Phoenix Rises Dragon Soars

by Charlotte Saulter

An empire in turmoil. A forbidden magic promising death. Four lives changed forever.

The Emperor is dead and his widow’s rule drowns the land in fear. Soldiers terrorise the very people they should protect, taxes bleed the poor, and the executioner’s blade awaits any accused of using magic.

A mercenary haunted by his past risks his future for a chance at the family he thought he could never have.

A noblewoman, bereft of home and memory, begins reclaiming her past to avenge those she lost.

A disgraced commander hunts the truth behind his family’s murders, leaving death and destruction in his wake.

A shamaness is driven from sanctuary by the desperate actions of a grieving man.

Through everything, the thread of a dangerous magic runs deep. Volatile as its wielder’s emotions, it forges bonds of loyalty and love and holds the power to reshape the Empire’s fate.

But trust is fragile. And when long-buried secrets surface, bonds may shatter… And vengeance may be all that remains.

Set in a world inspired by Imperial China, Phoenix Rises Dragon Soars is a dark character-driven epic fantasy and the unforgettable beginning of the Four Guardians Trilogy.

For fans of the close character focus and gritty style of books like Devin Madson's We Ride The Storm, James Islington’s The Will Of The Many, and John Gwynne’s The Shadow Of The Gods.

Genres: Fantasy

438 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 14, 2025

About the author

Charlotte Saulter grew up in Germany, lived a decade in the Netherlands, and has now settled in the United Kingdom with her partner and a slightly psychotic rescue cat. She suffers from a (mostly) moderate case of ME/CFS, is a self-proclaimed failed perfectionist and holds no university degrees, but has never let any of that stop her from chasing her passions.
Fluent in three languages — though only truly mastering the comma rules in one — Charlotte splits her time between writing, working in IT, creating digital art, and attempting to turn her garden into a wildlife haven that doesn’t look like an abandoned plot.

Reviews

[Devin (Bromantasy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phoenix Rises Dragon Soars certainly doesn’t feel like it is a debut, it’s an intriguing story told from multiple POVs to give it that epic fantasy feel and avoids some common pitfalls in the process. It explores some heavy themes with the delicate but vividly descriptive prose required to really nail that grimdark feel of high stakes and emotionally charged moments. It also has one hell of an interesting pair of protagonist and a yearning romantic subplot to really bring it all together earning this a 4.0/5.

The real star of Phoenix Rises Dragon Soars is not that the magic system is incredibly cool, high stakes, and shrouded in a bit of mystery. It’s not the rich cultural world Saulter has built, with an epic but still intimate feel, nor is it the interesting overall arc and intrigue that she’s built with her ending. The standout of this novel is the characters, and while they’re all interesting and well fleshed out, Longwei was the most memorable for me. His story is so tragic and his internal struggle with trying to become a better person while still maintaining his identity was incredible. The empathy I had for him was on another level, every time he would slip up or make a decision for the wrong reasons and then have to face the consequences made his character feel so viscerally real and human.

Full in-depth review can be found at BroMantasy.com

[Keon Shore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of reading this book last month and for me it ticked all the right boxes. I'm a sucker for Asian culture especially in film and fantasy, so Chinese period dramas etc. is a thing for me. This book leans into Chinese culture while still taking artistic liberties in all the right places.

The book centers around four main characters who've all had some heavy suffering in their past--whether recent or more distant, but they're all a little broken. The story develops to show they all share the same enemy and while not natural allies to begin with, they become something like family... almost.

Magic in this world is mysterious and widely unknown. It's forbidden and those that use it hunted and killed. However, the main enemy is powerful in more than one way, and has their own magic, willing to use it without compunction just to play their game.

This story has tragedy, action, adventure, romance and intrigue, with flawed and relatable characters. What more can you ask for? It was a joy to read and I'm looking forward to the continuation. The ending is unresolved but still satisfying.

If I had to criticize one thing it would be the "misunderstanding"/ lie that's built up throughout the story. It's well crafted overall, but the issue at the heart of it seems a bit too trivial for the reactions it's meant to elicit. However, considering cultural differences surrounding propriety and class (that lean into Chinese period customs) this may make sense and I give it the benefit of the doubt.

If I had to commend one thing, it would be the attention to detail in making this a fantasy-cultural experience with Chinese style names and curses, curved eaves and many other small and not so small story elements.

I've seen others criticize the dialogues as anachronistic and weapon names as cultural mix-ups or something along the lines but I really can't relate to those things as problematic. I never lost immersion because anything like that. Overall this was a very nice read for me and I'd recommend it.

[L. Garrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phoenix Rises Dragon Soars is one of those rare fantasy books that never quite steers itself in the expected direction. From the premise and the way the narrative progresses, you’d expect for this to be a heartwarming story of found-family, of four brave and heroic people coming together to aim their collective magical might at the nation’s depraved ruler.

It’s kind of like that, but better.

Firstly, the characters are far more complex and far less heroic. They’re human, riddled with realistic flaws that, on a few notable occasions, do get in the way of them achieving their goals. There are elements of the found family trope, but nothing overwhelming, and certainly no instantaneous connections between the four main characters that would’ve otherwise felt contrived or melodramatic. Their dynamic feels earned as it slowly develops. These aren’t four heroes who become best friends by being bound through a common cause; they are four morally complicated people whose paths cross by pure chance and who are forced together not only for convenience, but also for safety.

Secondly, the progression of the narrative was never smooth. The characters felt real in the sense that their plans were thwarted by something as simple as the weather. Rather than magic their way out of a situation to lower the stakes and risk reader investment, Shufang, Longwei, Jindai, and Huizhong had to adapt and, at times, halt their plans entirely.

Thirdly, there is no swift resolution. Not yet, anyway. This being only the first book in a series, the main antagonist remains at large, with the focus here being on a smaller step towards the bigger aim. It makes the bad guy feel more unreachable, more protected, which in turn raises the stakes.

There is a minor romantic subplot, but this feeds into the plot in a believable and rewarding way. The romantic dynamic is neither easily resolved nor without its hurdles. The fights and
disagreements felt authentic, to the point that one blistering confrontation between Longwei and Shufang left me feeling undecided who I’d side with because they both raised good points and both were right in their indignation.

The magical exploration was handled with tact and care. None of the characters came into their powers easily, and each display of Wuxing felt like the result of a hard lesson learned. A fantasy saga where an overpowered MC or two master their powers with a click of their fingers, this is not.
I also really appreciated the dark territory this book sometimes strayed into. Longwei and Jindai’s backstories, for example, hint at enslavement and the murder of entire families, respectively. Two different men tried, at different points, to force themsevles on Shufang, highlighting how dangerous this world is for women. Longwei is quite seriously assaulted, and in the aftermath feels confused and stressed and disgusted with himself as he grapples with what happened.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read. The only real drawback, for me, was how suddenly the book ends. There was a climax to the third act, but it felt like there was more to come, like we hadn’t yet encountered the true conflict of this part of the narrative. I’m sure book 2 will expand the plot, but I just wish this one had been a bit more explosive in its last act, when Longwei and Shufang are enacting their plan to secure their way into the Empress’s palace.

[Amelia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley for an arc of this one in exchange for an honest review.

I’m really torn on this one.

We’ll begin with the praise.

90% of the points I’ve given this book are on the basis of sheer ambition. For a debut author this was a sprawling, epic world that Saulter has crafted and it was a place I absolutely loved reading about. This has the airs of Jade City, ATLA and the Poppy War, all of which are media I really enjoy and so me putting this on par (in terms of world building and mythos) is extremely complimentary. I found worldbuilding was authentic and organically sewn in. Especially learning about how the spirit animals are tied to magic (hence the ATLA comp), and the animals especially the fox were really fun additions to the cast.

The plot was slow building but I really enjoyed that there are lots of different angles too it. The intertwining plotlines were really fun to follow and build your own theories for. There are constantly lots of little clues laid into what you’re reading here, and following the cast learn about their powers and the cost of using them was really interesting. I love magic systems with cost and this was a great example of that. Magic and its use has weight and Saulter did a great job of making sure you feel that weight.

I’m not usually a huge fan of the amnesia trope in writing but Shufang’s arc was quite enjoyable. It’s not an instant fix, you follow her story as she rebuilds to what she’d been and what she saw, and the emotional power of that was really impactful.

I understand this is set in a reimagining of Imperial China, in terms of world building that’s absolutely the vibes this gives off. However, in terms of dialogue it sounded both extremely modern, and honestly quite cringey. The very first line we see from one of the MMC is “time to make some money.” This along with quite a few anachronisms scattered sporadically tend to draw you out of the story.

In theory this should have been an extremely interesting villain, unfortunately I don’t feel like we saw enough of the Empress for her to be as bloodthirsty and dangerous as the blurb makes her out to be. Largely we hear about her being evil rather than see it, which diminishes her impact massively for me. There’s quite a lot of telling not showing here, and as the prose is already very barebones, for a book about somewhere as colourful and vibrant as I understand imperial China to have been, this felt flat.

On the topic of prose, not only was it not very lyrical as I tend to enjoy fantasy works as being, it’s extremely repetitive and leaves very little room for reader interpretation. Every beat is laid out, every sagger sheathed , every bent knee every blink. It bogs down the text with unnecessary, unimaginative detail unfortunately.

Additionally while I understand this was an unproofed arc, there were a few repeated passages.

Where my review unfortunately shifts from critique to genuine issue with the work centres on the topic of sexual assault among the cast. PRDS hosts two such characters, one of which is male, an already fairly underrepresented archetype in media. I was sincerely hoping it would be done well here and sadly this was not the case.

A FLI is assaulted quite early on and very nearly SA’d and very little weight is given to this fact. Then toward the end, a MMC with a history of abuse was actually SA’d and I’m sad to say this felt played for shock value/plot advancement as well as another barrier between him and the FLI. Initially it seems genuine weight will be given to an incredibly sensitive subject, but in the end it felt extremely brushed off.

I believe there’s a lot of good foundation here, with some polishing and more thought given to sensitive topics this could easily become something great.

[Jordan LeBlanc · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is based on an ARC received through Netgalley.

The Rose, or what I liked most about the book. The pace. This is the kind of book that could pull you from a reading slump. The pages and scenes move along at a good clip, especially in the first half of the book. I liked the setting of a dark fantasy inspired Imperial China, the magic system was good without taking up too much exposition. This book really blends genres too, which works great for me, but might be off putting to some. For instance, most of the book is firmly in the Dark Fantasy genre, then some scenes are downright grimdark (which I love btw), and there was more of a romance aspect than I had anticipated from the description. Again, it works for me but might not for those that prefer to know exactly what they’re getting into.

The Bud, or an idea for improvement or something to look forward to. The story could have done with more set dressing. I would have liked more descriptions of the scenes, and some scenes could have used a bit more time to breathe. Again though, not to be at the expense of the faster flowing narrative mentioned above. I’d much prefer a little bit of sparseness here and there than minute detail and bloated page counts of some stories I’ve read elsewhere.

The Thorn, or what didn’t work for me. The last half of the book drags a big much compared to the first half, until it gets to the final few chapters which really moved along. I was also frustrated at times with the character’s decision-making. Lastly, I felt the story had more to tell, and had space to do it. I know there are more books planned for the series, but I think this book would have benefited by giving a bit more material to the antagonist, as well as the fate drawing the characters together.

I sincerely hope Saulter continues the series as they planned. There's a lot to work with going forward!

[Kiki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to preface this review by saying this story is dark! Please check your triggers before starting this book.

I think this book is a great start to the series! I enjoyed the setting and the characters and I believe the magic system to be unique.

The setting of the story was vivid and I could envision the places the characters were really well. And the setting was perfect for the story! A few situations were resolved quite quickly. One of the situations was Shufang losing her father, and another was Longwei being SA’d while being in a dreamlike state. But I suspect these situations will be picked up and explored more or resolved in the next book.

One thing for me that held me back from really connecting with the characters is the switching of POVs in the same chapter. The book is written in third person, which makes it better, but sometimes I felt like there were certain situations where it would be better to spend a little more time with the character in which point of view we were in. But other than that, it was a great read and a dark fantasy that really speaks to me!

I am excited to see where the story goes and how the characters grow from all they have been through in this book. And they went through A LOT.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC of this book!

[Maran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley, Victory Editing Netgalley Cooperative, and Charlotte Saulter for providing me with a copy of the book. I am excited to leave a review.

Phoenix Rises Dragon Soars is the first book in the Four Guardians series. The book is set in a world inspired by Imperial China where the widowed Empress rules. The military is terrorizing the people and wielding or even talking about magic is punishable by death.

The main characters, Shufang, Longwei, Jindai, and Huizhong, are complex and bring their own history into the story that permeates their interactions with each other and others around them. Longwei and Shufang are morally grey and watching them navigate their history is endearing.

The plot is well written and sets a beautiful base for the rest of the series. I will definitely be continuing this series to see how the story continues to develop.

[East of Reality · Rating 2 out of 5]

trigger warnings for: rape

There are a lot of small things in this book that stood out to me, and not in a good way; rather than list them off, I’m just going to use one example: the quarterstaff. While every culture around the world has had some form of staff as a weapon or tool, the quarterstaff itself is a specific European weapon. So when an Asian character in an Asian inspired world uses a quarterstaff … I can’t help but be taken out of the story. It’s no different than if the character used a rapier, which is — yes, a sword .. but a very specific type of sword. Much like I wouldn’t expect a knight in a fantasy Germany to use a katana or a boomerang.

It speaks to a lack of respect which, taken alongside using another culture’s language, mythology, and, well, culture, edges more into appropriation than appreciation. I say this, though, as someone who is neither Chinese nor Asian, someone who has watched (perhaps too many) cdramas and kdramas, someone who has read (perhaps too many) danmei, who has spent too much reading blogs about historical Asian cooking techniques, clothing and costuming — especially those costumes used in palace dramas — and so I can only judging what I’m reading through a very western, very hobbyist lens. Just know that this book is a fantasy world inspired by China and Cdramas rather than a Chinese fantasy world; which is fine, it just bears distinction.

The characters are decent, each with a distinct feel to them. All four —- Shufang, Huizhong, Jindai and Longwei — have a solid rapport with one another. The plot is familiar, with four people discovering they all have magic, they all hate the evil empress, and they all want to make the world a better place. I think it if weren’t for my issues in the world building I might have had a better time with this book.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this epic fantasy set in world based on imperial China.

PRDS follows the vein of many epic fantasies. A small group of protagonists—some with skills, experiences and/or knowledge that will be highly useful in what is sure to come, and some without any who will have to learn as events progress—come together to battle the enemy now sitting on the empire’s throne.

Three things drew me to PRDS. The first is its setting in imperial China rather than a world based on historical Western Europe; descriptions were more subtle and less extensive than I like, but I can’t imagine this story, with these characters, in another setting. Second, PRDS’ magic system is reminiscent of Avatar: The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra, but different, too. Lastly, are the characters.

Like other epic fantasies, PRDS starts slowly, focusing on establishing the protagonists and their characterization as they gather in a small town while external plot factors move at a slower pace. This focus on the characters and Saulter’s command of reader emotions really drew me into the story and kept me turning pages.

The flowing, easy to read narrative voice concealed PRDS's darkness for me right up to when it occurred. Check the trigger warnings, because they do come up and are depicted in their cold, hard, visceral reality. At times, they read to me as shock value; however, each had significant and continuing impact on its victim and that victim’s relationships with others. I do not have the personal experiences to say whether the depictions of the acts themselves are realistic, but the consequences made them realistic to me.

I’m really looking forward to what Saulter has for us in Book 2!

[B. F. Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for an Asian-inspired dark fantasy epic with a richly developed world and a strong romantic subplot, this one's for you. Longwei, the mercenary with a dark past and nothing going in the present but a kind of loose brotherhood with his men and the hope of earning his boss's approval by visiting violence on those who fail to pay what is owed, was my favorite POV. What if seeing a pretty woman standing up to injustice and being kind to people could be enough to make such a man imagine a different kind of life altogether, one with love and a family instead of brutality and never quite being enough? What if the mere hope of helping her could inspire him to throw away everything he has and knows in an effort to seek something better? I have never seen a romance play out quite like this but I liked it a lot and I'm very invested in what happens to Longwei moving forward. I also really enjoyed all the Mandarin cursing and the little character and world details that made me feel like I was visiting a different culture, such as how a woman would bow to her father. On the whole, it was a smidge too dark to be quite rightly described as a "fun" read, but pick this one up if you like to see characters dealing with significant trauma and loss who choose to team up and fight injustice.

[Anagha Baheti · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good first attempt.

3 Positives

The magic system and the side effects. I like that using magic comes with some side effects.
The world feels quite lived in. Has a lot more professions than farmers and soldiers.
This book deals with heavy topics like abuse, but the writer handles it with sensitivity and empathy.


3 Negatives

The tone shifts between romance and adventure, and the resulting pacing issues disturbed the flow at places.
The only reason this story takes place in China is the magic system. Otherwise, the place bears no influence on the story. That was a bit disappointing.
Since the story promises a confrontation with the empress, the ending left me wanting. If that was supposed to be the overarching promise for the series, maybe Jindai should have lost the dagger way earlier.

[E. P. Soulless · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that I'm not the right audience for this book, and yet I found it quite endearing! While I understand the criticisms of fellow reviewers, Phoenix Rises, Dragon Soars captivates with its imperial China-inspired world, where forbidden guardian magic unleashes emotional chaos amid empire-wide tyranny. Redemptive romance drives a grimdark tale laced with trauma and intrigue that builds to visceral intensity. Despite a slow start, this debut opener earns its 4-stars through authentic details and the unflinching author's choices.

[Deon Schalkwyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting book which I wasn't sure how to approach.

This book more sets the scenes for what is to come in the next two books I think!

Complex characters and also believable characters who you want to succeed and they don't get anything easily which is kinda nice and makes a change as it gives shades of real life no hard work and you don't get anything for free.

Overall a decent book and look forward to the next one.

[Neelii_44 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

I don’t think the story could have been any better. As a fan of Period Chinese dramas this hits the spot. It is wonderfully written.