The Blood Phoenix - Review

I received the physical copy via Viking Books for Young Readers. All reviews are my own.

And we're back! I am wrapping up Amber Chen's Fall of the Dragon series, with the last book, The Blood Phoenix, in tow. If you have not checked out my review for the first book, Of Jade and Dragons, you should head over there first, before you get upset with the spoilers in this review.

"Two years after Ying leaves the Engineer’s Guild and the ghost of her father’s unjust death behind, life seems to regain a semblance of normalcy. But the winds of unrest continue to stir within the Nine Isles, and the aftermath of a horrific pirate attack by the mysterious Blood Phoenix fleet forces Ying back into the tense political world of the new High Commander, Ye-yang. And soon, Ying, Ye-yang and her former friends from the guild must work together to find a way to outsmart the cunning pirates who terrorise the straits—and the elusive mastermind who’s controlling them.

Meanwhile, Ying’s sister, Nian, now lives in the capital, awaiting the day she will finally marry the High Commander. While her relationship with Ye-yang remains distant, she finds company in her friendship with the fourteenth prince, Ye-kan, and discovers her unexpected affinity for governance and strategy. But the capital is more dangerous than she expects, and when a dark conspiracy arises, Nian and Ye-kan must unravel the mystery in time to prevent the High Command from collapsing from within.

New dangers arise at every moment, threatening to tear the Nine Isles apart. In order to sail through this storm, Ying and her loved ones must make difficult choices amidst terrible betrayals. With the world on the brink of destruction, will they find a way to defeat their enemies and survive? And will it be worth the cost?"

In typical fashion, I continued this series via audio with Jen Zhao reprising her role as the narrator. The story took 13 hours and 35 minutes to complete. As much as I liked her voice acting for this journey, I had hope there would be more grit, given the story's focus on war, a coup, and pirate shenanigans.

As we delve into TBP, there are some notable differences from its predecessor. This story takes place two years after the last events in OJAD. We're in the middle of a war, and there's a POV switch between Ying and her little sister, Nian. I'm all for growth and broader storytelling, but I didn't particularly care for the sequel. It didn't grasp me as the first book did. And even though OJAD ended on an open cliffhanger, I could have done without finding out what happens to the Ahuili family after. It has more to do with the creative direction of where the book was heading, rather than the writing.

As much as I love Ning and her underdog story in OJAD, we lose that determination when entering TBP. It was almost as if the fight left her once she left the guild. And even though she came back to "avenge" her friends by creating a few tinkers to help aid in the war, it felt like her heart wasn't truly in any of it. Chen added a new voice, Nian, into the fold, to give her perspective on what it's like being engaged to a High Commander, but even that fell flat. Reading the character profiles was like taking a step back to what could've been. The only person I was proud of was that bratty, now grown-up sidekick, Ye-Kan. He had an amazing coming-of-age arc and came out to be the true hero in this sequel.

Overall, I rated this book 3-stars. The shift in the story's direction dampened my initial excitement. While I understand that the pirate themes are gaining popularity in the book world, it's a trend I could do without. The romance between Ning and Ye-Yang remained static, and while Ye-Kan's story arc was a highlight, the additional POVs of Nian and Ye-Kan didn't significantly contribute to the plot's progression. It was like they had a story of their own. The tale left me feeling underwhelmed. I can go on and on about my dislikes, but you get the point.

The Blood Phoenix is out now!

My overall rating for the Fall of the Dragon series falls in the three-star range. I was initially captivated by Of Jade and Dragons to the point where I added the Illumicrate edition to my collection. However, after reading The Blood Phoenix, I can't say I'm as enthusiastic about the series as a whole. We started strong, but seemed to lose momentum in the second half. Perhaps the story was stretched out to meet a contractual obligation, but I still believe that the way Of Jade and Dragons ended was where the series should have concluded.

#TheLittLibrarian #Review\ #YoungAdultLiterature #FantasyFiction