The Phoenix King

• Author: Aparna Verma
• Genre: Fantasy
• Publication Date: August 29, 2023
• Publisher: Orbit
• Series: The Ravence Trilogy #1

Thank you to Orbit and Angela Man for sending me a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

CONTENT WARNING: violence, murder, blood, mention of genocide, mention of death of a parent, grief, torture, substance use

“If we carry the burdens of our fathers, we’ll never know what it means to be free.”

For Elena Aadya Ravence, fire is yearning.

She longs to feel worthy of her Phoenix god, of her ancestors who transformed the barren dunes of Sayon into a thriving kingdom. But though she knows the ways and wiles of the desert better than she knows her own skin, the secrets of the Eternal Flame elude her. And without them, she’ll never be accepted as queen.

For Leo Malhari Ravence, fire is control.

He is not ready to give up his crown—there’s still too much work to be done to ensure his legacy remains untarnished, his family protected. But power comes with a price, and he’ll wage war with the heavens themselves to keep from paying it.

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.

But the Phoenix watches over all, and the fire has a will of its own. It will come for all three, will come for Sayon itself…and they must either find a way to withstand the blaze or burn to ash.

I buddy read this with the inimitable Julie @ One Book More and as always, we had a blast discussing this. So let’s jump into the review!

This is a desi-inspired fantasy, and there is an Indian flavor throughout the story. It comes through in culture, clothing, foods, and certain character names. While this is noticeably incorporated in the world-building, it isn’t a major aspect of the storyline. Verma has created an expansive and well-crafted world, and it was fascinating to explore it with the characters, from the desert to the mountains, and the different people that inhabit these places. 

The characters are equally well done—compelling and relatable, wonderfully flawed. We get to see what’s going on inside the head of all three main characters, and while this is a bit disjointed and choppy at first, it quickly smooths out and feels much more cohesive. I loved seeing what each character was thinking when they were acting the way that they were, because it gave me an understanding of how they justified their actions, especially when I didn’t agree with them. 

I found myself not in agreement with Leo’s actions most often. Normally, I’d totally think he’s a power-hungry, paranoid jerk. But the fact that I was able to see what he was thinking allowed me to realize that he was always acting in a way that he felt was best for his kingdom and his daughter, even when it was obviously not from an outside perspective. Elena and Yassen are equally compelling characters, and watching the connection between them grow had me glued to the page.

The biggest issue that I struggled with in this book was the pacing. The first half of the book was extremely slow paced. I was interested, and learning about the world and getting to know the characters was interesting, but there wasn’t much going on yet. But then once we passed the halfway point, it was almost like reading a different book. The pace changed from a snail’s speed to a racehorse—I couldn’t put this one down! Everything started to occur in the second half, and it was the last quarter of the book where things were moving at breakneck pace and I wouldn’t have been able to stop reading for anything in the world. 

Overall, this was a fantastic debut. The world-building and the plot development are where Verma really shine, and I’m looking forward to reading her next installment in this series. It doesn’t hurt that there’s a cliffhanger ending making me extra eager to read the next book. Although the pacing wasn’t consistent in this one, I’m hopeful that this will smooth out in the future, and I’m looking forward to dive back into this desi-inspired, vividly rendered world.

People who have sat around with me while I’m reading, especially when there’s a surprising reveal, a shocking plot twist, or an unexpected event often look up in alarm when I gasp audibly. The gasp factor is directly related to the number of times I audibly gasp during a reading, and there isn’t an upper limit.

Gasp Factor: 18