Phoenix and The Frost Palace

Our Review

'If she is what you say, Phoenix is our only hope of destroying the Shadowseam and thwarting their plan.'

Fireborn:Twelve and the Frozen Forest by Aisling Fowler was such a delightful book to read so I couldn't wait to delve back into Ember again in book two of the series Fireborn:Phoenix and the Frost Palace.

The book begins with the group of friends still reeling from the betrayal of Victory and the destruction of The Hunting Lodge where they lived and trained as Hunters. The group are climbing a cliffside to battle an edgeworm, an 'unpleasant pest of the mountains.'  It is clear that Phoenix is somewhat off her game, she can't remember important details about the best and her new elemental power is difficult for her control. 

The group of friends and Maser Hoarfrost are waiting for an answer from the witches after their plea for help, but when the answer comes the witch in question is seeking help of their own. The witches have been decimated by a mysterious illness caused by something called a Shadowseam. The Shadowseam is growing and threatening not only the home of the witches, but the whole of Ember. They believe that Phoenix is the only one who can help destroy it by using her elemental power...but she needs to learn to get it under control first.

The setting of this book is bound to draw comparisons to His Dark Materials series, but this is an excellent book in its own right. I loved all the characters, the friendship group just fits so seamlessly together. I love how the character of Dog is developed a little more in this book and we see him undergo some changes. 

I also felt like Phoenix was rounded out a little more in this book as we learn a little more about her family and her previous life as Starling, in particular her close relationship with her sister Poppy. This comes about because Poppy had always wanted to travel and explore new things and Phoenix knows she would have been astounded by some of the miraculous things she sees on her journey. One of the things that brings Phoenix's survivors guilt to the fore is the sight of The Frost Palace itself. 

"Part of a wave that would have wiped away all of Ember had it not been frozen in time since long before our records began. We don't know what happened to stop it in its tracks like that, but it's been our home for over a thousand years."

Another character we see a lot more of in this book is Seven. Seven is always being protected by the group because she has no prowess when it comes to hunting. We also see Seven spending a lot of time in the witches library trying to research more about the Shaowseam but also doing some research for something she is trying to keep secret from her friends. 

I love this series and I highly recommend it.

 

Our Final Rating...

4 Weeks Ago