rarely have I ever seen an author give so much thought to differentiating character's voices in the third person. It's something I only see attempted in first person, and even then writers still fail at it.
So everything was great - until I got to the journey bit. For about 20% of the novel, Gilene and Azarion are just traveling. Like, that's it. They have a few dangerous run-ins, but otherwise the whole journey is so uneventful and their relationship so cliche and boring that I probably would've dnfed the book had I not been reading an ARC copy.
But y'all. Y'ALL. If you can endure through the traveling portion, YOU WILL BE REWARDED. Once Gilene and Azarion reached their destination, all that pacing and world-building and characterization I loved swooped back in even better than the novel's opening. I went from forcing myself to read to forcing myself to shut off my kindle and get my butt to class before I was late.
Draven's world-building is really interesting to me. Her world-building is not the grandiose spectacle that makes me adore other fantasy novels, but backed with such sure detail that the realism is unmatched. There's just so much thought behind how the landscape shapes people's diet and occupation and migratory habits, I'm really in awe of it. It feels like reading historical fiction, that's how detailed it is.
The plot as it picked up towards the end was kind of meh for me, but you're not reading for the plot so much as you are for Gilene and Azarion. As they grew invested in each other, so too did I become invested in them. The ending was a bit of a cop-out, but y'know what, I liked it anyway. From what I've read of Draven's works, she's not writing the next fantasy tome; she's writing romance, set in a well-fleshed out fantasy world. It's not my usual tastes, but I appreciate it for what it is and still enjoyed it.
I think fans of Outlander will really enjoy this novel. I haven't read the books, only watched the first season of the show, but the vibes of this book reminded me of it.
TW: rape, abuse
ARC provided by Berkley Publishing Group via Netgalley in exchange for my honest thoughts and review.
Just like with Draven's Radiance, Phoenix Unbound had me gripped by the first chapter. I was intrigued by the brutal world. I loved the subtle differences between Gilene and Azarion's voices, despite their POVs being written in third person. Rarely have I ever seen an author give so much thought to differentiating character's voices in the third person. It's something I only see attempted in first person, and even then writers still fail at it.
So everything was great - until I got to the journey bit. For about 20% of the novel, Gilene and Azarion are just traveling. Like, that's it. They have a few dangerous run-ins, but otherwise the whole journey is so uneventful and their relationship so cliche and boring that I probably would've dnfed the book had I not been reading an ARC copy.
But y'all. Y'ALL. If you can endure through the traveling portion, YOU WILL BE REWARDED. Once Gilene and Azarion reached their destination, all that pacing and world-building and characterization I loved swooped back in even better than the novel's opening. I went from forcing myself to read to forcing myself to shut off my kindle and get my butt to class before I was late.
Draven's world-building is really interesting to me. Her world-building is not the grandiose spectacle that makes me adore other fantasy novels, but backed with such sure detail that the realism is unmatched. There's just so much thought behind how the landscape shapes people's diet and occupation and migratory habits, I'm really in awe of it. It feels like reading historical fiction, that's how detailed it is.
The plot as it picked up towards the end was kind of meh for me, but you're not reading for the plot so much as you are for Gilene and Azarion. As they grew invested in each other, so too did I become invested in them. The ending was a bit of a cop-out, but y'know what, I liked it anyway. From what I've read of Draven's works, she's not writing the next fantasy tome; she's writing romance, set in a well-fleshed out fantasy world. It's not my usual tastes, but I appreciate it for what it is and still enjoyed it.
I think fans of Outlander will really enjoy this novel. I haven't read the books, only watched the first season of the show, but the vibes of this book reminded me of it.
TW: rape, abuse
ARC provided by Berkley Publishing Group via Netgalley in exchange for my honest thoughts and review.