This review is for those who have read or are familiar with the previous book, Crown of Feathers, or don't mind knowing spoilers for it.
SPOILER ALERT
You are a daughter of queens.
The world is balanced on the edge of a knife, and war is almost certain between the empire and the Phoenix Riders.
Like Nefyra before you, your life will be a trial by fire.
Veronyka finally got her wish to join the Riders, but while she’s supposed to be in training, all she really wants to do is fly out to defend the villages of Pyra from the advancing empire. Tristan has been promoted to Master Rider, but he has very different ideas about the best way to protect their people than his father, the commander. Sev has been sent to spy on the empire, but maintaining his cover may force him to fight on the wrong side of the war. And Veronyka’s sister, Val, is determined to regain the empire she lost—even if it means inciting the war herself.
Such is your inheritance. A name. A legacy. An empire in ruin.
As tensions reach a boiling point, the characters all find themselves drawn together into a fight that will shape the course of the empire—and determine the future of the Phoenix Riders. Each must decide how far they’re willing to go—and what they’re willing to lose in the process.
I pray you are able to pass through the flames.
I'll admit, I was kinda spooked for this one. The last 2nd-in-a-trilogy book I've read was Kingsbane in the Empirium trilogy, which was so utterly heartbreaking and full of despair it still has me dreading the prospect of returning to it. I was even put off the thought of returning to any unfinished fantasy trilogy for fear of a similar downturn. I mean, medieval-ish politics and revolution are rife for heartbreak, right? Well, maybe not as much as I'd feared.
But I shouldn't get ahead of myself.
If there's one thing I wish I got more of, it was detailed descriptions or pictures of the phoenixes. It's funny, but for some reason I kept envisioning the phoenixes not as the gorgeous creatures pictured on the books' covers, but as Filo from the Shield Hero anime - not so much majestic and imposing but huge and fluffy. It was probably due to the mannerisms that they kept describing without adding any visual descriptors (at least none that I remember). And as I was reading an ebook, looking at the cover wasn't as feasible as just continually bringing Filo to mind. Made it a bit distracting at times...But even so, nothing could distract from the amazing characters and storytelling on display here. Veronyka captured most of my attention, what with so much on her plate. It was one thing to find out your sister was lying about her identity, it's another to find out she was lying about your identity, too. I liked that she didn't keep her Shadow Magic secret from Tristan very long, as that reveal was bound to get more and more awkward the longer she waited, and really her journey of self-discovery was far more interesting than the angsty "will he accept me?" thoughtline we've seen done to death.
Once again, Veronyka shares the storytelling duty with other key characters, this time including Tristan, Sev, Val, and a new character, Elliot. Elliot played a major role as a spy in the last book and was outed just before the big battle at the Eyrie. Now he's permanently grounded as a phoenix rider and seen as a traitor by the majority of protagonists. I loved his sections not only because I'm a sucker for a good redemption arc, but because he helped flesh out some of the background characters and goings on. His scenes with Sparrow especially were both heartwarming and clever in their uncovering plot-essential secrets.
Tristan's chapters weren't as interesting, as he seemed relegated mainly to the supportive love-interest. Yeah, he still has some daddy issues and his own insecurities about being a proper leader, but a majority of his time seemed devoted to Veronyka in action or thought. Val was also rather one-note in her chapters. Everything revolved around manipulating Veronyka or setting up her master plan. You know, typical villain stuff.
I did find myself more reluctant to get into Sev's chapters. After all, who would want to read about a spy when you could be reading about phoenix riders? But his story picked up eventually, adding a very cute romance to the tension between Veronyka and Tristan, and before I knew it I was just as engrossed in his actions behind enemy lines as I was in our "main players". And his actions pay off big time by the end. It's nice to have each book's threads come together by the end, instead of having multiple storylines going on their own for seemingly forever before meeting up at the very end (LotR's Two Towers/Return of the King, and the aforementioned Empirium series come to mind). It's just satisfying to see each characters' actions come to fruition in each story, even as they are also part of a trilogy.
And can I just say how welcome it was to read about a society where LGBT+ and women's empowerment is not a new/modern feature? There were multiple times where Sev was less than subtle about his gay affections and those around him just accepted it (even encouraged it in one humorous instance). And I was taken aback when a 17-year-old girl was stated as being underage for marriage, such that the legal contract had to have extra allowances written in. My first thought was, "Wow, that' surprisingly progressive for a medieval-ish society," but then I realized that it's only progressive by our history's standards, not this world's. It's just sooooo nice to have these aspects in a fantasy world because why the hell not? Why should this society have the same stigmas and injustices as our world? It shouldn't, and so it doesn't, and it was GREAT.
Beyond the refreshing societal differences, I also found the story surprisingly uplifting. Sure, it's the second book in a trilogy so not everything can be resolved - in fact, typically a lot more has to go wrong - but for all the rising action and deepening angst, there was a whole lot of hope being tossed in there, too. Again, I was still feeling the burn of the last 2nd-of-three entry in a series, so I was expecting sorrow, desperation, and disheartening. But even though situations turn grim, there's more death and destruction, and the ending is much worse for our cast than previously, the characters are still determined and hopeful. And that in turn makes me hopeful.
Overall, I highly recommend this series. I love the characters, the world, and the tone of the stories. There's a lot of introspection and self-discovery woven into a story about war and espionage and duty and love. It's definitely not as dark or intricate as your Game of Thrones epics, but it doesn't need to be to offer its own message, which seems to be largely of redemption and hope. I don't know what the final book has in store, and I usually loathe cliffhangers, but call me optimistic, I think it's gonna be alright.
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