Fox and Phoenix

Lóng City #1

by Michael Sun Lee (Narrator), Beth Bernobich

"One cool, lively, exciting book set in a unique new world I loved it!" -Tamora Pierce
The king of Long City is dying. For Kai Zou, the news means more than it does for most former street rats in the small mountain stronghold, because he and the king's daughter are close friends. Then the majestic ruler of the ghost dragons orders Kai to travel across the country to the Phoenix Empire, where the princess is learning statecraft. Kai and his best friend Yun must endure a grueling trek, placate a persnickety griffin, and navigate layers of danger and court intrigue to help the princess escape and return to Long City.
A refreshing mixture of magic, wit, and action, Fox and Phoenix is an auspicious YA debut.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Adventure, Magic, Middle Grade, Audiobook, Childrens

Audiobook

First published October 11, 2011

About the author

Michael Sun Lee, a native of Hawaii, is an actor of stage, screen, and television. His theater work ranges from classical to contemporary. Film credits include Nine Days To Nowhere and Fast Track. He lives in Los Angeles.

Reviews

[Lata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this up on a whim at the library. Though I hadn’t read the short story that precedes this book, I didn’t find it hard to follow the action in this story. I liked this world with its mix of Chinese-influenced spirits and magic, and tech such as cellphones. Main character Kai Zu is tasked with bringing Princess Lian back to see her ailing (possibly grievously ill) father, king of the ghost dragons. Kai's mother is tending the King, and Kai and a pig spirit Chen (this guy’s funny) head out, but are quickly joined by Yún. She’s Kai's friend, though Kai has been avoiding spending much time with her lately, and Kai doesn’t realize he has feelings for her.
The journey’s arduous, and things actually get worse once they’re reunited with the Princess (who apparently figures in the prequel short story.)
Main character Kai Zu is charming; he’s funny, feels a little put-upon, but comes through nicely for everyone over the course of the book. The story wraps up nicely and felt pretty self-contained, though I’d love to read more stories in this world.

[TheBookSmugglers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally reviewed on The Book Smugglers

It's been months since street lord Kai Zou and his second-in-command, Yún Chang, have helped Princess Lian Song Li achieve her heart's desire and won the prize of favor (and money) from the King of Lóng City...but nothing is going quite the way Kai had hoped. Instead of living a rich, luxurious lifestyle Kai somehow finds himself a failing wizard apprentice to his formidable mother. Instead of enjoying the company of his best friend - who could possibly be more - Yún seems more preoccupied with studying, excelling at the same classes that Kai struggles to keep an interest in. Even when she does deign to spend time with Kai, to him it always seems that she's more interested in bossing him around and showing him up. When the King of Lóng City is struck deathly ill and Kai's mother disappears without a word of warning, Kai knows that something terrible is afoot. When the great King of the Ghost Dragons himself tells Kai that he must reach Princess Lian to tell her of her father's sickness, Kai has no choice but to accept the mission - after all, how often does a King of Ghost Dragons ask or need a mere mortal for help?

Together, Kai and Yún make the dangerous journey to reach the Phoenix Empire and reunite with Lian. Someone is plotting the downfall of the King, and once again, these three unlikely friends - and their Spirit Companion animals - must work together and save the day.

Fox & Phoenix is the first full length book in the Lóng City series, although there is a short story that precedes this volume - and readers that don't know that might be a little confused by this book. Though the book technically can be read as a stand alone novel, there is some subtext and relationships between characters that is better understood after reading "Pig, Crane, Fox" (which tells the story of the first adventure of Kai, Yún, and Lian). Nevertheless, even without reading the short story first, there is enough detail and supplemented backstory to get readers acquainted at least with the characters, how they have arrived in their current positions, and then of course, the current adventure kicks off. From a pure plotting and storytelling perspective, Fox & Phoenix is a delight for the reader craving action, intrigue, danger, and - thankfully - a dose of well-timed humor.

In addition to the pressing quest to alert Lian of her father's condition and bring her home to staunch whatever nefarious power machinations that are afoot, Kai and his spirit companion Chen (a smarmy, ethereal pig) also grapple with Kai's feelings towards Yún (confusing and infuriating for Kai, but ultimately hilarious and endearing for his audience). I loved the relationship between these two characters, and how utterly clueless Kai is towards the girl of his dreams. As a narrator and protagonist, Kai is also endearing in that he knows how to play to other peoples' expectations - when they look at him, they see a slightly dim Mountain boy who cares more about goofing off than anything else. And, since he actually is quite intelligent (when he puts his mind to it, of course) Kai takes advantage of his innocuous appearance to the fullest. I also adored smart, bossy Yún and her dedication towards her friends, and her decisions not to take Kai's at times jerky behavior. She's definitely not just a sidekick or love interest, but rather firmly in the Hermione Granger camp of female companions (aka, awesome). Lian is another strong female character with a more refined edge and the weight of a kingdom - even an Empire - on her young shoulders, which she handles with grace.

The only aspect of Fox & Phoenix that didn't quite work is the worldbuilding. I love the setting of Lóng City and the Phoenix Empire - Chinese-based fantasy is one of my favorite alternate history settings, period, and Ms. Bernobich does a fantastic job creating a new world with Chinese influences, from nomenclature and character speech to food and setting. I also love the idea of animal spirit companions - Chen, Kai's pig spirit, is a delight and of course reminiscent of Philip Pullman's daemons - and the construct of a spirit plane beyond the human realm, which can only be accessed by those with magical capabilities. Where things felt a little shaky to me, however, was in the blend between magic and technology. For all intents and purposes, the Phoenix Empire and Lóng City are historical fantasy locations. There are monarchs, Empererors, peasants, and merchants, all living in a medieval style society. And yet...this society also possesses technological artifacts - like cell phones, television monitors, elevators, and trains - that run on magic (as opposed to electricity or steam). The two elements were never fully reconciled in a convincing way, at least in my mind, so the references to talk phones and vid screens were jarring and threw me out of the story. Magic and technology certainly can coexist and many books have proven that point, however, I simply couldn't quite believe in it here.

That complaint aside, I thoroughly enjoyed Fox & Phoenix for its strong characters, its fast-paced plotting, and the fantastical setting in an alternate version of China, and I hope to return to Lóng City with Kai, Yún & Lian very soon.

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

At the beginning of this story I was lost. I was reading what felt like a sequel, but after double checking, I couldn't find another book that came before. Supposedly, this was the first in a new series. Only after I finished the book and read some reviews (which I never do before, way too many ways to spoil my reading experience) did I find out that this story was indeed a sequel to a short story published with several others. Okay. This kind of colored my reading, but I tried to get over it and enjoy the story for what it was. It was a teen's adventure, including humorous outakes, reminiscent of His Dark Materials with spirit companions and an odd blend of magic and highly advanced technology set in a medieval China-esque world.

Sounds like a lot to take in...and it was. I didn't understand how the magic worked (apparently, neither did our protagonist), I didn't understand a lot of the politics (more on that later), and I didn't really understand the interplay between Kai and Yun. By the end, I realized their lack of communication and Kai's abysmal understanding of girls was supposed to be funny, but I just found it antagonizing. I kept waiting for Kai to grow up, quit whining, and start being honest, especially with those who meant the most to him. He never did, in my opinion, which is why the ending made me sour-pucker a bit.

I think it's obvious I didn't really enjoy Kai's character. And I didn't enjoy the author's ploy to keep us from guessing what was really happening before she was ready to reveal it by basically making the protagonist completely uninterested or dense about what was actually going on around him. He tuned out a whole lot more than he tuned in. She even said thing like "blah, blah, blah" when he wasn't interested in a conversation involving politics or trade. Really?

However, the other characters, particularly the female ones, were quite enjoyable. Lian was regal, fierce, smart, and fun. I liked her from the moment she was introduced in Kai's memories. I loved Kai's mother too. I didn't see the real point of the griffin except as comic relief when the spirit companions disappeared, but he was somewhat endearing and revealed things about Yun's character that I liked.

What this book lacked in the characterization of its protagonist it made up for in world-building. The world was quite beautiful and intensely interesting. I would like to spend more time there, particularly if its from the perspective of a different character, one who pays attention to the details. A story is built on small details and there were enough here to keep me interested, but it left me wanting. I was a little desperate, confused and intrigued all at the same time.

This story wasn't bad, and parts of it were quite fun. If the protagonist wasn't quite so disillusioned and uninterested I might have been a bit more interested. And if a proper background had been given I wouldn't have spent quite so much time feeling lost. Read the short story first and I'm sure your reading experience will be exponentially better than mine.

[Emily Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book failed to mention one thing to me, which became blatantly apparent in only the first couple pages.
It is a sequel.
I used to be horrible at this. I would always pick up a book off the shelf that was a sequel to something, and not realize until I got home and either was completely confused when I started reading it, or would look inside the cover and it would say that it was a sequel to so-and-so. So I got extremely careful when choosing books. I always make sure that what I am getting does not say anywhere that it is number X in a series, or that it is a follow up to another book, or what have you. This book is a sequel. Don't let it lie to you. It doesn't say that anywhere inside the cover, front or back, or in the first couple pages. But as the action unfolds, it is extremely clear that you're missing something. It explains events that happened in the past with an odd amount of detail, enough that you know something happened, but also not quite enough, as though you are supposed to already know what went on.
It's a sequel to a short story that Beth Bernobich wrote, it's published a few places around the web if you google it. Just a warning, you'll feel much less lost if you read it first.

In general, I did like the book. Bernobich had interesting ideas for the setting, what with the magic flux and kingdoms. I would like to know where she based her world off of, because I have a feeling it's China, and I would like to know in more detail. I feel like the ending has a bit of an unresolved plot point (not a major one though), but overall it was fairly stable in terms of delivery and did a good job of tying in plenty of bits and pieces. It's a good read, really, if you are willing to look past that initial confusion of "I swear this has got to be a sequel why doesn't it just admit it already?!" (if you couldn't guess, getting past that point was a little difficult for me).

[Sandy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Started this, but quickly became bored out of my mind with endless world-building and minimal plot and character development. Gave up quick.

[Isabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the beginning, it sort of feels like a sequel, but there is no previous book. There is a short story which I assume was written previously. It's kind of fun to feel like you're jumping into the middle of things though.

A fun blend of science fiction-fantasy and Chinese culture. At first I was a little unsure about the Chinese part, because it's a bit weird for a non-Chinese author to incorporate so much pinyin and such into her book. Then I thought that maybe she's half-and-half, and you can't tell she's Chinese just by looking at her. I poked around the internet a little, but I couldn't confirm nor deny that. If you know, please tell me.

As for the "writing" on the cover, I know it's not Chinese, simplified or traditional, so I'm pretty sure it's gibberish.

I don't think that I would have cared that much about that kind of stuff previously, but Grace Lin's blog post The Wrong Question really got me thinking about that kind of stuff. https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...

In any case, an imaginative world and nice book that I still enjoyed.

[Liza]

Yeah, this book should have included the prequel short story cause the lack of context makes getting into this book way too difficult.

[Shannon Kitchens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once upon a stupid time, I liked Fairy Tales.

Ai-ya, what's not to like? .... And they never tell you how your heart's desire might be a dangerous thing.

Or in my case, just so damn boring.

When I picked up Fox and Phoenix and read that opener, I was hooked. This was the story of a former fairy tale hero, and what became of him. This was going to be amazing!

Alas, Fox and Phoenix did not live up to my expectations. The story never became the story I wanted or hoped for. And it never became something better. Instead, I'm left with a strange Asian, magic-punk (cuz it's neither steam or cyber punk, but feels like something akin), with a dash of Philip Pullman geared towards the younger end of YA. (I often felt that this story would really appeal to a 13/14 year old, instead of the older end of the spectrum.)

What failed:

-The back story. This is a stand alone novel. The original short story, Pig, Crane, Fox, was originally published in an anthology I never read. I did not read it prior to reading this novel, and often grimaced because I really felt like I was missing something major. This book does not stand alone. It needs the companion story, and sadly, it does not come with the novel. Perhaps I would have been more satisfied with the story if I had.

-The Spirit Creatures. What was up with them? They served NO purpose. Really. I think the story would have been fine if they'd never been there. Oh, except the title wouldn't work. Fox and Phoenix are the spirits of the heroes of the story. But not the protagonists. But even then, they felt like half formed versions of His Dark Materials Daemons. Yeah, I could have lived without them.

-The tricky story of the Protagonist not being the hero of the story. Kai is our protagonist. The story the glorified journey of a messenger. (In this respect, I could believe that a 14 year old could have done this journey. So, on that hand, it's great for younger readers to associate with a tamer quest.) However, it's not Kai who saves the day in my opinion. Or even Kai who does anything. He just goes on a fairly easy journey to find the sorta lost princess. But the tale is definitely the Princess's. It's the Great Gatsby story form. The story isn't really about our narrator. (And this also greatly reminded me of all the things I disliked about Final Fantasy 12). It's a difficult story to do, and Fox and Phoenix failed.

-Kai. Oh my god I hated Kai. He's just so.... vacant. He talks about who he was and what he use to be, and all I got as a whiny shell of this hero from another story. He never lives up to being the hero he is clearly capable of. Plus, he whines. A LOT. Especially about money (which didn't make a whole lot of since to me because I thought he was loaded from saving the princess before this novel started). I kept waiting and waiting for Kai to blossom into the hero he use to be...and he doesn't. I'm not even sure why he's rewarded at the end of the story. Seriously. What did he do?

As much as I'm ripping this book apart, I will say, that the world building was simply facinating. I love this land and I want to read more. It's this crazy Asian mash-up of magic and technology. It's lovely! I mean, they totally worked cell phones in as a believable item! Loved loved loved it!

My closing thoughts on this novel is that is wildly creative, but lacking. It felt like a short story dragged out into a novel. And if it had been a short story, I probably would have loved it (even never reading the first part). However, it would make an excellent read for a 13 year old, and I'm desperate to get my hands on the short story predecessor.

[Stéphanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve been slowly reading my way through every Beth Bernobich novel and story, and while FOX & PHOENIX may not be my favorite, it’s definitely a book I want to keep on my bookshelf (and not just because it’s pretty). Unfortunately, as I write this, it seems to be out of print, but it is still available as an e-book. This novel is ambitious and I think the author took great care to tell her story. It feels like she cares about her characters, because instead of making them perfect, she made them human.

Kai is the narrator of this story, and unlike in the prequel where he helped Princess Lian out of Lóng City, his goal is to bring her back. In the prequel, he was able to convince her father for her to attend University in Phoenix City, but now that the king is dying, Kai needs to personally bring her back home because it seems like the message about the dying king hasn’t made it into Lian’s hands. Politics is ever present in this story, and as Kai takes the months long journey to Phoenix City, he encounters many set backs sent by enemies inside the Lóng City court. What I like most about Kai is that he’s not the perfect protagonist. He doesn’t know the answer to everything, and he’s not the best at everything. As a magic conjurer’s apprentice, he’s alright at what he does, but his once best friend Yùn, is better at it. Sure, she studies more and works harder at it, but since they’re both being apprenticed by Kai’s mother, Kai thinks he can get a free pass for everything. When the time comes where he needs to use his magic and it fails him, Yùn comes to his rescue, making him envious of her talents. Think of Kai as Harry Potter where his general knowledge and courage makes him a good hero, but he wouldn’t be anywhere without Yùn who is knowledgeable and dedicated like Hermione.

One of my favorite characters is Chen, Kai’s companion spirit. Every citizen has a companion spirit and they all take different shapes. Chen is a pig, but no matter what his appearance is, he’s a reliable companion and Kai’s constant friend. His sarcasm and funny replies is what makes him such a great character, and as comic relief, I really missed him when him and many other companions disappeared for some unknown reason. The spirit companions pull through in the end and are reunited with their human at the most convenient time.

Getting to Phoenix City definitely isn’t easy, but getting Lian out might turns out to be even more difficult. Phoenix City politics prevents Lian to return to her city, and leaving the Phoenix City court seems almost impossible. With the help of new and old friends, returning Lian to her city might just save her father’s life.

In a way, the story is a there and back travel adventure, and that story, on it’s own, wouldn’t hold up. What saves the book is the wonderful and magical world Beth Bernobich created. The world building is actually what I liked the most about FOX & PHOENIX. The world is rich with cultural detail and political elements that normally wouldn’t be expect in young adult books. I find it clever how she replaced our world’s modern need for electricity and/or gas with this world’s need for magic. Magic flux is a commodity that controls everything from communication devices to transportation, and like our gas and electricity, citizens need to pay taxes and fees in order to use it. Magic is also something that’s traded, even to the point where some regions run dry because too much was used up or diverted to the big cities. The ever present Asian culture is also captivating because, while I can’t really pin point exactly which country inspired Bernobich, it allows the readers to identify with some elements they might recognize. Despite the Asian influence, the culture and history is without a doubt straight from the mind of a brilliant story teller that I enjoy rediscovering every once in a while.

[Sydney Gorelick]

In Fox & Phoenix, by Beth Bernobich, two apprentices of magic in a magical, imperial asian setting, are out to find the princess. Her father, the king, is sick with a deadly disease, and the princess is the only one who can save him.
I think this book falls into the category of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson, in that it is based off of Japanese mythology, at least loosely. Every person has a spirit companion, and that strikes me as quite like Imperial Japanese mythology. The magic system in this book is more like the system in Sarah Prineas’ The Magic Thief or Brandon Mull’s The Beyonders, because you have to speak very specifically to make the spell work. In the book, there is an emperor who wishes (spoilers!) keep the princess in his kingdom so she won't go back to help her father. I think this kind of corruptness isn’t prominent in most governments, but corruptness itself is always going to be in a government sooner or later. In this case, it directly contributes to the direction and conflict of the story. I think if everyone was selfless and kind, our world would be a much better place to live. The only negative criticism I can give is about Kai, the main character. I wish his personality was more developed and layered, because it seemed very flat and lacking.
If you want something interesting or different to read while you wait for the next book in some other series, Fox & Phoenix would be a good book for you.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is great! I would recommend it to people who like fantasy and adventure stories, and I bet lovers of realistic fiction would also appreciate the quality of writing in intense plot. The book starts out by explaining what happened to Kai, the main character in the story, before the time in which the book takes place telling this information won't really ruin the story, to read on! Kai used to be the leader of a gang of friends in Lóng city. The gang won a competition in which they had to do three impossible things, meeting the princess of the city, Lian, in the process. Then they helped Lian go to the pheonix empire to learn statecraft. Okay, back to the present. Kai's gang has mostly split up and gone their own path, and the king of Lóng city is dying. The king of the ghost dragons (yes, there are ghost dragons) sends Kai on a quest to travel to pheonix empire to tell Lian about her father and bring her back to Lóng city. With the help of his friend Yan, Kai makes his way to the pheonix empire. Along the way, Kai and Yan confront mercenaries, avalanches, biting cold, steep mountains, and more mercenaries!

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent story! It took me a bit to warm up to the main character but I really liked the world building, the eastern-inspired cultures and set up and interesting plot so I kept going.

Lots of fun things going on - ghost dragons sending the main on a quest to help the dying king, miniature zombie griffin who needs magic to stay alive and is able to weild magic himself, a princess being held against her will, the use of electrical type terms and devices powered by magic similar to electricity here...who doesn't consider electricity to be a bit magical?...and a touch of teen angst and romance to mesh it all together.

I had lots of fun reading this one and didn't want to put it down.

But, I'm a bit confused; the author's info at the end of the book (and in fact the info I got from the library too) made this seem like a first book but I see online that there is a preceding story which is also mentioned in the book. In any case, definitely worth a read.

[Jayme Swallow · Rating 1 out of 5]

So I started reading fox and Phoenix by Beth Bernobich, and I was a little lost, right off the bat. So I'm like, okay, it's a fantasy novel, I'll give it some time. But it just never kicked in. I was halfway through the book and I didn't understand anything. It was super scattered and everything was new and nothing was explained as far as her invented terminology and world, and there were references to a past adventure of sorts. So I start to think, "Hey, did I pick up a sequel?" and scan the cover. Nothing. The back of the book. Nothing. Look inside the book. Front flap. Back flap. Also written by. Nothing!! So I gave up. I didn't like it and I didn't understand it because I didn't know this world. Then internet research let me know that it is a sequel. TO A SHORT STORY PUBLISHED ONLINE. For real? Maybe do a better job of letting people know next time you write a book, Beth. Cuz this was just lame.

http://myabsolutelyridiculouslife.blo...

[Karyn Silverman · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75, let's say. Really unusual fantasy, with a Bordertown feel-- magic allows for lots of stuff that in our world is technology, and the magic flux operates almost like electricity. The Asian influence was fresh--like Eon, this takes it and transforms it. But while I'd certainly pass this on to someone who liked Eon for the Asian flavor, it's a totally different book. I did find myself wanting to read the first book, but actually this IS book 1; Kai references earlier adventures that seem like they should exist in a book.
Also, what is up with the juvenile packaging? It's all off page and somewhat subtle, but these are older teens (17? 19?) and they are sexually active, while the package (at least on the ARC) reads 10-14. Arg! Hate when books that could skew up are packaged down.

[Pestozesto · Rating 2 out of 5]

I accidentally read this without reading the first book in the series, but I actually don't feel like I missed too much. The protagonist gives you enough of a background in flashbacks, I think.

He's kind of annoying and whiny, and he is always complaining about how expensive something is, but deep down I think he's a good kid. I liked the world here - a little bit inconsistent, but if you don't think about it too hard, it all works out. You've got magic, machines, intrigue, food, all in an Asian-inspired world. Novel and fun, though not anything ground-shaking. A fun way to pass the time.

[oliviasbooks · Rating 1 out of 5]

Abandoned after reading 9% of the lot, 1) because of the bratty, bragging hero and 2) because I felt cheated/at loss/demented due to the fact that I wasn't informed that this is a series that really starts counting at zero, and that volume one is the sequel, in which a famous trickster hero had to learn to live a normal life, doing normal household chores and getting the girl of his dreams by being a friend instead of just being as male as possible. Duh.

[Deirdre · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story! It's a bit confusing at first - the author throws you right into the middle of her plot and her rather involved magical world. After I got settled, though, I found the book to be good fun. (Evidently there's a prequel somewhere?)

I listened to the audiobook. The narrator did a great job of keeping the various characters distinct, which I really appreciated. He brought the various (and fascinating) magical creatures to life particularly well.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

you know, it would have been WONDERFUL if it mentioned somewhere, ANYWHERE on this book that this was the sequal in a series. no wonder i felt like i was getting half the story and NOTHING was explained properly. i'm sorry to give this a low rating, but i guess i might enjoy it better after i read the first book....

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

It'd have been four stars if it hadn't felt weirdly like I was reading book two in a series. Which, as it turns out, I was reading a book that uses previous events from a short story. Word of advice? Let your reader know that. It drove me fucking insane.

[Tressa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fox and Phoenix had an intriguing world that combined magic and technology and an interesting premise. Unfortunately, as the story progressed, the less I liked Kai. So, I stopped listening to the story, but the narration was pretty good.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tamora Pierce has a cover quote indicating that she loved this, and yet her Goodreads rating for it is only four out of five stars. What am I getting into?!
Update: couldn't get into it. The story had potential , but the character development was poor. I didn't care about them at all.

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very confusing, I always felt like I had entered a movie halfway through.

[Shay · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just couldn't get into this.

[Chris Evans · Rating 2 out of 5]

The world is decent, but I'm afraid it's a bit dull. It became a slog to finish towards the end.

[Mary Mackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed it! Looks like it will be another good series. Young adult literature, but snags adult attention, too.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sequel to Pig, Crane, Fox (Lóng City), available on Kindle. You can read the book without reading the first short story. I did.

Every person has an animal spirit that shows up in their childhood, sort of like The Golden Compass. But this book is on a different continent, without the 'dealing with evil parents agenda" (Loved the movie, hated the book ending.)

Kai Zou is a street lord, with a small gang of friends, each of whom have strengths and weaknesses. Kai Zou's mother owns a magic shop and teaches magic; Kai Zou has to help out, creating conflicts between his street life and home life.

Kai Zou's animal spirit is a pig, smelly with a smart mouth. The pig is usually right, which annoys Kai Zou no end. Along with other spirit animals, other spirits are a (dead) stone griffin, and dragons - ghost dragons, of the occidental type.

In the previous book, Kai Zou gave the Princess her impossible wish. This book is the fall out from that wish. This book stands on it's own but it would be nice to have the prequel read by this same reader. I give the reader high marks for the accent, as well as the reading, which contributes to the Far East atmosphere. I can't tell you what culture inspired this fantasy, (Vietnamese,Chinese?). The real joy of this book is that it is from the opposite side of the world from western traditions, making for a refreshing new slant on magic.

And the food they eat sounds great. Wish the restaurants were in Tucson.

This book is on my list of best of 2012 (that's when I found it) along with "The Wizard of Dark Street", and all time favorite "Fly by Night".

Here's hoping for sequels or companion books.

[Thistle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story shouldn't have been as forgettable as it was. I started reading it only a couple days ago, but couldn't remember anything about it.

Set in a China-like city, everyone had a spirit companion (one of the Chinese zodiac animals). A young thief, Kai, and his best friend Yan have to work together to rescue a princess from... something something.

The story felt like a middle book even though it was the first of a series. The worldbuilding was interesting, but I didn't connect with the main character or the story.

DNF

[Eric Cone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Finding out it was the first book in a series, I eagerly looked to acquire the second. But, there is no second book, and since it was published 11 years ago and the author has published another series and a standalone since then, I do not think there will be another. That is too bad, because I would happily read a whole series of books about these characters and the rich setting in which they live.

[Miles · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh...

It started off promising, but it left a LOT to be desired. The writing itself wasn't that interesting and the story felt hollow, and I got bored pretty often through the second half.

I hate leaving reviews like this, but these are my honest thoughts about the book.

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

The world was fun and interesting, but I didn't really become invested in the characters.