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thevampiremars's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I was surprised to learn Phoenix Extravagant wasn’t Yoon Ha Lee’s debut novel – many of its shortcomings are typical of new writers, such as repetitive phrasing and telling rather than showing. It’s a shame, really, because it had potential. A book about a nonbinary artist in a dystopian world of sigil-powered automata is a fantastic pitch, but the execution is so-so.
An issue throughout is the emotionality lacking depth or simply not landing. I partially blame the protagonist, Jebi, who is pretty apathetic for the most part. If they don’t care about anything, why should I? But I think the problem runs deeper than that, because even moments which elated or terrified or shocked Jebi fell flat for me. Take their relationship with Vei for example. There is no chemistry between them and the whole affair comes out of nowhere. I am told that they are in love but I’m not made to feel it.
In many ways, Jebi simply isn’t protagonist material. They’re an asshole and they don’t have the charisma to make up for it. Characters as unpleasant as they are are best confined to short stories and novellas, I feel – that way you don’t have to endure them for too long. Jebi is also frustratingly passive. On the rare occasions that they do take action, it always backfires thanks to their glaring incompetence. I know their lack of agency is a reflection of the oppressive system they find themself trapped within, but the way they kept blurting out secrets or wandering off and immediately getting captured was even more annoying and less compelling than their head-down resignation to the status quo.
There are more plot holes and inconsistencies than I can count. For example, the financial struggles of Jebi and their sister Bongsunga are sometimes front-and-centre and sometimes completely forgotten about in scenarios where it really should have affected the outcome. I was often left feeling like I was going crazy. To say nothing of the scenes that happen out of nowhere as though the author suddenly remembered they’re important to the plot. I already mentioned the awkward romance, but I also want to talk about the torture scene, which seems to exist purely to justify the later killing of Hafanden. It doesn’t really serve any purpose besides presenting Hafanden as an irredeemable villain. Were it not for that one scene, would he have deserved execution? It’s an interesting question which the story doesn’t seem to want to grapple with.
Which brings me to Arazi... Arazi is a magical mechanical dragon designed to be used as a weapon, but subtle sabotage in its creation caused it to be a staunch pacifist. That is, until the final act. During an ambush, Arazi kills Hafanden in order to save Jebi’s life. An act of justified violence, maybe, but violence nonetheless, and lethal violence at that. Arazi was a bit bummed out but it didn’t have time to sit with the implications of what it had done. Its defining trait – its pacifism and its refusal to kill – had just been tested and ultimately contradicted, and with nowhere near the gravity a moment like that deserves.
Throughout the book, Arazi puts forward intriguing philosophical questions that get pushed aside to be dealt with later. And, of course, they’re never followed up on. I'm not expecting the author to construct an exhaustive thesis on the nature of the soul and the self, but some exploration of these concepts in the story would be nice. Arazi and the other automata are constantly sidelined despite the book being about them.
There are so many issues I could pick apart but I think I’ll stop here. Between the flat characters, the lack of follow-through on interesting concepts, and the inconsistencies throughout, Phoenix Extravagant is hard to recommend. That said, it’s largely inoffensive. I appreciate what the author was going for, at least, even if it feels half-baked. I don’t think it’s bad but I’m glad I’m done with it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Murder, and War
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism, Drug use, Gore, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Medical content, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Death of parent, and Abandonment
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Violence, and War
Moderate: Genocide, Gore, Racism, Sexual content, Torture, Xenophobia, Medical content, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Vomit, and Alcohol
booksthatburn's review
adventurous
reflective
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
5.0
PHOENIX EXTRAVAGANT is thoughtful and deliberate, featuring a character who gradually finds themselves as part of a revolution. Not through some showy event, but through a conviction that a particular thing cannot be allowed to stand, that it pains them at their core, and hurts their community now and into the future. It's emotionally complex, leaving room for different people to have different hurts and allegiances in a world where not everyone oppressed is on the side of the oppressed. Also there's a mechanical dragon, which is great.
The worldbuilding is very focused on what Jebi thinks about and specifically what affects them. This means there are a lot of discussions of their interpersonal ties, and what they think about art in the context of occupation and conquest. I like the tight focus, it means that whatever's brought up is detailed, well-constructed, and either emotionally or factually important to the narrative. What Jebi thinks is important enough to explain tells as much about their world as what they slowly realize they'd never thought of before.
The romantic relationship is well-conveyed, fitting naturally into the narrative and then slowly forming a new emotional goal, as Jebi moves from simply trying to have enough money to survive, to having a person they want to live with and for. Arazi fills some of this emotional space, but its ties to Jebi are of a very different (but very important) nature.
I wish there were a sequel in this world (the ending certainly leaves just enough room for it), but it does feel complete enough to be a stopping point.
The worldbuilding is very focused on what Jebi thinks about and specifically what affects them. This means there are a lot of discussions of their interpersonal ties, and what they think about art in the context of occupation and conquest. I like the tight focus, it means that whatever's brought up is detailed, well-constructed, and either emotionally or factually important to the narrative. What Jebi thinks is important enough to explain tells as much about their world as what they slowly realize they'd never thought of before.
The romantic relationship is well-conveyed, fitting naturally into the narrative and then slowly forming a new emotional goal, as Jebi moves from simply trying to have enough money to survive, to having a person they want to live with and for. Arazi fills some of this emotional space, but its ties to Jebi are of a very different (but very important) nature.
I wish there were a sequel in this world (the ending certainly leaves just enough room for it), but it does feel complete enough to be a stopping point.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Cursing, Sexual content, Torture, Vomit, Medical content, and Colonisation
martinatan's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Here’s my jumble of thoughts upon finishing Phoenix Extravagant: I was really excited about the concept of this book but I hit a point about two thirds of the way through where I started to dread the direction of the story. The ending turned out unsatisfying and for some reason I did not really enjoy where the message and conclusion landed. I felt the magic system was quite shallow even though I really liked the setting and the focus on art. The pacing was also quite shaky and the plot moved a lot faster than I anticipated. At the same time, I often felt some included scenes were unnecessary while other pivotal moments were glossed over in favor of somewhat distracted passages that diverted my attention from a throughline. I was also confused by the main character’s internal monologue and could not get a handle on their convictions and values, or their approach and ideology in their life. There were times they seemed to use humor but this didn’t feel consistent throughout the narration. I feel as if the author could have thought more about the pacing and overall tone of the novel as it came off as scattered and uneven.
Overall I found the non-Western-centric culture and history of Hwaguk and Razan as well as the main characters’ profiles to be interesting and a breath of fresh air in contemporary fantasy. I also appreciated how integrated queer characters and relationships were in the story although, since so much else of the world in the book reflected our current society—namely some conventions that characters held about love, ancestry, and family—I wondered whether it was appropriate to have such a lack of in-universe discrimination towards LGBT characters. I still like the book for the representation it offered but there were too many things that did not sit right with me for me to rave about the reading experience.
Overall I found the non-Western-centric culture and history of Hwaguk and Razan as well as the main characters’ profiles to be interesting and a breath of fresh air in contemporary fantasy. I also appreciated how integrated queer characters and relationships were in the story although, since so much else of the world in the book reflected our current society—namely some conventions that characters held about love, ancestry, and family—I wondered whether it was appropriate to have such a lack of in-universe discrimination towards LGBT characters. I still like the book for the representation it offered but there were too many things that did not sit right with me for me to rave about the reading experience.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, Colonisation, and War
Minor: Genocide, Gun violence, Sexual content, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
lucystolethesky's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, and War
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, and Colonisation
Minor: Grief and Fire/Fire injury
foreverinastory's review against another edition
adventurous
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
Finally read this 6 months later than I intended to!
Rep: Nonbinary queer BIPOC MC (asian coded), biracial queer love interest, bisexual female side character, BIPOC cast of characters, queer-normative world.
CWs: Blood, confinement (to rooms/cell), death, murder, sexual content, torture, violence, grief, xenophobia.
Rep: Nonbinary queer BIPOC MC (asian coded), biracial queer love interest, bisexual female side character, BIPOC cast of characters, queer-normative world.
CWs: Blood, confinement (to rooms/cell), death, murder, sexual content, torture, violence, grief, xenophobia.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Xenophobia and Grief
ofbooksandechos's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Torture, and Grief
Moderate: Racism
ellisdex's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Very LGBTQ+ friendly - has a nonbinary protagonist and other nonbinary characters who are part of the world, non-hetero relationships are accepted, polyamorous relationships are accepted
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Sexual content, Violence, and Xenophobia
Minor: Grief
benediction's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Torture
puttingwingsonwords's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Cursing, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Xenophobia, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Death of parent