An Indian/Persian inspired romantic fantasy adventure with all the hallmarks of a classic in the making. Loved it!

A couple of years ago I read "The Boy with Fire", a previous release of this story and I found a lot of potential but the plot was a bit too slow.
Two years later I requested to read this novel as the blurb sounded intriguing and I was a subscriber of the author's newletter.
Time and maybe some editing changed my opinion and I thoroughly enjoyed this story: a romantic fantasy with sci-fi elements and an Indian/Persian setting.
Yasseen and Elena are the young characters. Both are facing challenges and both are burned by an internal fire that could be the wish to be free or the desire to be able to use her own power.
Leo is the king, the one who wants to do more and he's not ready to give up his crown.
There's a complex world building, a world where the Phoenix is the god that drives these characters and the fire is the element that burn and renew. The Phoenix is the symbol of the endless cycle of life/death
There's emotions in this story, there's some poignant moments, and there's some romance.
There's also intrigue and the fight for power.
The story is told by the POV of Yaseen and Elena and these characters grew on me and I rooted for them.
An excellent debut for this series, can't wait to read the next novel.
Many thanks to Orion and Compulsive readers for this digital copy, all opinions are mine

I was scared going into this, but I was so pleasantly surprised!

This read like a science fiction fantasy and I was here for it! I really liked Yassen and Elena and their POVs. I liked the overarching plot and the structure. The character development was great and it had all the high fantasy elements I wanted from it. It went above my expectations for a high fantasy with a slow-burn romance!

Highly recommend!

I loved this just as much as the published version back in 2021. When I heard it was going to published traditionally, I was so happy for Aparna and couldn’t wait to get my hands on it.

The Phoenix King is the first book on the science fantasy series The Ravence Trilogy, written by Aparna Verma and published by Orbit Books. In a setting that blends Indian inspirations, science fiction and fantasy, we will have a big character-driven story, in which the destiny of the Ravani kingdom will be at the stakes.

Elena is the heir to Ravence's throne, and the only one in her family that cannot wield the Eternal Fire; she worries about not being a worthy successor of his father, Leo, especially as the day of her coronation fastly approaches.
Yassen Knight is a famous assassin that is seeking for redemption. Once a traitor, now is claiming loyalty to the throne; and while the king Leo trust in him, Elena suspects he's hiding something, showing animosity towards him. A difficult situation now that he has become part of the Royal Guard that should take care of Elena.

As you can imagine, the situation in the Ravani kingdom is more complicated than it seems, war winds are on the horizon, and political intrigues are everywhere; Elena is going to marry with Samsom, leader of the Black Scales, an undefeated army, who at the same time is plotting in secret to force Ravani enter the war.
Leo, king of Ravence, has steered the kingdom through wars, assassinations and intrigues; but now he's worried about a prophecy that threatens with decimating his family before Elena's coronation. He will be ready to sacrifice all in order to keep her family safe, being cruel and ruthless just for it.

With this premise, Verma slowly weaves a complex plot, where secrets are lying everywhere; Elena and Yassin's relationship plays an important role in it, starting from distrust and animosity to progressively gaining trust, especially when Samsom reveals his true nature. Yassin becomes one of the biggest supporters of Elena, even saving her life and even helping her to wield the Fire; a relationship which is developed in a natural way.

Despite being this a story about characters and their decisions, we cannot overlook the excellent worldbuilding of Aparna Verma. While most of the fantastical elements are inspired by Indian culture, we can guess some elements of advanced technology, such as the hooverscoters or the pulse gun of Yassir that belongs to science fiction, a blend that has become one of my favourite ones in the speculative fiction field.
It is delightful to see how the Ravani kingdom has a big history behind it, that leads to the decissive moments we are living; religion and power (and magic by extension) are intertwined, and certainly, not all it is what it seems.

The Phoenix King is a really strong debut, a science fantasy novel that features a thrilling story whose sequel I need as soon as possible. If you are looking for Indian inspired world and a heavy character driven story, this is a perfect book for you.

'' There is nothing special about fire. It burned and raged. Demanded sacrifice, worship.It had no need of a Prophet.'

I am mindful, when reading this fantasy debut, that fire requires 3 elements in order to continue to exist-oxygen, fuel and heat.

Oxygen is in short supply on occasion where you are holding your breath, the fuel is the simmering tension between the Jantari and the Raveni, the heat is the blossoming feelings between Yassen Knight, an assassin and perhaps more, and Elena, the daughter of Leo, the king who maintains the cult/religion of the Phoenix who led their ancestors to the desert, where they built their kingdom.

It's really quite something, a series opener that juggles the balance of world building whilst also establishing characters and moving them forward through the plot.

You have this constant sense of simmering unrest, versus the unwavering tropes of tradition, whether religious or cultural. You have the weight of expectation , coming from tradition, versus just being unable to fulfil a prophecy which results in creating tension.

This combines in a lushly imagined world that arrives with its own histories and religions, it's a fantasy however, many of the real world issues such as belonging, racism, separatism and exploitation are all reflected. If this sounds as though it will be a heavy and expositional read, this could not be further from the truth, it's one of those books which is reflective and thoughtful rather than hammering the conscience of the reader.

It pulls the reader into a situation of intensity and tested loyalties as Yassen Knight commences that ever worrying trope, 'the one last job'. Yet, as he is an assassin for hire, what is the person who hired him got over on him to make him act against his will?

As he scales the walls of a castle on his way to kill a king, his motives are suspect as his battle skills are smoothly applied.

Action themed from the start, his loyalties and motivation appear to be available at a price. So when the Raveni versus the Jantari rivalries begin to swirl, seeing the world from another perspective , protagonist Elena's perspective, gives the reader the impression of a world deep in tradition, myth and prophecy.

Elena is the daughter of Leo, and certain family traits are expected of her, such as handling fire, which she cannot do. Her ascension is supposed to herald a new era but without being emblematic of her family's magic, how can she lead the populace? When the myth of a Prophet's arrival appears to point in a different direction from what has been foretold, Elena and Yassen are thrust into positions and actions which neither had anticipated.

The necessary world building needed to establish a world that readers can relate to, and believe in, means the pace of the novel is subsequently affected. And yet whilst we pick up the history and traditions of these fantastical lands via the epistolary entries that introduce each chapter, the characters drive the plot forward with a sense of urgency that keeps you saying 'just one more chapter...' and repeat until the sun comes up.

More please!

Well, wow! The Phoenix King is the Indian-inspired adult fantasy I didn't know I needed.

Set in a gorgeously intricate world rich in lore and tradition, the book is narrated through the POV of three very different characters: Leo, the current king of Ravence, who is preparing to cede his crown to his daughter while trying to fight a terrible and hidden enemy; Elena, the soon-to-be queen, struggling to feel worthy of her title and desperate to ensure the safety of her beloved kingdom; and Yassen, an assassin desperately trying to free himself of his bonds through one last job. These characters couldn't differ more from one another, and I really enjoyed how their individual voices came through in their respective chapters. They're complex, flawed, and make some really bad, but really tough, choices and it was very satisfying to watch events unfold while getting to know them better.

The characterisation was a little shallow at times, which was a shame, and there were a few turns in certain characters' behaviours that didn't really make sense as nothing in their POV chapters had previously indicated such thoughts or intentions. This isn't a huge issue but rather more of a pet peeve of mine, since to me it just doesn't make sense for a character to withhold information from or lie to the audience when we're in their mind. Still, it worked to get a few surprises in and didn't have a massive impact on my overall enjoyment. This is only the first book in a trilogy, so I hope there will be space for further development in the next instalments. There are some pretty memorable secondary characters too (I love Ferma!) and each of them had a few unique characteristics that made them interesting and added value to the scenes they appeared in.

The worldbuilding is intricate, seamlessly blending classic fantasy elements with sci-fi ones. Elements coming from South Asian culture (Indian in particular) are used effectively and I love the fact that the author chose not to translate certain words, as that would have massively diminished the reading experience. The world is complex and heavy in politics, with both potential war with other states looming on the horizon and internal unrest brewing within, as well as a sort of transnational anarchist terrorist group creating chaos. At times, it felt as though there was almost too much going on and a lot of exposition was needed to bring the reader up to speed, which made me feel as though the plot was suffering from being slowed down so much. I did appreciate the themes explored here, especially those around identity, belonging, power and choice, and in the midst of all the action and drama, there were a few well-landed humorous moments and a very delicate romantic subplot that worked very well.

The pacing is another element that mostly worked, although at times it felt a bit uneven, as things seemed to move very slowly and then suddenly action erupted and everything happened at once. Still, when it did I was glad I'd stuck with it through the slowest parts, as there were some pretty epic action scenes. The writing certainly helped, as it flowed very smoothly and kept me turning the pages even when nothing was apparently happening. The book does get pretty dark at times, so you might want to check the CWs first, especially if you're particularly sensitive to fire/burning as that is a central element of the MCs' religion.

Overall, this was a great start to the trilogy and an absolutely banging debut! I'm confident a lot of the minor issues with pacing and characterisation will be fixed in the next instalments. Definitely recommended if you're looking for an epic fantasy mixing in sci-fi elements, explorations of identity and belonging, or a badass female MC!

This was an enjoyable read, a solid like but not quite a love so I have settled on a a 3.5 rounded up. The adventure is compelling but some of the decision making and consequences were jarring - and some were frustrating. The best aspect I would say were the relationships, both the romantic and the platonic were sweet and well-established. Overall I had a good time with this one and will likely pick up the next in series to see what happens.

The Phoenix King was an ambitious debut and while it captured my attention by the end, I don't think it quite managed to pull off everything it was trying to do. It did end up being a fun read and I always get a certain joy reading Indian inspired SFF.

We have 3 main characters, Elena a princess soon to become queen of Ravence but who can't wield the fire magic that marks her family as chosen by the Phoenix God. Leo, Elena's father and king of Ravence. He's determined to stop rebels and protect his borders and country. Yassen, an assassin who wants freedom from his past, finds himself working as part of Elena's guard.

I really liked Elena though I was frustrated by her choices at times. I especially enjoyed the bond she shared with her bodyguard Ferma who basically raised her. She makes a lot of rash decisions but it felt in keeping with her age and desperation to prove herself. Elena is also an excellent fighter which I enjoyed.

I also liked Yassen and especially his friendship with Samson the distance from years apart but closeness of childhood friends. I enjoyed elements of him proving himself to Elena and the rest of the royal family but it did at times seem a bit too easy considering his history. Leo however I didn't get along with. There are justifications and motivations for all of his actions but that didn't stop him feeling like a way to create conflict and move the story along.

I was really looking forward to the fantasy/sci-fi genre blend but I unfortunately found it quite jarring at the beginning. The epic fantasy desert kingdom is set up well but I kept being surprised by pulse guns, cars and holopods. I did really like how the religion and magic was done, we learn most about the fire magic but there's also a race that can use their hair as a weapon and hints of other gods and magics in other kingdoms which I'd love to learn more about.

In the second half of the story it really comes into its own, I was more invested in what was happening and was motivated to pick up the book a lot more often. Elena really grows as a character and we get some surprises that effect the story in a very interesting way. It's a strong end to a debut and means I will be picking up the next one. It's very much a set up book but I wasn't dissatisfied at the end which I often am when this much is left open.

3.5 stars (3 stars for the first half, 4 stars for the second!)

First of all thank you so much to Orbit UK and Netgalley for approving me of an ARC!

I really really enjoyed this one! I love Hindu inspired fantasy (the amount i’ve read these last two years makes me happy i’m not gonna lie) and this one definitely satisfied my craving of it. I said this in a tweet yesterday but I appreciated how the author uses words such as Agni on the magic system and world building.

I liked that it has three POV and as these three characters have their own motives in the story, it was fun guessing how the plot is going to go based on their POV. I’m not going to lie, the amount of times I was frustrated w these characters are A LOT because they make so many bad decisions but what I can say is that the author wrote these characters really well! Particularly Elena - she really was a strong character and I liked how determined she was at shaping herself as a queen.

I also liked the romance YAY. I wouldn’t call it a slow burn though but it was sweet I guess and it didn’t overpower the storyline or the characters.

The reason I gave it a 4 is because although I really enjoyed the story, some plotlines were predictable and I didn’t feel that strongly during the second half. However, I will be reading the second book though especially after that ending?????

I remembered following Verma when she was discussing and promoting the first version The Boy with Fire and I was so invested in her journey to publish and when I saw it was being traditionally published I got super excited.

I can't stress enough on how much I. Loved this book. I was immediately pulled in from the first page. I found the world building to be beautifully done. The inclusion of the rich culture, religion and mythology really pulled me. It was so well woven into the plot.

The characters, where do I begin. I understand its the first book so the character development was not really there but that does not take away from anything. The different dynamics ie the friendships the romance.... I loved it all.

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

𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐛
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.

𝐌𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬
I have been following Aparna Verma and her book The Phoenix King for a while now, and all the bits about the book were enough for me to be excited about, especially the desi representation😍

First off, the world-building was incredible. It was so complex yet beautifully intricate. I absolutely love the concept Fire Goddess and her power.. The action scenes were extremely exciting, especially the ones with the fire having its own will and acting upon it.

Plus, the desi representation is just🥹🤌🏼 I was just smiling constantly reading about the things in my life being a part of the book. The jalebis and makhane, the kurtas and lehengas, classical music and dance, everything gave me so much happiness!

And I love love, love the dance scene - it was fantastic! The K3G-type romantic scene where Elena’s dupatta gets stuck in Yassen’s button gave me butterflies🤭🤭

I really enjoyed the story and it was very eventful - action-packed and conspiracy-filled. From scheming and rebellion, power abuse and deceptions to self-discovery and justice, and making things right, this book is very heavy in world-building.

But, I feel that, the world-building was just too much. Because of it, the plot lost its charm and its focus on other aspects of the plot…

There just was too much information related to the fire goddess and her legacy. There were pages of conversations and inner monologue regarding it, which disrupted the flow. I had to skip a lot of pages to move on with the plot😔

Also characterisation wasn’t very profound. Except for a few characters, others just fell flat including the protagonists. It made me so disconnected from them that at the point of tragic moments, I didn’t care about any of the characters.

But, the book ends at an anticipatory moment setting up the base for an exciting next book. And I’ll pick up the second one because I hope things will be more thrilling in the next👀

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧
Overall, this is an amazing fantasy book with incredible world-building that's complex yet intricate. Action-packed and conspiracy-filled, this has a desi representation that gave my desi heart, incredible joy. But, the world-building overpowered the rest of the plot..

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲, 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐔𝐊 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫, 𝐀𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐚 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞-𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰.

I really enjoyed this book. Verma has created a unique, compelling world with very interesting characters at the centre. She makes a skilful use of multiple POVs in a way that enhances the plot and conjoining storylines and character arcs. Yassen and Elena, in particular, I adored, and I can't wait to see where Verma takes their story after this!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC.

Sadly, this book wasn’t for me and I ended up DNFing.
It definitely has potential and I’m sure others will enjoy it more, it just didn’t grab me and reading it felt like a chore.
The worldbuilding felt a bit disconnected, there are a lot of sci-fi elements but in my opinion, they felt a bit randomly scattered in and it occasionally felt out of place.

I liked the characters and writing but I just couldn’t get into the story.

A really great and intriguing read. I loved the characters and the story. Will look out for more from this author.

After seeing the hype for this book on various social media channels, I was really excited to dive in. Told from three different POV's each were so different from one another and I really liked that each of them had their own individual voice. I personally liked Yassen's POV the most, he was such a striking character and I wanted to learn more about him. There was such a rich culture between the pages that was really great to explore and the different kingdoms. Along with great plot twists, enough suspense to keep me guessing and revelations.

Personally, I found the plot too slow for my liking. Plus I found it difficult to connect to Leo and Elena's POV.

Regardless, I know some people will absolutely devour this book.

Originally self-published as The Boy with Fire, The Phoenix King is an Indian inspired fantasy with sci-fi elements.

I loved Elena, she is a 25 year old princess/soon to be queen who is determined to bring change to her kingdom. To see a brown main character in a fantasy book is everything to me, the familiar words I came across such as chaas, adrak wali chai, and burfi made my South Asian heart so happy. As well as Elena's POV, we also get the POV of Elena's father, Leo, and an assassin called Yassen. I have to admit that I was disappointed with the name choices of Leo and Elena. I wish the author had gone for more authentic Indian names rather than these Western ones. It just didn't make sense to me seeing as other side character had Indian names. That aside, I thought Leo was an interesting and morally grey character. I honestly don't think I've ever been so torn about what to think of a character. Some of the things he did were terrible, but at the same time he truly wanted what was best for his daughter and his kingdom. I mean, it was hard not to feel for him.

Although this is an adult fantasy it reads like YA, and I don't mean that in an offensive way (I love YA fantasy), I just mean in terms of the plot and tropes. I will say that there was a lot of deaths, but what I appreciated was that they weren't just included for the sake of showing how brutal the fantasy world was. The world building in The Phoenix King was richly crafted and it had some sci-fi elements that I wasn't expecting.

I like when books include the POV of the love interest as it helps build the romance, in my opinion. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case here. I never got the sense that Yassen had romantic feelings towards the Elena and vise versa So, while I enjoyed some of their scenes together (especially the dance/dupatta scene, very Bollywoodesque) the romance was lacking. I think Verma could have leaned into the forbidden romance trope and included more pining and angst. Such a shame because I was excited about the romance, and I really liked them as individual characters.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed The Phoenix King and am looking forward to the sequel.

Review "The Phoenix King", The Ravence Trilogy tome 1, Aparna Verma 🇮🇳🔥

Released on August 29, 2023, I was lucky to receive an SP very early and I thank @orbitbookUS again for sending.🤩
The Phoenix King was a surprise. I was expecting a fantasy novel with romance and in the end I ended up with a narrative at the limit of genres, a SF novel with touches of fantasy, heavy vibes of Dune and The Poppy War . The romance, while present, is not central to me and that's what I loved.
However, love as a feeling is found everywhere: from the adored father wanting to protect his daughter as well as his empire, the daughter keeping precisely in her heart the memory of her deceased mother, the bodyguard whose soul keeps a promise and protect the princess with her life. Filial love, friendship love, patriotic love, love and religious adoration also for these priests who worship the phoenix goddess.
It's a story that takes its time, laying the foundations of the universe inspired by India and its myths, and the more we advance, the more we lift the veil and the mysteries underlying the identity of this force. cosmic and divine that is the phoenix. The characters then gain in depth, like King Leo ready for anything, absolutely anything to defend his empire. Or even Elena, determined to control the power of fire and prove herself a worthy heiress of her father. And we can say that our heroine absolutely KNOWS where she is going and shows great strength of character to get there.
But my heart goes above all to Ferma, this bodyguard who earns a place of choice in my top 10 of my favorite Fantasy characters in all readings. Ferma is wise and valiant, and she's an outstanding fighter! The scenes with Elena are touching and beautiful, but her fight scenes are even more so. With her hair sharp as blades, Ferma totally took over me during my reading and I DREAM of a short story entirely dedicated to this character 🙏
Aparna Verma offers us a solid first volume, at the limit of genres and given the finale, I can't wait to continue the adventure with volume 2.

This was a really solid book and I quite liked the blend of sci-fi and fantasy elements. It's not something I typically enjoy, but Verma did a solid job.

Having read the previous iteration when this was The Boy with Fire , I was quite excited to pick up The Phoenix King . And I have to say, I am definitely a fan of this version. Compared to TBWF, The Phoenix King just feels like a better version of a story that was already pretty good. I am always on the hunt for more adult South Asian FFF and I am so glad a book like this exists. I thoroughly enjoyed the world-building aspect of it all, and how it was interwoven into the story. As you progress in your reading, you get to learn more and more about this amazing world and its magic system. Aparna Verma's prose just flows off the page and personally, it just made me want to not stop reading the book.

Verma has crafted a delightful tale of power and struggle and filled it with the most incredible characters. It was so interesting to see the contrasting motivations of Elena, Yassen and Leo and how they were affected by the events that take place.

And that ending? I absolutely loved it and I cannot wait to find out what happens next!

If you are an SFF fan, then give The Phoenix King a try!

Thank you to Orbit Books UK for providing me with an e-ARC!