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The Legends of Peradon #1
Phoenix
One woman will take back her freedom. And rise.
Violetta will never forget that day. Guilt shadows her every step as she prepares to take her father’s throne. Sadly, he has other ideas. Violetta must marry or forfeit her royal birthright, but all she wants is to be free, to no longer relive the tragic events of her past. If only she can learn to love again, to put the past behind her and begin anew.
Enter Emperor Ryore Frost. Handsome. Swave. And her sworn enemy.
As Violetta feels new emotions stirring within, she finds herself inexplicably drawn to this mysterious man. Could she risk marrying her mortal enemy if it meant a chance at securing her freedom?
Four Magical Realms.
One troubled Princess.
One love-starved Emperor.
And a trio of assassins, lying in wait.
Violetta will never forget that day. Guilt shadows her every step as she prepares to take her father’s throne. Sadly, he has other ideas. Violetta must marry or forfeit her royal birthright, but all she wants is to be free, to no longer relive the tragic events of her past. If only she can learn to love again, to put the past behind her and begin anew.
Enter Emperor Ryore Frost. Handsome. Swave. And her sworn enemy.
As Violetta feels new emotions stirring within, she finds herself inexplicably drawn to this mysterious man. Could she risk marrying her mortal enemy if it meant a chance at securing her freedom?
Four Magical Realms.
One troubled Princess.
One love-starved Emperor.
And a trio of assassins, lying in wait.
- GenresFantasy
398 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 30, 2017
3 people are currently reading
1050 people want to read
About the author
Ellie Mitchell
3 books236 followersEllie Mitchell is a British book reviewer, non-profit worker, and psychology student diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome and Adhd.
All her life, she dreamed of going on grand adventures. Now, she spends her time exploring unique tales that allow her to do just that.
Ellie currently lives in Cambridgeshire, England, with her loving fiance and their two dogs.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
April 23, 2017
This is a really good well written fantasy novel with sword and sorcery added, magic, beautiful imagery, intrigue that held its own. The characters come alive and the pacing is very well organized. The action is well thought out. The descriptions were like a painting coming to life. The worldbuilding flowed naturally and impeccably. I had trouble connecting with the character Arlas, but the description of him was quite superb. Violetta, even though I understood her suffering sometimes I couldn't connect with her. But I found the display of her power and her reaction to the extent of it quite authentic and believable. The background on Peradon, which was just enough to grab the reader's attention, pulled me in from the very first words and from there captivated me. Daccari Buchelli is a masterful writer. Exceptional work, worthy of being recommended.
February 5, 2019
I received this book for free from Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Flame Queen by Dax Munro is one of my most disappointing reads of 2019.
I wanted to like The Flame Queen. The book is basically everything that I would enjoy from a book: royalty, elemental magic, assassins, struggle with destiny, etc. But unfortunately, bookwyrms, that didn't happen. 😔
This book is an absolute, fucking mess.
I'm writing this review a few days after and I'm still wondering, What the fuck did I read??? There are so many problems within the first few chapters, I stopped at 12% because I couldn't bear it anymore.
But first, a mini rundown:
All I got from the first four chapters is this: In Year C-4, Emperor Jugan is speaking to his go-to assassin, Arlas, about getting rid of his eldest son, Ryore. Ryore is considered weak to Jugan and he wants to get rid of his son before he marries and gets an heir, thereby securing his spot to the throne. However, it's impossible to get rid of him.
Reiza, one of the youngest of a rare group of Seers, foretells his son will be marrying Princess Violetta of another realm. Knowing this, Jugan goes to Arlas and asks him to get rid of Violetta before this happens. However, none of this happens and Arlas fails in his assassination attempt, killing someone else instead.
We then go into Chapter 5, bringing us to Year C-7, a few years later. Ryore is now the Emperor of his realm and Princess Violetta has developed a platonic relationship of sorts with Jennise/Jermise. Like Ryore, Violetta has no desire to do her royal duties.
The Flame Queen is a bit problematic.
I don't know if this is saying women are creatures or if it's saying seers are creatures in this world. Why call a seer, "creature?" But hold on, here's another quote for context on why I'm bothered:
If Seers are considered precious, why are they called creatures? Why are they fending for themselves? What does bom even mean? Is this their way of saying born or is it a typo that happens multiple times? I read it as bomb at first. 🤷♀️
(On a side note, we have a character who I assume is Princess Violetta's new lady in waiting and new "friend" that is introduced as Jennise at first and then Jermise. Somehow I read that Germ Meese?)
Possible typos for entertainment aside, let's continue with the next quote.
According to the previous quote, Reiza is a "precious commodity." If she's a "precious commodity," Emperor Jugan wouldn't have been so dismissive of her in the first place. But then again, I'm assuming he's also the villain of sorts, at least in the very beginning.
Also why commodity? Commodity means a useful or valuable thing. Reiza is not a thing and from what I can interpret from the novel, she's considered important. There's nothing in the text that says anything about Seers being lower on the hierarchy of this world, though. I'm assuming they are based on the amount of fantasy I read that puts certain groups above others, so I let this one problem slide. But we have more.
We have major issues that are contradictory, which makes things confusing.
Why is Ryore a weak prince? How would that make him a more pitiful ruler? I need more context. Instead, I get the surface thoughts of what one of the characters, Arlas (Emperor Jugan's go-to assassin?), knows about Emperor Jugan in the couple chapters and Munro is telling me this. I want to know why. I don't get why.
Let's bring that previous quote and put it side by side with this quote from Arlas's perspective.
For context here, Munro tells readers that Reiza, the young Seer, has seen that Emperor Jugan's son, Ryore will fall in love with Princess Violetta from another realm.
I still don't see how Ryore is considered weak? I don't see how he would be pitiful? What I do see is how the prince would be a threat, but I don't think he's weak. From a fantasy standpoint, court issues are a thing and the one who has the fucking crown generally wants to keep the fucking crown. But what's so fucking weak about Ryore?
Further on, Emperor Jugan tells Arlas this:
Again, I still don't see how Ryore is considered weak. Instead, I'm continuing to get evidence on how he would be a threat. In addition to that, I'm wondering, how is it impossible to kill him? If Ryore is so weak, it should be easy to kill him then?
Like I asked earlier, what's so fucking weak about him?
We don't get many contexts for some of the things that appear in the book.
The worldbuilding and character development are both weak. Readers are told one thing but are shown something else entirely. I feel there is so much missing from the beginning of the book when we are introduced to a character (or two) that isn't even there by the fifth chapter. What's the point of the beginning chapters then? Who are these characters? Why are they being introduced?
We have so many worldbuilding issues. So many.
In Year C-7, Munro tells us Emperor Jugan is now dead. Arlas is presumed to be alive as Ryore recalls his father's dying words that tells him Arlas will lead him to his destiny. But what destiny is this? Is Ryore's destiny with Princess Violetta and producing an heir so no one else in the realm could challenge him?
And why is Jugan important enough to be introduced to readers for four chapters? Because Arlas has his own perspective and is implied to be alive, it is safe for me to assume that he will be playing a key role in The Flame Queen. We don't know what that key role as much as we don't know what Ryore's destiny truly is.
We don't even know the villain. Emperor Jugan is dead by Chapter 5. Who is evil? Is it Arlas? Who do the characters need to watch out for? Sure, the synopsis says there are three assassins. I don't expect to know who the assassins are because I want to be surprised.
But what is the destiny we're talking about? Is there a prophecy? Was it made by Reiza? Hell, we don't even know what happened to her in Chapter 5 and 6. For all we know, she died an unfortunate death.
Finally, there is creepy stuff in here that made me uncomfortable and was the ultimate "No, thank you."
In most young adult books, the character is assumed to be in their teens, approximately 16-17 years old. The Flame Queen starts out in Year C-4 for the first four chapters, then goes to Year C-7 by the fifth chapter when we found out the age of the characters.
Y'all, Violetta is 12-years-old. TWELVE. We don't know this until Chapter 5. Hold on to that thought for a moment as we go to Chapter 6 and enter Ryore's perspective, who is now the Emperor of his realm.
I had to read those two quotes carefully a few more times to make sure I wasn't seeing things. I even checked the chapter headings to make sure there weren't any gaps for years so it's safe to assume Chapters 5 and 6 are set in Year C-7 as Chapter 5 is the beginning of a new year.
This isn't even the most disturbing part until we go further down into Chapter 6.
I only have ONE response to this, and it is in the form of a GIF.
Princess Violetta is 12-years-old. Emperor Ryore is 19-years-old. That is a seven-year gap between the two characters. Seven fucking years. I get it - history has long shown huge age gaps in marriage, but um, it's 2019. This isn't historical fiction. I don't know if this is practice in the world of The Flame Queen because it wasn't mentioned, but seven years is a huge age gap.
And that comment. Oh my goodness, let's not even get into the disturbing cringe level of that thought running through Emperor Ryore's head.
See, if we had Emperor Ryore and Princess Violetta not having any romantic relationships but having a friendship instead while battling an evil force, I would be there for that. I would continue the book. But instead, we have a fucking pedophile who's mind is in the gutter and just wants to fuck a child to produce an heir. I don't have time for this.
I am not here for these types of books.
No fucking way. Nope. Over my cute purple dragon flying across the header. And considering how long this review clocked in at, I don't want to know how long the review would have ended up as if I decided to continue with The Flame Queen.
What a fucking mess. What an absolute, fucking mess.
This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts
The Flame Queen by Dax Munro is one of my most disappointing reads of 2019.
I wanted to like The Flame Queen. The book is basically everything that I would enjoy from a book: royalty, elemental magic, assassins, struggle with destiny, etc. But unfortunately, bookwyrms, that didn't happen. 😔
This book is an absolute, fucking mess.
I'm writing this review a few days after and I'm still wondering, What the fuck did I read??? There are so many problems within the first few chapters, I stopped at 12% because I couldn't bear it anymore.
But first, a mini rundown:
All I got from the first four chapters is this: In Year C-4, Emperor Jugan is speaking to his go-to assassin, Arlas, about getting rid of his eldest son, Ryore. Ryore is considered weak to Jugan and he wants to get rid of his son before he marries and gets an heir, thereby securing his spot to the throne. However, it's impossible to get rid of him.
Reiza, one of the youngest of a rare group of Seers, foretells his son will be marrying Princess Violetta of another realm. Knowing this, Jugan goes to Arlas and asks him to get rid of Violetta before this happens. However, none of this happens and Arlas fails in his assassination attempt, killing someone else instead.
We then go into Chapter 5, bringing us to Year C-7, a few years later. Ryore is now the Emperor of his realm and Princess Violetta has developed a platonic relationship of sorts with Jennise/Jermise. Like Ryore, Violetta has no desire to do her royal duties.
The Flame Queen is a bit problematic.
The emperor grinned when two of his most trusted guards approached the doors to the throne room and allowed the little creature to enter.
I don't know if this is saying women are creatures or if it's saying seers are creatures in this world. Why call a seer, "creature?" But hold on, here's another quote for context on why I'm bothered:
It was strange how one so young could wield such power. She still looked but a novice. Nowadays, even that marked her as a precious commodity as most Seers were long dead, leaving the few who were bom to fend for themselves.
If Seers are considered precious, why are they called creatures? Why are they fending for themselves? What does bom even mean? Is this their way of saying born or is it a typo that happens multiple times? I read it as bomb at first. 🤷♀️
(On a side note, we have a character who I assume is Princess Violetta's new lady in waiting and new "friend" that is introduced as Jennise at first and then Jermise. Somehow I read that Germ Meese?)
Possible typos for entertainment aside, let's continue with the next quote.
"Please do. I've had enough of her visions for one day."
According to the previous quote, Reiza is a "precious commodity." If she's a "precious commodity," Emperor Jugan wouldn't have been so dismissive of her in the first place. But then again, I'm assuming he's also the villain of sorts, at least in the very beginning.
Also why commodity? Commodity means a useful or valuable thing. Reiza is not a thing and from what I can interpret from the novel, she's considered important. There's nothing in the text that says anything about Seers being lower on the hierarchy of this world, though. I'm assuming they are based on the amount of fantasy I read that puts certain groups above others, so I let this one problem slide. But we have more.
We have major issues that are contradictory, which makes things confusing.
Ryore made a weak prince and would only make a more pitiful ruler.
Why is Ryore a weak prince? How would that make him a more pitiful ruler? I need more context. Instead, I get the surface thoughts of what one of the characters, Arlas (Emperor Jugan's go-to assassin?), knows about Emperor Jugan in the couple chapters and Munro is telling me this. I want to know why. I don't get why.
Let's bring that previous quote and put it side by side with this quote from Arlas's perspective.
"If that were to happen, then Ryore would gain a firm grasp on my throne, particularly if he is able to produce a strong male heir. As such, I will be needing you to do me a favour."
For context here, Munro tells readers that Reiza, the young Seer, has seen that Emperor Jugan's son, Ryore will fall in love with Princess Violetta from another realm.
I still don't see how Ryore is considered weak? I don't see how he would be pitiful? What I do see is how the prince would be a threat, but I don't think he's weak. From a fantasy standpoint, court issues are a thing and the one who has the fucking crown generally wants to keep the fucking crown. But what's so fucking weak about Ryore?
Further on, Emperor Jugan tells Arlas this:
"Alas Arlas, my eldest has quite the few tricks up his sleeve. He will be hard to take out. No, impossible. It would be better to break his soul and ensure that he cannot gain future claims to the throne."
Again, I still don't see how Ryore is considered weak. Instead, I'm continuing to get evidence on how he would be a threat. In addition to that, I'm wondering, how is it impossible to kill him? If Ryore is so weak, it should be easy to kill him then?
Like I asked earlier, what's so fucking weak about him?
We don't get many contexts for some of the things that appear in the book.
The worldbuilding and character development are both weak. Readers are told one thing but are shown something else entirely. I feel there is so much missing from the beginning of the book when we are introduced to a character (or two) that isn't even there by the fifth chapter. What's the point of the beginning chapters then? Who are these characters? Why are they being introduced?
We have so many worldbuilding issues. So many.
In Year C-7, Munro tells us Emperor Jugan is now dead. Arlas is presumed to be alive as Ryore recalls his father's dying words that tells him Arlas will lead him to his destiny. But what destiny is this? Is Ryore's destiny with Princess Violetta and producing an heir so no one else in the realm could challenge him?
And why is Jugan important enough to be introduced to readers for four chapters? Because Arlas has his own perspective and is implied to be alive, it is safe for me to assume that he will be playing a key role in The Flame Queen. We don't know what that key role as much as we don't know what Ryore's destiny truly is.
We don't even know the villain. Emperor Jugan is dead by Chapter 5. Who is evil? Is it Arlas? Who do the characters need to watch out for? Sure, the synopsis says there are three assassins. I don't expect to know who the assassins are because I want to be surprised.
But what is the destiny we're talking about? Is there a prophecy? Was it made by Reiza? Hell, we don't even know what happened to her in Chapter 5 and 6. For all we know, she died an unfortunate death.
Finally, there is creepy stuff in here that made me uncomfortable and was the ultimate "No, thank you."
In most young adult books, the character is assumed to be in their teens, approximately 16-17 years old. The Flame Queen starts out in Year C-4 for the first four chapters, then goes to Year C-7 by the fifth chapter when we found out the age of the characters.
With the door closed behind him, Violetta was left to her own devices. In her own time, she got to her feet, covering her body as she made for the door. She may only have been twelve years of age, but she would go without a fight.
Y'all, Violetta is 12-years-old. TWELVE. We don't know this until Chapter 5. Hold on to that thought for a moment as we go to Chapter 6 and enter Ryore's perspective, who is now the Emperor of his realm.
At scarcely nineteen years of age, Ryore had inherited many responsibilities, most of which he considered unfavourable.
I had to read those two quotes carefully a few more times to make sure I wasn't seeing things. I even checked the chapter headings to make sure there weren't any gaps for years so it's safe to assume Chapters 5 and 6 are set in Year C-7 as Chapter 5 is the beginning of a new year.
This isn't even the most disturbing part until we go further down into Chapter 6.
If only he could have her. They would produce the perfect heir, from her supple young body and his brilliant mind.
I only have ONE response to this, and it is in the form of a GIF.
Princess Violetta is 12-years-old. Emperor Ryore is 19-years-old. That is a seven-year gap between the two characters. Seven fucking years. I get it - history has long shown huge age gaps in marriage, but um, it's 2019. This isn't historical fiction. I don't know if this is practice in the world of The Flame Queen because it wasn't mentioned, but seven years is a huge age gap.
And that comment. Oh my goodness, let's not even get into the disturbing cringe level of that thought running through Emperor Ryore's head.
See, if we had Emperor Ryore and Princess Violetta not having any romantic relationships but having a friendship instead while battling an evil force, I would be there for that. I would continue the book. But instead, we have a fucking pedophile who's mind is in the gutter and just wants to fuck a child to produce an heir. I don't have time for this.
I am not here for these types of books.
No fucking way. Nope. Over my cute purple dragon flying across the header. And considering how long this review clocked in at, I don't want to know how long the review would have ended up as if I decided to continue with The Flame Queen.
What a fucking mess. What an absolute, fucking mess.
This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts
October 25, 2016
Plot Rating: ★★★☆☆
Writing Style Rating: ★★☆☆☆
This story contains a lot of promising elements. However, most of the background is never developed and that makes the characters feel somewhat shallow. Also, the fantasy universe is intriguing, but again, lacks depth. A map would be a huge asset to this story!
What primarily made this book hard for me to get into was that none of the characters are particularly easy to identify with (most likely because we don't really get to know them). Ryore is, by far, the most interesting character; traumatized by a difficult childhood, he spends his adult life constantly at war with himself and others. However, from the book synopsis, it appears that Violetta is intended to be the main character. If that's the case, I would love to see her character explored in more detail. Her background is interesting, but we learn about almost none of it.
I need to explain why I have the writing style rated two stars ("writing style" in my reviews covers everything from the actual writing to the editing):
Firstly, it sometimes felt like I was missing pages from the book. All too often, the plot suddenly skips several weeks time without warning or transition. Other times, critical parts of the story are lightly skimmed over. This book would be an easy four stars if it was simply fleshed out. Another problem with the writing is that it needs to be edited. Easy fix. :) The most prominent issues are simple typos and typographical errors.
I would strongly recommend that the author do a bit of rewriting to add in more world/character background. (Or perhaps include a lot of background in the second book.) The characters themselves are quite fascinating and this book has a ton of potential. :)
Writing Style Rating: ★★☆☆☆
This story contains a lot of promising elements. However, most of the background is never developed and that makes the characters feel somewhat shallow. Also, the fantasy universe is intriguing, but again, lacks depth. A map would be a huge asset to this story!
What primarily made this book hard for me to get into was that none of the characters are particularly easy to identify with (most likely because we don't really get to know them). Ryore is, by far, the most interesting character; traumatized by a difficult childhood, he spends his adult life constantly at war with himself and others. However, from the book synopsis, it appears that Violetta is intended to be the main character. If that's the case, I would love to see her character explored in more detail. Her background is interesting, but we learn about almost none of it.
I need to explain why I have the writing style rated two stars ("writing style" in my reviews covers everything from the actual writing to the editing):
Firstly, it sometimes felt like I was missing pages from the book. All too often, the plot suddenly skips several weeks time without warning or transition. Other times, critical parts of the story are lightly skimmed over. This book would be an easy four stars if it was simply fleshed out. Another problem with the writing is that it needs to be edited. Easy fix. :) The most prominent issues are simple typos and typographical errors.
I would strongly recommend that the author do a bit of rewriting to add in more world/character background. (Or perhaps include a lot of background in the second book.) The characters themselves are quite fascinating and this book has a ton of potential. :)
October 5, 2019
I received this ebook from Expresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating. Thank you for the book.
Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me. Reading the synopsis, I was expecting a world full of politics and magic. The idea of different seasons existing in a realm is an intriguing plot but it was often overshadowed by lackluster characters. The world building never takes time to develop. Action scenes were muddled and poorly executed. I was really disappointed with this one. I had to force myself to finish it.
My biggest problem while reading this was the pacing. Several weeks and months would pass by without any warning. The action scenes felt rushed and skimmed over. Smoother transitions would have made a huge difference in the story.
I have read through this entire book and don't understand a thing about the magic system. It's simply never explained.
The world building isn't fleshed out either. I don't know what any of the realms look like, their politics, their customs. Nothing. Again, this area wasn't fleshed out. This would have greatly improved the story.
The characters were very one dimensional and unrelatable.
Instalove! And a little bit louder for the people in the back...... INSTALOVE!! The love story was unbelievable and I didn't see any chemistry between the characters.
Another big issue was with our main protagonist, Violetta. She talks about beauty a lot, "falls in love" with every man that she meets, cries a lot, never speaks up when something is wrong and lets people tell her what to do. In fact, she doesn't do much of anything. She is a Mary Sue if there ever was one.
Rryore was the only character that was interesting. I liked the times when he was scheming, but most of the time he seemed childish and stupid.
Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me. Reading the synopsis, I was expecting a world full of politics and magic. The idea of different seasons existing in a realm is an intriguing plot but it was often overshadowed by lackluster characters. The world building never takes time to develop. Action scenes were muddled and poorly executed. I was really disappointed with this one. I had to force myself to finish it.
My biggest problem while reading this was the pacing. Several weeks and months would pass by without any warning. The action scenes felt rushed and skimmed over. Smoother transitions would have made a huge difference in the story.
I have read through this entire book and don't understand a thing about the magic system. It's simply never explained.
The world building isn't fleshed out either. I don't know what any of the realms look like, their politics, their customs. Nothing. Again, this area wasn't fleshed out. This would have greatly improved the story.
The characters were very one dimensional and unrelatable.
Instalove! And a little bit louder for the people in the back...... INSTALOVE!! The love story was unbelievable and I didn't see any chemistry between the characters.
Another big issue was with our main protagonist, Violetta. She talks about beauty a lot, "falls in love" with every man that she meets, cries a lot, never speaks up when something is wrong and lets people tell her what to do. In fact, she doesn't do much of anything. She is a Mary Sue if there ever was one.
Rryore was the only character that was interesting. I liked the times when he was scheming, but most of the time he seemed childish and stupid.
June 4, 2016
In Peradon, there are four magical kingdoms based on The Elements of Water, Air, Earth, and Fire. Princess Violetta Flame has the ability to create fire but she just wants to move forward with her life since her mother and brother passed away due to illness. Violetta has grown into her beauty and catches the eye of Emperor Ryore, Ryore is determined to have Violetta as his wife and mother of his children. Ryore lavishly spoils Violetta as his bride and wife. However it comes to pass that Violetta is unable to have children. Ryore loses his mind over this and takes steps to insure his bloodline doesn't end with him. When Ryore's brother Fador suggests a dangerous ritual of fertility to undergo. The couple goes thru with the ritual. Ryore is a changed man because of it. Will Ryore and Violetta become parents? How does Ryore change? Your answers await you in Sweet Surrender.
This new to me author presented uniquely fascinating tale with awesome characters. I loved the magical system! It makes me hungry to create my own magical system in my own writing. I'll definitely consider more from this author in the future.
This new to me author presented uniquely fascinating tale with awesome characters. I loved the magical system! It makes me hungry to create my own magical system in my own writing. I'll definitely consider more from this author in the future.
April 7, 2018
Do you ever wonder what it would be like if the four seasons became physical beings? Would they make war on each other, or perhaps fall in love? In Daccari Buchelli’s Phoenix this is almost the case. The world has been split into four magical kingdoms that embody the four seasons. War, assassinations, royal plots, and magic are all commonplace and young Princess Violetta must contend with them all.
Violetta’s journey is a complicated one. She must contend with a difficult and mysterious death in the family while simultaneously navigating the realms of love and a turbulent political climate. Buchelli has a good handle on description and story flow and seamlessly brings the characters to life in a way that keeps the story interesting. I enjoyed my time with Phoenix and look forward to seeing what the rest of the series has to offer.
Violetta’s journey is a complicated one. She must contend with a difficult and mysterious death in the family while simultaneously navigating the realms of love and a turbulent political climate. Buchelli has a good handle on description and story flow and seamlessly brings the characters to life in a way that keeps the story interesting. I enjoyed my time with Phoenix and look forward to seeing what the rest of the series has to offer.
February 28, 2019
I received this book from Xpresso Book Tours for an honest book review.
.
When I first saw the cover I thought it would be a powerful book filled with fantasy, wars, conspiracy.
I was wrong.
First of all, this book is extremely confusing. I'm a really fast reader but the first 5 chapters took me around 4 hours because I had to turn the pages again and again to just understand what the hell was going on. I'm honestly never harsh with my books but this one had me really pulling my hair apart.
I didn't connect to the characters at all. The portrayal of women is also a tad bit derogatory in the book.
I also HATED Ryore. He was one of the worst characters that I had the misfortune of reading about. He's stupid, annoying and creepy. It is said that Ryore is weak and because of this, his own father wanted to dispose of him. But I never understood WHY he has weak? There isn't enough of a backstory.
Mot to mention that fact that he basically married a 12 year old. I mean I should have probably stopped reading it when I hated it so much but I wanted to at least finish it.
I'll end my review with a CREEPY quote that almost made me through my phone away in disgust
"If only he could have her. They would produce the perfect heir, from her supple young body and his brilliant mind."
UHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
.
When I first saw the cover I thought it would be a powerful book filled with fantasy, wars, conspiracy.
I was wrong.
First of all, this book is extremely confusing. I'm a really fast reader but the first 5 chapters took me around 4 hours because I had to turn the pages again and again to just understand what the hell was going on. I'm honestly never harsh with my books but this one had me really pulling my hair apart.
I didn't connect to the characters at all. The portrayal of women is also a tad bit derogatory in the book.
I also HATED Ryore. He was one of the worst characters that I had the misfortune of reading about. He's stupid, annoying and creepy. It is said that Ryore is weak and because of this, his own father wanted to dispose of him. But I never understood WHY he has weak? There isn't enough of a backstory.
Mot to mention that fact that he basically married a 12 year old. I mean I should have probably stopped reading it when I hated it so much but I wanted to at least finish it.
I'll end my review with a CREEPY quote that almost made me through my phone away in disgust
"If only he could have her. They would produce the perfect heir, from her supple young body and his brilliant mind."
UHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
December 3, 2016
This was an enjoyable fantasy story about love, power, deception and magic.
There is a good cast of characters, an intriguing world of four seasonal realms and a plot that twists things around.
I would have liked Violetta to have more 'fire', but she did highlight the restraints of royalty...as did the majority of characters, where duty comes before heart.
There were some wonderful descriptions and a good sense of place, although there were parts that were confusing...jumps in time, for example. There were also typos and some grammatical issues. However, it was still an enjoyable tale.
Worth a look.
There is a good cast of characters, an intriguing world of four seasonal realms and a plot that twists things around.
I would have liked Violetta to have more 'fire', but she did highlight the restraints of royalty...as did the majority of characters, where duty comes before heart.
There were some wonderful descriptions and a good sense of place, although there were parts that were confusing...jumps in time, for example. There were also typos and some grammatical issues. However, it was still an enjoyable tale.
Worth a look.
August 17, 2016
I am so pleased to have won 'Sweet Surrender' in a recent Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
This is the first time that I have read any books by this author and I'm sure it will not be the last. I don't read many books in this genre as it's not my preferred genre, but my opinion is fast changing. Excellent! Recommended.
This is the first time that I have read any books by this author and I'm sure it will not be the last. I don't read many books in this genre as it's not my preferred genre, but my opinion is fast changing. Excellent! Recommended.
January 28, 2019
*Source* Xpresso Book Tours
*Genre* Young Adult, Fantasy
*Rating* 3-3.5
*Thoughts*
The Flame Queen is the first installment in author Dax Munro's The Legends of Peradon series. Welcome to Peradon. A collection of 4 separate Realms (Spring, Autumn, Summer, and Winter) representing the 4 elementals (Earth, Air, Flame, Frost). The story revolves around two key players: Prince Ryore, and Princess Violetta. The story actually beings in the Frost Realm of Emperor Jugan.
*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*
https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...
*Genre* Young Adult, Fantasy
*Rating* 3-3.5
*Thoughts*
The Flame Queen is the first installment in author Dax Munro's The Legends of Peradon series. Welcome to Peradon. A collection of 4 separate Realms (Spring, Autumn, Summer, and Winter) representing the 4 elementals (Earth, Air, Flame, Frost). The story revolves around two key players: Prince Ryore, and Princess Violetta. The story actually beings in the Frost Realm of Emperor Jugan.
*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*
https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...
May 5, 2018
*Thank you Voracious Readers and Daccari Buchelli for the free copy of this book in exchange with an honest review*
Okay, I have two major problems with this book. The first is the utter and complete lack of world-building. We learn that there are four magical realms, but that's it. No specific information about the creatures that live in each of them, no talk about what abilities, laws, style of life they have. Nothing.
The second is the fact that the main characters (Violetta and Ryore) are stupid. Especially Violetta, I've never met a character who makes so many stupid decisions in one book! She's completely immature and I'll prove it in the following paragraphs.
Let's talk a bit about Ryore. Ryore Frost is the King of the Frost Realm and is completely infatuated with Violetta and will stop at nothing to marry her. Let's now address why he's stupid.
1.He sees Violetta once and falls so completely in love that he can't help himself but have her.
2.On a ball in Violetta's honor, his brother's fiance tries to kill Violetta. Does he even try to arrest the girl? NO!
3.On his wedding with Violetta he suspects that his brother and his fiance along with Arlas (who's the prince of the Air realm and conspires with Ryore's brother and his mistress) are going to try to kill her AGAIN. Does he make any move to avert that from happening? NO!
4. When they indeed sabotage the wedding, does he arrest them? NO!
5. When Ryore and Violetta are struggling with infertility, Ryore takes his brother's advice to make a ritual with a magical being. WHO TAKES ADVICE FROM THE PERSON THAT TRIED REPEATEDLY TO KILL HIS WIFE? Ryore apparently thinks it's a good idea to trust him, so he ends up stripped of his powers, BECAUSE IT WAS OBVIOUSLY A TRAP!
Now moving on to darling Violetta, who's supposed to be the main protagonist and she ends up becoming the Phoenix who saves herself and everyone else. Let's examine why she is the most immature person on this whole book. Note that there is an attempted love triangle between Violetta, Xyhoni and Ryore. I'll get back to in a second.
1. She meets Ryore only once and they don't even converse for 2 minutes, before her father takes her away. Then her father explains to her that she cannot marry him, because he is the Frost King and she's going to become the Fire Queen. But Violetta acts like a spoilt child and storms off. Then in her room she contemplates how amazing a conversationalist Ryore is! BUT THEY DIDN'T EVEN TALK!
2. Violetta decides that her freedom is above all duties. So she abdicates her throne and decides that marrying the king of the neighboring realm is the best option. She thinks that she'll leave all the work to Ryore, while she will be lounging in bed all day, being "free"!
3. Ryore and Violetta are courting while engaged and Violetta isn't so sure about how fast they should be moving, and then barely three lines later, she asks Ryore to take her here and there. LIke, girl, weren't you saying a millisecond ago that you think it's best to go slow?
4. Violetta cannot produce an heir to the throne and Ryore starts abusing her because of that. Then she wonders, if she should have waited and get to know him better before they were married! Girl, you though he was a great conversationalist because he f*** greeted you at the ball, I didn't expect anything more from you!
5. The moment, THE EXACT MOMENT, things go awry with Ryore, Violetta starts thinking about Xyhoni (a family friend) and how nice it would be if she was with him.
6. The moment, THE EXACT MOMENT, Ryore is killed, Violetta is wondering what it would be like to be kissed by Xyhoni.
7. The moment, THE EXACT MOMENT, Violetta returns home, she nearly on top of Xyhoni, wondering when will it be right for them to be together, CONSIDERING HER HUSBAND JUST DIED.
I could be ranting hours about Ryore and Violetta, especially Violetta. I think she's a character that doesn't deserve to be a protagonist in the series, because she has almost no good qualities about her. The book will completely infuriate anyone who's read proper fantasy books before, because the plot is inconsistent and the characters seem to do things just because it helps the plot, not because their personality demands it.
Okay, I have two major problems with this book. The first is the utter and complete lack of world-building. We learn that there are four magical realms, but that's it. No specific information about the creatures that live in each of them, no talk about what abilities, laws, style of life they have. Nothing.
The second is the fact that the main characters (Violetta and Ryore) are stupid. Especially Violetta, I've never met a character who makes so many stupid decisions in one book! She's completely immature and I'll prove it in the following paragraphs.
Let's talk a bit about Ryore. Ryore Frost is the King of the Frost Realm and is completely infatuated with Violetta and will stop at nothing to marry her. Let's now address why he's stupid.
1.He sees Violetta once and falls so completely in love that he can't help himself but have her.
2.On a ball in Violetta's honor, his brother's fiance tries to kill Violetta. Does he even try to arrest the girl? NO!
3.On his wedding with Violetta he suspects that his brother and his fiance along with Arlas (who's the prince of the Air realm and conspires with Ryore's brother and his mistress) are going to try to kill her AGAIN. Does he make any move to avert that from happening? NO!
4. When they indeed sabotage the wedding, does he arrest them? NO!
5. When Ryore and Violetta are struggling with infertility, Ryore takes his brother's advice to make a ritual with a magical being. WHO TAKES ADVICE FROM THE PERSON THAT TRIED REPEATEDLY TO KILL HIS WIFE? Ryore apparently thinks it's a good idea to trust him, so he ends up stripped of his powers, BECAUSE IT WAS OBVIOUSLY A TRAP!
Now moving on to darling Violetta, who's supposed to be the main protagonist and she ends up becoming the Phoenix who saves herself and everyone else. Let's examine why she is the most immature person on this whole book. Note that there is an attempted love triangle between Violetta, Xyhoni and Ryore. I'll get back to in a second.
1. She meets Ryore only once and they don't even converse for 2 minutes, before her father takes her away. Then her father explains to her that she cannot marry him, because he is the Frost King and she's going to become the Fire Queen. But Violetta acts like a spoilt child and storms off. Then in her room she contemplates how amazing a conversationalist Ryore is! BUT THEY DIDN'T EVEN TALK!
2. Violetta decides that her freedom is above all duties. So she abdicates her throne and decides that marrying the king of the neighboring realm is the best option. She thinks that she'll leave all the work to Ryore, while she will be lounging in bed all day, being "free"!
3. Ryore and Violetta are courting while engaged and Violetta isn't so sure about how fast they should be moving, and then barely three lines later, she asks Ryore to take her here and there. LIke, girl, weren't you saying a millisecond ago that you think it's best to go slow?
4. Violetta cannot produce an heir to the throne and Ryore starts abusing her because of that. Then she wonders, if she should have waited and get to know him better before they were married! Girl, you though he was a great conversationalist because he f*** greeted you at the ball, I didn't expect anything more from you!
5. The moment, THE EXACT MOMENT, things go awry with Ryore, Violetta starts thinking about Xyhoni (a family friend) and how nice it would be if she was with him.
6. The moment, THE EXACT MOMENT, Ryore is killed, Violetta is wondering what it would be like to be kissed by Xyhoni.
7. The moment, THE EXACT MOMENT, Violetta returns home, she nearly on top of Xyhoni, wondering when will it be right for them to be together, CONSIDERING HER HUSBAND JUST DIED.
I could be ranting hours about Ryore and Violetta, especially Violetta. I think she's a character that doesn't deserve to be a protagonist in the series, because she has almost no good qualities about her. The book will completely infuriate anyone who's read proper fantasy books before, because the plot is inconsistent and the characters seem to do things just because it helps the plot, not because their personality demands it.
October 7, 2016
I received a copy from the author and have given my unbiased opinion.
Phoenix is a fantasy book and book #1 of the Peradon series. It opens with immediate intrigue as a seer tells Emperor Jugan of a future marriage between his eldest son and their enemy. To avoid this fate, the Emperor decides to have Violetta assassinated. This sets in motion events that drive the story and greatly affects Violette'a life.
There are lots of good ideas in this book but several seem rushed and I longed for them to be developed deeper for the reader to understand. I also struggled to get my head around the different kingdoms, I wanted the writing to give me a clearer picture. I'm sure the author has a brilliant image of his fantasy land in his head, I just couldn't see the pictures he wanted me to see.
There is a large cast of people and places to remember from the start. I'm not sure it was necessary to introduce them all at once, better perhaps to slow down the action and drip the characters into the storyline, so the reader stands a chance of really knowing the main characters from the beginning.
There's definitely a good story in here, it just needs a bit of a re-write to sort out some of the weaker areas of the plot, head hopping on occasions by the characters and tweaking of punctuation errors.
I think another run through edit would vastly improve things from a readers point of view.
With a little more work, I think this is an author to watch out for in the future.
Phoenix is a fantasy book and book #1 of the Peradon series. It opens with immediate intrigue as a seer tells Emperor Jugan of a future marriage between his eldest son and their enemy. To avoid this fate, the Emperor decides to have Violetta assassinated. This sets in motion events that drive the story and greatly affects Violette'a life.
There are lots of good ideas in this book but several seem rushed and I longed for them to be developed deeper for the reader to understand. I also struggled to get my head around the different kingdoms, I wanted the writing to give me a clearer picture. I'm sure the author has a brilliant image of his fantasy land in his head, I just couldn't see the pictures he wanted me to see.
There is a large cast of people and places to remember from the start. I'm not sure it was necessary to introduce them all at once, better perhaps to slow down the action and drip the characters into the storyline, so the reader stands a chance of really knowing the main characters from the beginning.
There's definitely a good story in here, it just needs a bit of a re-write to sort out some of the weaker areas of the plot, head hopping on occasions by the characters and tweaking of punctuation errors.
I think another run through edit would vastly improve things from a readers point of view.
With a little more work, I think this is an author to watch out for in the future.
June 18, 2017
This is far from the genre I normally read but I'm glad I decided to give this book a chance. At first, it was difficult to keep up with the different realms but upon reading, I didn't have a problem because this Author is very descriptive with her writing. I felt as if I were experiencing each character I read. Violetta is definitely a character that I rooted for the entire time and from the beginning I had hoped she married Xyhoni instead of Ryore. I didn't like him from the start of the story. It seemed like Ryore was bad news from the start. My heart went out to Violetta with all the loss she had experienced. It's a long story but worth reading.
Want to read
January 29, 2018Unfortunately not for me. For some reason I was under the impression that this was more paranormal then fantasy. Most likely, because of the beautiful cover. If your into high fantasy books, this will probably be your cup of tea. Great world building from what I've read so far. Awesome concept. No rating from me because I only reached page 40, and I think that would just be unfair. Things happen rather quickly in the first chapter. I say if your into fantasy give it a go. I'd like to thank the author for sending me a copy for an honest to review.
June 8, 2017
Interesting story, well written plot, great description of characters... highly recommend for anyone who loves YA fantasy!
August 14, 2018
I received a free pdf of this book in exchange for an honest review.
So, this is a good example of how sometimes it takes me a long time to finish a book but that doesn’t mean the book is bad. Yeah, I did take awhile but it’s still a very good book. The problem is that if I gotta do something that requires me to put my book down for all of 5 minutes, 4 hours later I find myself doing dumb shit (example: researching controversies regarding outdoor advertising for horror (real example, surprisingly interesting)) and by the time I remember what the hell I was doing before, I’m too damn tired to read. Those with a better attention span, though... yeah you guys are gonna read this one pretty quick, it’s exciting.
What’s it about?
This is a fairly complex story that would be hard to describe without spoilers. It’s a story about the life of a young woman named Violetta, it involves magic, fire, politics, murder, all kinds of the stuff that makes fantasy stories cool!
Pros:
The story is very interesting and well written in terms of dialogue and storytelling.
Violetta and Arlas are both pretty interesting characters.
The action scenes in this story are very exciting.
This book is very suspenseful. Lots of surprising twists.
The ending is very well written
Cons:
Though Violetta and Arlas are cool, the rest of the characters are pretty forgettable. As in, while reading this other characters would show up and my brain would just kinda go “oh... yeah, those guys exist too.”
This book can occasionally be confusing. I think it’s because they put so much into this one book which is a good thing and I still understood the story but there were a few parts that just had me sitting there like “wait... what?”
The quotes format annoyed me a bit. In most books it’s like “dialogue” but in this it’s like ‘dialogue’ with just one of those little things. I know it’s a nitpick but it was mildly irritating throughout.
Overall:
Despite a few issues it’s a good book. It’s an interesting story with lots of suspense and great action so if you like exciting fantasy stories (which I know I most certainly do) than you are very likely to enjoy this. I think I heard that this is going to be a series so yeah, if it is, I’m definitely adding book 2 to my reading list.
4/5
So, this is a good example of how sometimes it takes me a long time to finish a book but that doesn’t mean the book is bad. Yeah, I did take awhile but it’s still a very good book. The problem is that if I gotta do something that requires me to put my book down for all of 5 minutes, 4 hours later I find myself doing dumb shit (example: researching controversies regarding outdoor advertising for horror (real example, surprisingly interesting)) and by the time I remember what the hell I was doing before, I’m too damn tired to read. Those with a better attention span, though... yeah you guys are gonna read this one pretty quick, it’s exciting.
What’s it about?
This is a fairly complex story that would be hard to describe without spoilers. It’s a story about the life of a young woman named Violetta, it involves magic, fire, politics, murder, all kinds of the stuff that makes fantasy stories cool!
Pros:
The story is very interesting and well written in terms of dialogue and storytelling.
Violetta and Arlas are both pretty interesting characters.
The action scenes in this story are very exciting.
This book is very suspenseful. Lots of surprising twists.
The ending is very well written
Cons:
Though Violetta and Arlas are cool, the rest of the characters are pretty forgettable. As in, while reading this other characters would show up and my brain would just kinda go “oh... yeah, those guys exist too.”
This book can occasionally be confusing. I think it’s because they put so much into this one book which is a good thing and I still understood the story but there were a few parts that just had me sitting there like “wait... what?”
The quotes format annoyed me a bit. In most books it’s like “dialogue” but in this it’s like ‘dialogue’ with just one of those little things. I know it’s a nitpick but it was mildly irritating throughout.
Overall:
Despite a few issues it’s a good book. It’s an interesting story with lots of suspense and great action so if you like exciting fantasy stories (which I know I most certainly do) than you are very likely to enjoy this. I think I heard that this is going to be a series so yeah, if it is, I’m definitely adding book 2 to my reading list.
4/5
November 29, 2018
I received a free copy of this book from VRO, in return for an honest review. Overall rating: 1.5 stars.
Writing: The writing style starts out choppy and awkward, but smooths out a quarter of the way through. However, there are still some peculiar word choices, (i.e. at one point an individual soldier is called "a troop" which is not a usage I've ever seen before). 2 Stars.
Plot: The plot idea is solid, the execution is...lacking. In many way it reads like an outline to a story, never quite delving into the depths of the characters' motivations, feelings, or thoughts. (For example, there's no sense of desperation that would explain why Ryore and Violetta would attempt a risky, dark magic procedure to cure her bareness. I mean, obviously a ruler would want an heir...but it didn't seem like they'd been trying to conceive for all that long that they would need to go to such extremes). Also, there are so many unanswered questions that just leave an empty feeling inside. Not the good, book hangover, empty feeling, when you know you're gonna miss the characters and story. But the bad, what was this book even about, empty feeling. Violetta's reason for marrying Ryore is her desire for freedom. Did she achieve it? If even only for a little bit? You never know, because it never really goes into that. 1.5 stars.
Characters: Honestly, could not relate to any of the characters. And I found them all very flat. And King Eagan seems completely surprised by the state of the poor in his own country. He's been ruling for decades. How is he a kind and just ruler and yet so far removed from his subjects? 0.5 Stars.
World Building: It is a good start to a world, but the world is never fleshed out. What are the politics of the realms? Their forms of government? What is the socio-economic status? Why did the ice realm breed magic out of their people? Was it just for control? And so many more questions. 1.5 Stars.
Writing: The writing style starts out choppy and awkward, but smooths out a quarter of the way through. However, there are still some peculiar word choices, (i.e. at one point an individual soldier is called "a troop" which is not a usage I've ever seen before). 2 Stars.
Plot: The plot idea is solid, the execution is...lacking. In many way it reads like an outline to a story, never quite delving into the depths of the characters' motivations, feelings, or thoughts. (For example, there's no sense of desperation that would explain why Ryore and Violetta would attempt a risky, dark magic procedure to cure her bareness. I mean, obviously a ruler would want an heir...but it didn't seem like they'd been trying to conceive for all that long that they would need to go to such extremes). Also, there are so many unanswered questions that just leave an empty feeling inside. Not the good, book hangover, empty feeling, when you know you're gonna miss the characters and story. But the bad, what was this book even about, empty feeling. Violetta's reason for marrying Ryore is her desire for freedom. Did she achieve it? If even only for a little bit? You never know, because it never really goes into that. 1.5 stars.
Characters: Honestly, could not relate to any of the characters. And I found them all very flat. And King Eagan seems completely surprised by the state of the poor in his own country. He's been ruling for decades. How is he a kind and just ruler and yet so far removed from his subjects? 0.5 Stars.
World Building: It is a good start to a world, but the world is never fleshed out. What are the politics of the realms? Their forms of government? What is the socio-economic status? Why did the ice realm breed magic out of their people? Was it just for control? And so many more questions. 1.5 Stars.
February 9, 2020
Disclaimer: I bought my own copy of this book.
Book: The Flame Queen
Author: Dex Munro
Book Series: The Legends of Peradon Book 1
Rating: 1/5
Publication Date: April 30, 2017
Publisher: Munro Tales
Recommended Age: dnf can't complete
Synopsis: One woman will take back her freedom. And rise.
Violetta will never forget that day. Guilt shadows her every step as she prepares to take her father’s throne. Sadly, he has other ideas. Violetta must marry or forfeit her royal birthright, but all she wants is to be free, to no longer relive the tragic events of her past. If only she can learn to love again, to put the past behind her and begin anew.
Enter Emperor Ryore Frost. Handsome. Suave. And her sworn enemy. As Violetta feels new emotions stirring within, she finds herself inexplicably drawn to this mysterious man. Could she risk marrying her mortal enemy if it meant a chance at securing her freedom?
Four Magical Realms.
One troubled Princess.
One love-starved Emperor.
And a trio of assassins, lying in wait.
Review: I really liked what this book could have been but for me I just couldn't get into it. The book has promise and a lot of people seem to like it, it has an amazing premise and setting, but the exposition was messy and I just couldn't get into it. I had to DNF at about 100 pages in.
Verdict: DNF but a lot of people seem to like it so maybe it's my cold that's making this a difficult read.
Book: The Flame Queen
Author: Dex Munro
Book Series: The Legends of Peradon Book 1
Rating: 1/5
Publication Date: April 30, 2017
Publisher: Munro Tales
Recommended Age: dnf can't complete
Synopsis: One woman will take back her freedom. And rise.
Violetta will never forget that day. Guilt shadows her every step as she prepares to take her father’s throne. Sadly, he has other ideas. Violetta must marry or forfeit her royal birthright, but all she wants is to be free, to no longer relive the tragic events of her past. If only she can learn to love again, to put the past behind her and begin anew.
Enter Emperor Ryore Frost. Handsome. Suave. And her sworn enemy. As Violetta feels new emotions stirring within, she finds herself inexplicably drawn to this mysterious man. Could she risk marrying her mortal enemy if it meant a chance at securing her freedom?
Four Magical Realms.
One troubled Princess.
One love-starved Emperor.
And a trio of assassins, lying in wait.
Review: I really liked what this book could have been but for me I just couldn't get into it. The book has promise and a lot of people seem to like it, it has an amazing premise and setting, but the exposition was messy and I just couldn't get into it. I had to DNF at about 100 pages in.
Verdict: DNF but a lot of people seem to like it so maybe it's my cold that's making this a difficult read.
October 14, 2017
I'm a fan! I'm a HUGE fan of this author, now. WOW! Five Stars is not enough! I was extremely interested in this book, but approached it with skepticism. However, to my surprise, this author has captured my attention. I'm listening.
Phoenix, book one of The Peradon Fantasy Series, does not disappoint. It holds everything an avid reader of fantasy craves for. The scenes are luring, filled with intrigue and mystery. Your every emotion is drawn out of you as you move along the well plotted storyline.
I cannot wait to read the next book. Please read this! I highly recommend it.
Phoenix, book one of The Peradon Fantasy Series, does not disappoint. It holds everything an avid reader of fantasy craves for. The scenes are luring, filled with intrigue and mystery. Your every emotion is drawn out of you as you move along the well plotted storyline.
I cannot wait to read the next book. Please read this! I highly recommend it.
January 27, 2019
I just finished reading this very exciting story and I have to say I loved it! The world Dax Munro created is intense, filled to the brim with royal drama and a young woman who keeps growing in order to become her true self and overcome the adversities meant to shake her moral compass.
Violetta herself is an ever-evolving character and I personally find it natural for any woman to go through a range of feelings and experiences in order to find the strength to tackle the problem and grow into her real self.
I'd also like to highlight what a visual read this was and I look forward to the next book in the series.
Violetta herself is an ever-evolving character and I personally find it natural for any woman to go through a range of feelings and experiences in order to find the strength to tackle the problem and grow into her real self.
I'd also like to highlight what a visual read this was and I look forward to the next book in the series.
October 3, 2016
Phoenix starts with a seer named Reiza announcing her vision to the Emperor Jugan. The Emperor is not pleased with her vision and Reiza is not oblivious to the same. According to this troublesome vision of hers,
She is even sure of the girl whom he’ll be marrying — the daughter of King Eagan, Princess Violetta Flame. One may wonder, at this point in time, why would a king be troubled by hearing the news of his eldest son securing his throne one day. Well, the Emperor considers his eldest son, Prince Ryore, unfit to rule. According to him, he is a feeble man who would not be able to protect his kingdom, the Winter realm. His younger son, Prince Fadius, is the apple of his eye. In order to ensure that, Prince Fadius become the rightful owner of the throne, he conspires to murder Princess Violetta in the most inconspicuous manner possible. Princess Violetta, on the other hand, is attracted towards Xyhoni, the honorary heir to the ruler of the Earth realm. They have both exchanged subtle expressions of care and kindness towards each other; however, none of them has been brave enough to confess their love. To complicate their love story, the author has cleverly introduced the unbelievable infatuation of Prince Ryore towards Princess Violetta.
Just when I decided to tag it as another romantic novel, the author sneaked in magic, royal life troubles, conspiracies, and a number of twists. The concept of Earth, Air, Winter and Fire realms has been quite intriguing to me. Romance has taken a back seat for the most part; however, it has always been in the plot. The central theme of Phoenix has been the struggle of Prince Ryore to keep himself fastened to the throne. The plot that started very slowly — and seemed directionless, to me — quickly picked up the pace, and I found myself being able to connect the dots. As a reader, I found the plot extremely unpredictable — except for one act of the seer (I had totally guessed it. Yay!). Anyway, overall, I would applaud the author, Daccari Buchelli, for coming up with a gripping and exciting story.
The characters are defined in a manner that suits their acts and emotions. Princess Violetta is a beautiful young woman who is unsure of herself. She doesn’t know whether the path she has to choose appeals to her or she is performing her duties. Her longing to have a personal space, at times, was very beautifully portrayed, and for the first time, I could feel pity for royalty — never thought that day would come. However, I craved for more fierceness in her character — with her being a flame princess and all. Prince Ryore, on the other hand, is a character for whom one cannot help but feel compassion. He was always demeaned by his own father, and he was constantly living with the fear that his brother would seize any opportunity to seize his throne.
I, especially, admired the author’s acute observation of the depressing life of high and mighty. The life of kings and queens seems a bed of roses to the world; however, on the inside, there are only thorns. At times, they are forced to marry only to maintain their claims at their realm. When such situation arises, they must give up their heart’s one true love and embrace the bitter reality. They are constantly under the pressure of producing an heir to the throne or risk losing the throne altogether. There are times when all a king/queen could wish for is having a little time alone, but that is almost never possible. Daccari has very beautifully captured the price that a royalty pays to live in a palace filled with servants and jewels.
I connected with the plot, characters and the narrative style of the author. Having said that, I did not find dialogues very amusing. Somehow, I yearned for more thought-provoking conversations among the characters of the book.
I would recommend Phoenix by Daccari Buchelli to the readers who enjoy reading about the royal lives, conspiracies of acquiring a throne and a little bit of romance.
"…,your Grace. Your eldest son is destined to marry the enemy. If that happens, there is no doubt that he will have secured your throne.”
She is even sure of the girl whom he’ll be marrying — the daughter of King Eagan, Princess Violetta Flame. One may wonder, at this point in time, why would a king be troubled by hearing the news of his eldest son securing his throne one day. Well, the Emperor considers his eldest son, Prince Ryore, unfit to rule. According to him, he is a feeble man who would not be able to protect his kingdom, the Winter realm. His younger son, Prince Fadius, is the apple of his eye. In order to ensure that, Prince Fadius become the rightful owner of the throne, he conspires to murder Princess Violetta in the most inconspicuous manner possible. Princess Violetta, on the other hand, is attracted towards Xyhoni, the honorary heir to the ruler of the Earth realm. They have both exchanged subtle expressions of care and kindness towards each other; however, none of them has been brave enough to confess their love. To complicate their love story, the author has cleverly introduced the unbelievable infatuation of Prince Ryore towards Princess Violetta.
Just when I decided to tag it as another romantic novel, the author sneaked in magic, royal life troubles, conspiracies, and a number of twists. The concept of Earth, Air, Winter and Fire realms has been quite intriguing to me. Romance has taken a back seat for the most part; however, it has always been in the plot. The central theme of Phoenix has been the struggle of Prince Ryore to keep himself fastened to the throne. The plot that started very slowly — and seemed directionless, to me — quickly picked up the pace, and I found myself being able to connect the dots. As a reader, I found the plot extremely unpredictable — except for one act of the seer (I had totally guessed it. Yay!). Anyway, overall, I would applaud the author, Daccari Buchelli, for coming up with a gripping and exciting story.
The characters are defined in a manner that suits their acts and emotions. Princess Violetta is a beautiful young woman who is unsure of herself. She doesn’t know whether the path she has to choose appeals to her or she is performing her duties. Her longing to have a personal space, at times, was very beautifully portrayed, and for the first time, I could feel pity for royalty — never thought that day would come. However, I craved for more fierceness in her character — with her being a flame princess and all. Prince Ryore, on the other hand, is a character for whom one cannot help but feel compassion. He was always demeaned by his own father, and he was constantly living with the fear that his brother would seize any opportunity to seize his throne.
I, especially, admired the author’s acute observation of the depressing life of high and mighty. The life of kings and queens seems a bed of roses to the world; however, on the inside, there are only thorns. At times, they are forced to marry only to maintain their claims at their realm. When such situation arises, they must give up their heart’s one true love and embrace the bitter reality. They are constantly under the pressure of producing an heir to the throne or risk losing the throne altogether. There are times when all a king/queen could wish for is having a little time alone, but that is almost never possible. Daccari has very beautifully captured the price that a royalty pays to live in a palace filled with servants and jewels.
I connected with the plot, characters and the narrative style of the author. Having said that, I did not find dialogues very amusing. Somehow, I yearned for more thought-provoking conversations among the characters of the book.
I would recommend Phoenix by Daccari Buchelli to the readers who enjoy reading about the royal lives, conspiracies of acquiring a throne and a little bit of romance.
April 12, 2018
Violetta went through tragedy at a young age. Only it wasn’t supposed to happen that way. And now the people responsible for the tragedy are continuously causing trouble for the Flame Princess. She holds strong.
The young Emperor of the Frost Realm believes Violetta to be his love. Without knowing her that well. Is that cause for celebration and a wedding? Or caution?
Young Prince of Frost will do anything to keep his late father proud. Although he has no choice. Why? Read and find out.
What a twisty turny plot. Full of surprises. Stretched your heartstrings. You never know who’s right and who’s wrong. You don’t know what to believe and who to trust. Who’s got your best interests.
There’s something more than meets the eye.
The young Emperor of the Frost Realm believes Violetta to be his love. Without knowing her that well. Is that cause for celebration and a wedding? Or caution?
Young Prince of Frost will do anything to keep his late father proud. Although he has no choice. Why? Read and find out.
What a twisty turny plot. Full of surprises. Stretched your heartstrings. You never know who’s right and who’s wrong. You don’t know what to believe and who to trust. Who’s got your best interests.
There’s something more than meets the eye.
December 12, 2016
‘True, privacy was rare in her world, her duties closing in on her youth and what little freedom she had left.’
‘It always felt as though the light would burn her. Some days she wished it would or that her powers would simply envelop her in flame. She revelled in the idea of being allowed to simply melt away, therefore escaping this miserable life.’
Princess Violetta of the Flame Realm has come of age, and men of status have begun to notice her. There’s Xyhoni, the family friend, and there’s the charming Prince Ryore of the Winter Realm, son of Emperor Jugan. When tragedy strikes and Violetta’s brother and mother are killed, she remains close to her father King Eagan, and is suspicious of the Winter Realm. What makes matters more difficult is that even though she can’t quite forget about Xyhoni, she is growing more attracted to Prince Ryore. And Prince Ryore believes he has found his one true love at last…
Author Daccari Buchelli writes with a mastery of language embellishment that is befitting of the authentic fantasy setting and experience. Sentences are elegant, unobtrusive, and constructed with a fine touch. The author has a grasp for the characters’ feelings that make them passionate and interesting. These feelings give rise to wants and motives, and combine with mystical objects to create a fantasy goal. I became immersed in learning about the thoughts of Ryore and Violetta. Chapter after chapter they became more interesting and realistic, and the fantasy world blossomed about them with colour, duty, and romance.
Criticism: honestly, the first three chapters didn’t pull me into the story. The reason was that I was disoriented and this feeling repeated often; the sense of location and stability in the rapidly changing setting made it difficult to get my bearings. The way the setting was introduced was not even or at the right pace. Even my own writing has been criticised for this reason. A few more sentences to bring forward the atmosphere of the setting when it changed, or a few more scene breaks might have helped to indicate the change of setting.
One of the main characters behaved out of character in Chapter Sixteen, in a way that suspended my belief, which marked a different direction for the narrative. Some paragraphs were double the length I would personally have preferred. A few misspelled words: ‘baited’ and ‘bated’, ‘facet’ and ‘faucet’, and one I wasn’t sure about – ‘intendent’ and ‘attendant’.
Overall, I read the entirety of Phoenix with wild anticipation. The writing was written elegantly and the setting felt like a fantasy world I had actually stepped into. While I was reading about the engrossing characters I didn’t care where the plot was going. I’m not a reader of romance, but the exaggerated displays of affection between two of the main characters impressed me. It was quite easy and enjoyable to digest multiple chapters of Phoenix at a time. I’d strongly recommend Phoenix to all fantasy readers, especially those who like high fantasy, classical fantasy, adventure, and romance.
‘It always felt as though the light would burn her. Some days she wished it would or that her powers would simply envelop her in flame. She revelled in the idea of being allowed to simply melt away, therefore escaping this miserable life.’
Princess Violetta of the Flame Realm has come of age, and men of status have begun to notice her. There’s Xyhoni, the family friend, and there’s the charming Prince Ryore of the Winter Realm, son of Emperor Jugan. When tragedy strikes and Violetta’s brother and mother are killed, she remains close to her father King Eagan, and is suspicious of the Winter Realm. What makes matters more difficult is that even though she can’t quite forget about Xyhoni, she is growing more attracted to Prince Ryore. And Prince Ryore believes he has found his one true love at last…
Author Daccari Buchelli writes with a mastery of language embellishment that is befitting of the authentic fantasy setting and experience. Sentences are elegant, unobtrusive, and constructed with a fine touch. The author has a grasp for the characters’ feelings that make them passionate and interesting. These feelings give rise to wants and motives, and combine with mystical objects to create a fantasy goal. I became immersed in learning about the thoughts of Ryore and Violetta. Chapter after chapter they became more interesting and realistic, and the fantasy world blossomed about them with colour, duty, and romance.
Criticism: honestly, the first three chapters didn’t pull me into the story. The reason was that I was disoriented and this feeling repeated often; the sense of location and stability in the rapidly changing setting made it difficult to get my bearings. The way the setting was introduced was not even or at the right pace. Even my own writing has been criticised for this reason. A few more sentences to bring forward the atmosphere of the setting when it changed, or a few more scene breaks might have helped to indicate the change of setting.
One of the main characters behaved out of character in Chapter Sixteen, in a way that suspended my belief, which marked a different direction for the narrative. Some paragraphs were double the length I would personally have preferred. A few misspelled words: ‘baited’ and ‘bated’, ‘facet’ and ‘faucet’, and one I wasn’t sure about – ‘intendent’ and ‘attendant’.
Overall, I read the entirety of Phoenix with wild anticipation. The writing was written elegantly and the setting felt like a fantasy world I had actually stepped into. While I was reading about the engrossing characters I didn’t care where the plot was going. I’m not a reader of romance, but the exaggerated displays of affection between two of the main characters impressed me. It was quite easy and enjoyable to digest multiple chapters of Phoenix at a time. I’d strongly recommend Phoenix to all fantasy readers, especially those who like high fantasy, classical fantasy, adventure, and romance.
October 13, 2016
It's always a pleasure to begin reading a new fantasy novel. By definition, the land, realms, politics and so forth will all be new. In this instance, the land of Peradon is divided into four kingdoms, each based upon one of the four seasons and the four classical elements. This also informs the story's magical system, as each realm has its own type of elemental magic, some naturally allied whilst those at opposite poles are naturally opposed.
This setting gives promising scope, especially as they story revolves around the union of two elements, as the Frost Emperor Ryore seeks the hand of the Flame Princess Violetta. This marriage of opposing poles provides plenty of scope for drama and the story does not disappoint. What I found particularly refreshing, however, was that although treachery and assassination are central to the plot, the book doesn't require underground organisations or huge conspiracies. Two or three bitter individuals plotting behind the scenes are quite capable of making sufficient mischief on their own, and that's how it is.
The characters are well drawn, and complex. None of the villains are simply villainous for the sake of it, they all have some redeeming qualities beneath their obsessions (and there is a lot of obsessing in this book!). Also, none of the heroic characters are particularly perfect either, some of them - despite being on the side of right - have positively unpleasant character traits. This too made a refreshing change.
The story is complete in this book, it doesn't end on a cliffhanger, though since it is subtitled as the first book in the Peradon series, I presume there is more to follow. I hope so and I'll look forward to it. There's more to mine from this setting yet, we still haven't seen much of some of the realms, and the little we see of ancient magic is interesting and worthy of further investigation.
Recommended for all lovers of fantasy intrigue.
This setting gives promising scope, especially as they story revolves around the union of two elements, as the Frost Emperor Ryore seeks the hand of the Flame Princess Violetta. This marriage of opposing poles provides plenty of scope for drama and the story does not disappoint. What I found particularly refreshing, however, was that although treachery and assassination are central to the plot, the book doesn't require underground organisations or huge conspiracies. Two or three bitter individuals plotting behind the scenes are quite capable of making sufficient mischief on their own, and that's how it is.
The characters are well drawn, and complex. None of the villains are simply villainous for the sake of it, they all have some redeeming qualities beneath their obsessions (and there is a lot of obsessing in this book!). Also, none of the heroic characters are particularly perfect either, some of them - despite being on the side of right - have positively unpleasant character traits. This too made a refreshing change.
The story is complete in this book, it doesn't end on a cliffhanger, though since it is subtitled as the first book in the Peradon series, I presume there is more to follow. I hope so and I'll look forward to it. There's more to mine from this setting yet, we still haven't seen much of some of the realms, and the little we see of ancient magic is interesting and worthy of further investigation.
Recommended for all lovers of fantasy intrigue.
February 6, 2017
Phoenix by Daccari Buchelli is a debut novel from this author and as such is an interesting and successful entry into the world of fantasy novels.
One of the great things about fantasy novels is they often introduce us to new and exciting worlds, that the reader can enjoy. Phoenix is no exception to this and we are introduced to the world of Peradon, a land split into four kingdoms, based on the elements of Fire, Air, Earth and Ice, although the story principally takes place in two of the kingdoms: Fire and Ice.
Phoenix introduces us to its two main characters; Princess Violetta Flame of the Fire Kingdom and Prince Ryore of the Ice Kingdom.
As with all good fantasy novels, there are many excellent lessons to be learned from the story; lessons of leadership, morality, evil and the treatment of others.
This book does an excellent job of introducing the characters and allowing us to identify with them. If anything, the characters could do with a bit more fleshing-out, however, for a first effort, I think Buchelli has created a very believable world and characters that one can empathise with. This is a good start to the series on Peradon and I look forward to what Buchelli can bring forward in Phoenix II, which I understand is in the works.
A few things for the author to consider for Phoenix II, which were, at times, a little confusing in Phoenix I, would be to be clearer when the perspective changes, either in time-frame or character. The simple use of a line breaker such as * * * would certainly achieve that. At times in Phoenix I, there were jumps in time and character that made following the story a little difficult.
All that having been said, as a debut novel, I found Daccari Buchelli's, Phoenix to be an excellent read and one that has primed me for the next book in the series. Definitely four stars for this rising talent in the Indie world. Good job!
One of the great things about fantasy novels is they often introduce us to new and exciting worlds, that the reader can enjoy. Phoenix is no exception to this and we are introduced to the world of Peradon, a land split into four kingdoms, based on the elements of Fire, Air, Earth and Ice, although the story principally takes place in two of the kingdoms: Fire and Ice.
Phoenix introduces us to its two main characters; Princess Violetta Flame of the Fire Kingdom and Prince Ryore of the Ice Kingdom.
As with all good fantasy novels, there are many excellent lessons to be learned from the story; lessons of leadership, morality, evil and the treatment of others.
This book does an excellent job of introducing the characters and allowing us to identify with them. If anything, the characters could do with a bit more fleshing-out, however, for a first effort, I think Buchelli has created a very believable world and characters that one can empathise with. This is a good start to the series on Peradon and I look forward to what Buchelli can bring forward in Phoenix II, which I understand is in the works.
A few things for the author to consider for Phoenix II, which were, at times, a little confusing in Phoenix I, would be to be clearer when the perspective changes, either in time-frame or character. The simple use of a line breaker such as * * * would certainly achieve that. At times in Phoenix I, there were jumps in time and character that made following the story a little difficult.
All that having been said, as a debut novel, I found Daccari Buchelli's, Phoenix to be an excellent read and one that has primed me for the next book in the series. Definitely four stars for this rising talent in the Indie world. Good job!
August 31, 2017
If you love fantasy, this book definitely should be on your to-read list. Not only is it an extremely well-written page-turner but it will transport you into the world you will not want to part with even after you turn the last page of the book. The beautiful, rich language in which it’s written deserves a special commendation for it provides a reader with a particularly enjoyable experience.
The plot itself intrigued me as the blurb promised a strong female character who has to fight for her right to live her life as she sees fit instead of following the traditions of her royal family. But the devastating tragedy leaves the king of the Flame realm without a male heir, and soon Violetta faces the inevitable - marriage to a young king of the Frost realm who she barely knows, yet who intrigues her nevertheless. Only, soon it turns out that Ryore is not what Violetta took him for, and her very life is hanging by a thread without any hope of salvation…
I truly enjoyed Violetta’s transformation as the story progressed. From a typical teenager, she had to grow into a wise woman and later - a fighter who can stand up not only for herself but for her kingdom and its people. The complexity of all the characters made “Phoenix” an enthralling and unpredictable read, and I admit I couldn’t tell how the story would end and I’m usually pretty good at guessing the endings.
Overall, it was a very enjoyable story that I would highly recommend. Five stars.
The plot itself intrigued me as the blurb promised a strong female character who has to fight for her right to live her life as she sees fit instead of following the traditions of her royal family. But the devastating tragedy leaves the king of the Flame realm without a male heir, and soon Violetta faces the inevitable - marriage to a young king of the Frost realm who she barely knows, yet who intrigues her nevertheless. Only, soon it turns out that Ryore is not what Violetta took him for, and her very life is hanging by a thread without any hope of salvation…
I truly enjoyed Violetta’s transformation as the story progressed. From a typical teenager, she had to grow into a wise woman and later - a fighter who can stand up not only for herself but for her kingdom and its people. The complexity of all the characters made “Phoenix” an enthralling and unpredictable read, and I admit I couldn’t tell how the story would end and I’m usually pretty good at guessing the endings.
Overall, it was a very enjoyable story that I would highly recommend. Five stars.
June 11, 2017
So I picked this up because I follow the author on Instagram, and have for a while. Then it ended up sitting unread on my kindle for a little while, 'cause I haven't really been in the mood for YA, and I honestly don't read to much kindle books - I don't feel I have control.
But now I got around to it!
I have to admit it was little hard story for me to rate.
For while I really liked the idea around the story and the world - I've actually written something like it in Norwegian Aerith - I found the story a bit slow and choppy.
There were part of the story we were told in flashbacks and journal entries that I think we could have strongly enjoyed to actually partake in.
It was also interesting following the characters, and finding yourself rooting for the bad guys! In that way Buchelli made an interesting choice, and it worked out to give depth to the story!
The only thing that really annoyed me, was the pregnancy stuff.
We are never told that pregnancy and conception is different in this world, than it is from our own. This strongly confused me. It was interesting, don't get me wrong, but I think it should have been told a lot better, and early in the story, that it works differently.
But now I got around to it!
I have to admit it was little hard story for me to rate.
For while I really liked the idea around the story and the world - I've actually written something like it in Norwegian Aerith - I found the story a bit slow and choppy.
There were part of the story we were told in flashbacks and journal entries that I think we could have strongly enjoyed to actually partake in.
It was also interesting following the characters, and finding yourself rooting for the bad guys! In that way Buchelli made an interesting choice, and it worked out to give depth to the story!
The only thing that really annoyed me, was the pregnancy stuff.
We are never told that pregnancy and conception is different in this world, than it is from our own. This strongly confused me. It was interesting, don't get me wrong, but I think it should have been told a lot better, and early in the story, that it works differently.
October 18, 2016
Magic never ceased to bring Violetta joy, until the day it became her curse. Aged fifteen, the young Flame Mage and Princess finds herself drawn to the mysterious and charming Frost Emperor, Ryore.
Torn between her sudden feelings and inescapable duty to the throne, Violetta seeks to strike a balance. Will she surrender her will forever, or strive for freedom by doing the unthinkable?
A fantastic fantasy novel that is filled with suspense. A true page turner that I didn't want to put down. This book is very well written and has characters that you grow to love and hate. The only criticism I have is at a few points in the book it will jump from one scene/time to another without a gap but that certainly didn't spoil the read. Highly recommend to fans of fantasy and dystopia novels x
Torn between her sudden feelings and inescapable duty to the throne, Violetta seeks to strike a balance. Will she surrender her will forever, or strive for freedom by doing the unthinkable?
A fantastic fantasy novel that is filled with suspense. A true page turner that I didn't want to put down. This book is very well written and has characters that you grow to love and hate. The only criticism I have is at a few points in the book it will jump from one scene/time to another without a gap but that certainly didn't spoil the read. Highly recommend to fans of fantasy and dystopia novels x
October 23, 2016
I'm a big fan of fantasy and dystopian novels where worlds and realms are discovered in the most magical ways. Phoenix is a great example of fantasy with a strong array of characters and plot driven story.
I enjoyed the writing, the imagination and the characters in the story. As this is a series, the author has the opportunity to put a little more background into both characters and realms, of which there were four. I'm sure I will find out more as the series develops and will look forward to that.
I enjoyed the writing, the imagination and the characters in the story. As this is a series, the author has the opportunity to put a little more background into both characters and realms, of which there were four. I'm sure I will find out more as the series develops and will look forward to that.
Want to read
January 23, 2019The Flame Queen may be an ideal read for book lovers that enjoy:
-Elemental magic
-Strange new worlds
-High drama
-Royalty
-Teenage rebellion
-Light romance
Request an ARC here: [closed - other review opportunities found here]
-Elemental magic
-Strange new worlds
-High drama
-Royalty
-Teenage rebellion
-Light romance
Request an ARC here: [closed - other review opportunities found here]
Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews