I went into this book with next to no expectations, and to be honest, the beginning absolutely blew me away. The writer sets us right on a fiery race course where phoenixes, you read that right, PHONEXIS!, not dragons(for once) are ridden around in high-octane competitions. The description was so vivid I could actually see it going down, which doesn't happen often for me. When I normally read, I don't immediately envision scenes like a film in my mind. I'm a "read the words, slow process them, then visualize" reader. But this time, I was there in the arena, I could feel the heat, the excitement, and the disarray.
That's why, although I was thrilled to begin with, the book ultimately was only "okay" for me. The concepts were great, but the execution didn't quite measure up to the potential. I settled on 3 stars because although there were lots of things that I enjoyed, there were enough pacing, character, and worldbuilding problems to keep me from giving it a higher rating. Let me explain.
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The World of Phoenix Racing
The largest hook in this book is the phoenix racing itself. I've read a lot of dragon stories, and I enjoyed that the writer replaced dragons with phoenixes. It was fresh and new, even though they serve a similar purpose. Phoenixes are breathing, living fire, which puts them even more dangerous to handle than dragons. Riders must wear protective equipment just to make it through being near them, which made the stakes feel urgent and perilous.
The phoenixes aren't cool pets alone either; they're the foundation of this world's economy and society. There's something about racing that it all circles around, and there's an entire infrastructure based on teams. Each team has a rider, a strategist, and an inventor. Our heroine, Kel, is a tamer, she takes care of her phoenix, Savita, and is close with her, but isn't the best rider. That alone made me want to cheer for her.
I also appreciated the note about the collars applied to phoenixes. Initially, they were applied to study purposes like monitoring vitals, heart rate, temperatures but thereafter were used as control devices. There are people who find this inhumane, like Kel and her deceased father. Her dad even died battling phoenix freedom, which provides Kel's fight with an emotional density.
So, on the worldbuilding front, the concept was good. But this is where my problem is: it was incomplete. I craved more backstory. How did phoenixes originate? How do the nations in this world view them? Are there magical beings out there beyond phoenixes? The book hints at answers but never gives them, and that made me a bit unhappy.
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Characters and Relationships
And now, let's discuss the characters. Kel, the protagonist, was a potential character, but I had a hard time liking her. She's hot-headed, judgmental, and hypocritical. She'll call someone out for doing something, and then do the same thing herself. Worse, she wasn't the best of friends. She was usually mean to the people who had her back, which made it difficult for me to relate to her. And the thing is, she didn't actually develop. By the time it was over, I didn't feel like she'd grown in any substantial sense.
And then there's Coup, the supposed love interest. He becomes part of Kel's crew after her initial one breaks up, and from the beginning, they despise one another. Good old enemies-to-lovers trope, right? Except. the "lovers" aspect came off as rushed and half-baked. They had good banter, but the shift from being enemies to more felt like overnight switch had been flipped. One page she hates him, the next page she's saying, "Maybe I wanna kiss him." That's not character development, that's whiplash.
I actually think the book could've done with Coup's perspective. If we'd been inside his head, perhaps the romance would've seemed more organic. As things stood, it felt shallow and one-sided.
The side characters suffered the same fate. They were compelling at first glance but didn't get to be well-developed. Some even seemed to exist solely to advance Kel's plot instead of having their own arcs. There was one side character in particular who materialized out of nowhere, hardly significant other than to advance Kel's plot, and it felt contrived. So all in all, the characters made me keep my arm's length. I didn't dislike them, but I didn't adore them either.
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Pacing and Plot
This is where the book lost me. The pacing was uneven throughout.
The beginning: Quick, exciting, unputdownable. I zipped through the first few chapters. The middle: Dropped off to the point where I felt like I was trudging through mud. Training scenes, filler moments, and not much forward movement. The conclusion: Amped up again but far too quickly, leaving me more confused than contented.
The plot was well-built—a phoenix tamer struggling to defend her beast, a team attempting to win races, corruption seeping in the background. But the delivery was sloppy. For instance, there's one subplot involving a disease known as AB spreading on the island. It is meant to create tension, but the particulars were unclear and sometimes contradictory. As a reader I was left to wonder: How on earth does it spread? Why does it infect some and not others when they are in close proximity? The book never revealed.
Then there's the sponsorship subplot. Kel's crew is offered a contract by a rich CEO after winning a race. Kel doesn't want to believe him initially, but situations later compel her to agree. It was promising, though, but overly reliant on the rich/poor, good/bad stereotype without much depth.
The conclusion itself was thrilling, though, but disorganized and hasty. Questions were not answered, threads were not resolved, and then suddenly bam, done. Honestly, with how flat these characters were, I’m not sure I’d want to stick around for book two unless something drastically changes.
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Final Thoughts and Why It’s 3 Stars
Here's the thing: I didn't dislike this book. I kind of enjoyed it at times. The phoenixes were fantastic, the racing scenes were exciting, and the idea was pleasantly unlike the dragon-based fantasies I tend to read. The writing style was straightforward but utilitarian, making it an easy read that younger or newer fans of fantasy could get through.
But for each strength, there was a weakness. The worldbuilding was lacking. The characters, particularly Kel, were infuriating and two-dimensional. The romance wasn't well-developed. The pacing made the book feel disconnected. And the ending didn't provide the closure I desired.
So I ended up exactly in the middle at 3 stars. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't wonderful either. If you want a fast fantasy with an interesting spin on magical beasts, this could be worth attempting. Just don't have your expectations set for complex characters, detailed worldbuilding, or a slow-burning romance.
Would I be recommending it? Perhaps—to younger readers or those who simply want a quick, action-packed fantasy with phoenixes. But if you're in the mood for depth, lush worldbuilding, or a heart-wrenching romance, you'll likely leave feeling disappointed, as I did.
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