A review by juliana_reads
The Phoenix Bride by Natasha Siegel

emotional hopeful tense
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.0

I have feelings! 

  1. I enjoyed Solomon’s Crown. It was a five star read for me. The yearning was palpable. The Phoenix Bride needed more yearning! A few more laps around the linden tree! David and Cecilia went from patient/doctor to lovers quickly. David was right to point out this power imbalance later in the book. 
  2. I’ve noticed Siegel’s star-crossed lovers are reliant on a willing third party who knows and enables their secret. In this it was
    Sam.
    In Solomon’s Crown it was
    Isabella.
    For David and Cecilia, who aren’t kings, it makes me wonder what would have happened without this person?
  3. Beautifully written, of course. Historical fiction at its best, even with the liberties the author took. 
  4. When Cecilia and David
    separated for “8-9 months” I was SO sure she would be pregnant when they reunited!
    I get why this did not happen, though. 
  5. I worry Siegel is a Zionist, in which case I do not want to promote her books. It’s hard to tell because on social media, she follows both Zionist and anti-Zionist accounts. She also wrote an article for a non-profit that has been very outspoken in their support of Israel. I do not think authors owe us their personal lives/beliefs, but you cannot tell explicitly Jewish and queer stories and not acknowledge what is happening. 
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