An empire was built by the Phoenix Riders – legendary warriors who soared through the sky on the backs of fiery phoenixes, until a war for the throne between two sisters tore the empire apart. Sixteen years later, Veronyka and Val dream of becoming phoenix riders. However, an act of betrayal from Val means Veronyka sets out on her own and when she finally finds somewhere she thinks she belongs, until her sister comes along and changes everything.

‘What did the great heroes do when the sun fell from the sky?
They leapt onto those wild flames and learned how to fly.’

Crown of Feathers is a lush and vivid fantasy with intricate storytelling and a richly woven world with a superbly thought-out history. Crown of Feathers is perfect for fans of epic fantasies full of intrigue, history, nuance, and magical and mythical creatures. It is a slow paced book, but I enjoyed every page of it. It is a book about sisterhood, fighting injustice, warrior women, and about how love can either protect or destroy.

I really love a well developed sibling relationship and Crown of Feathers really delivers in this aspect. The relationship between Val and Veronyka was a really intense and interesting one. It was built on protection and dependence but it morphed into something much darker – control and cruelty. I loved how the book explored the contrast between the sisters, and I loved how their relationship played out, and I especially loved the twist at the end.

“It’s just your sister’s nature,” her grandmother used to say whenever Val would be cruel or controlling. “She’s like fire – she devours.” … “What am I like, Maiora?” Veronyka would ask.“You’re like fire too – you light the way.”

What I also loved was the secondary story that was also woven through the original one. The story of the two previous warring sisters, Pheronia and Avalkyra who tore the empire apart. I also really adored the little snippets of the world’s history that were scattered throughout the book.

Crown of Feathers has an incredibly strong plot and world-building, but it also has some really great characters and character development. It has three different POVs. Veronyka, an animage who has to disguise herself as a boy in order to be eligible to be a phoenix rider. Tristian, an animage and phoenix rider who is also the commanders son. And Sev, a secret animage but he’s also a soldier for the empire that are intending to wipe out the phoenix riders. My favourite character was Veronyka as I absolutely adored her compassion and how determined she was.

Also, the fact that this book also has a bunch of brilliant fiery PHOENIXES should make you want to pick this up immediately .

Overall, Crown of Feathers is an incredibly strong and immersive debut from Nicki Pau Preto and I will definitely be keeping an eye on the next book in the series, and her future books.

A girl disguising as a boy to fulfil her destiny is possibly my all time favourite trope, picture plastic sword wielding, 'I'll make a man out of you' singing, eight year old Hâf obsessively watching Mulan and you get an idea of how much I adore this trope!

Add multiple POVs and I am hooked! From the fairly vague synopsis of this book I had no idea there were multiple POVs, and what wonderful POVs they were. We have Veronyka, our female in disguise attempting to become a Phoenix rider, Tristan, an apprentice Phoenix rider who's suffocating under the pressure from the Commander a.k.a. his father and Sev, another war orphan who's life has led to him becoming a soldier for the empire that murdered his parents.

Each character is bursting with personality, I particularly like Veronyka who has both an excitable and innocent demeanour. The story focuses on Veronyka at the beginning while we learn about the history of this rich and detailed world. The intro felt slower than the rest of the novel as there was a fair bit of information to read through and absorb however it was incredibly interesting.

I think the author has created a magnificent world with such a unique twist by featuring phoenixes as the most powerful creature. I do admit my love of phoenixes began with the wonderfully loyal Fawkes and I've been desperate for more stories featuring them ever since.

If you enjoy fantasy I whole heartedly recommend this novel, it is most definitely a series to watch out for! I can't wait to see what else the author has in store for us.

I received an exclusive hardback copy of this book in the February Owlcrate box but I didn’t read it until the end of last month when Ink Road sent me the UK paperback. I’m so glad I have a special edition now though as I really enjoyed the story and I’m looking forward to re-reading it before the release of the sequel next year. Crown of Feathers is a fantasy that excels at world-building, crafting layer upon layer of history to create a world that feels utterly real. The magic system of animages and shadowmages was easy to follow and being a Phoenix Rider sounds enviably amazing.

The complex sibling relationship between Veronyka and Val forms the backbone of the story. With no other family left, their relationship has become increasingly toxic. Val is emotionally abusive, dominating and manipulative. She’s also frighteningly ruthless and cruel at times. When Veronyka leaves Val after an unforgivable betrayal, she meets Tristan, son of the commander of the Phoenix Riders. I loved how the relationship between Veronyka and Tristan was incredibly slow-burning – probably due to the fact she’s disguised as a boy most of the time which made it even better. Sev was another interesting character, shaped by necessity into someone who does whatever it takes to survive. His character development was deftly handled and his growing attraction to Kade was fantastic.

In the beginning, I did find the plot a little slow but I think it was necessary for fleshing out the characters and world. As the story progresses, all the plot threads began weaving together leading to events and characters colliding. It was obvious how meticulously planned the story was as every little thing was part of a larger picture. The action intensified towards the end culminating in a tense and well-written battle scene, family truths revealed, and the groundwork laid for book two. Crown of Feathers is an incredible debut with intricate world-building, strong female leads, and a beautiful writing style.

I received this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the magic and the animage/ Phoenix bond in this book, it was really lovely. And with the other animals too - especially Wind and Chirp, who are the cutest.

The book starts slow, and the relationship between Veronyka and Val is sometimes very hard to read. Val is controlling and tough. And as the book goes on, it’s still hard to get a real insight as to her motivations. Even at the end which is the only time we learn more about her, I was left with more questions than answers. However the end overall definitely left me dying for the next book!

Veronyka is naturally a much softer character than Val, and I love how she sees the world and interacts with the people and animals around her. Her relationship with Tristan was just lovely, too. It edges towards romance, but feels a natural build and doesn’t overdo it, especially given her deception. I have to say I always love a pretending to be a boy trope, and it works well here, but I also particularly like how well she still defines herself as a girl.

Sev was also a good character, but his chapters felt a little stilted at first. I did love his story in the end though - and him and Kade are super cuuuuute.

I loved reading this book and would certainly recommend it to my students (middle school years). This is a delightful story of a girl taking dramatic steps to realise her dream. In a world where phoenixes once thrived but are now outlawed along with the use of magic, the outcast "tribe" secretly raise and train phoenixes to defend their realm. Only boys can become a phoenix rider but this is not going to stop Veronika. The story takes you through her battle to reach the hidden stronghold of the phoenix riders after her own phoenix was murdered by her hard-hearted sister. They go their separate ways and Veronika (Nik) reaches the village of the phoenix riders and her journey begins as a boy. Here she finds friendship, acceptance and family. Using her magic, she is able to communicate with animals to placate and train them. Her sister arrives and looks like her secret will be revealed, especially when her reborn phoenix is returned to her. When the battle arrives on their doorstep, Nik's chance to shine finally arrives and she becomes a key part in the battle. The story unravels to a happy cliffhanger; I can't wait to read the next book,

Crown of Feathers was *ON FIRE*

*Received from Netgalley in exchange for review- but I got fired up all on my own *

Look how pretty that cover is; look at that magnificent creature! I’ll confess, I’m a little giddy looking at it, cos it’s smokin’ hot! Okay, I’ll stop with the awful puns… for now Thing is, it’s no secret I love mythical creatures. So, when a YA book about phoenix riders was announced, I just knew I had to grab hold and take it for a spin!

And this most definitely delivered on every level. Preto has written a complex, intricate narrative- replete with self-referential myths and tying itself to fantastical legends. Hatched from the very idea of a phoenix, this story embraces both its fiery persona and its promise of resurrection. Going through the blaze of war, we are given a narrative as complicated as real-world history and as tough to pin down. Some of the revelations are guessable, a lot of them are not. These reveals are rained down on you with such intensity, that even if the book was a little on the long side, you will find the stakes take you higher and higher.

And with this we also have some brilliant characters. Both sisters, Veronyka and Val, shine through the narrative, even as one seems to represent the shadows and the other the flame. This dichotomy makes for a pronounced reflection on good vs evil- whilst not entirely falling into a simplistic view. What I especially liked was how believable Veronyka seemed, even if she was largely depicted as good, since she is not without flaws. Rather, she struggles to control her emotions and this causes actual problems. Plus, it’s frequently criticised by Val, making her seem both sympathetic and not too goody-goody. In short, she was very likeable, while Val often felt perfectly hateable (but in the ahh-I-totally-get-where-she’s-coming-from antagonist-ish kind of way!) They were my two favourite characters, though I certainly wouldn’t knock Sev and Tristan. For me, they not only mirrored each other, but the very image of the proud and mystical phoenix.

For this magical bird is embedded in the story. From the world to the writing, there are phoenixes at every turn. The imagery adds to the story and the story adds to the world. With every epigraph, the world is built up and the fantasy is developed. That’s what stands out: the author clearly wanted to convey her love for this underappreciated and underexplored mythical creature- and that’s exactly what she did here! Phoenixes are fully realised in Crown of Feathers in a way I haven’t seen in any other book. This is a radiant start to a series and I’m so happy I read it. Far from going down in a blaze of glory, I predict a lot of exciting things to come.

Rating: 4/5 bananas

Crown of Feathers is the book you never knew you were longing for until you discover it and come to the realisation that you had been craving a tale about fierce Phoenix Riders for some time. The first instalment of a new epic high fantasy adventure series is reminiscent of Game of Thrones; yes, it's that good. It also shares a slow start with GoT in order to set the scene and explain exactly how the world works, but after that, it's all systems go. I loved the incredible detail Pau Preto puts into the building of this complex, intriguing world and the depth and breadth of the plot, in general, which immerses you completely. The fierce female lead is a joy to behold as is the rest of the diverse cast who each play their own part in making this book the page-turner it turned out to be.

There is a tense, foreboding atmosphere throughout with many gobsmackingly unpredictable reveals and surprises. I appreciated the three separate points of view as they allow you to gain a more rounded perspective of what is happening, and I thought Veronyka masquerading as a boy to get ahead and achieve her dreams was pure genius, although it does lead to some, shall we say, interesting predicaments! There are themes of war, betrayal, magic, love, hurt and hope. However, the part of this thrilling fantasy that sets it apart from others in the genre is the presence of Phoenixes. These are sentient creatures, each unique, and with the ability to form strong bonds with humans.

One of the most spellbinding, captivating series openers I've read in a long time. I cannot wait for the follow-up. Many thanks to Ink Road for an ARC.

My thanks to Black & White Publishing/Ink Road for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Crown of Feathers’ by Nicki Pau Preto in exchange for an honest review. I have now purchased my own copy.

I adore phoenixes as magical creatures so was very excited about this novel. It did not disappoint and I was totally swept up in this story of sisters and phoenixes.

Sixteen years after a devastating war between two sisters has torn apart the Golden Empire, Veronyka, a war orphan, dreams of becoming a Phoenix Rider. After her controlling sister Val betrays her, Veronyka strikes out on her own. Hearing of a hidden group of Riders, she disguises herself as a boy in order to join them.

Meanwhile, the leaders of a new empire have also heard of these Riders and has sent out an expedition to find and destroy them. Among their ranks is Sev, himself an animage but hiding his talents and serving as a soldier.

This is a very brief description of this epic fantasy featuring animages, phoenixes and legendary queens. It is the opening of a series that while marketed as YA, I am sure will appeal to lovers of fantasy of all ages.

There are three narratives running throughout: Veronyka, Sev, and Tristan, an apprentice Phoenix Rider. The text also contains fragments of poetry and historical documents. A useful timeline and glossary are included at the end.

While it is hard to judge how this will develop over the planned series, after loving this so much I am very confident in the author’s vision. Her world building is excellent. I will admit that I did find it a little complicated at first but soon found that I got into the characters, setting and story and found it almost impossible to put down.

I can hardly wait until the publication of the next in the series. Highly recommended.

After a heartbreaking betrayal at the hands of her sister, Veronyka is prepared to do anything to make her dream of becoming a phoenix rider come true. Even if it means pretending to be a boy so that she can join the phoenix rider training camp. But just as she starts to feel like she belongs in this world, her sister threatens to reveal her secret and ruin everything.

What a great read! With an elaborate and engaging plot line, Crown of Feathers is a fantasy story that’s full of history and magic.

The world building is rich and immersive however this book does start rather slowly, with huge amounts of historical information, and that made it a little overwhelming and hard to follow. But I’m glad I stuck with it as it did get better.

As this is more of a plot driven book as opposed to character driven, the characters weren’t necessarily as developed as I would have liked (I would definitely like to know more about Tristan and Sparrow) but I did like Veronyka’s character arc. She started out quite naive and passive but by the end of the story she was strong, independent and decisive. We see how much Veronyka’s life is shaped by her relationship with her sister, Val. Val always takes charge and tells her what to do but also controls how much Veronyka knows and understands about their past and their magic. But Veronyka overcomes that by herself, once she is away from Val she is able to get a better understanding of who she is and what she wants. Personally I didn’t like Val at all. She was a jealous, manipulative bitch and showed very little remorse for the pain she caused. Towards the end of story we start to see why she is the way she is but that still doesn’t excuse her actions.

For me what made this story so enjoyable was the fantasy elements; the magic and the phoenixes. The magic was well written. It wasn’t over complicated and it wasn’t exclusive to our lead character like it is in so many other books. The ability to communicate with animals, although not unique to this story, was interesting and relevant to the story as a whole.
I loved the look into the phoenix training camp and how the phoenixes bond with their rider. I particular I loved Rex 😍
Some of the scenes reminded me of Abraxos from Throne of Glass and the dragons from The Last Namsara, both of which I loved. I’ll definitely be looking out for more fantasy novels featuring phoenixes after this!

Overall I really enjoyed this book and I’m hoping there will be a book two. For me the only thing stopping this from being a 5 star read was all the historical information that appeared at the end of the chapters. Although it was useful to gain some insight into the past and the events that led up to the current situation, for me it was unnecessary and slowed the story down. I think a large amount of it could have been removed without any detriment to the story and would have made this a 300/400 page read instead of nearly 500 pages.

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Crown of Feathers is available now.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers (@bwpublishing and @inkroadbooks) for providing a copy. All opinions are my own and provided willingly.

Crown of Feathers is a fantasy novel that follows the jounrey of Veronyka, Sev, and Tristan. It explores the relationship between sisters, past and present, discovers new friendships, and tells the tales of a world torn apart by war. Not to mention the obvious...its a world full of magic and more importantly Pheonix's and Pheonix Riders!

One of the things I enjoyed about this book was the multiple POV. I always like multiple POV's and this book did well with keeping me interested in each storyline/ character.

I enjoyed the relationships between the characters particularly between Val and Veronyka. Their sister relationship was one I loved to read, and found fascinating.

I loved the Pheonix's and the way they were portrayed, and definitely feel that I need a Phoenix in my life now!

The thing that I had issue with was pacing. For me the pacing was a little on the slow side and I struggled with the lack of action driving the plot.

I really enjoyed the snippets into the past, and thought that was carried out very well.

Overall I enjoyed this book, but for me the pacing let it down slightly which is why my rating is 3.5*.

I'm sure many people will adore this unique story!

This is a book that you will wish you could erase from your memory. Forget it all. Just so you can read it and be stunned by its magnificence all over again. Pau Preto has truly blown me away.

Crown of Feathers is not just a book or a story. It’s a world. A world with a history, languages, culture, creatures, and war. We see this world from the perspective of the protagonist, Veronyka, as well as Sev and Tristan, two people whom Veronyka meets along the way.

And then there are the phoenixes. Magical, glistening birds with the power to be reborn, and form everlasting bonds with their riders.

The opening of this book was utterly hypnotising. There are no gentle introductions here. Val’s betrayal of Veronyka literally took my breath away. Call me naive but I absolutely did not see it coming, and from that point, there was no going back. I needed to finish that book – I can sleep another time!

Pau Preto cleverly weaves in a second story, which is the recorded history of the time before the Empire in which the book is set. There are excerpts and proverbs at the start and end of the chapters which gently build up our knowledge of the Empire and the old wars, without invading the flow of the main narrative.

I have to confess I was a little nervous of this book, to begin with, I’m not the best at following particularly complex narratives, but Pau Preto has perfected the balance between giving enough information for the world-building whilst also keeping the momentum up. The character development is exceptional; your emotions towards them ebb and flow. You feel their pain, rejoice in their successes, and feel the world beneath you fall away as you take to the skies on the back of a blazing phoenix.

Spellbinding, enthralling, mesmerising, captivating – I’ll let you choose your favourite adjective once you’ve read this wonderful book. I absolutely cannot wait for the next instalment – I’m ready for more.

I saw this book floating around on insta a few months ago and was suitably intrigued by the beautiful cover and the title, so when it went up on NetGalley I was in there like swimwear. I personally had never seen a title which focuses on phoenixes, although I’m sure they must exis, but the novelty really grabbed by attention.

The first thing I think is interesting about this book is that, despite how in-depth the history and building of this world is (and it is pretty thorough, going back to the founding of the nation), Preto keeps the plot well-controlled and has managed to build precise rules and constraints which keep the storyline and concepts manageable. Whilst this is a fantasy book, there is essentially one type of magic in this world, with small variations and developments. Animages have the ability to communicate with and control animals. Some are able to bond with phoenixes and develop a unique relationship that allows them to communicate on a higher level and share emotions, sensations. Some – a rare few – are able to even access the thoughts and control other humans. That is the only magic, and phoenix are the only magical creatures. This allows the broader history and the present story to be built on and fleshed out wonderfully without ever feeling like things are being skipped over, that focus is being mis-distributed.

There is a real talent in being able to restrict your writing, to set boundaries which stop your story from spreading too far and instead allowing you to really dig deep into what’s there. Preto absolutely nails it, with exactly the right level of background and current plot to keep the story moving, whilst allowing plenty of time to really explore the character relationships and motivations. I will just warn that there are some potentially triggering things in the relationships – particularly between Veronyka and Val, where there is a definite controlling and abusive dynamic.

I found Veronyka to be an excellent narrative character – she was appealing, empathetic and resourceful, whilst still being able to learn alongside the reader, so it didn’t feel like they were being talked down to. I felt that her narrative was the strongest, and when Tristan’s voice was introduced it provided an excellent alternative view on Veronyka’s story whilst still keeping her in the frame. Their chemistry was great, their growth together was great, and the fact that it hit the same trope as Flame in the Mist, but still managed to give it a different flavour, was exactly my jam.

The only issue was that it meant that Sev’s narrative, whilst necessary for the plot, felt slower. I was less invested in it, and it felt like things went more slowly. I suspect part of this is because Sev wasn’t driven in the same way Veronyka was, his entire character was built around avoidance. He didn’t invest, he didn’t commit, all he wanted to do was protect himself. His story was important for information that would move the plot forwards, and which would impact on Veronyka and her story, but not until the last quarter of the book. So when Veronyka was barrelling towards her ending, pushing as hard as she can to get what she wants, it always felt like switching to Sev was a sudden stop. Momentum was lost and it took a while to get back into the rhythm.

Particularly at the start of the book as well, it felt like some of the history embedded into the narrative slowed things down. Each chapter ends with excerpts from the history of the civil war which changed regime of the country and turned animages into slaves and criminals. These are a good way to drip-feed information and tie it in with some of the conversations and memories shared, but sometimes in the narrative there are quite long passages explaining the backstory of some of the areas, or the wars which felt a little difficult to wade through.

However, by the time you hit the halfway point of the book, this has settled down and it’s easy to get sucked along by the story. This is an excellent opening book for a new series, I’m invested in the characters and their development, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the world broadens. By the end of the book, Sev is in a place with his narrative that he should bring his own momentum too, whilst Veronyka and Tristan are on the cusp of something very exciting. The way history is constantly re-examined and re-considered during the story as well is something I enjoyed a lot, and the importance of perspective can be so key.

The end of the book feels like the door opening on something new, and the start of a change after a regime where no-one seemed to be winning. I can’t wait for book two.

Briefly:

A strong start to a new series which balances world building and character development wonderfully. The narrative characters are relateable and enjoyable, I want to spend more time with them.
Honestly, the main couple have chemistry and I SHIP IT. That’s another reason I’m looking forward to book two, because they hit a number of tropes I love and it’s so foreshadowed and I can’t get enough. “You’re more than a friend… You’re a… close friend.” THESE NERDS.
Honestly I just. Really enjoyed seeing phoenixes in the narrative? Dragons get a lot of press, but phoenix tend to be reduced to support roles (Hello, Fawkes). Seeing a fantasy mythology built around them really delighted me.
Rating: 4/5 – I’m very excited by this and all the potential it has. Book two can’t come quickly enough.

Crown of Feathers is a wonderful YA Fantasy and a very compelling read. As soon as I started to read this book I really struggled to put it down. The book opens with teenage sisters Veronyka and Val who have a difficult relationship but share the dream of becoming phoenix riders. The story is full of unexpected plot twists, an interesting weaving of timelines and well developed characters.


Characters & Relationships

Veronyka is a dreamer but with a lot of inner strength, which pushes her onwards when others may give up. I thoroughly enjoyed the complex relationship between Nyk and her older sister Val. There is definitely a love-hate element to it! I love the dynamic between them as it has an unpredictability that I can rarely find in YA fantasy.

Val reminds me a lot of Queen Katharine if you have read Kendare Blake’s fantastic Three Dark Crowns series. There is so much more going on in her head than she lets on. I love that I constantly had to question her motivations. She is the sort of character who is always treading the morality line and you don’t know which way she will turn. Val is such a great mix of things showing both strength and weakness, independence but also loneliness and isolation. It is really hard to tell when she is play acting, showing you the facade that she wants you to see or whether she is showing her true feelings. I can’t wait to see how her relationship with her sister develops in the next book!

Sev is an animage who has to hide his magic. He serves in an army that enslaves animages and is forced to watch the brutality of his potential life on a daily basis. Watching Sev’s character and relationships develop was a real joy. The inner battles he has between who he is, who he pretends to be and who he wants to be are very interesting to read.

Tristan is the son of the Phoenix Riders leader. He feels a lot of pressure, although arguably he puts more on himself than his father does. Like Veronyka, he has to fight for what he wants and what he believes in.

Crown of Feathers does have slow burn romance, including a m+m relationship. I don’t want to say between who but everything develops very naturally and I did really enjoy the romance elements in the book as they don’t dominate the narrative.


Structure

Crown of Feathers is written from multiple points of view. We start with Veronyka, then Sev and Tristan are woven in. Each character has their own story to tell and I enjoyed their points of view equally. Their stories weave together beautifully to build a wider picture of the world that they live in.

There is another thread that runs through the book, which is based on the legendary Phoenix rider Avalkyra Ashfire. It adds an additional timeline and historical context to the book but it doesn’t complicate the main narrative. If you have read The Last Namsara, it gave me a very similar vibe. I found Crown of Feathers to be an easier to read and it has a better pace in comparison.


Themes & World Building

I really appreciated how the world has been built meticulously with a lot of history and culture. The theme of magic is at the heart of the novel and it is woven throughout the world. I love how the novel explores magical bonds between animals and humans. Bonds are certainly a theme of their own. We explore relationships between sisters and wider family, be it by blood or otherwise.


Final Thoughts

Crown of Feathers is a well paced novel full of interesting, well developed main characters and side characters who are written with loving detail. I love the complex relationships and how they develop. The author cleverly uses multiple points of view to narrate character’s individual stories with pace and detail but also weaves them into the wider world so the reader can see a bigger picture emerge. The novel is full of magic, action and enough twists and turns to keep you wanting to read more. I thoroughly enjoyed Crown of Feathers and would highly recommend it to fans of YA fantasy and magical creatures. Specifically, if you enjoyed Kendare Blake’s Three Dark Crowns or Kristen Ciccarelli’s The Last Namsara, you should definitely read Crown of Feathers.

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features a girl disguising herself as a boy, emotional abuse, a form of slavery, animal death, graphic description of someone being killed, a battle, and death.

I've been wanting to read Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto ever since Akemi Dawn Bowman raved about it on Twitter. High fantasy featuring warriors who fought on massive phoenixes? Sign me up! But it even better than I expected! This book is incredible!

The story is told from three perspectives. Veronyka is the primary narrator; she is a war orphan who has spent the last six years moving from place to place with her sister, Val, ever since their grandmother was killed: they are all animages - they have magic that allows them to communicate with animals. But to be an animage today - after the Blood War sixteen years ago that had non-magical people turn against animages after Avalkyra Ashfire, the last Phoenix Rider Queen, turned against the Empire when her succession to the throne was disputed, with her fellow Phoenix riders - means paying extortionate tax to use their magic, or become bondservants - animages who are put into debt bondage/slavery, working to pay off their debt. When Veronyka's grandmother was found out and caught, Val and Veronyka had to run, and have been hiding ever since. Veronyka has always loved the stories of Phoenix Riders, and is desperate to try and find out if there are any left, in hiding. After the Blood War, Phoenixes were executed, and the Phoenix Riders either also executed or put into bondage. But Val is controlling and manipulative, and believes they can only trust each other. It's not until Val betrays Veronyka in the worst possibl way that Veronyka sets out on her own, to try and see if the Phoenix Riders are still alive. She discovers a band of Phoenix Riders in Pyrmont, but for some unknown reason, they won't accept women to train to become Phoenix Riders, and she disguises herself as a boy, and calls herself Nyk.

Sev is an animage, who has forced down his magic in order to hide. He's turned his back on who he is, and has tried to make his way through life by being invisible - surviving, but not living. After accidentally killing someone, he was conscripted into the Empire's army - the very army that would force him into bondage if they discovered he is an animage. While on a mission he meets Trix, an elderly bondservant who used to be a Phoenix Rider, who discovers Sev is an animage and blackmails him into helping her in her plans to try and thwart his contingent's mission. He's tried so hard not to care, but it's through Trix and Kade, another bondservant helping Trix, that his eyes are opened to just how oppressed his people are, and that he's dishonouring his parents, Phoenix Riders who died protecting fellow animages.

Tristan is an apprentice Phoenix Rider. The Phoenix Riders are nothing like they were; their numbers are depleted, there are only a few who survived the Blood War, and a number of them are not yet battle ready. In secret, they're trying to train and build their numbers - but that's difficult to do when Phoenix eggs are scarce. Not only in Tristan an apprentice Phoenix Rider, he's also the son of Commander Cassian, who leads the Phoenix Riders. His father expects so much of him, and he tries so hard to be the best he can be - and he is brilliant - but any mistake is punished. It doesn't help that due to an experience when he was younger, he is afraid of fire. It doesn't matter that the fire of his bondmate, the phoenix Rex, won't harm him, it still terrifies him. Tristan is forced into extra practise after failing at an obstacle course, with the help of Nyk, who saved his bacon. Nyk is a new arrival to Pyrmont currently working in the stables, who is particularly skilled with his magic. The two cannot stand each other at first, but a friendship blossoms between the two as time goes on, and Tristan does what he can to help Nyk train, even if he can't become an apprentice just yet.

I absolutely loved Crown of Feathers! High fantasy is what got me into reading, and while I read YA of many genres, high fantasy is always going to be my first love. But there are only some high fantasy novels that have something that just has me falling in love with reading all over again; leaving me overwhelmed with wonder and completely captivating my imagination. Crown of Feathers is one of these books. It was like being 12-years-old again, and discovering that book that completely took my breath away and made me a life long reader, when I hated reading before. It filled me with such unbridled joy! Crown of Feathers is completely enthralling.

The worldbuilding is absolutely incredible! At the beginning of each chapter, there are a few lines that you come to realise are the thoughts of Avalkyra Ashfire in the lead up to the Blood War. And at the end of most chapters, there will be either excerpts from history books, or letters sent between Avalkyra and her sister Pheronia sent just before the war. There is so much history to this world! We get the legends and the stories of how the Phoenix Riders came to be, of previous warrior Queens, how the Empire was formed, of previous wars. It's just incredible! I revelled in all this history that was scattered here and there, making this world so very believable, and pretty damn epic. But I also loved the idea that history might be skewed, and what you think you know about historical people might not necessarily be true. Who a hero is and who a villain is all depends on perspective, right? This isn't a huge part of the story, but it's implied, and briefly thought about, and I just really loved it! Then there's the magic! Neither the animagic nor shadowmagic - magic that allows the use into other people's minds to hear their thoughts, or to compel or control them - are new. I've read about them before. But what you get with Crown of Feathers is a fantastic twist on these magics, and what they mean for these characters' particular stories. Mate, it was just wonderful and fascinating!

I loved Veronkya, Sev and Tristan, all in their own ways. They make mistakes, and are flawed, but they're just so precious, each of them, in their own ways. They each have their own story, but the ways their stories intersect and effects each other, it's just wonderful! And I have to mention Trix and Sparrow! Trix is such an incredible character! She's funny and spunky and fierce! She's so shrewd! There is so much more to this sweet looking little old lady, and I adored her! And Sparrow was just fantastic! She's a young girl Veronyka meets after she strikes out on her own, and I loved her. An animage, she's all on her own, with just her animal companion, Chirp. She's blind, but Chirp is her eyes. She's homeless and she begs for food, she's dirty and her hair is a mess, and so she's not treated so well by the villagers, but doesn't really seem to think anything of it. She freely offers to help Veronyka, without having to be asked. Sparrow is forthright and a little reckless, and just has this confidence that comes with only having herself to rely on. She broke my heart, and I just wanted to give her the biggest hug! But she's not unhappy, and with Chirp, she isn't lonely either. And I hated it when she and Veronyka had to part ways, and she was back on her own again, but again, it didn't seem to bother her. I wish there had been more of Sparrow; she's in it so briefly, but for me, she stole the show.

And the twists! They were awesome! There was one I figured out in regards to an important side character. I had another two theories, one I discarded for the other, and they both ended up being half right, but the specifics were jaw dropping! I saw that twist at the end coming, but with regards to another character, so it was a real punch in the gut, and ooooh, it's going to be amazing in regards to the whole story! I am so excited to see where it leads the story in book two!

Crown of Feathers is pretty diverse, with all but one side character being people of colour, with light or dark brown skin. No labels are used, but the very first Phoenix Rider Queen, Nefyra, was in a relationship with a woman. Sev finds himself drawn to Kade, and there's an asexual character, too. And I also think one of the characters could be bi/pansexual. As I mentioned before, Sparrow is blind, and Morra, the cook at the Phoenix Rider stronghold - but also a fairly important figure amongst the Phoenix Riders - has only one leg due to losing the other in the Blood War.

Crown of Feathers is an absolutely incredible debut novel, and a wonderful high fantasy novel! I cannot wait for the second book in the series, and am pretty sure I will read anything Preto writes in future. Do not sleep on this!

Thank you to Ink Road via NetGalley for the eProof.

Thanks to Ink Road and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Another multiple POV book! Sometimes it feels like all the books I have read recently employ this technique. In this book we have:

Veronyka, a young animage who lives with her sister Val. The sisters are orphans and are trying to hatch a pair of incredibly rare Phoenix eggs. Veronyka is the goodie two shoes, Val is the messed up, interesting one. I would have liked more Val.

Sev, a soldier for the Empire. Also secretly an animage. I really didn't find him very compelling and am not sure what he brought to the story. Can't even think of something remotely interesting to say about him.

Tristan, a Phoenix rider. He is the son of the Phoenix Rider commander. He is scared of fire because he set a rug on fire as a kid. Yeah idk either. He's a disappointment to his father for this and other reasons. Generic YA prince-y type character.

I really wanted to love this book. It started off  well but I was soon drowned in exposition and the plot proceeded at a glacial pace. When I was reading this book I found myself either falling asleep or being willingly distracted which isn't a great sign as I'm usually pretty focused when reading. I found my heart sinking when the time remaining counter on my kindle felt like it was never going down.

The world building is just far, FAR too much. It would have been one thing if there was something wildly new and unique here, but swap Phoenixes for Dragons and you've got a pretty generic fantasy story. I couldn't help comparing this book to the sublime Priory of the Orange Tree which took a familiar trope and managed to make it feel fresh and new.
 
Pacing was another issue for me. The story takes way too long to get going and the book itself is much longer than it needs to be. The novel is very much character driven, which is fine if the characters are interesting, but I didn't personally find them to be. There were some twists, some obvious, others not so much, but there was an overall lack of tension and excitement for me.

Overall, just too clunky and exposition heavy for me. Sorry!

I found this really hard to get in to, there were many times I struggled to pick it back up again. But I'm glad I persevered about half way through I started to see all the threads come together and starting making my guesses of who was who and what would happen and I got totally sucked in and could not put it back down! I think it took so long to get into the real story was because of this new world there was so much world building and character building that needed to be done, while I understand this and it did help me later in the book, I just felt it dragged a bit. I feel for the next book now all that is done we are in for a real treat with what's to come next!

Crown of Feathers is an action packed adventure filled with subtle romance, betrayals and plot twists that leave you stunned.

It is told from three POVs; Veronyka, Sev and Tristan, teenagers who are all animages (people who can talk to and influence animals). It follows the aftermath and consequences of a war that took place 16 years prior, the Blood War. This was a war in which two sisters, one an animage and the other not, fought to rule their country. Some animages can become phoenix riders and they rode them into battle for the animage sister Avalkyra during the Blood War.

Despite their defeat in the Blood War and being hunted down by the Empires soldiers, the Phoenix riders are growing and recruiting in secret.

I really loved the main characters of this story. Despite being faced with hard decisions they grew as the book progressed. Veronyka, who bonds with a phoenix, travels to find these riders and join their ranks, but there is a problem, they only accept boys and not girls into training. Disguising herself as a boy and finding distrust at every turn she has to prove her worth so she can join the riders. Sev is an animage living in secret among the soliders. To be an animage in the empire is to be sentenced to servitude or death and he desperately tries to hide his secret from those around him. Tristan is an apprentice rider, living with the rebel riders in their hideout. He befriends Veronyka, disguised as a boy and they form an amazing friendship.

The story, despite being slightly slow paced, was engaging and fun to read. The world building was great and the magic system pretty unique. I felt like this book was very similar to Eragon, and so because I enjoyed those books a lot I did enjoy this one.

The romance wasn't overpowering or cheesy, which was very refreshing and nice to read. Each character had a distinct voice and the plot weaved together well with the different POVs. I really didn't like one character, which I think was expected and the twists at the end were fantastic!

If you enjoy action, subtle romance, magic involving animals and mythical creatures this is for you. I rated it 3.5 stars overall.

This book took a little while to get into because, unfortunately, you couldn't just skip past the first 50 pages of info-dump, meaning the beginning was a bit sluggish. But, once you got into the actual story, it was super cool. Phoenixes are one of the awesome creatures that don't get written about enough and this concept was super interesting and unique! While the pacing is off, the relationships are great and, generally, it's an epic book.

crown of feathers was such an enjoyable, immersive read. once i truly got into it, it was so easy to lose myself in that world. i kept skipping paragraphs ahead because i was so hungry for more then i felt inordinately guilty and went back to read those missed passages. i could literally see scenes playing out in my head and smell of dust and morning dew, feel the sharp edge of a knife and the heat of phoenix fire. this book is atmospheric with truly amazing worldbuilding and lovable characters that grow and experience setbacks and triumphs. even the one character i started out not liking, i ended up loving by the end.

crown of feathers is gloriously diverse, with lgbtq characters and characters of colour on the page. here is where nicki pau preto shines, because her characters have such unique voices with differents wants, ambitions and desires! tristan, sev and veronyka are such interesting characters, even though i wanted to throttle tristan at first for how whiny he was. yes we get it, you have daddy issues! now look at veronyka, who is mucking out horse stalls and dying to be a phoenix rider like you! smh. okay it does get better, otherwise I’d have yeeted this arc to the moon. tristan’s irritating personality traits are tempered by nyka’s good-natured perseverance.

ALSO!! i’m telling you, if you’re an a song of ice and fire fan and you liked the dance of the dragons civil war in targaryen history, you will LOVE a crown of feathers. it’s literally about the aftermath of a war between two sisters meant to inherit their father’s empire; one is a phoenix rider with the support of the animage army, the other is without powers but with the support of politicians and governors. that’s the background to a crown of feathers but nonetheless, you’ll end up loving it!

'Sometimes the title of queen is given; sometimes it must be taken. And sometimes the honor becomes so drenched in blood and betrayal that it is slippery to the touch, but we reach for it nonetheless, poison on our fingers and vengeance in our hearts.'

there’s three main point of view characters: veronyka, sev, tristan. all of them are animages from different backgrounds and varying degrees of freedom and autonomy. veronyka lives with her sister older sister val, controlling and overprotective, as they attempt to hatch phoenix eggs to become phoenix riders together. we see val through veronyka’s eyes, an oftentimes cruel and cold siblings who exerts control over veronyka but protects her regardless. val is an incredibly complex character; even though she wasn’t a point of view character I found her so fascinating. I saw a lot of parallels between her and viserys from a game of thrones. viserys is bitter and hardened by reality and the struggles he’s faced, the sacrifices he’s made and the birthright he’s lost. once i got the twist at the end of crown of feathers though, I gasped because my comparison was even more apt than I’d expected!!

'Val’s mind was always elsewhere—on people and places long gone, or on distant dreams and future possibilities.'

sev is such a sympathetic character. I really felt for his struggle between wanting to live his truth as an animage and hiding it to avoid being shackled and made essentially into a slave for the empire. sev goes from being a self-described ‘coward’ to someone courageous, not through the absence of fear but in spite of it. he plays to his strengths, which aren’t the traditional sword-and-dagger but rather, trickery and sneakiness. he’s aided in character journey by other animages in service to the empire, who are secretly plotting to find phoenix riders. there’s also kade, a handsome animage who seems to hate and resent sev at first, but slowly their friendship progresses to something a little more, with mutual respect and knowing. also. sev is one thirsty mofo. i loved his ‘oh no he’s hot’ moment.

'Sev liked this side of him. He was usually so grim— even hostile— but with the animals, the stiff line of his shoulders relaxed, and his severe features softened into delighted smiles and gentle laughter. It made Sev want to be near him, to watch and bask in the warm light of his magical glow.'

'He was like a bronze statue of some ancient hero in a temple garden, gathering droplets of morning dew.'

veronyka also has an interesting character arc that intersects with tristan’s. once again, they go from rivals to reluctant friends to something close to lovers, with slow burn relationship development based on mutual respect and helping each other. by the end of crown of feathers, i was hardcore shipping them because they just work. I wasn’t too hot on veronyka crossdressing to get into the phoenix riders but hey, you gotta do what you gotta do. she works so hard to get where she is, shaking off doubts and darkness seeded by her sister and hiding her own gender and shadowmagic powers. she’s a genuinely talented animage with a different principle behind her power than the other other animages: to work with creatures instead of controlling them. it’s this power that saves her when empire soldiers come thundering in to wipe out the phoenix riders.

the action scenes are truly spectacular and i could clearly everything playing out in my head. there’s a perfect balance, for me, between inner thoughts of the characters, the events around them and external tensions like political power and world building. i wish we’d gotten a tiny bit more info on culture and customs, but that might have been pushing the word count because this baby is big and packed with helluva details. it’s an incredibly immersive and enjoyable experience, but not for those who are faint of heart and new to ya epic fantasy. the phoenix riding scenes were so good, a true joy to the soul. i could feel the wind beneath phoenix’s wings and the exultation of flying.

the worldbuilding was fantastic, if a bit heavy on the detail but it didn’t veer into info-dump territory. my personal preference is more detail over less, because that’s what truly makes crown of feathers epic fantasy. i truly loved the little historical tidbits and excerpts from histories, chronicles and ballads. i loved the letters from avalkyra ashfire and her sister pheronia, the back-and-forth of politics and complicated sibling relationships, with the undercurrent of tension and manoeuvring. I had a ball of a time trying to figure out all the twists and turns and hidden secrets. at one point i literally GASPED out loud. every little is so important and comes back to bite the reader in the ass later on.

i don’t want to give too much detail about the plot because it’d ruin the twists, but trust me when i say it’s a doozy. you think you know one thing, but ding dong you’re wrong!! sev, tristan and veronyka are travelling very different paths when we first meet them, but by the end all of their paths converge and we get to see some truly great fight scenes, along with dramatic reveals and secret identities! crown of feathers left me reeling and grasping vainly for any sort of direction. i was left in a mini book slump after finishing it, it was that good!

I’m loving the recent trend in ya fantasy towards duologies, because it’s much better for my health and my wallet. I’m vibrating out of my chair in excitement that we’re, hopefully, going to see a resolution next year!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book!

Argh, I was hooked from the beginning. PHOENIX riders? That was something I didn't know was missing in my life. It was just such a new and different concept, like I'm always in awe of dragons but phoenixes now hold a speacial place in my heart. I loved how detailed this world was; there was an entire history that I didn't always understand but so much of it turned around to be important later on anyway. There was a sister relationship that wasn't your average one either, but no spoilers as to what it is that makes it different!

This book also feels like it will lead on really well to the next one, but I really want more of Nyk's story more than Sev's, and I can see that Sev has plenty more ahead of him too. That was probably my only concern with this book; I much preferred Nyk's story and I didn't want to read Sev's or Tristan's chapters. Oops.

If you're in the mood for a fantasy with a twist, add this to your to-read! Five stars!