Crown of Feathers Hardcover – February 12, 2019

ALL THE FIERY STARS 🔥🌟🔥🌟🔥🌟🔥🌟🔥How am I supposed to write a review for this magnificent book when I can’t even form proper words right now! Crown of Feathers is beyond superb and I will fight to my death shouting about how incredible this story was and how many emotions it brought out in me (I cried 3 times okay?? Only a few books have the honor of having made me cry)!I think one of the reasons this book really tugged on my heartstrings is that much like the animages (those that have animal magic and can communicate with animals), I am very much an animal person. I empathize maybe a little too much with them, but I can’t really control that. So *certain* parts of this book pulled on those empathetic strings of mine and brought out a reaction I honestly wasn’t expecting. And let’s be real, *that* scene (that I am not going to ruin for all of you) made me ball my eyes out so hard I had to put the book down and walk away. If you want to know what scene I am talking about I suggest you read this book, when you get to that scene you’ll know, you will definitely know.The representation in this book was beyond amazing, and honestly it felt so natural?? Why can’t all books feel and read this way? Nicki did such a wonderful job including rep for the disabled – like Sparrow! Who is a loveable little girl that happens to be blind but in no way lets that slow her fiery spirit down, she is one of my favorite characters! There was also rep for mental illnesses such as phobias!?? Like, how amazing is this book already? Tristan has an incredible and intense fear of fire, which is even more difficult for him because he has to face his fear E V E R Y day since he is a Phoenix Rider. And if you didn’t know, Phoenix’s are… literally made of fire. There was also rep for non-heterosexual romance and I am here for it. I don’t want to ruin who it was between but let’s just say it’s my F A V O R I T E trope in the world, enemies to lovers! I lived for those scenes and saw it coming from the very beginning with those subtle shifts in their interactions and it made my heart stop once or twice at the thought of this romance blossoming into something bigger!I’ve read other early reviews and some people are saying there was a lot of info dumping and it ruined the story for them and I’m like…??? I NEED MORE info on this incredibly detailed world! How could I ever complain about a story that comes with a TIMELINE of past events and a glossary of terms!? Nicki literally built her own world that is entirely unique, and I honestly devoured every page of it. I hope we delve even DEEPER into this rich world in book two! Nicki’s writing style allowed me to perfectly visualize the landscape and the surrounding areas, so much so that I felt as if I was a part of this story. I wish I could be, because who wouldn’t want to be a warrior Phoenix rider?The storyline in Crown of Feathers was also indescribable! I won’t even try to put the synopsis into words, which is why I left the official Goodreads synopsis above! There was so much depth to the characters that I truly cared about the decisions they made, and I loved seeing how the story progressed. Every page was a new adventure and I loved being a part of it. Like when Veronyka decided not to let overbearing males get in the way of her being a Phoenix rider so she disguised herself as a boy just so she could join their team when they didn’t allow female riders? 100% ballsy. There were also quite a few surprises along the way that I wasn’t expecting! I truly enjoyed seeing the story unfold and by the end when we learn more secrets of the past, I think my jaw actually dropped. It was like watching a puzzle be put together, suddenly all the pieces fit together and everything made sense. I am beyond excited for book 2 to come out (honestly Nicki when can I get my hands on it!!) so I can hopefully get some answers to my many burning questions!Another reason I loved this book so much is the characters! They all felt so relatable and portrayed in such a way that I felt like I could be friends with them. There is nothing more important to me in a book than being able to relate and empathize with the characters. If I don’t feel anything towards them or care about their well-being how could I ever care about anything else that happens in the book? Like my sweet SWEET cinnamon roll Tristan. I knew from his first word that I would end up loving his character and him being friends with Veronyka was a match I could have only dreamed of. They are so in sync with each other and I love that they honestly brought out the best in each other. There is no better character development than the kind that changes them for the better. And these two are better together! There are tons of other characters I could talk about for days but honestly, you’d be better off experiencing it for yourself by reading this masterpiece!So, if you haven’t gathered by now this book is one of my favorites and might *actually* be my favorite read of the year so far. It was so well put together and if I had the time and adulting didn’t get in the way I would have finished this in one sitting because it 100% grasped my full attention and I didn’t want to ever put it down.

The imagination of this is incredible. I could not read this book fast enough, and the writing is just so lovely. Phoenixes have always been my favorite mythical creature and this story uses the myth in the most magical way. I can't wait for the second book!

Amazing. Fantastic. Phenomenal. And all the other adjectives! Such a great start to a gorgeous fantasy series. I cannot wait for the next installment!

Loved this book! What an amazing debut novel! Great characters, great story, great writing!

I had a sister, once…In a world ruled by fierce warrior queens, a grand empire was built upon the backs of Phoenix Riders—legendary heroes who soared through the sky on wings of fire—until a war between two sisters ripped it all apart.I promised her the throne would not come between us.Sixteen years later, Veronyka is a war orphan who dreams of becoming a Phoenix Rider from the stories of old. After a shocking betrayal from her controlling sister, Veronyka strikes out alone to find the Riders—even if that means disguising herself as a boy to join their ranks.But it is a fact of life that one must kill or be killed. Rule or be ruled.Just as Veronyka finally feels like she belongs, her sister turns up and reveals a tangled web of lies between them that will change everything. And meanwhile, the new empire has learned of the Riders’ return and intends to destroy them once and for all.Sometimes the title of queen is given. Sometimes it must be taken.“Where there is will, there is possibility.” – Nicki Pau PretoThis book was such a stunning debut and a breath of fresh air in the world of YA. I was instantly hooked on the idea of this book once I found out it was focused around phoenixes and their riders, since I feel that is one of the lesser explored mythological creatures (as far as I've come across). I’ve always had a soft spot for those fiery, mythological creatures.To break this story down in the simplest way possible... it’s a story about people trying to recover from the aftermath of a war that tore apart nations, and how those left behind learn to live in the face of oppression and discrimination.I think that one of the things I love the most about this story is the world building and history. I know a lot of people thought that the start of the book was pretty info heavy, but I didn’t feel this way at all. That might be because I’m used to reading more epic fantasies and it’s just something I enjoy at this point… but all I know is that I was hooked from the very first page and I couldn’t get enough. I find that I’m absolutely fine with extra information if it’s relevant to the story (and it totally is). I couldn't get enough of the letters and history lessons that were scattered throughout the pages, and I didn't feel like they broke up the flow of the story (mainly because you can always go back and get to them when you're ready).I also love that the story was character-focused, rather than plot-focused. I think it was a perfect way to set-up the rest of the series.16 years before the events of the book there was a brutal war that raged between two sisters: Avalkyra and Pheronia. Avalkyra was an animage and a phoenix rider, but her sister was not. Throughout the book we get little insights into their life and I think those little snapshots are invaluable. After the war, animages (people with special abilities to communicate with animals) were feared by the government and most became debt-bonded slaves to the Empire. All three of our POV characters are animages that come from different backgrounds, and it was extremely interesting seeing how they took on their challenges and were dealing with the cards they were dealt."She didn’t want to build a shelter from the storm; she wanted to break the very winds that would dare to shake her.” – Nicki Pau Preto, Crown of FeathersI could not be happier that we are being blessed with a third book and this duology is now a trilogy! I can’t wait to get my hands on all 700+ pages of Heart of Flames. *grabby hands*★★★★★

My thanks to Black & White Publishing/Ink Road for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Crown of Feathers’ by Nicki Pau Preto in exchange for an honest review. I have now purchased my own copy.I adore phoenixes as magical creatures so was very excited about this novel. It did not disappoint and I was totally swept up in this story of sisters and phoenixes.Sixteen years after a devastating war between two sisters has torn apart the Golden Empire, Veronyka, a war orphan, dreams of becoming a Phoenix Rider. After her controlling sister Val betrays her, Veronyka strikes out on her own. Hearing of a hidden group of Riders, she disguises herself as a boy in order to join them.Meanwhile, the leaders of a new empire have also heard of these Riders and has sent out an expedition to find and destroy them. Among their ranks is Sev, himself an animage but hiding his talents and serving as a soldier.This is a very brief description of this epic fantasy featuring animages, phoenixes and legendary queens. It is the opening of a series that while marketed as YA, I am sure will appeal to lovers of fantasy of all ages.There are three narratives running throughout: Veronyka, Sev, and Tristan, an apprentice Phoenix Rider. The text also contains fragments of poetry and historical documents. A useful timeline and glossary are included at the end.While it is hard to judge how this will develop over the planned series, after loving this so much I am very confident in the author’s vision. Her world building is excellent. I will admit that I did find it a little complicated at first but soon found that I got into the characters, setting and story and found it almost impossible to put down.I can hardly wait until the publication of the next in the series. Highly recommended.

It’s been a while since I read something in the fantasy genre, other than Lord of the Rings, but that’s an entity of its own. I was a little apprehensive at first, some fantasy can be very ‘heavy’, and as I was new to the world that Preto has created, I was worried that I’d be bogged down in world building descriptions. It turns out I had nothing to worry about, and I’ve added a fair few fantasy books to my to-read pile in the process.What I like: Veronyka was a fantastic character to follow. The more the book progressed, the stronger you could see her becoming: mentally, physically, and magically. I don’t want to give anything away, but I’m sure her Shadow Magic is going to be a big plot line for book 2. I am intrigued to see what’s going to happen with that.There were a lot of underlying feminist (and LGBTQ+) themes running through Crown of Feathers which I really liked. Even though Veronyka had to spend a large portion of the book pretending to be Nyk, it was a great to see Tristan’s revelation that, male or female, Veronkya/Nyk were the same person despite the physical gender change. I’m hoping that some of the other relationships between certain characters develop further because they’re just so cute!I really liked the little snippets at the end of most chapters that gave insight into the history of the previous queens (and kings). It was enough information to give you insight into why the wars happened, but not so much of an info dump that you got bored reading it. It was very cleverly done as if you were reading from an ancient history volume. It’s definitely a book that I’d like to read on its own, though I can’t imagine Preto will ever write something so extensive as a side project!Finally, though I could write about this book for much longer, I liked that fact that I never figured out the twist at the end. It was staring me right in the face, and yet I never realised where certain characters were heading. It really is going to make the next book in the trilogy exciting to read.What I don’t like: However much I loved Crown of Feathers, not a lot actually happened until the last few chapters. Although it was great to read the events that led Veronyka, Tristan, and Sev together, a little more action would have been great. This is the only thing that I disliked though. I think I knew it was going to culminate in a battle, so I was being a little impatient waiting to get there.Crown of Feathers is a fantastic fantasy novel and a great starting place for those who want to start getting into the fantasy genre. I can’t wait for the second instalment, Heart of Flames, I’m just gutted that I can’t have it right now. It’s been a long time since I found myself a new book series that I’ve had to wait for. Who’s (impatiently) waiting with me?

Well life is too short for The Crown Of Feathers by Nikki PauPreto.I think her agent made a mistake by publishing this book, I believe it to be premature as Ms Preto ramble aimlessly through huge quantities of unnecessary ponderings by protagonists and pseudo-historical trivia. Perhaps the writing needs to be honed down and tightened up. Some action starts to happen and you think, “oh good” and sit up in your chair, then you get 3 pages of descriptions and lose the plot and the will to live.Get a grip, girl.I feel that one (maybe?) has to have a few terrible and wonderful life experiences in order to write successfully, but don’t get me wrong, I’m not a fan of G.O.T gratuitous violence. Then you have the bank clerk who comes out with something astonishing, compelling and wholly imaginative. So, who knows?I have been reading fantasy for 30 years I think, and this is one of the very few books that I have thrown aside in exasperation.It is actually a great shame, because the story idea is good, although a bit hackneyed, (the girl dresses up as boy to do her thing, etc, etc) apart from the phoenixes. There were a few unexpected twists and turns which I enjoyed, but when I started to skip whole paragraphs without ever missing any of the action.... I knew that i was on a loser, sadly.The cover is very nice though.

So I'm going to *attempt* to form my thoughts into coherent sentences that isn't just me constantly gushing about this book.This story is kind of like Mulan meets GoT in South America. I'm not saying the world is meant to be like South America but that's the vibe I got and I'm sticking with it 👍So a few things that I ADORED about this book were;VeronykaThe trans acceptanceSev being gay AFTristan being the cutest little bi cinnamon rollTHE TWISTSThe charactersThe world buildingThe relationshipsThe multiple POVsThe hugs & affection 😭 (this is something I don't think we see enough of in Fantasy books and I really enjoyed it)The writing style was excellent and genuinely Very funny in places. The battle scene at the end felt so tense and exciting and that's not an easy thing to achieve.The magic style was also unique. An affinity with animals isn't a new power idea as such but for it to be the protagonists main power and for the book to identify the good and bad ways it can be used felt very refreshing.My only qualms with this book are that Avalkyra should have been older. She was a very intense and mature character and for her to die after a war at the age of 18 felt off. I assumed her and her sister would at least be in their mid-20's, if not older. (Avalkyra is already dead when the book starts, this isn't a spoiler)My other qualm is that as animages, I thought it was a bit odd that they still ate animals. It was sort of quickly explained that all creatures have their place but, as a vegetarian, I was like hmm, could've just not eaten meat 🤷‍♀️Either way, I'm so excited to read the sequel!

A great start. An interesting twist on the genre