The Phoenix King: 1 (The Ravence Trilogy)

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One aspect in this book that really stood out was the prose, and the world-building. Both aspects were gorgeously done, and the prose was absolutely stunning in sections, emphasised by the life-like characters and brilliant magic system/world. The Indian-inspired world with royalty, magic and advanced technology that supersedes anything from our current world was a really interesting combination, and one that I was surprised to find worked really well. I look forward to seeing what else the author comes up with in the future!

Sokka's terrible sense of aesthetics is shown once more. Here, he creates an ugly sand sculpture of Suki which he is extremely proud of, despite its hideous appearance.There is no hard line between the servant and the sinner. There is only a soft blur, a delicate edge in which a man can lose himself." This novel has several undertones, and the plot isn't as direct as I've gotten used to in the fantasy novels that came out in the last few years. Don't get me wrong, I love it! Books are supposed to be multilayered and complex, with twists and turns guiding us through the story, instead of being simple and direct. How is the audience supposed to engage with the story otherwise? For Yassen Knight, fire is redemption. He dreams of shedding his past as one of Sayon's most deadly assassins, of laying to rest the ghosts of those he has lost. If joining the court of flame and serving the royal Ravence family-the very people he once swore to eliminate-will earn him that, he'll do it no matter what they ask of him.

The initial pitch of The Boy With Fire was "Dune meets The Poppy War". This has been pushed heavily by the publishers, to the point of it being the first line in the Goodreads summary. Additional marketing points: Adult SFF, morally grey characters, and political intrigue. Unfortunately, though I think the book had its positives, it did not deliver on what it had promised. The Phoenix King offers a lot to readers. Verma builds an exciting fantasy world filled with great characters that readers will love escaping into. Sympathy for Yassen and Elena’s plights is well-balanced with thrilling battles and intense character interactions. This keeps the book from being stifled with sadness while offering more depth than a simple adrenaline rush. With Malekith's betrayal, the Elf realms were plunged into turmoil once more. Malekith and his followers fled north to Nagarythe. Leaderless, the High Elves did not pursue. Frantic consultations were held between the surviving princes, the chief priest of Asuryan, and the Captain of the Phoenix Guard. It was decided that there was only one elf capable of the task: the third Phoenix King would be Imrik, who upon his succession took the name Caledor the First, for he was the grandson of the famous mage of that name. [4a] really is the year of amazing South Asian fantasies. What first drew me into The Boy with Fire was the fact that Aparna Verma drew inspiration for one of the races of characters in her book, called the Yumi, from the female warriors the Hindu goddess Kali created (called the chandikas) after her epic battle against the demon Mahishasura. I love a good fantasy inspired by Hindu & Indian mythology and The Boy with Fire did not disappoint! I usually also stay away from Adult fantasy novels because the world-building and magic system is described in such a complex and intricate way that usually flies right over my head, but Aparna Verma did an excellent job of building a detailed world and describing it to the reader in such an effortless way that made it so easy to follow along. Overall, I’d give it 4.5 stars! Once again the Asur found themselves leaderless during a time of war. The clear candidate, Mentheus of Caledor, was dead, and none could agree on a suitable replacement. In the end Bel-Hathor, a wizard prince of Saphery was chosen and crowned. He was chosen because many in the Elven court believed that he could easily be manipulated to their own ends. They were proven wrong, and Bel-Hathor became a ruler as famed for his resolve as for his wisdom. The most notable example of this was his refusal to agree to an invasion of Naggaroth: while he was aware that the High Elves could likely destroy the Dark Elves in their weakened state, he feared that such a bloody and bitter war would leave so many dead that the extinction of the Elven race would be assured. He would not gamble his people's future simply for the satisfaction of revenge.Since this is my book, I'm a bit biased towards the 5-star review, but I wanted to take this chance to talk more about THE BOY WITH FIRE.

For Yassen Knight, fire is redemption. He dreams of shedding his past as one of Sayon’s most deadly assassins, of laying to rest the ghosts of those he has lost. If joining the court of flame and serving the royal Ravence family—the very people he once swore to eliminate—will earn him that, he’ll do it no matter what they ask of him. Thank you for reading this. I really, really hope you fall in love with THE BOY WITH FIRE as much as I have. The characters have taken my heart. Hopefully, they'll take yours too. <3 In each stage of the game (see below subsection for additional information), Aang and Ozai have access to three pillars on which only one respective character can inhabit. The three pillars on the right side of the screen are only accessible by Ozai, and the three pillars on the left are Aang's. For example, Aang can jump onto the first, second, and third pillars to the left side of the screen, but when the player tries to force Aang to the first pillar on Ozai's screen by pressing the "D" key, Aang will only jump upward without moving from the pillar on which he already stands; this same rule applies for Ozai. Destroying all of the pillars on Ozai's side as well as destroying a pillar while Ozai is standing on it automatically takes the player to the next stage without the accumulation of bonus points (see below sections for details). Yassen has been a member of an assassin group for most of his life, but that group has burned his name. He’s considered a traitor everywhere because of his past but Ravence is his home and he has nowhere else to go, so he follows Samson there. Elena is livid and doesn’t want him as her guard but her father insists on sealing the deal with Samson. And so the two begin a dance, her trying to punish him for his past, and him trying to prove to her he’s reformed. It’s also full of secrets and schemes However, late in Bel Shanaar's reign, a canker began to infect Ulthuan: cults dedicated to the Cytharai, the darker Elven gods, began to flourish and spread, despite all efforts to curb their excesses. Malekith returned to Ulthuan and led a series of great purges against the cults across Ulthuan, but it did little save push the realm towards civil war. Finally, Malekith declared Bel Shanaar to be a follower of the cults. Before this claim could be ratified, Malekith murdered Bel Shanaar and claimed the Phoenix King had killed himself. Malekith demanded the crown pass to him, but the Council was skeptical. Unfortunately, this didn't stop Malekith, and he tried to take the crown by force. Too late, the Council realised Malekith and his mother Morathi had been controlling and directing the cults for their own purposes all along. Unfortunately, their plans were undone when Malekith was horrifically burned trying to prove his right to be king by passing through the sacred Flame of Asuryan. As his followers fled with their badly injured master, they left Ulthuan without a king and poised on the brink of civil war.During the bar scene, June is seen fighting a man who she throws into a table; this character bears a striking resemblance to "Ryu", the protagonist of the "Street Fighter" game series. She arm-wrestled the same guy in " Bato of the Water Tribe". Perhaps it was thanks to my surreal expectations with it being compared to my favourite fantasy series of all time: the Poppy War, or perhaps it was because I read it in a few sittings and skimmed through it... whatever it was, I hardly remember anything and 50% in was resisting the temptation of a DNF. Phoenix King was the Western title given to the ruler of the Kingdom of Great Joseon, the last royal dynasty of Korea. Traditionally, Korean kings and emperors saw the majesty and power of the phoenix as divine, and often favored this mythical animal as a symbol of their supreme right to rule. The title is similar in thought and concept to the Dragon Emperor of China.