A review by bookstaash
The Phoenix King by Aparna Verma

adventurous tense slow-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

Many thanks to Orbit and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback!

I’ve got a lot of (conflicting) feelings about this book. 😅 Let me start by saying that this debut was NOT a bad at all; it was actually an interesting concept and the Indian mythology/setting were fun. I like that this book explored what it’s like to belong to two different cultures, and how that affected Yassen’s experiences. Leo was the best written character in this novel for me and, his chapters were highlights. 

My biggest gripe with this book was how heavily the romantic subplot was marketed. This was originally described as an epic fantasy with a slow-burn, tender, enemies-to-lovers aspect. The romance in this book definitely takes a backseat to the political maneuvering and internal struggles of the characters (which I think is perfect for readers trying to romantasy or “spicy” books). I just wish I had had a better idea of what the novel was about going in, so that I could have set my expectations properly. The love story between Elena and the love interest(s) also felt forced, and I struggled to believe that they had a genuine connection throughout much of the book. The reason for their being “enemies” also felt a bit arbitrary to me and, I wish it had been further built on early in the story. 

Additionally, most marketing described this as more of a fantasy novel when there are some pretty significant sci-fi aspects. The glossary was very helpful but, I wish some of the gadgets and creatures had been better explained within the story itself. 

The FMC, Elena, was also quite difficult for me to connect to… I realized about halfway through that I just did not care about her as a MC and, that I was more interested in seeing the rest of Yassen’s story. We saw a lot of Elena’s emotions through the eyes of those around her but, when she was narrating it felt as though we only got to experience her anger or sadness from her own perspective. 

Honestly, I was originally so excited to get approved for this ARC after following the author and seeing how they hyped up some parts of the story - but I felt a little let down when the hype didn’t fully match what I was reading. I’ll definitely pick up the next book in the trilogy to see what happens next though.