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gussurireads's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
A unique sci-fi take on the Japanese occupation of Korea in the 20th century, with a promising setting and magic system. The originality of the concepts presented are however tainted by flat characters (especially the protagonist, Jebi, an artist that is utterly uninterested in the world around them for some weird, unexplained reason) and the lack of any character development, interesting relationships or exciting plot in general.
More than a bad book, which it isn't on a technical level, "Phoenix Extravagant" is simply a disappointing book, especially when you consider its stunning cover (I did judge a book by its cover!).
More than a bad book, which it isn't on a technical level, "Phoenix Extravagant" is simply a disappointing book, especially when you consider its stunning cover (I did judge a book by its cover!).
Content Warnings
Minor: Confinement, Torture, and Grief
jayisreading's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
3.25
I want to first praise the fascinating premise, especially considering that it was clearly based on colonial Korea in a fantasy setting. Lee also brought to attention the importance of art in life and society, turning it into a literal weapon to signify its value even during war. He also reimagined really interesting politics that clearly drew from historical figures and events of the Korean peninsula while under Japanese rule.
And, with that said, I was underwhelmed by the novel and wanted more. Lee was working with a fascinating setting and powerful themes that all felt underdeveloped. I wanted to learn more about the politics of what was happening; a better understanding of the magic system and mechanical dragons; as well as a stronger idea of characters' motives and desires. Regarding the last point, Jebi (the protagonist) was clearest in what they wanted, even if what they wanted wasn't particularly revolutionary. I don't think there's anything wrong with that, but in a fantasy novel that demanded action, it conflicted with Jebi's interests and made the overarching story less interesting.
I think there's still a lot to take from this novel, and I know many readers would love the incredible queer representation (and seamlessly woven into the world) that is present. The novel had a lot of potential across the board and, unfortunately, they weren't fully realized.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Violence, Grief, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Torture and Xenophobia
therainbowshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I was hesitant to read this because of how dark the last Yoon Ha Lee book I read was, but I’m glad I did because I loved it. The paint magic system was alarming and awesome, and the unexpected connections were interesting throughout. Loved the tie-ins with Korean folklore and the non-binary rep. I wish things with Hawk had been a little more developed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Torture, Medical content, and Grief
emily_mh's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
The central theme of this book was colonisation, being an allusion, I believe, to Japan’s colonisation of Korea, and also Western colonisation. Lee specifically focusses on how colonisation leads to the destruction of indigenous art and therefore culture, empowering the colonisers and disempowering the colonised. In this book this is shown in a literal, direct way that really draws attention to the concept.
Lee also explores how different people navigate being colonised depending on personal circumstance and values. It was especially striking reading about Arazi, the dragon automaton, trying to reconcile their morals with real-life situations. Jebi, the MC, also undergoes character development in relation to this theme, beginning the book not really seeing the issue with Razanei occupation, and adding to and changing this opinion as the story progresses. (In terms of craft, I think this development could have flowed better.) And these are just two perspectives on the topic of a wide range that are presented by Lee.
Jebi was a great MC. They were funny and sort of played into the “reluctant hero” trope which is one that I enjoy. Their insights into art were so thoughtful and informative, too. Their relationship with their sister Bongsunga was so complex; I really appreciated the nuance there. With regards to their romance with Vei, I still don’t know how I feel given some background information. However, I totally got their romantic and sexual chemistry (although more work could have gone into the emotional side of things).
The plot was engaging with fairly good pacing, and I appreciated that it wasn’t trying to cover the entire revolution but only a part of it. It was grounded in some interesting world-building, with the interplay of fantasy and sci-fi elements emerging especially in how art and engineering combined to give shape to the automata. This particular concept was harrowing, and truly tied into the motif of the power of art, a motif which I loved. I generally loved the detail given regarding the art and artistic practice of Jebi’s world.
I will end on a quote I found quite thought-provoking:
“’If standing on principle means that you lose the people those principles are meant to protect,’ it said, ‘what’s the point?’”
Rep: Korean nonbinary MC, Japanese/Korean queer LI, Korean sapphic SC, Japanese SC who is a cane user, polyamorous throuple side relationship (nonbinary Korean SC, queer Korean SC, queer Japanese SC who is a crutch user), queer nonbinary SC, Korean and Japanese minor characters of different abilities and orientations
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Gore, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Moderate: imprisonment, earthquake Minor: police corruption, loss of a loved one, capital punishment, gambling, racism directed at biracial individualssome_random_person_hi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
The writing really sucked me in and was that pearl harbour reference at the end?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, and Torture
Moderate: Cursing, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Colonisation, and War
Minor: Grief
careinthelibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Come for the worldbuilding, stay for the soul-crushing conclusion.
This was epic, expansive, yet somehow it remained so intimate and almost claustrophobic being in this one character's mind trying to interpret the grand scale of this novel. Fantastical and imaginative. I loved that our protagonist was not a warrior, not a hero (in the traditional sense). They are an artist who isn't that invested in politics and activism yet gets drawn into war.
The last couple of chapters sold me on this novel, the last two sentences crushed me into tiny, sad pieces. It was a pleasure to read.
This was epic, expansive, yet somehow it remained so intimate and almost claustrophobic being in this one character's mind trying to interpret the grand scale of this novel. Fantastical and imaginative. I loved that our protagonist was not a warrior, not a hero (in the traditional sense). They are an artist who isn't that invested in politics and activism yet gets drawn into war.
The last couple of chapters sold me on this novel, the last two sentences crushed me into tiny, sad pieces. It was a pleasure to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Racism, Torture, Violence, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Sexual content, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcohol
radtastical's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Torture, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Murder, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gore, Sexual content, Blood, and Grief
Minor: Confinement, Cursing, Excrement, Medical content, Death of parent, Alcohol, and War
devynvictoria's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Torture, and Colonisation
Moderate: Death, Blood, Murder, and Classism
Minor: Grief and Death of parent
aardwyrm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The magic system is stellar, the worldbuilding is lovely (and brutal), and you get to make a dragon friend, which improves any book a thousandfold. Lots of political intrigue, a paucity of right choices, and horrible consequences, avoids giving pat answers to hard questions.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
kipiekie's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, and War
Minor: Grief