Excellent storytelling and exceptional fantasy!

Amber Chen has built a beautiful universe with the Fall of the Dragon duet. Not only is this duology wonderfully fantastical, but it completely sucked me in and refused to let me leave until I had finished the final page. The Blood Phoenix is the mysterious faction that the nine isles are facing after a two-year jump from Of Jade and Dragons. Armed with mysterious submarine-like machines that are pirating the seas, the Blood Phoenix is a problem that the new High Commander cannot solve. Enter Ying, once more joining forces with Fei, the story jumps right into the heart of action, and the plot is at a brisk pace from there.

This story made my heart ACHE—the unresolved feelings from the first book in this duology and the beautiful cast of characters just kept my emotions engaged. I was desperate to know how all of these feelings were going to be in the end. Ying and her sister Nian both equally share the spotlight in this story. Nian was such a breath of fresh air for this story. It gave a perspective of the governing bodies/leaders that made me completely rethink the first book in this series. Her interactions with the High Commander and Ye-kan were also fun to watch unfold. The side characters in this story were one of my favorite parts. They made this story come to life in such unique ways, and they also devastated me at times.

All in all, this book IS EXCEPTIONAL! You need to check this out if you're a fan of Chloe Gong, Elizabeth Lim, or Leigh Bardugo.

After thoroughly enjoying the first book and was eager to dive into the second installment of the series. Unfortunately, I found myself a little disappointed. While I had anticipated the story would pick up right where the first book left off, it instead jumps forward two years. At first, I had to double-check and confirm that the timeline had indeed moved two years ahead, rather than just a couple of months. This substantial time skip felt a bit disorienting and took me out of the story initially.

In The Blood Phoenix, we get dual perspectives: Ying’s, who has since left the capital, and her sister Nian’s, who is now in the capital preparing for her upcoming marriage to Ye-Yang. While the alternating viewpoints add some depth, much of the plot felt somewhat predictable, though there were still a few twists that kept things interesting.

There were also some pacing issues that detracted from my overall enjoyment. The opening was engaging, but the middle section of the book dragged, and the ending felt rushed. To make matters worse, I felt the conclusion left some threads unresolved. I was quite surprised to discover that this series is a duology, not a trilogy.

In the end, The Blood Phoenix was a solid read, but it didn’t quite live up to the promise of its predecessor. Overall, this book was mid-tier for me.

The bittersweet is too good, ahhhh.

Cue two year time jump, sudden tragedy, everyone being cranky and oh look there’s pirates, Ying’s sister Nian and the Ye-kan the backup prince are now in charge while Ying and Ye-yang try to pull off something wild. It is chaos and I am here for it. As with the first book, I think the writing appeals to a younger YA audience (characters say exactly what they mean, and there’s clarification of all the subtext), but at a higher level these messy children stole my heart. They’re all wielding secrets, selfishly and to protect each other. There’s love, there’s manipulation - it’s so very obvious, they call each other out on it, but there’s no easy resolution, it’s a hard journey all the way through to see if they’ll reconcile or continue on separate paths.

This time, the engineering innovations focus on ships and submersibles. For some reason I questioned the mechanics of this more than airships (which Ying and her friends tinkered with in the guild previously), but it’s a neat direction. Leans into the steampunk, and provides Ying with plenty of opportunities for scientific testing, on the fly it’s-on-fire-but-it-works repairs, and cool visuals.

I rarely like the end of a duology more than the beginning, but this one of the exceptions.

The Blood Phoenix, the sequel to Of Jade and Dragons, is an action packed fantasy with Ying, a strong, courageous young woman who is trying to find her place in a turbulent world. She finds herself working with Ye-yang, who has become The High Commander. Ye-yang betrayed Ying in the first novel and is betrothed to Ying’s sister, Lian. Pirates take a prominent role in this sequel with Ying And Ye-yang getting more adventure than they want.

I recommend this book for science fiction and fantasy readers. The world building is extensive based on science and engineering as a a central theme. The descriptions are lovely, detailed, and often poetic. The relationship between Ying and Ye-yang is epic and beautiful.

Thank you Penguin Young Readers Group and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars! Thank you to NetGalley, Viking Books for Young Readers, and Penguin Young Readers Group for this advanced copy. You can pick up The Blood Phoenix now.

HELLO? That book was crazy, and the best follow-up I could've asked for to Of Jade and Dragons. We're back two years after the end of the first book, with Ying living in a small island village while Ye-yang rules as High Commander. They're still SO in love with each other it's sick, but Ying can't forgive Ye-yang for his betrayal and manipulation of her.

What I really commend Amber Chen for is not lessening that part of Ye-yang's character in The Blood Phoenix. He's not immediately forgiven, continues to make mistakes that impact his relationship with Ying, and shows true nuance throughout the story. I loved both his and Ying's arcs even though the ending had me DEVASTATED. I'm still not fully recovered.

Another great part of this book was the introduction of a new POV from Ying's sister, Nian. Can we give it up for the soft and clever FMCs?? Nian is exactly the kind of nuanced leads we need to see more of in fantasy. She might not swing a sword, but she wields her words and intelligence SO WELL as she helps Ye-Kan navigate court politics. Their romance was EVERYTHING to me and, again, the ending made me cry.

If you're looking for a fantasy duology full of badass engineering, sea battles, pirates, court politics, and angsty romance, this is your book!

The Blood Phoenix by Amber Chan – ★★★☆☆

This picks up two years after book one, with Ying engaged to a clansman’s son but planning to run away—until she’s pulled back into Fei, forced to face her complicated past with Ye-Yang (still engaged to her sister, Nian) and help fight off a new threat: pirates. Which… felt like a big detour from the original “defeat the Qirin empire” plot that never really circles back.

I enjoyed seeing Nian’s POV—it added some depth—but the last 20% of the book felt rushed and kind of underwhelming. There were a lot of betrayals and twists, but most were easy to see coming. Even though the author calls this a duology, the ending felt really open-ended, almost like a setup for a third book.

The writing is solid and the pacing moves fast, but the shift in plot focus and all the loose threads made this one fall a little flat for me. Still, I think younger YA fantasy readers would enjoy the series overall.

A big thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | Viking Books for Young Readers

I need to read book one Of Jade and Dragons.
After reading The Blood Phoenix by Amber Chen which was a wonderful story that blended science with fantasy so will, I’m hooked!
I loved the characters and the story, and I can't wait to read the beginning of Ying’s journey. This book was a fantastic start to what I hope will be an incredible series!

**Initial Reaction**: 9

**Characters:** 9

**Setting:** 9

**Plot:** 8

**Pace:** 8

**Style:** 9

**Ending:** 9

**Enjoyment:** 10

71 / 16 = 4.4375

Rounded Rating = 4.5

ARC Review ~ The Book Phoenix~

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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

When I found out that Of Jade and Dragons was a duology I leaped at the chance to read the second as an ARC. A Milan retelling with steampunk and airships, count me in! I loved the first book, as it was a great introduction into the world but I loved the second even more! In the Blood Phoenix, Amber not only expands on the world she created but allows the reader to see the character development of both sisters. The drama and action had me unable to put it down and the ending got me emotional but thankful that she not only concluded the plot but left it vague and open to either interpretation or further books to come. Personally I am hoping for the latter.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group for this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers for giving me an eARC of this book to read in exchange for this honest review.

I enjoyed this sequel to Of Jade and Dragons. In The Blood Phoenix, we switch from being in the skies with airships to exploring the depths of the ocean with mysterious submersible pirate ships. Unlike Of Jade and Dragons, this book is told from dual points of view as well. We not only get Ying's perspective, but we also have part of the story told from her sister Nian's perspective as well. The story opens two years after the events of the first novel, with Ying engaged to a young man on another island. But an attack on Ying's new island home send her back to Fei and back to Ye-Yang to help the High Commander figure out a way to defeat the pirates that have been causing problems for the nine isles and interfering with trade routes between them and the Jade Empire. At the same time, we learn from Nian's point of view how things have been going within Qianlei Palace with the new High Command and the remaining beiles, including Ye-Kan, the youngest of the beiles. It seems that her prospective husband has been training her to deal with court politics but in every other respect treats her more like a friend or a younger sister than a fiancee.

The aspects of this novel that I loved most were the steampunk elements that are further developed. Instead of focusing on airships we are at sea in this adventure. Fleets of pirate ships, along with mysterious underwater steam-powered submersibles, or what we would call submarines, are wreaking havoc on the Order of the Cobra's ships and airships, and on civilians who make their living at sea in some way from both the nine isles and the Empire. Ying agrees to come back to Fei with Ye-Yang to help develop a way to stop these submersible ships known as Blades. Without giving too much away, the descriptions of how these submersibles operate and how they look are amazing. The interactions with the pirates later in the story when Ying and friends set out to test their engineering inventions was also fun and engrossing. We get to see just how much broader the scope of engineering is in the wider world beyond the confines of Fei and the Engineering Guild. The new gadgets and inventions that Ying and her guild friends are exposed to are truly amazing. I also enjoyed the story that develops between Nian, Ye-Kan, and with the court politics the two have to navigate. I loved the character development of Nian and I also liked the new facets of Ye-Kan's character we get to see through her eyes.

This story was very different in terms of the overall story arc from the first novel. Of Jade and Dragons is very much a coming-of-age story. But The Blood Phoenix explores a different theme, one of war, politics, and the complexities that come with both. All of the characters are faced with challenges that are much less black and white than what they seemed in the first book. It is much harder for them to distinguish between who is good and who is evil. Though some characters remain team bad, the other characters that we assume are adversaries at the start of the story are much more complicated and more morally gray that we are at first led to believe. This makes the twists and turns of the novel much harder to anticipate in terms of outcomes making the tension and stakes much higher. That being said, I did think that the pacing was a bit slower than the first book. However, with all of the threads of intrigue woven into this plot, I did not mind the slightly slower pace. The main reason I gave this book a four star rating rather than a five star one like the first novel in this series was the ending. I am not a fan of open-ended conclusions. We are left with slivers of hope for some characters at the end of this story, but we are left uncertain about their circumstances. I only hope that if the author writes any other stories set in this world we are given some hints about what transpired for some of these characters we are left uncertain about.

If you don't mind some story ending ambiguity and you enjoy stories with lots of fun and imaginative steampunk elements, I highly recommend this duology. I am definitely interested in reading more books by Amber Chen after finishing this series.

hank you Nethalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I’m not sure where to begin except that I love the steampunk element of the story. This book picked up where the first book ends, with Ying engaged to a friend from another clan, but her heart still in Fei. The pace was excruciatingly slow for me, and there was a two year time jump. But, overall there were both things that I loved and that could have been done better. This story is different from the first book in that Ying and Yeyan do not seem to be the main characters. In this one we get Nian’s perspective andif viewed from that perspective it makes sense. We get to know Nian well and how different she is from Yung and you get to live her character because she is truly sweet, noble, caring and wise. We get to see how she navigates her new life in Fei navigating politics and growing closer to Yekan, number 14 since Yeyan is still hung up in her sister and keeps her at arms length.

I loved the pirate story and the found family. The return of Ying to Fei and reconnecting with her friends. I loved that Yeyan continued to be several steps ahead in his foresight and plans. This could have been a much better story since there was so much potential. The pirate angle alone was worthy of being taken further. There was betrayal from very close friends and few things were easily predictable. But, the ambiguous ending kind of disappointed me because it does not feel like an actual end. I feel like there may be more books to come. Would I read them? Yes because I need to know what happened to specific characters. It was still a good read but was not as good as the first book because I don’t think this story was meant to be a duology. But if she continues to write books I hope she does spin offs so that we can get more stories about the pirates.

I am volunteering to leave my honest opinion.

We left the skies of Of Jade and Dragons for the water depths in The Blood Phoenix, clearing up all questions left behind by the first book and ripping our souls out during the fall. This book did not disappoint as a sequel. We have war, unrequited love, forbidden love, gut-wrenching losses, pirates, and loads of action! I fell in love with Amber Chen's world-building ability in Of Jade and Dragons, and the love affair has only gotten stronger with this installment. I have only read a few authors with the ability to write so vividly that the atmosphere plays the role of a supporting character, assisting the reader in engaging with the story. I appreciated getting to dive deeper into the relationships between the characters and the fact that Ying matured in this book, coming into her own.

She is honestly my favorite character in this story. She is an engineer, vulnerable, loves deeply, but she is also a bad @%4! Running toward the fight and not away from it!

Amber, bring on the next book!

Thank you so much to Netgalley, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | Viking Books for Young Readers, and Amber Chen for the advance readers copy of this exciting book!

First and foremost, thank you to the publisher and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I loved this story and it was definitely worth the read! I absolutely loved this book!!!

*I received this book (Via eArc by Netgalley) for free from the Publisher ( Viking Books) in exchange for an honest review*
I really enjoyed this book! It was such a strong conclusion to the story, and I loved how everything wrapped up so neatly. All the loose ends were tied, and it gave me that satisfying feeling you hope for when finishing a series. There were definitely moments where I found myself going, “Hmm, okay... wasn’t expecting that,” or parts that slowed down a bit for me—but honestly, it didn’t take away from how much I liked the book overall. The twists kept me on my toes, even if the direction surprised me sometimes.
Amber Chen’s worldbuilding is still just as rich and vivid as the first book, and I was especially happy with how the character arcs played out. The ending felt earned and emotional in the best way. If you liked Of Jade and Dragons, I think you’ll find Blood of the Phoenix a satisfying and meaningful finale.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Teen, and Colored Pages Book tour for the early copy of The Blood Phoenix!

The Blood Phoenix was the perfect follow up to Of Jade and Dragons. It was so lovely getting to be back in this world with my favorite characters Ying, Ye-Yang, and Ye-Kan. We also got to hear from a new POV👀

This book was full of allllll the (good) drama at every turn. All of the characters had to make hard choices at some point. Sometimes it worked out, other times it didn’t. But I think that’s what makes a good story- no character is perfect, and how they deal with adversity is so important.

I loved The Blood Phoenix and can’t wait to read more from Amber Chen🥹💗

The Blood Phoenix picks up 2 years after Of Jade And Dragon ends. Events force Ying to go back to Fei where she teams up with those from the Engineers Guild to save the empire.

Unfortunately, until the 50% mark I was kind of bored. I understand why the first part of the book was there, but it kind of felt like filler. The second half has a lot more action and political scheming, which is why this is a 3 and not a 2. That being said, even in the second half I felt like we were moving on from things very quickly. Something happens and then readers are immediately moved to the next thing without really giving the time to process it. The ending felt rushed and also left it open for future installments, which is interesting considering this is labeled as a duology.

I really enjoyed Nian's chapters and wish we could have spent more time with her. Watching her and Ye-kan's relationship form was really sweet. I would read an entire book on them! I also wish we could have spent more time with the pirates. They were really cool and instead I felt like they were just kind of there on the side to move the plot forward. Which isn't necessarily bad, but spending more time with them would have really enhanced the reading experience. I also HATED Ying and Ye-Yang's relationship. He is extremely toxic and I was never rooting for the two of them to get together.

Overall, I'm glad I read it to know what happens to the characters in this world, but I think the first installment could stand on its own if people don't mind an open-ended conclusion.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC for exchange for an honest review!

I had to take a minute to process this book. It is very different from the first with the tone and pacing. this book does add her sister's POV and does bounce between the 2 quite a bit and does jump into the future. I enjoyed Nian's view of the city and the politics and her friendships with those around her. To me it just isn't the same as the fast paced engineering school, academy setting. The story turns into a more action adventure story line which isn't bad it's just wasn't 100% expected.
Ying's character is complex. it was interesting reading her train of thought and loved the love/hate relationship of Ye-Yang and her. the world is expanded on and you learn more about the political.dilemna of everything. The chain of events had me sitting rereading some parts trying to figure out if I actually read it correctly and I love the surprises and twists this story brings. so sad the story is over and would have loved more about this world.

This was a fine book and conclusion to the duology.

I mostly enjoyed book 1 although I didn't really love the ending and this one seems to be no different.

I think when it comes to it, I like the characters that burn the world down for each other, not the ones that make sacrifices for the greater good at the extent of being together. If you can mix those two, then great!

Most of this book, I was annoyed with all the characters as to where their heart lies because it was so obvious to me and the characters just wouldn't speak to each other.

I did like that we also got Nian's POV so we could see more of what was happening.

I'm not satisfied with that ending, but maybe there will be another series set in this world? It seems like it still has places to go.

Thank you to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for the eARC. My thoughts are entirely my own.
finish date: 6/14/25, release date 6/17/25

I absolutely loved this series. I enjoy a lot of YA novela but this one for me was a great read. I loved following Ying's journey. There was so much that she had to discover not only about what happened to her father and the secrets of the guild but about herself as well. This book picks up two years after the first book. Ying has left the guild. I love that I got to learn more about Ying as well as her sister. I thought that the first book had a lot of plot twist in it, but for me that was nothing compared to this book. I definitely recommend everyone read this series. it had good story and character development.

I would like to sue for emotional damage over that ending.
I flew through The Blood Phoenix (after a brief pause to flip through Of Jade and Dragons to remind myself of who Ye-Yang and Ye-Kan were since it’s been a hot minute) and I loved every second of it. Especially the seconds where tears were pouring down my cheeks.
This was a well-done ending to the duology and I am excited to see what Amber Chen has in store next. Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!