The Blood Phoenix is the the follow-up to last year's Of Jade and Dragons and picks up 2 years after the events of the last book.

I unfortunately did not enjoy this book as much as I did the first book. The characters felt flat in comparison to the first and the pacing was a bit all over the place. I do love the world the author built and we got to see much more of that world this time around.

The ending felt as if it was leading up to a third book and felt rushed to a conclusion. I think there is enough story there where this could have been a trilogy, but maybe we'll get more stories set in this universe from the author.

Thank you the Penguin / Viking for an early copy of this book! All thoughts are my own.

The 1st book is so promising, that's why I wanted to read the second book, BUT do not expect to much, this is................................not what i expect to. But the epilogue is kinda hangover; should I wait for the next book?

The cover is still a chef's kiss btw.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher, Penguin Young Readers Group, Viking Books for Young Readers for the ARC!!!

I still do not know how I feel about this book. It's my fault as I usually only read romance, so I have certain expectations despite the genre.
It wasn't what I was expecting......I didn't hate it but I also did not like ending as is, hopefully there is more resolution in the final published book.

Thank you to the author, Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

It was ok, but fell shore for me and seemed disjointed by adding in NIAN’s POV and the ending kind of just left things open. Seemed a bit anticlimactic in comparison to the first book

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. The Blood Phoenix unfortunately just wasn't for me. I didn't like the pacing, and the characters weren't pulling me into the story enough. I liked the first book but had similar issues with it, and unfortunately I feel like the issues carried over enough that the series just wasn't meant for me.

First of all this cover is beautiful. I enjoyed the first book in this series but it was not my favorite and the sequel is basically the same for me. It was a good book but the pacing felt off and did not flow.

Look. I was obsessed with the first book. Like begging for an ARC for the second one. Why didn’t this one hit the same?? I understand needing Nian’s POV but I just…. didn’t care? Im genuinely so upset that I didn’t love it more.

Thank you to NetGalley for approving me for the eARC/digital review copy of The Blood Phoenix! And of course, thank you to Amber Chen for writing such a beautiful story.

I read Of Jade and Dragons around a year ago after getting approved for the eARC. It was my first ever ARC of any kind and I felt so excited to delve into it. While I loved the book, I still only rated it 4 stars because at times it felt a little slow or as if it were missing something.

The Blood Phoenix had that something. It was exciting, expansive, and emotional. It’s so worth 5 stars and I enjoyed the entire journey!

The characters have grown between the first book and this one and Amber Chen does a great job of detailing that growth while also keeping the characters’ true to who they are. I was especially excited to see more of Ye-kan and also have Nian featured more prominently!

I am a sucker for pirate stories and when I heard that the sequel to Of Jade and Dragons would have a pirate-heavy plot it made me all the more delighted to read it. The plot was so fluid and never felt like it was getting stuck. You can really see Amber Chen’s growth as an author and I loved every moment of her prose.

My only complaint is that my heart is broken. For some reason I was under the impression that this would be a trilogy (I know, I should have done some research…) so when this book ended I was left wanting more. And I believe (or maybe I’m delusional) that maybe someday down the line, we’ll get more stories set in the Nine Isles. I know I really hope so!

It has been two years since the events in Of Jade and Dragons. FMC Ying is living on a remote island with a new fiance while she works on new inventions. Her heart still belongs to Ye-Yang but they cannot be together after he was forced into an engagement with Ying’s sister and the whole pesky him being involved in the death of her father. Also Yings sister is in love with Ye-Yangs brother. Love triangle? Who needs one of those when you can have a love rectangle instead!
Thank you for NetGalley and Viking Books for the opportunity to read and review this book which I am giving 3⭐️.
The good news is that I did enjoy this book slightly more than the first book. This time I enjoyed the love rectangle that is happening in this book and I enjoyed that the world was expanded upon and that readers get to experience a pirate adventure this time around.
While I did get a bit bored by all the conspiracies and politicking around the High Commander position it was really the end that disappointed me. This book really seemed like it was leading into a third book especially around the 85% mark but no an unsatisfying ending was slapped on and that’s it end of story.
This duology didn’t really work for me, but I think it would work well for newer YA readers. I really don’t think these two books were strong enough to support being picked by Illumicrate as special edition books.

It has been two years since Of Jade and Dragons, and Ying has retreated from the capital, giving up her dreams of the Engineer's Guild. However, she has not stopped inventing, and when her new life is disrupted she finds herself once again embroiled in something much bigger than herself.

I didn't think this sequel was quite as good as the first book, but it was still a very good read! The world was an easy one to return to, and I enjoyed seeing familiar characters having grown up and moved on. I'll definitely be picking up the next book!

Thank you to the publisher for providing a review copy

Of Jade And Dragons is a fascinating and unique duology that I've really enjoyed reading. The Blood Phoenix picks up two years after the end of the first book and follows both Ying and Nian as they navigate their new lives.
I really liked reading about Nian's character and watching her grow in strength and cunning throughout the story. Ying, Ye-yang and Ye-kan were all multifaceted and flawed, which I enjoyed. I do feel like the chemistry was lacking in terms of romance and Ye-yang drove me crazy most of the time, but the ending was really nicely done. I hope we get to see more of these characters in Amber Chen's future books!
The worldbuilding is probably my favorite part of the duology - the silkpunk setting combined with court intrigue, war, and pirates was just wonderful and made this story so fun to read. I did struggle a bit with the time skips in the narration, as it felt choppy and incomplete at times. The ambiguous ending was interesting, though, and I'd love a short story or novella detailing the aftermath of the final battle. Fans of the first book will love this conclusion to Ying and Ye-yang's story!
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers for the eARC!

I was hoping for a fulfilling ending for Ying with both her position in the guild and her personal life, but this very much didn’t end that way. It didn’t read like the last book but rather a second book in a longer series. It was also very scattered in plot and character. I felt like the focus was more on Nina than Ying, and it divided my focus to the point that I’m not sure about either character. I loved Of Jade and Dragons, but this book was not the sequel I was hoping for.

Another beautiful cover for this duology!

I’m not too sure how to rate this one. Another ambiguous ending, odd pacing, and a lackluster follow up. I was hoping there would be more world building and character development, but there really wasn’t much. However, the new cast of characters were interesting to follow, especially the captain, but I wish their backgrounds were fleshed out a bit more and that there was more time with them. Overall a decent novel, but the first book in this duology was much more intriguing with the high stakes it had. The Blood Phoenix felt a bit out of place at times in continuing the story, but was still an entertaining read.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Blood Phoenix - Amber Chen - 5 Stars

I was able to read the uncorrected proof of The Blood Phoenix as an Advanced Reader’s Copy on NetGallery. It is the sequel to Of Jade and Dragons. I am aware there might be changes to the book, though they should be minor. Let’s get into the book with as few spoilers as possible

What did I love about the book? - This time it was a Dual POV between Ying (FMC of the book Of Jade and Dragons) and her younger sister Nian. The book is set two years after the events of the first book. Nian is still not married to Ye-yang, who is now the High Commander of the nine isles. He still only really has eyes for Ying, but takes Nian under his wing. The reasons for which will become evident as the book goes on.

You open in Ying’s POV, giving you a rundown of the last two years and where the war is at. You learn that the piracy in the straits has gotten out of control. The feared Blood Phoenix (the book’s namesake) is the main fear. Ying is engaged, though she and her betrothed both agreed to not go forward with the wedding so they can both have their freedom.

There is a pirate attack on the isle she’s on and Ye-yang comes to get her. You find out that he’s been planning this for a long time. But, Ying goes back to the engineer’s guild to help them come up with a defence for a weapon the pirates have. One their test run, things go bad, and they end up captured on the Blood Phoenix. The goal is to return to Fei so they can take down the pirates. They go through a trial with the pirates, with Ying learning more about the Blood Phoenix and why was really behind the attack at the beginning of the book.

Ying is an unreliable narrator and I love her for that. It keeps me on my toes.

Nian spends most of her time in the palace, befriending Ye-Kan (Ying’s friend from book 1). You can definitely tell there are mutual feelings they won’t act on. During the events of the book, Ye-Kan is put in charge. When this happens, he learns of traitors in their midsts and he and Nian figure it out and are really the ones to save the nine isles. I don’t want to go into too much detail, but Nian’s POV was wonderful every time I was on it! You see the pressures she puts herself under and I just wanted to give her a fist bump and a warm hug.

What didn’t I like about the book? - WHY ISN’T THERE AN EPILOGUE?! WHAT HAPPENED TO YING?! I was under the impression that this was a duology but the ending makes me want more and leaves me with some unanswered questions! I would be happy to get an epilogue to know what happened to Ying and who that engineering master was. I’m hopeful the final product
will have that.

Over all opinion of the book? - This was such a great second book! I loved all the call backs to the first book, which was still fresh for me as I’d only read it in December of 2024. The books is fast paced, but gives a lot of information. I thoroughly enjoyed my read!

This sequel was everything! This takes place two years after the previous book, so some time has passed, and some hurts and wrongs have dulled, or at least Ying thinks they have. And involves our favorites from the previous book, as well as a new POV from Nian, Ying’s younger sister!

I absolutely devoured this book. I loved the first one so much and it ended on a bittersweet note. And I needed to read this sequel while it was fresh in my mind to see how Ying’s story would continue. Plus, pirates!!!

Once again, love this world with its unique machines and airships. Made for a steampunk-like world that I would love to see.

The heartache, the devastating romance, the action, the loss and grief in here was a lot. My emotions were everywhere. Nothing seemed to go right up until the end even.

I loved reading Nina’s POV because she reminds me of myself. She has the more grounded and logical mind and I appreciate how she handled a lot of things that were thrown at her. She was a surprising and lovable character and I adored her relationship with Yekan.

But Yekan is my favorite character so I am biased 🤣 I adore that boy(man? 😆). He was the same as always and him and Nian made for an awesome team 🙌🏻

The romances in here were so different from the other. One was oh so devastating and heartbreaking and I wanted it to work and yet I understood how Ying felt and I was okay with how it may or may not turn out. The other was so hopeful and healthy and lighthearted. And just gave you that happy fuzzy feeling.

The way this ended was once again bittersweet, but I loved it. There are not enough books out there with unique endings like this one. This felt realistic, (to a point I mean it is a fantasy 😆)but even though it put my heart through the ringer, the ending to me was perfect and I’m curious to know if there will be more stories in this world 👀

I highly recommend this duology!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This was a pretty disappointing sequel for me - most of the first 65% felt like randomly chosen filler until it did eventually start to tie into the threads of the first book, but that's far too long to be wondering "what are we doing here?" For it to supposedly be a contained duology, the storyline across the two books wasn't very strong, instead feeling like two separate stories with these characters which both ended in unsatisfying ambiguous endings.

Chen does do a good job with building atmosphere, and readers who enjoy pirate stories will be much more entertained while the plot builds to its climax than I was! Also, Nian and Ye-kan definitely carried this story for me - their plotline was much more of what I was hoping for and expecting from this book, and I really enjoyed their dynamic.

As soon as I got the notification that I was accepted for the eARC, I could not resist and read it immediately. I have been dying to read what happens next from, "Of Jade and Dragons."

What I liked:
1. The story had dual POVs, Jing's and Niang's. It made it more interesting and easier to comprehend what was going on politically with Niang at the palace, while Jing was with the others dealing with the pirates.
2. There was an instance that shocked me but I had a feeling it was going to happen. I hoped it did not. The way Amber wrote it, it was foreshadowing. I was right.
3. The relationship between Niang and Yekan was so comforting. It gave me something to hold on to while Jiang and Ye-yang were killing me with their angst despite their love and yearning for each other.


As much as I love happy endings, I could understand why the author wrote it like that. It is up to you as the reader to decide how to interpret it.

The way Amber Chen writes fantasy is simply stunning. The way empire is interrogated, from the affects of on people as a whole to the affects of singular relationships, all at the same time, was truly incredible. I absolutely adored it.

Though, I will say that I think this would've worked beautifully as a trilogy. I wanted more from certain plotlines, and I would've been so willing to explore them further in another book. There is a lot of room for a spinoff, and I am begging Penguin to buy them.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this ARC.

This book focused more on Nian and Yekan in my opinion which was expected since its start and while I enjoyed this book overall and the development of their relationship, I am left very unsatisfied considering this is a duology and the book ends with an open ending not knowing what becomes of Ying and Yeyang. is Ying alive, is she not? Does she and Yeyang live together the life they dreamed of? It's kinda upsetting shifting the focus to Nian and Yekan and disregarding our two main characters with whom we started this journey to begin with.

On a side note, the mask trick with Monggu was very silly in my opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and PRH for giving me an eARC of this title in exchange for an honest review!

1.5 Stars, rounded up to 2.

You ever read a sequel that makes you wish you hadn’t read the first book? Yeah. This was insanely disappointing, given how much I had enjoyed the first book in this series. There was way too much going on, and it barely tied into the first book at all— it’s like the first book was being used as backstory to fuel the plot of this book. In addition, because there was so much going on, it didn’t feel like there were any stakes. One character would go, “Okay, we have to do this thing!” And then ‘Three Weeks Pass,’ “Okay we did the thing!” And that happened multiple times. There was so much time skipping it got disorienting, and, again, ruined any hope of there being meaningful, time-sensitive, stakes. And, once again, the ending! I had gripes about the first book’s ambiguous, cop-out ending— but I gave it some grace because it was only the first in the series. This ending was somehow even worse and MORE ambiguous, and it was supposed to be the end of the series. Part of me honestly wants to go back and edit my review for the first one, just warning people that this series isn’t worth it— don’t waste your time.