Thursday, May 19, 2011

Review - Silver Phoenix

Posted by LunaMoth at 9:55 AM

Silver Phoenix
Author - Cindy Pon
Genre - Fiction/Fantasy
Pages - 338
ISBN - 0061730211

No one wanted Ai Ling. And deep down she is relieved—despite the dishonor she has brought upon her family—to be unbetrothed and free, not some stranger's subservient bride banished to the inner quarters.

But now, something is after her. Something terrifying—a force she cannot comprehend. And as pieces of the puzzle start to fit together, Ai Ling begins to understand that her journey to the Palace of Fragrant Dreams isn't only a quest to find her beloved father but a venture with stakes larger than she could have imagined.

Bravery, intelligence, the will to fight and fight hard . . . she will need all of these things. Just as she will need the new and mysterious power growing within her. She will also need help.

It is Chen Yong who finds her partly submerged and barely breathing at the edge of a deep lake. There is something of unspeakable evil trying to drag her under. On a quest of his own, Chen Yong offers that help . . . and perhaps more

Silver Phoenix was an interesting read, i always love reading about ancient china and its culture. The story centers around Ai Ling, a 17 year old girl who runs from home in search of her father and along the way faces many dangers, befriends an outsider and his brother and faces the biggest challenge of her life.

The writing and storytelling was very fluid, at times imaginative (the curses that Ai Ling would say.) The demon in the book were also imaginative and scary, and very intent on making sure Ai Ling did not get to the palace to rescue her father. Ai ling herself was a strong character, though at times vulnerable as well. Her special abilities were useful and interesting, she did not abuse them and respected others. Chen Yong, one of the men she travels with was a stoic, sometimes boyish guardian to her that i enjoyed. His brother Li Rong was a flirt and added humor to the story.

There are quite a few twists and turns and while some are predictable, some where not. Beware if you are younger, there are some mentionings of rape, some sexual behaviour and innuendo but nothing you would not see in say, an urban paranormal.

The next book in the series Fury of the Phoenix is due out soon and I can't wait to see if the loose ends tie up or lead us on another wild adventure, i sincerly hope both! The ending gave some nice suprises and keeps a good, clear path for the next book.

 

1 Comment:

  1. Lisa said...
    May 19, 2011 at 11:32 PM  
    I love when the authors have the characters use made up curse words. It's so funny and I appreciate them not using the actual swear words and disrupting the flow of the novel.

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