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Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix (Rise of the Empress #2) in Books
Jan 23, 2020
When I picked up the sequel, Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix, I just wanted to know how this story will end rather than "I WANT MORE." After all, villains meet one end only in fiction.
I love my characters dark and ruthless sometimes, but Forest of a Thousand Lanterns just didn't hit the mark. The first novel focuses a lot on the journey Xifeng takes to the palace and I found myself frequently drawn away from the slow pacing of the story. That certainly didn't stop me from diving headfirst into Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix though.
Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix is much better than the first novel.
The sequel to Dao's debut novel is set 18 years later, told in Princess Jade's perspective. Xifeng is ruling as the evil empress of Feng Lu and Jade has been sent away to grow up in a monastery until she receives a note summoning her back to the palace.
She's not interested in going back to the palace, though, and would much rather stay at the monastery she's called home. But do we really want an evil queen when you have the power and right to overthrow her? Probably not. Like Forest of a Thousand Lanterns, Dao takes readers on a journey as Jade sets off to prove her worth as the heir and take on Xifeng.
Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix is action-packed and Dao's writing really grows.
The sequel is filled with so many stories, which I think adds to the world and captures the attention of readers. Dao's writing really grows through the stories she tells, and I love seeing how the different versions all tie together in some way in Jade's journey.
Likewise, I can see how some may find the sequel a major disappointment - the quest felt a little too easy for how long Xifeng has her hold as the Empress, and we take some time at the palace before the journey sets off. But it's not as long as nearly half the book in Forest of a Thousand Lanterns. However, I still enjoyed Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix more, and I'm delighted to see what stories Dao come up with next.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/kingdom-of-the-blazing-phoenix-by-julie-c-dao/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Etched In Bone
8.0
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Anne Bishop returns to her world of the Others, as humans struggle to survive in the shadow of...
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Refuge (Relentless, #2)
9.0
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To keep the people she loves safe, Sara left everything she knew behind. She soon learns this new...
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Epic Seven
Games
8.0
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Characters You Can't Stop Thinking About With personality and charm you can only find in 2D, meet...
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Justice ( out for Blood book 3) in Books
Aug 8, 2022
Kindle
Justice ( Out for Blood book 3)
By C.Y. Jones
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶🌶🌶
Choices
My brother chose to die to save me, and I chose to let him go.
My world has been thrown upside down, and the only path that’s clear is me killing O’Donnell.
My twin was my sanity, the saving thread keeping me from going off the deep end, but now he’s gone.
They say I was meant to save the world, but now all I want to do is see it burn down to the ground with O’Donnell suffocating within the ashes.
Can my mates pull me back or will I destroy them along with myself?
At first I wanted Revenge, which quickly turned to Vengeance, now I want Justice and I don’t care how I get it.
This was better than Vengeance I really enjoyed it. I didn’t see the link between this series and the Crown of Blood and frost series I really like that link and can’t wait to see if they meet again. Oh my Rowan 🥹
Roald Dahl's Marvellous Medicine
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Kyera (8 KP) rated King's Cage in Books
Jan 31, 2018
Originally, I didn’t have very strong feelings about any of the characters in the series. They were from various worlds, had different personalities, but I just didn’t truly connect with any of them. King’s Cage made a few of the characters slightly more likable to me, but it still wasn’t enough. Whether it was an important character or a side character, I wasn’t emotionally involved enough to deeply care if something happened to them. It was a simple, oh that’s sad or unfortunate, but it didn’t tear my heart out like some writing does.
Mare’s world is turned upside down and overall the plot of this novel is more engaging than Glass Sword. The fights were described very well and I felt like I was there watching them. I still wish that there was more world building in these novels. There are such varied lands, ruled by unique leaders that I wish we knew more about them.
Overall, I enjoy this series and would recommend giving it a shot. It’s difficult to categorize between fantasy and a form of dystopian. The series is not high fantasy so the world isn’t too difficult to dive into. I’d recommend to young adult/teen fans of fantasy books or books where the characters have powers.
I really enjoyed reading this book, I thought it was well written, well edited and it kept my interest from beginning to end. This is not the type of book that I usually go for but going through an unplanned pregnancy alone (under different circumstances) I wanted to read something that I might possibly be able to relate to...and in some way I did. The reason why I knocked off a star was because some of the author's decisions made me a bit twitchy eyed...but hey it's each to their own. Overall, I did enjoy this memoir about an unwanted pregnancy after a one night stand and I felt good to be able to follow the journey of a woman in a similar situation as me but from a different world.