Author: Sara Holland
Publication Date: 2 March 2021
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Page Count: 272
Reading Method: Digital ARC [thank you to the publisher for an advance copy]
Synopsis:
Maddie Morrow thought her problems were over. She saved the Inn at Havenfall–a sanctuary between magical worlds hidden deep in the mountains of Colorado–from the evil Silver Prince. Her uncle the Innkeeper is slowly recovering from a mysterious spell that has left him not quite human. And there are still a few weeks of summer left to spend with her handsome, more-than-just-a-friend Brekken, even though she can’t stop thinking about Taya.
But Maddie soon realizes there’s more work to be done to protect the place her family has run for centuries. She must embark on a dangerous mission to put an end to the black-market trading of magical objects and open the Inn’s doors to Solaria, the once feared land of shapeshifters.
As she tries to accomplish both seemingly impossible tasks, Maddie uncovers family secrets that could change everything. What if saving everyone means destroying the only home she’s known?
Review:
Buckle up babes, it’s time for a review! Phoenix Flame is the sequel to Havenfall, so before we get started, please note there may be *spoilers* for Havenfall throughout the review.
Plot:
Phoenix Flame picks up where we left off in Havenfall. The Silver Prince has been sent packing and Maddie is looking forward to some normalcy (as much as can be expected at a hotel meant as a middle ground for magic lands). Unfortunately, things won’t be normal for quite some time. There’s so much to be said, but a lot of it contains major spoilers. Without giving anything away, Maddie goes on a journey with Brekken to try to put an end to the soul trade and it takes her further from the inn than she could have imagined. There are a lot of twists and reveals along the way that enrich the story and make you second guess everyone and their motives.
Characters:
The story is told through Maddie’s perspective, just like in the first book. She’s an alright narrator, though she tends to be a bit too much in her head and repetitive with her thoughts. The thing I like about Maddie is that she doesn’t back down from a challenge. There is nothing she wouldn’t do to protect the ones she loves. I was a little annoyed with her indecisiveness in regards to her love life, and wish she would just figure it out without stringing anyone along.
Another returning character is Brekken, Maddie’s dreamy love interest. We get to see a little more of his personality in this book, but it’s still not quite as much as I would like to see, especially for a main character. He’s not bad, I just feel indifferent towards him. I wish I had gotten to see a bit more growth and development for him. This is a sequel and I should be feeling more towards out main cast.
Without giving anything away, we do get introduced to a few more characters and they are where things get interesting. I can’t give descriptions or identifiers for them, but I can say that you don’t know who to trust and these new characters are the reason you have no idea what is going to happen.
Writing:
I feel like the writing/style has improved since the first book! It was more gripping, more engaging, and less confusing (though the confusion could have come from introducing new worlds and magic systems in the first book). With the foundation work out of the way, it left room for the story to grow and flow a little better.
Overall:
I liked it! It was a solid sequel and leaves the ending open for more of the story to unfold in future books. Books I intend to read!
