Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto
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.
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.
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.
Crown of Feathers is an epic fantasy about love's incredible power to save or to destroy. Throughout is interspersed the story of Avalkyra Ashfire, the last Rider Queen, who would rather see her empire burn than fall into her sister's hands.
Disclaimer: I received a copy free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
An empire was built by the Phoenix Riders – legendary warriors who soared through the sky on the backs of fiery phoenixes, until a war for the throne between two sisters tore the empire apart. Sixteen years later, Veronyka and Val dream of becoming phoenix riders. However, an act of betrayal from Val means Veronyka sets out on her own and when she finally finds somewhere she thinks she belongs, until her sister comes along and changes everything.
‘What did the great heroes do when the sun fell from the sky? They leapt onto those wild flames and learned how to fly.’
Crown of Feathers is a lush and vivid fantasy with intricate storytelling and a richly woven world with a superbly thought-out history. Crown of Feathers is perfect for fans of epic fantasies full of intrigue, history, nuance, and magical and mythical creatures. It is a slow paced book, but I enjoyed every page of it. It is a book about sisterhood, fighting injustice, warrior women, and about how love can either protect or destroy.
I really love a well developed sibling relationship and Crown of Feathers really delivers in this aspect. The relationship between Val and Veronyka was a really intense and interesting one. It was built on protection and dependence but it morphed into something much darker – control and cruelty. I loved how the book explored the contrast between the sisters, and I loved how their relationship played out, and I especially loved the twist at the end.
“It’s just your sister’s nature,” her grandmother used to say whenever Val would be cruel or controlling. “She’s like fire – she devours.” … “What am I like, Maiora?” Veronyka would ask.“You’re like fire too – you light the way.”
What I also loved was the secondary story that was also woven through the original one. The story of the two previous warring sisters, Pheronia and Avalkyra who tore the empire apart. I also really adored the little snippets of the world’s history that were scattered throughout the book.
Crown of Feathers has an incredibly strong plot and world-building, but it also has some really great characters and character development. It has three different POVs. Veronyka, an animage who has to disguise herself as a boy in order to be eligible to be a phoenix rider. Tristian, an animage and phoenix rider who is also the commanders son. And Sev, a secret animage but he’s also a soldier for the empire that are intending to wipe out the phoenix riders. My favourite character was Veronyka as I absolutely adored her compassion and how determined she was.
Also, the fact that this book also has a bunch of brilliant fiery PHOENIXES should make you want to pick this up immediately .
Overall, Crown of Feathers is an incredibly strong and immersive debut from Nicki Pau Preto and I will definitely be keeping an eye on the next book in the series, and her future books.
Rating: ★★★★★ | book depository