Series: The Ravence Trilogy #1
Release Date: August 29th 2023
Publisher: Orbit Books
Pages: 513
Find it: Goodreads Waterstones
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Synopsis

In a kingdom where flames hold magic and the desert hides secrets, an ancient prophecy comes for an assassin, a princess, and a king. But none are ready to face destiny—and the choices they make could burn the world.

“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.

Review

The Phoenix King is the first in an all new sci-fi/fantasy trilogy from Aparna Verma. In a world where flames are magic, we follow three main characters. Elena is the heir to the throne but the powers she needs to hold the throne won’t come to her. Leo does not wish to give up his crown, he wants to ensure his legacy and will do anything he can to keep the power he needs. Yassen is an assassin who dreams of escaping his life and his reputation as a deadly assassin. To do this he must serve those he previously swore to kill.

The Phoenix King is an epic, gripping story. There were so many elements to this story that I loved and this ambitious debut is the kind of book you can’t stop thinking about days after reading. The world is absolutely fascinating. I was really intrigued by the Indian Mythology in the story and the world building felt really detailed and well crafted. I cannot wait to see more of the world and the magic in the subsequent books in the series. Something that I didn’t expect going in is that this is a fantasy story with sci-fi elements and it made the world feel so unique. I’ve since seen the book described as ‘Dune meets The Poppy War’ and that’s an incredibly apt description.

The story really shines with its fascinating, compelling characters. The characters are well developed, morally grey and so so interesting to see as the story progressed. Elena in particular is the character that stood out for me the most and I can’t wait to see how she changes as the story continues. All three main characters are have really engaging POVs and each one I was itching to get back to to see what would happen next.

The Phoenix King has so many aspects that I adored – it has slow burn, enemies to lovers romance and is full to the brim with magic and political scheming. If you’re looking for an excellently crafted and compelling fantasy tale, this one is a must read.