There's something impressive about a really good kids book. This is a fantasy for the preteen who is a good reader and interested in history, adventure and excitement. Adventures through mysterious lands now less mysterious seem almost hokey to the modern sensibility but actually this is an all ages fantasy. A quest for a young girl to find her kidnapped father in 1920's China: she's Russian already an exile from her wartorn country, and now she has to deal with a foreign nation, warlords, zealots, oh and did I mention the fantasy creatures of both China and her homeland. A lot is going on in The Phoenix in the Firebird and a lot of that lot is really good, adventurous fun.

Crawford and Kossiakoff, the authors, have a lot of experience with both Russia, China and the Far East and their mythological creatures. The lead character Lucy is loosely based on Kossiakoff's long lost great-great aunt, and there is a theme in the book of family between both how Lucy relates to her dead mother, her missing father, and her best friend Su: who has an ill father at home. Nevertheless, the book plays all of this backstory lightly, it doesn't assume any knowledge and it knows its audience will not know anything about post-revolutionary Russia, or the first days of the Chinese Republic and so therefore can be quite clear-headed in the way that it describes the basics of the political setup. This is a book for kids though, so we don't need to dwell too much on massacres from the Bolsheviks or the brutalism of the Chinese warlords, though the villain here is very much a Chinese warlord. He's collecting mythical creatures, magical tokens and, unfortunately for Lucy, soldiers which is a category her father fits into. But slowly plunging herself into the world of I-Ching fortune telling, Lucy is told how to retrieve her father and that there will be five tasks to complete corresponding to each of the Chinese elements of earth, air, fire, water, and metal. As Lucy and Su battle their way through the wilderness in China they have to deal with old women setting riddles, nine-tailed foxes, but also perennials of Russian folklore. As the author suggests: if people can be exiles why not their mythical beings too?

The Phoenix and the Firebird is really good fun and I wish I had been 10 to read it. Never condescending, consistently exciting, and with the right kind of moral and social dilemmas that challenge the development of the audience of a Book Like This. Lucy is a compelling heroine, brave but still very young, complemented by her friend Su (who also has a touch of martial artist in her back pocket). Even I came away learning quite a lot from the book and, I knew the broad brush of the political situation, but I wasn't aware quite how much Russian immigration there was in China in the twenties, or indeed how local warlords really were running private fiefdoms. But even if you aren't here for the history, you got a wonderful picturesque adventure with two spunky young girls learning to trust each other and learning what's important in the world. Oh and lots of magical creatures to aid and abet them in their daring escapes. Highly recommended.

Little me would have been so excited to be on this journey with Lucy and Su! I loved all the companions they found along the way and reading about the myths coming to life. The focus on their friendship was so beautiful to see. Growing up, I didn’t have a lot of depictions of young female friendships to read about, and this was precious and scratched that hitch.

This story follows Lucy, a Russian girl who had to evacuate to China 3 years prior and is anxiously awaiting her father’s return only to discover he was ambushed and kidnapped on the train ride to Peking. Enlisting the help of her best friend Su and an unlikely ally, they set out to rescue Lucy’s father, facing five elemental trials along the way.

I have two main criticisms. First, the stakes didn’t feel high. I need it to be understood that they were technically high. In Lucy’s position, I too would be freaking out. But I lacked connection to those stakes, I never feared for anybody’s safety or wellbeing (physical and mental), so a bit more work could have been done there. This would have helped the conflict in the friendship as well.
Second, some bits of the writing itself pulled me out of it, like a line about the stakes being high, and some of the dialogue sounding a bit too modern for the 1910s. I don’t mean this at the cost of simplicity for the age demographic, but rather because it breaks the illusion the writing was trying to create. Sometimes I forgot when the story was set, and you never want that with historical fiction, even if it’s of the fantastical variety.

Regardless, this was sweet and fun, and 12-year-old me would have eaten it right up. I was also moved by Kossiakoff’s author’s note at the end. Knowing the inspiration behind this story certainly makes me appreciate it more.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Alexis Kossiakoff & Scott Forbes Crawford, and Earnshaw Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Lucy is a young girl living in Peking, China, at the turn of the century, having been forced to flee her home in St. Petersburg she goes from a well to do young lady with maids and beautiful dresses to living a drafty home with a woman who treats her like dirt. Su came from a upper class family whose father was an Imperial Scholar before the Emperor fell. These two girls found each other in the worst of circumstances and have become the very best of friends. But now, three years later, Lucy's father is in danger, and Lucy will stop at nothing to save him, and Su will stop at nothing to keep her friend safe. These two daring girls team up with a Russian gangster of all people to trek into the heart of a dangerous warlord to save her Lucy's father and they will learn that the world they thought they knew was so much bigger than the ever imagined.

This was a really sweet read that does an excellent job of combining Slavic and Chinese fairy tales and folklore into a simply fun fantasy adventure. It is a middle grade read so I would definitely recommend it for that age group but I found it to be completely enjoyable read myself and it would make a perfect beginners guide to both of these cultures creatures regardless of the readers age.


Overall, I definitely recommend this for all ages. However, I think this book would do the most good in the hands of the age group it's written for. With both the Ukranian war and The Gaza War (are we calling it a war? I'm calling it a war) I know my own children have had more refugees than ever in their classes. While we live in a neighborhood that has always had a larger than average immigrant population, I think books like this are needed now more than ever. Being "stateless," as Lucy says, is something most people will never experience, and this is a perfect story to help children empathize with their peers that may be refugees while giving those children that have had to flee their homes a voice.

As always, thanks to NetGalley and Earnshaw Books.

In a Nutshell: A middle-grade fantasy-adventure combining elements from Chinese and Slavic mythology. As an adult, I’d have preferred some plot points and the characters to be further developed, but a child would mostly enjoy this story. Some scary sequences, so might not be for sensitive or younger tweens.

Plot Preview:
1920. Peking (modern-day Beijing), China. Twelve-year-old Lucy has spent the last three years away from her father, who was serving in the Russian army. But now, he is on his way to Peking. When Lucy goes to receive him at the station, she discovers that the train has been attacked and her father kidnapped by a notorious ganglord. The only clue left is a mysterious firebird feather. With the help of her best friend Su and a local Russian club owner, Lucy goes on a quest to rescue her father. Along the way, she learns that reality as she knew it was not actually accurate.
The story comes to us in Lucy’s first-person perspective.

Bookish Yays:
💐 The lead characters of Lucy and Su: Lovely examples of friendship, bravery, intelligence, and supportiveness. Though Lucy is the main lead, I liked Su better for her honesty and her spunkiness. Lucy is also good but she takes time to grow on you.
💐 The amazing combination of Slavic plus Chinese lore characters. Very few books combine mythological characters from multiple folklores, and when the lores are as rich as Russian and Chinese, the task is humongous. I enjoyed revisiting some old favourite mythical beings and learning about some new ones.
💐 Lyrical descriptions that make it easy to visualise the scene and the characters.
💐 The somewhat episodic adventure, which, though not my favourite kind of writing, works well in children’s books. It is interesting to see a mix of riddles and prophetic clues with mythical appearances on Lucy’s quest.
💐 I adored the four appendices at the end: one for Chinese mythological animals, one for the beings from Slavic folklore , a third explaining China's situation at the time of the story, and the final one talking about Russia's circumstances at the same time. A great way of understanding the story better! There’s also an additional section where the author talks about her great grandfather, and how certain events and people in his life inspired her to pen this story.
💐 The cover and the title are excellent.

Bookish Mixed Bags:
🌹 Trivial point, but this always makes a big difference in my reading experience – I like knowing the ages of the key characters early in the book. Lucy’s age is revealed only at the 20% mark. Until then, I was struggling to understand how old she was as she seemed to be anywhere between 10 to 18 in her behaviour. Su’s age is not revealed throughout, though we know that she is slightly older than Lucy. I wish there had been a better detailing of the character’s backgrounds.
🌹 Somehow, the book doesn’t feel historical except for a couple of minor points. As the main plot is fantastical, it is anyway timeless. But Lucy and Su’s conversational style and their behaviour with each other and other adults seem slightly atypical of the era. This might still work for kids as they would anyway prefer English they can vibe with.
🌹 There are some impossible situations and convenient coincidences. Most of the troubles the girls face on the quest are sorted out almost immediately without much conflict. Certain character decisions are questionable. For instance, the Russian club owner Vlad doesn't take his henchmen along on the quest, saying that they would slow him down. Yet he is readily willing to take two inexperienced young girls along. Again, this might not be an issue for tweens.
🌹 As this is a debut work, it suffers from a minor version of the ‘kitchen sink syndrome’, not in terms of themes but in terms of mythical beings. Many mystical and mythological beings from both folklores make an appearance in the book, but most get only a passing mention, creating a rushed feel. (The biggest disappointment to me was the rusalka’s blind-and-you-miss appearance.) Moreover, situations are sometimes created just for an opportunity to educate the reader about some trivia connected to China or Russia, even if it isn’t needed for the main plot. These offered really interesting facts, but they broke the flow of the narrative.


Bookish Nays:
🌵 Certain events at the climax were too farfetched, even for a middle-grade fantasy adventure.
🌵 Some things are left unexplained. I know the fantasy parts don’t need to be clarified, but the human characters and their decisions and actions needed to be more fleshed out.

All in all, this can be an entertaining and adventurous book for children as it is filled with many exciting moments. Most of my issues spring from my perspective as an adult. Children might not bother so much about the technicalities of plot and character development.

Some scenes might be too scary for younger middle graders. The content has mentions of casinos and gambling, bloodshed, revolution, war, kidnap, parental death (prior to book events), kidnapping, imprisonment, and cannibalistic creatures. So take a call based on your child’s comfort level with darkish plot points.

Recommended to old middle-graders and younger teens who would enjoy a fantasy-adventure in an unusual historical setting.

3.5 stars, rounding up for the appendices and for the fact that it ought to work better for the right age group.

My thanks to author Scott Forbes Crawford and Earnshaw Books for providing the DRC of “The Phoenix and the Firebird” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Thank you Netgalley and Earnshaw Books for this arc.

I enjoyed this “coming of age” fantasy that has a strong bond of female friendship. Lucy and Su do have some help along the way but the main burden of saving the day is up to them and they do it.

There is a lot of danger and violence in this story. The times are hard enough but add in the fantasy creatures, who aren’t usually warm and cuddly, and things are dark at times. Yet this is also very much written for middle grade readers. Lucy and Su are the main characters with Lucy telling the story. They are brave and determined but they’re also young, make mistakes, and have much to learn.

Along the way, it’s Lucy who is most driven to find and free her father – her only living relative – but she needs a lot of help. While this makes sense, at times Su seems to be the one doing most of the heavy lifting. The two are friends anyway before pledging their friendship with an oath. Lucy does something after this which is the unthinking sort of thing someone that age might do and she has a harsh lesson to learn because of it. Su is much more loyal, IMO.

As promised, many creatures from both Russian and Chinese folk and fairy tales are players in the game and as mentioned some of these creatures are not nice at all while others might be helpful or not. As Lucy’s father has told her these stories for years, she immediately knows many of them while conveniently forgetting one or two until the plot needs it. There are also bits of the dialog which read as too modern.

Overall, I liked this one which is a nice blend of fantasy and historical facts. It really is for younger readers but thinking back to when I was ten or twelve, I would have been thrilled to see girls in lead roles both fighting and thinking their way out of danger as they overcome all odds. B

Reading this book, I got the sinking feelings of not being the target audience of this. I loved the cover and was intrigued by the synopsis. But all the things I imagined this book to be was my own projection. And all the things it turned out to be was miles away from my area of expertise or knowledge. This book is heavily intertwined with Slavic and Chinese mythical and folk creatures and their tales. My knowledge in both of these are close to zero which is my shortcoming and one can actually enjoy the book without having prior knowledge of the myths and magics but it stood in the way of my enjoyment.

It is also a middle-grade book. And sometimes, with middle grade books, we get stories that are heartfelt, soul crunching and excruciatingly moving. But sometimes we also get books that don’t dive too deep into the complex human emotions. So I am a little unsure if I should hold it against the book for not taking us inside the inner struggle of a young girl torn by war and alone in a foreign world, struggling to find her father.

What this book did for me though, is made me interested in seeking out slavic and Chinese mythology, folktales in future.

Thanks to NetGalley and Earnshaw Books Ltd for providing me with an eArc of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

thank you netgalley for this opportunity!
this book felt very fresh in my opinion but i had some difficulties with the story. i think that i’m definitely out of target and that this book would be great for people around the same age as the protagonist. i think a great point would be how the authors described the landscapes and the surroundings of the story, it felt real and immersive. sometimes the pace was weird but overall it’s a good book!

Decent book, very YA and I would think it's best for younger (middle grade) readers.

It offers nice mix of Russian and Chinese folklore, and for those not familiar with either, there is appendix at the end that explains them in more detail and even offers stories to read to learn more of them. I found that very nice from author. I also really liked to read what inspired the story.

It felt rushed to me at times, but that may be due to being meant for middle grade readers.

In Phoenix and the Firebird, I was introduced to the vibrant bustling world of Peking in 1920, where I am reminded by Lucy of what it means to be a child in a world unfamiliar to you. A feeling that struck my heart and invested me in her story and what was to come.

Whilst at times I was thrown off from the pacing of the paragraphs as the book advanced (jumping from one sudden moment to the next), I found the authors prose to be evocative and heartfelt and it is a read I would recommend to middle grade age kids who have an interest in mythology and folklore, or are immigrants themselves.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with access to the ARC.

I really enjoyed this 1920s inspired story fused with both Chinese and Slavic folklore. The main characters were both easy to root for and the plot was captivating throughout.

The Phoenix and the Firebird

4 ⭐️
YA themed- suited for a younger audience

What to expect:
Friendship
Found family

What a beautifully written and descriptive tale full of adventure, friendship, and fantasy. The story follows two young heroines who set out on an adventure to find a captured father with the guidance of a magical feather. It is full of Russian and Chinese folklore as well as some historical events and does have some really well written appendixes at the back of the book explaining the different creatures and folklore. You can really feel the connection of the writers to these cultures and to the characters themselves as if they were beloved family members.

I highly recommend this book for pre- teens or teens looking for a wonderful friendship based tale. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC 👏🏼

Quality Rating: Three Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Four Stars

The Phoenix and the Firebird is charming, enjoyable and good fun. A welcome addition to the pantheon of children's fantasy, it weaves traditional storytelling from Russia (our protagonist's homeland) and China (where the story is set).

While the inspiration is directly explored through various mythical creatures from Chinese and Russian folktales, I wouldn't say the cultural identity was necessarily pivotal in these story elements; they could just as well have been any other fantastical creature or even completely new inventions and have served the same purpose. It also felt like we learn a lot more about Russian myth than we do about Chinese. It was a shame that the unique roots and meanings of the creatures were lost in the action, but didn't take away from the fun of the story.

The modern narration style often found in contemporary children's books (and Young Adult) never fails to ruin the immersion of a period setting. This book does well for the most part of balancing the stakes and threat with an appropriate sense of danger and security. It was only towards the final act when Lucy faced the villain that things just felt a bit too silly to buy into. At the moments when real, genuine danger and fear came into play, the book decides to fall into nursery rhyme rather than accessibly deal with the subject matter.

I really enjoyed this story. I loved how the magic and mythology is woven into the story, I loved the themes of friendship and hope and redemption, and I thought the setting was both usual and really interesting. Lucy read a little bit older than twelve to me (probably fourteen or so), but other than that, a very enjoyable story.

3.25 stars.
4 stars for younger audiences.
I picked The Phoenix and The Firebird up on the basis of its premise and concept, and these did not disappoint one bit.
Lucy and Su set out on a journey based in history and the fantasy world.
The pacing and the prose combined with the length of the book ensure an enjoyable read.
The plot 3/5
Characterisation 3/5
Prose 2.5/5
Concept 4.5/5

hank you to Netgalley, Earnshaw Books, Alexis Kossiakoff and Scott Forbes Crawford for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is a fantastic middle-grade adventure story that skilfully blends historical fiction and fantasy genres by tying the story very closely to a specific point in the early 20th century and both Russian and Chinese folklore. Following the fall of the Qing Dynasty and the Russian Revolution, both Lucy, our Russian refugee main character, and her Chinese best friend, Su, are struggling to find a place in a tumultuous new world. When Lucy's father is abducted by a shadowy War Lord known as Taotie, Lucy is determined to rescue him. Armed with only the mysterious feather that she believes her father left for her to find on his doomed train carriage, she sets out on a journey that will take her far from the city and deep into a landscape inhabited by strange and powerful creatures of Chinese mythology.

Lucy and Su's friendship is the real heart of this story, and I loved getting to see them challenge, test and strengthen each other as the story progressed. There were plenty of adventurous twists and turns, daring escapes, surprising allies, ambiguously trustworthy allies turning friends, tense battles and epic heroic moments. I absolutely loved going on an adventure through Chinese and Russian folklore with Lucy, Su and Vlad and would really recommend this book to any readers looking for fantasy and adventure on the upper end of middle-grade.

The Phoenix and the Firebird is expected to be published on August 20, 2024.

This is a story that follows two friends, Lucy and Su, on an adventure to go save Lucy's father who was captured. A story that involves adventure, challenges, exploration of friendships (and so much more) that was done so well and I loved it!
In this story, you see Chinese and Russian folklore intertwine and cause for such an amazing story and learning experience while also it being based off the early 20th century in China and Russia.
And it was so awesome that the authors included appendixes in the back of the book that explains the different folklores mentioned within this book. Along with the authors adding their own history and what brought them to write this book, it made it even better to know the passion and inspiration behind it.

I will say, I feel this reads on the older side of Middle Grade, I would feel kids 10+ would love and appreciate and learn more than the younger ones. But overall, it was a great book!
If you have kids, nieces or nephews, work with young kids, I would say this is a great book for them to pick up and read!
I will be buying this once it releases to have for my future kids to read.

Thank you so much NetGalley for this ARC in return for a honest review!

Arc Copy...Not many fiction books that I know of that profile the "White Russians" that fled to China after the revolution and I liked it. It was very interesting how the fusion of Russian and Chinese cultures play out together not just between the girls but also the beings from both culture's folklore that show up too during the journey.

The story follows Lucy and Su as they go on this adventure of sorts to save her father who has been captured. This is your typical middle grade adventure novel, there was a call to action and the story follows the ensuing events. However, I would argue that this story goes beyond the cliché a bit. It blends historical events of the early 20th century (Fall of the Qing Dynasty and Russian Revolution), with folklore from China and Russia into this fantastical story. This is an absolutely fantastic read!


This was such a joy to read! It was breath of fresh air among everything else that I have read recently! Also kudos to the author for providing the glossary of mythical creatures from each folk tradition. It was a nice touch to have along with the explanations of each.
5/5

Thank you NetGalley and Earnshaw books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

This book follows our main character Lucy, who got separated from her father during a russian war and sent to China for a better life. One day she gets a letter that her father is on the way to China so they can once again be together. Upon learning of the attack on the train and the capture of all the men, Lucy is distraught. In order to save Lucy's father, Lucy, Su, and a really old man named Vlad go on a mission.

I knew it was YA going into it, however, there are tons of YA books that I can read and enjoy. This just felt a little too young for me to actually enjoy. I think this book would have been better suited for a younger audience, as I felt it to be a little too immature for my taste. It was a good story, but I just didn't connect with the characters or the story. I guess that I was looking for a deeper connection to the story and its characters, but the story did not deliver. Overall, it was enjoyable but written more for ten-year-olds than for adults. I do recommend that someone pick it up for their kids, because it is a cute book, which involves perseverance and found family.

Overall, not a bad book at all, just was not for me!

4.5 rounded up to 5!
There is something so beautiful about a Middle-Grade book with a “found family” trope. It is also very refreshing to see an author who respects the younger generation by not writing at a lower level than they deserve. This book was written almost to a YA level with the plot. It leaves just enough intrigue to keep the reader yearning to finish it in a night and has enough historical folklore that might get a keen mind researching for more.

We see a strong contrast between the two main characters, Lucy and Su. Lucy is our protagonist: Russian, clever in her own right, and friendly. Su is her best friend. She is Chinese, determined, intelligent, and a fighter. They bond through turmoil and persevere on an adventure that potentially drives a wedge in their friendship.

Some cheesy parts were more than a little predictable, but regardless, this is a solid story for a young person who is eager to read, learn, and explore. I’ll be thoroughly suggesting it to my friends with children and the members of my library team. Thank you so much, NetGalley, for this ARC!