Crown of Feathers

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.

Crown of Feathers by Niki Pau Preto - release date February 12, 2019

First off, This story was a beautiful combination of multiple stories woven into one book. Before most of the chapters is a piece of ancient Pyran history to put the story into context. Above the beginning of every chapter you hear from Avalkyra Ashfire, the girl who's perspective is first shown in the italicized part above. Avalkyra was the Feather Crowned Queen who fought a war against her sister in an attempt to reunite the empire under her name. But the real story is told 16 years later, Avalkyra lost and now any person with animage abilities are persecuted by the empire. Veronyka and her sister are determined to find Phoenixes of their own, but soon they will be separated by a horrible betrayal. 

Veronyka is a character that grows before you as you read the story. She learns to break out on her own and trust other people, a trait her sister Val never let her develop. Even with under the circumstances that the book began, I could never really hate Val. I knew there was a lot more to her that we were not being told, and let me tell you, I was right. She only is really present for the beginning and end of the story, but she plays a very significant role throughout the entire thing. This book is also told through the perspectives of Tristan, the son of the Commander of the newly formed legion of Phoenix Rider. He and Veronyka do become a cute ship by the end, but that never really interferes with the plot. There is also Sev, who is a soldier for the empire, but also an animage in hiding. He doesn't run into the rest of the characters for the majority of the book, but when he does he has some vital information for them. 

Preto did an amazing job of creating her own mythology and history and I enjoyed learning about the Phoenixes and the lore that revolved around them. I also always appreciate when the ARC has a map in it! It definitely helps to reference it throughout the book to figure out where the characters are. This book was very well written and I honestly couldn't see any faults in it. Unfortunately though, I personally found it to be the type of book that didn't draw me to it to pick it up once I had set it down, which made me take almost a two months to finish it. But I would still encourage any fantasy lovers to pick it up because the twist at the end was totally worth it. 

This book would receive 3/5 stars from me. Once I had it open and in my hands, I really did enjoy it, but I struggled to finish it because when it wasn't in my hands it wasn't the type of book that made me feel the need to pick it back up again any time soon. I started this book in early December and didn't finish it until the end of January, and I'm the type of person who can read a book in a day if it is good enough. I would still recommend this book to readers who are looking for a unique rendition of tales about Phoenixes, struggle, and sisterly love.

~ Alyse :)

Reviewed on February 3, 2019