A Tale of Phoenix

Wow, this book was incredible! I haven’t read anything like it. Such a unique story and cast of characters. I loved it so much!! Absolutely magical and rich with culture.

A Tale of Phoenix is the story of a boy called Phoenix, who experiences a difficult event on this twelfth birthday and his recovery. The reality parallels the fantastical and vice versa. The language of the first pages are gripping. The plot and the characters are compelling and the themes are touching. I particularly liked Chandra and Luna. This book is a particularly good read for older children and young adults.

So sooooo good! Loved this book so much! 4 stars rating from me. Loved this story line and the way it was written.

The cover alone is worth a high rating. That cover is one of the most stunning ones I've ever seen. And the inside is even better. The writing in this novel is amazing and tackles tough topics in such a graceful way. I think the character development was strong, but honestly, that writing style carried the book, and it was really good.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this unique fantasy book.
The pretty cover drew me in, but the synopsis had me go “oooh that sounds interesting.”
This book isn't currently given labels, but in my opinion I would place it as a middle grade fantasy. Not that adults can't enjoy it like I did, but our main protagonist Phoenix is a young boy. The writing style also fits a younger audience and also isn't trying to be overly ambitious in its themes. It very much felt like a bit of Alice in Wonderland mixed with The Wizard of Oz, but a unique portal fantasy on its own.
Phoenix is a young boy plagued with bad luck. He was born on a leap year and whenever it's his “true birthday” and another leap day occurs, something bad inevitably happens. This book has great moral themes involving learning how life has struggles and even if you wish something went differently in your life other struggles can come from that too. That wishing your life didn't have its current struggles doesn't “erase” the struggles that life inevitably has. Another big one is not letting fear overpower you. Even though Phoenix has to learn all these things, even reading this as an adult we also get bogged down with the same dilemmas. I also loved that the curse on the Island of Lila felt to me like a metaphor for depression. Which I don't think a kid would pick up on.
It was an overall beautiful story, and I will feel way more guilty cleaning spiderwebs thanks to Oma Sofia.

I really enjoyed this novel. The characters were well developed and the plot flowed in a way that made sense. I would recommend this book to others and look forward to reading others by this author.

Thank you NetGalley Troubadour Publishing and Sandra Hayes for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Phoenix is a boy born a twin with a twin sister who didn’t survive childbirth. He carries guilt from that and so many tragic events that revolve around his leap year birthdays. In his 12th birthday his luck runs out and he is caught up in a house fire and ends up in a coma. While in the coma he travels to another world on a mission to save Karun, find the Weaver and return home.

I have to say this is geared more towards children I didn’t see that originally when I found the arc. I would say ages 10 and up! It was still enjoyable as an adult but you can see where it’s written more towards a younger audience.

Things I enjoyed
- the culture included in this book
- the relationship with Phoenix and his Grandma
- Phoenix’ aunt and Uncle. They were such diverse characters.
-I enjoyed the life lessons presented in this book.
-the multiple worlds.
- tackling childhood grief and anxiety!
- my focus wasn’t pulled away from the book.
-it was a quick and easy read.
-his protectiveness and bond with Karun. That was a beautifully done story development.

Things I wasn’t a fan of
- his mom and dad- when you read you will understand. That is about the only part of it I wouldn’t say is childlike. It could be a trigger for children of similar situations.
-blaming certain tragic events on Phoenix specifically, and him internalizing that everything bad that happens is his fault.
- the pacing of events before the house fire. We got a lot of backstory which is cool but the pace was slower.


Even after the house fire it was still slower paced compared to my usual books. But it was not in a bad way it felt very hobbit like where he is on this journey. I did enjoy that readers are able to experience it with Phoenix instead of being told what is happening. I felt like I was right there with him.

Thank you Sandra Hayes for the ending. I enjoyed that too. Very every ending is the beginning of something new. As an adult reader I’d give it a 3.5/5 but for my kids or nieces/nephews I’d say 4/5.