PHOENIX UNBOUND by Grace Draven – Review

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Phoenix Unbound by Grace Draven
Series: Fallen Empire #1
Published by Ace Books on September 25 2018
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 384
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: Romantic and thrilling, Phoenix Unbound is a fantastic start to a new series.

You know those times when you start reading a book and you’re immediately swept up in the writing, the story and the characters? Well, this was one of those times for me. After a couple of pages I knew I was going to love Phoenix Unbound, and that feeling lasted until I finished the book. This is my first experience reading a book by Grace Draven, but I was so impressed that I will be seeking out some of her backlist when I have time. Phoenix Unbound has the feel of a traditional fantasy, as Draven’s prose is on the formal side, but for me it made for a wonderful reading experience. And yes, this is being marketed as “fantasy romance” and it delivered on that promise. The romance, in case you’re wondering, is the “enemies to lovers” variety, and while this might rub some readers the wrong way, it totally worked for me.

Gilene is a fire witch, able to withstand flames without burning and able to call forth and control fire as well. Her remarkable abilities, rather than giving her power, have led to her virtual imprisonment by her village. You see, every year an event called the Rite of Spring is held in the capital of the Krael Empire, where gladiator slaves fight to the death for the enjoyment of the empress. At the end of the Pit fights, a ceremonial sacrifice is held, where one girl from each village in the Empire is burned alive, an offering to the greedy empress. These unfortunate girls are called the Flowers of Spring, and Gilene has been the chosen Flower from her village for the past four years. Because of her powers as a fire witch, she escapes nearly unscathed from the fire, returns to her village with a new face, and then volunteers again the following year. It’s her way of keeping all the women in her village safe.

Azarion has been a slave of the empress Dalvila for the last ten years, after his brother betrayed and sold him to the Empire. Having earned the title of Gladius Prime by killing off every opponent he’s ever had in the Pit, he’s regularly tortured and degraded by the empress, who has an appetite for blood and sex. But Azarion has a plan to get his old life back: he’s going to force Gilene to help him escape and use her to reclaim his rightful place as the leader of Clan Kestrel. After that, he plans to strike at the heart of the Empire itself, but he’s going to need the cooperation of a very reluctant fire witch if he’s going to succeed.

Draven has created such an intricately built world, and fans of excellent world-building are going to love this. The idea of overthrowing a ruling government isn’t a new one, but the way she goes about setting up the nearly impossible task of pulling it off was so well done. I especially loved learning about Azarion’s home, the Sky Below, and getting to know the members of his tight-knit family. Their way of life is built on tradition and duty and family loyalty, but there is plenty of unrest and violence simmering below the surface between Azarion and his brother Karsas, which gives the story lots of tension. We also learn more about Gilene’s ability as a fire witch, which is much more complicated that it seems at first, and I’m hoping Draven explores her unique abilities more in the next book.

I loved the relationship between Gilene and Azarion, although some readers may not like it at first, since Azarion appears brutish, kidnapping Gilene and forcing her to help him. But the more I got to know him, the more I understood how desperate he is to escape the horrible fate of being bound to the empress Dalvila. Their romance is a very slow burn, which was really the only way it could be and still be believable. Gilene hates him at first, but the more she gets to know him, the more she understands why he acts the way he does. I thought they were well matched since they have so much in common, and it is on this common ground that their relationship begins to develop.

There’s plenty of action in Phoenix Unbound, and the pacing is overall very well done. But I have to admit that some of my favorite moments were the quieter ones, when Azarion and Gilene are traveling to Azarion’s home, the Sky Below. Their days and nights on the trail give them plenty of opportunities to get to know each other, and you can see glimpses of their blooming romance during these times. I also loved the eerie touches that Draven added to the story, in particular the time where the two are hiding from the empire’s trackers and take shelter in the ghost town of Midrigar. The characters in this book have strong beliefs in ghosts, and the mythology of their people was fascinating. 

My only complaint is that the last 20% or so of the story felt a little rushed. This story is quite ambitious and a lot must happen in order for everything to be resolved. And while Draven could have easily ended things on a cliffhanger, she chose to wrap everything up, which meant that there were a couple of awkward time jumps near the end where it felt as if she had reached her word count limit and had to end things quickly. I personally wouldn’t have minded another 30-50 pages to develop this part of the story more thoroughly, but on the other hand I am grateful that there wasn’t a cliffhanger.

By the end of the book I was happy to finally take a breath, even though Draven does leave several plot points unresolved, and she teases us with a few world-building elements that we’ll just have to wait to learn more about in the next book. Over all I loved Phoenix Unbound, and I’m so happy to have discovered a new favorite author.

Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.