Book Review/ Blog Tour- Fury of the Phoenix

By Cindy Pon

Published by Greenwillow Books

Released on March 29th, 2011

Source- ARC for review via publisher for The Teen Scene Blog Tours

4 Stars- I Enjoyed It

The Gods have abandoned Ai Ling.

Her mysterious power haunts her day and night, and she leaves home—with just the moon as her guide—overwhelmed by her memories and visions and an unbearable sense of dread. For Ai Ling knows that Chen Yong is vulnerable to corrupt enchantments from the under-world. How can she do nothing when she has the skill and power to fight at his side? A dream has told her where he is, the name of the ship he is traveling on, his destination. So she steals off and stows away on board.

The ocean voyage brings with it brutal danger, haunting revelations, and new friendships, but also the premonition of a very real and terrifying threat. Zhong Ye—the powerful sorcerer whom Ai Ling believed she had vanquished in the Palace of Fragrant Dreams—is trapped in Hell, neither alive nor dead. Can he reach from beyond the grave to reunite with Silver Phoenix and destroy Chen Yong? And destroy whatever chance Ai Ling has at happiness, at love?

In this sequel to the acclaimed novel Silver Phoenix, four lives are woven together and four destinies become one, now and forever (quoted from Goodreads).

Fury of the Phoenix is a surprising sequel with it's rich lore, wonderful romance and mild action scenes. Cindy Pon's sequel was far from predictable and one I enjoyed as nothing that happened was what I expected, and I loved that.

I also loved the way in which Cindy ties the lore and the characters from the two books together. Fury of the Phoenix has the perfect ending for the series, though I'll miss reading more about Chen Yong and Ai Ling. These two characters have more of a heated chemistry this time and I loved it! Ai Ling joins Chen Yong on his quest to find his father, and it's not just their story that's fascinating, but the parallel story of two other characters from the first book. Both stories are about the character journey which allowed Cindy to really take advantage of her series rich lore, something I found to be really intriguing. I was pleasantly surprised at how she ties the two journeys together in the end. That's saying something with out giving away any spoilers.

The setting really sets the tone for the story as it takes place on the sea and on the land. The descriptions of the ship and the landscape are vivid enough that it wasn't hard for me to picture each place in my mind. I really enjoyed this sequel and getting to understand the characters more. Really, who doesn't love reading more about Chen Yong. I will say there is a scene between Chen Yong and Ai Ling that made me want to yell, "FINALLY". Believe me, it's so worth the wait. I would definitely recommend picking the series up. As I said with Silver Phoenix, I think this series is a great cross over for YA and adult readers, and it's one I find very appealing as an adult reader.