I didnt realize this had mutiple perspectives from the summary, but along with Veronika we also follow Sevro, an animage hiding within the ranks of the new empires soldiers, and Trystan, a Phoenix Rider apprentice hiding high up in the mountains with the rest of the surviving Riders. I found Veronikas chapters the most compelling. The way she developped into a more self assured and self reliant character was wonderful to read about. I was super invested in her quest to bond with a Phoenix and hide her gender for fear of not being accepted into the Riders ranks. Seeing Veronika deal with her sisters intensity and unpredictability made her chapters hard to put down, but for someone so cold and calculated it didnt make sense to me that she would sabotage something so important.

Trystan is struggling to overcome his anxiety and the fear of fire, but mostly his fear of failing his demanding father who also happens to be the commander of the Phoenix Riders. Trystan clashes with his fathers rules about not letting any woman join them. Which is pretty hypocrictal of his father considering the first Riders where women and if he had let them join they probably wouldn't be struggling to acquire more eggs. We also follow Sevro, who is being blackmailed by an cunning old woman named Trix into helping the animage resistance. He goes from being a coward only interested in his own survival to risking his life for something greater then himself. I thought the hate to love tension between him and the animage Kade was fantastic. The chemistry was amazing in both romantic pairing.

I enjoy the types of plots that fight against oppression. Add to that a world with riders and people whose magic is to communicate with animals and I have a recipe for a great book. My love for rider books began with dragons, but a phoenix is just as awesome. Not to mention theres a bunch of diverse representation. This book made me feel an intense whirlwind of emotions. I read some parts faster than Ive ever read anything in my life all the while gripping my heart for fear of it breaking out of my chest. Id definitely put a warning for animal death. Theres lots of extremely emotional scenes that had my heart breaking into a million tiny pieces, but I know a books amazing if it manages to make me feel so many strong emotions when Im usually indifferent or midly alert when big events happen. I had a feeling some of the twists were coming, but I still got super excited at their reveal.

The writing was pretty straight forward and easy to get into. I found the pace of the plot moved a little slower in some places, but there was enough conflict and tension to keep me engaged. I didnt need to be told three times in the span of a page or two that Phoenix Riders are immune to fire. I like the sentences at the end of each chapter that told the story of the two sister you started the war. I found the similarities between the waring queens and Veronikas relationship with her sister was interesting. There was also some world building details thrown in at the end of each chapter that could have been incorporated better. The rest of the world building was on point. Everything made sense and I didn't feel like I was missing any crucial information. Despite my few minor issues, I absolutely loved this book and cant wait to get my hands on the sequel.

I was given an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley for an honest unbiased review.

This book is very reminiscent of Roshani Chokshi’s writting; the mythology and poetry is beautiful. If you’re a fan of young adult fantasy this is one you won’t want to miss.

The story of two orphan sisters, Veronyka and Val.
When Veronyka is betrayed by her sister, shy disguises herself as a boy and joins up to become a Phoenix Rider. Whoa, wait. Did I just say Phoenix Rider? Yup, I sure did. Is there anything more wonderful than being a Phoenix Rider? I think not.
Anyways, Crown Of Feathers is a wonderful ride of a book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. 4 stars

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book was really fun, took the reader for a tide and overall was very enjoyable!

I would like to thank Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for giving me this eARC for review!

Phoenixes are the new dragons of Fantasy! About 20% through I preordered this book because I needed a beautiful hardcover of it on my shelf. It’s just that good. Crown of Feathers has inspired me to look for more books featuring phoenixes. I've always loved them and this book made them even better.

Crown of Feathers is the first book in a series, and I cannot wait for the second book. It’s a heartwarming tale of a girl who dreams of a better life among the legendary Phoenix Riders. It’s told in three POVs, Veronyka, Sev, and Tristan’s. This was well done, but also frustrating (in a good way!). It was the ultimate cliff-hanger in that one chapter ended with a shocker, and the next chapter was a POV change. I loved it, but it did sometimes make it hard to properly focus on that chapter. Once I calmed down a bit, I was able to give it my proper attention and continue on. I think it was a great writing device and I don’t think it hurt the book.

The characters in this book are so good. I loved each and every one of them, even the Val, who is Veronyka’s sister and isn't very likeable. I also really liked the names of everything in this book, a lot of it was based around fire (using the prefix of Pry) which I thought was very well suited to phoenixes. The only thing I didn't really like was Elliot, I wish there was more characterisation around him. I feel like that would have added a nice layer later on in the story.

Another strong point in this is the relationships. Veronyka and Val’s relationship is very well developed. Lately I’ve been reading about a lot of sister relationships, and I'm loving it! Val is very cunning and cold, Veronyka is the opposite. Veronyka is caring and supportive, she uses her gifts in a more positive way too. Sev and Kade/Thya is also really good. I love Thya’s character, she’s cunning and witty. I love when the “mentor” role is done well. If you’re familiar with Tarot, I’d consider her very much the Hierophant. I am interested in the Sev/Kade dynamics and suspect that’ll be a book two thing (hopefully). Veronkya and Tristan have a wonderful dynamic relationship going on throughout this book. This is very well done, and I like how they grow together. All aspects of characterisation in this book is good. Each character grows and learns on their journey and it’s a wonderful thing watching them grow.

As with any fantasy, there is some info dumping, but I enjoyed it. I liked how each chapter started with a little quote. The world lore and history seemed easy to follow and it was interesting to learn about it as you went along. It’s a world I could easily get lost in and I do want to know more about it. I'm excited for the second book!

This book is wonderful and I cannot wait for the second book. I am so thankful I requested this book. I almost didn't because I only had a few weeks to read it. This book is for anyone who wants a fantasy book with a dash of friendship, magic, and realistic romance in it. It’s well written and the ending is good by itself, but also opens the door to an intense book two. I am so ready.

Welcome to this book review,
Disclaimer: I receive an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review !

This book was unexpected, I heard about the premise of the story (riding Phoenix into war disguised as a boy) and I was hooked. I loved Veronyka she was so badass and the side characters where amazing, Tristan was funny and it was so enjoyable to read from his point of view he really brought another view to what was going on in the story.
The writing style was exquisite, it made the story flow and really immersed you into another world.
The story in itself could’ve been told in a more active way at times, while I loved the richness of it, I would’ve sometimes enjoyed to have a side character or an event explain the history of this wonderful world. The action in this novel was not only intense and captivating but also funny at times due to witty comments made by the characters or the thought process they had.
All in all, i recommend this book 100% it’s great and a must read of 2019 new releases ! (Or ever really)
Thank you for reading,
Bookarina !

**I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.**

There has been a lot of hype around this book and it was one of my most anticipated reads of the year so as I'm sure you can imagine that when I got approved to read this book I was pretty excited. There were a lot of great things about this book but with most books there were a few things that I didn't like which is why I only gave this a book a 4/5 star rating.

I really loved all the characters, even the villains, they all felt really well developed and not like a run of the mill character that you don't care about or remember. The story is told through three perspectives: Veronyka, Sev, and Tristan. I find that when stories are told through multiple perspectives I end up skimming the POV's that I don't like so I can get back to the ones that I do like, but with Crown of Feathers I enjoyed all the POV's which seldom happens.

The way the story portrayed all the relationships was also really amazing whether it was friendship, romance, or sibling relationships I thought it done really well. For instance the relationship between Veronyka and her sister Val I really loved. In the beginning of the book they start off with only having one another but partway through the book something tears them apart. Veronyka runs off and grows as a character and soon realizes that her sister wasn't the person she always thought she was and even though her sister, Val, does something that is unforgivable, Veronyka still loves her.

Another reason I really loved this book was because it was unique and not quite like anything I've read before. The world is really unique and I wanted to learn more about it. There was also quite a few twists and turns in the book and I never really knew what would happen next.

The one thing I didn't like was all the info dumping. For the most part the info dumping happed in the beginning and it got better the farther along the book went but it still seemed a bit excessive. I also got a bit confused at times because of all the info dumping and at times it felt a bit repetitive. Had there been not so much info dumping I would have given this a 5 star rating.

Overall I highly recommend reading this book as it's a new and original story that has representation for people of colour and it has hints of a gay relationship. Just be prepared for all the info dumping that happens.

You had me at warrior women riding phoenix's.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The world building was excellent and I loved the descriptions of the Phoenix's and the bond they had with their riders.

As well as the tenuous relationship between the sisters Veronika grew as a character throughout the book which is what you want to see. She grew more self assured especially since she had to disguise herself in order to ride a phoenix. only men were allowed which seems backwards since the original riders were women. She also grew as a character on how she deals with her sometimes volatile sister.

When I first went in I had no idea there were going to be multiple POV's which can be off putting at times especially when we get quite a bit of backstory and info dumping put in..
Along with Veronika POV we also get Sevro who is an animage hiding amongst the soldiers. And Trystan who is a Phoenix rider apprentice who resides in the mountains with the other riders. I still found Veronikas POVs to be far more entertaining and engaging and was looking forward to hers the most.

There is a little romance but not the focus of the story more like a side to the meal. I do believe it will get more involved into the plot in book two so if romance is your thing I would still read the book and hold out for book two.

Overall I found this to be an exciting and compelling read and look forward to what book two has to offer.

This was a book that I wanted to love. I thought, girl dressing as a boy, that’s exactly the kind of thing I love. And phoenixes (phoenices?)? YES. And then I read the book. And I was so disappointed.

The biggest issue, is that none of the set up and world-building was actually woven into the story. It was just dumped in various places. It was a book in desperate need of some trimming. I still think it could have been great, but it just wasn’t there yet. There’s actually a pretty interesting back-story involved here, and the clear parallels between the two sets of sisters is very interesting (though, I’ll admit I had an idea of the twist partway through the story, I didn’t guess it all the way, but I got most of it). Anyway, given this, if you like lots of backstory and don’t mind info-dumps, this book is probably a good fit for you.

The one thing that I thought I would undoubtedly love about the book (a girl disguising herself as a boy) ended up being the thing that annoyed me the most. Mostly, it just didn’t really make sense. If, historically, all the greatest phoenix warriors were women… THEN WHY THE FUCK ARE GIRLS NOT ALLOWED TO JOIN THE SCHOOL? It makes no sense. They’re trying to re-established old traditions and literally spitting on them in the process. Honestly, this one thing grated on me throughout the book. I don’t know if I just missed something, or am over-thinking it (under-thinking it?), but it pretty much ruined the book for me.

All in all, a great idea that was largely ruined for me by the execution. I’m hoping the second one will be better, since (I hope) most of the exposition must be out of the way by now.

Anyway, moving on. I’d still recommend this one to anyone who loves YA fantasy. The description compares it to an Ember in the Ashes and Three Dark crowns, and I have to say I agree. Especially if you liked an Ember in the Ashes, give this one a go. I see quite a few reviews that are pretty positive, so I also wouldn’t suggest giving up on this book just cause a grump like me didn’t like it.

While I did enjoy this book for its elements of diversity, representation and fantasy elements I felt like the info dumping. Such as giving too much information to build the world, instead of introducing it slowly, was a bit much and took away from the plot and the build up of the action.

There was once a grand empire built by the Phoenix Riders - people who soared the skies on phoenixes - until a war ripped everything apart. Sixteen years later, Veronyka is a war orphan who dreams of being a Phoenix Rider. She eventually decides to run away and try joining their ranks, even if it means dressing as a boy.

Honestly, I don't really know where to start with this book. I thought it was a really interesting idea - phoenixes are such a unique concept that I barely see represented elsewhere. So that idea itself was a major draw, and I do like reading about sibling dynamics.

We're not brought into the story at the height of action or in the middle of a dilemma; it's more slow going, revealing the relationship between Veronyka and her sister, Val, and how they live in the fallout of the war. And that's fine - some stories need a slow build. The problem was that 90% of what I was reading was background knowledge and history that was just thrown at me - just a lot of info-dumping. After a few paragraphs, my eyes just started glazing over at all the proper nouns. After a few chapters of mostly info-dumping, I was skimming a lot.

I made it 30%, but I don't think I'll be continuing.

There was a lot of great diversity and representation-- it didn't feel 'forced' or anything. The premise and worldbuilding were fascinating! The writing is absolutely beautiful. The characters were complex and the different POV's were easy to follow. I loved that it shared some elements with Mulan and Red Queen! The fight against oppression in this book made for a great plot!

Some parts were a little confusing.

Crown of Feathers is a young adult novel that mixes magic, animals, an empire created from war and a girl who will do anything to be part of the world from before.
The main character reminds me a little of Mulan in the way that she was willing to leave everything she knows and dress like a boy in order to become one of the warriors she admires. The story itself is a little slow to get into since there are three points of view. It also has to set up a world to that takes place that changed 16 years ago and a world that is taking place now. However, as each point of view starts moving along, the novel becomes harder to put down. I found it a little annoying that they had three points of view to follow but as they come together it having all three begin to make sense and I enjoyed having all three points.
Crown of feathers is the kind of novel that makes you second guess what you know and keeps secrets all the way until the end. I personally love a novel that keeps a surprise until the very end and it boosted my rating of this novel. Every little part of this book is perfectly thought out and even though it doesn’t have an intense cliff hanger ending I’m still super excited to see what the next one will have in store.

I love stories about sisters, and I think phoenixes are awesome, so I was definitely very much into checking out Crown of Feathers. I love the world Nicki Pau Preto has created, where magic means the ability to communicate with animals, and history is filled with powerful women, including warrior queens and mighty phoenix riders.

I especially love that the present-day phoenix army (who are ostensibly the good guys out to battle a magic-hating and corrupt government) are actually outright sexist and don't allow women into their ranks. There is also a rejigging of the world's history, such that many of the characters talk about gods rather than goddesses creating the world, and men rather than women performing heroic feats. It's a not-too-subtle but all-too-relevant critique of how religious institutions have historically suppressed the role of women, and a pointed reminder that even the good guys can have problematic beliefs.

The story is told in three perspectives: Veronyka, who can communicate with animals and wants to become a phoenix rider; Tristan, the son of the phoenix army's leader who wants to prove himself worthy of stepping into his father's shoes yet is afraid of fire; and Sev, a soldier who must hide his magical abilities and is recruited to join the rebellion. I was hooked by Veronyka's story from the start, possibly because I loved the tension between her and her sister Val, who is super protective but also super controlling. But the story overall takes a while to get going, and it took until about halfway through the book for me to care about Tristan and Sev's stories.

That being said, once the story picks up, it really takes off. There are awesome phoenix training scenes and an absolutely epic battle that made it almost impossible for me to put down the book. I was also really intrigued by the history of the two sister queens who ended up dividing the country, and splitting people along ideological lines with respect to their regard for phoenixes. I love how the relationship between Veronyka and Val is hinted to mirror the dynamic between the historical sister queens, and how this in turn hints at a much larger scale destiny for the present-day sisters. 

The jumps between chapters was a bit confusing. The story goes from present-day events to historical documents to the first person reflections from one of the historical sister queens, and I sometimes lost track of what it was I was reading. That being said, I was reading the egalley, so possibly it'll be fixed by the final copy.

Also, content warning about animal death fairly early on. That scene broke my heart, and while I see its purpose in the overall story (fortunately at least, it wasn't a senseless death), it was still really hard to read.

Crown of Feathers is the first in a duology, and after that ending, I'm very excited to see where the author takes the story next!

+

3.5 stars bumped up coz the latter part was unputdownable.

+

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada for an egalley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Review to go live on my blog on Feb 8.]

Wow. This has to be the best debut novel I've read in recent memory! Phoenixes, war, sibling relationship, rebels, a little sprinkling of romance...what more could you want?

What I really loved was how intricately developed the world was and how rich the history was. The author creates a believable universe that is so compelling I had trouble setting the book down.

Her characters are well rounded, too; I really cared about what happened to the three main POVs. Can't wait to read the next one and see what happens next!

3 stars - This was a pretty solid debut fantasy book, but at the same time, did not <b>wow</b> me.
Things I enjoyed: I really liked how it reminded me of Mulan, I will always be asucker for that specific trope. The friendships were wonderful to read about and I really enjoyed how they developed over the novel. Phoenixes were such an interesting choice for the mythos; I think they added a unique spin on the novel. The characters were also incredibly diverse and I love how important women are within the novel - and showcased both good and bad sides. The additional anecdotes on the world's history were fascinating and I loved the letters between historical figures.

There were also a multitude of things that brought the novel down for me. I think the info-dumping was sluggish at the beginning; there was SO MUCH telling and no showing - often repeating already stated facts over and over again (this happened a lot with the phoenixes' roles among the humans). The writing style was all over the place, sometimes it was lyrical and impactful while other times it was simple and brupt. Additionally, a lot of moments in the novel felt rushed or as though they were happening for sake of convenience (one part occurs at the end where the rest of the troops were outside a door and barged in to back a character up). Those moments felt childish to me and really brought down the experience.

Overall, I had a good time with the novel and I am definitely interested to see where this particular series goes. I think Pau Preto's work will only get better from here! (Also, she's from Toronto so I got to support my Canadian crew).

ARC Copy...promising start of an epic fantasy that felt Eurasian in mood and style. Liken it was mostly female lead in both the main narrative and the history of the phoenix riders and the general world building. The main themes I would describe is legacy, and the bond-ship between either animal and sisters.

I was fortunate enough to meet Nicki Pau Preto at the Cassandra Clare signing last weekend in Vancouver (read kind of accidentally ambushed her on the way out of the bathroom). At the time I was halfway through Crown of Feathers and loving it, and I had to tell her that. She was very kind and gracious, so I'm going to say it was a good thing I was only halfway through the book then. Because I'm pretty sure my reaction when I finished this would have scared the crap out of her. THIS WAS AMAZING!!

Overall this was a solid debut and a fantastic fantasy to sink your teeth into. The story is divided into three points of view. Veronyka—an animage slash shadowmage who wants nothing more than to be a phoenix rider but struggles after being under her sister's thumb for so long. Tristan—a phoenix rider who is trying to be worthy of his position and prove to his father that he can be a good leader. And Sev—an animage in hiding as an empire soldier who battles with figuring out who he is and where he fits in. Primarily the story is told through Veronyka's eyes, with Tristan building upon it and Sev bringing up the rear with his own plot line. This novel is heavy with themes of community and having a place to belong that build and spur this story on.

The world built by Pau Preto is lush and big. A small warning to you that the beginning of this book is quite a bit of info-dumping that could be toned down. One line of dialogue followed by a page of background information was a bit much at times. Looking back though, it proves how expansive this fantasy is. The history, the queens of old, and phoenix riders of lore, the women who carried it all on their shoulders; all of it is absolutely fascinating. There is a thick vein of feminism and sisterhood throughout it all that makes it even more entrancing. I love the concept of phoenix riders in this story and how it was executed. Phoenixes aren't used much, in my opinion, and they were utilized to perfection in this. The magic system seems to be well-thought out and has a lot more to explore in the next book.

I thought this was incredible story-telling. Yes, as I said, it was a wee bit info-dumpy in the beginning, but it balanced itself out and I found myself glad for the information given. However, it is clear that this is a well-thought out tale with a hell of a lot of room to grow. The synopsis mentions a betrayal that splits the sisters apart, and good grief was it crushing. I made the mistake of reading that particular chapter before bed and was left rather distraught on behalf of Veronyka. It had to happen, but wow. You gotta read it to know. This story blew me away in the last half. Plot twists came fast and furious that left me reeling and looking at the certain characters, past actions—the story as a whole, damn it—completely different. A large chunk of the end of the book is devoted to a battle scene, and considering how long it was you'd think it'd be dragged out and boring. WRONG! Everything that happened served a purpose, either for the plot, character development or future twists. It was easy to follow and well written, which deserves a star all on its own.

The "girl pretending to be a boy" trope is one of my absolute favourites, and in looking at my shelf I am shocked to find I don't actively seek out more of these stories. In asking myself why I enjoy it so much, perhaps it's because it makes me feel so proudly feminist to see a girl playing alongside the boys who said she couldn't do it, right under their noses. And more often than not she does it better than the boys, and it makes my heart sing. Or maybe I love it so much because I get to laugh each and every time at how stupid boys are sometimes. Apparently all it takes for someone to pass as a boy for them is a shaved head and no boobs. No one questions the lack of a deep or cracking voice, the no need to shave, etc. Cracks me up every time.

N]icki Pau Preto's "Crown of Feathers" is set in a realm once ruled by warrior queens and their legendary Phoenix Riders. After a dynastic struggle between twins Avalkyra and Pheronia, that fell apart. As the story opens, Phoenix Riders and animages are hunted down.

Readers are introduced to two young fugitives, twin sisters Veronyka and Val, constantly struggling for survival. Val very much rules the roost though, and tries to control her sister's every action - and even thought. They both share the same dream, to become Phoenix Riders.

Val finds eggs and Veronyka, who has a magical affinity with animals, manages to bond with a small phoenix once it hatches. Then Val acts in a way that makes her sister leave her and seek her own destiny. She manages to find a secret enclave of Phoenix Riders, but must disguise herself as a boy, since they don't accept women.

The story develops in both expected - and quite surprising ways. Veronyka grows in her abilities, falls for Tristan, a fellow Rider, and saves the day when the enclave is attacked. But there's more to the back story of these twin sisters than one of them understands. Readers will be left anxious for the next in the series.

Mini review:

Trigger warning: Mention of death and war. Up till the point I read.

DNF

I received this E-ARC via Simon and Schuster Canada and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Crown of Feathers has been getting a lot of buzz and excitement. When I saw it on Netgalley I requested an arc to see what the buzz was about. Unfortunately I didn't enjoy it.

The first few chapters were fairly interesting. There was quite a bit off info dumping but I found it to be useful to understand the world. However it came to a point where I started to get annoyed. There was so much info dumping that it stunted the plot. And it started to get annoying. I also wasn't attached to any of the characters.

I'm not sure if I'd recommend it. It really depends on you're tolerance with info dumping.