Fury of the Phoenix by Cindy Pon

A book review by Little Angel

Title: Fury of the Phoenix
Author: Cindy Pon
Format: Hardback
Price: $17.99
Length: 359 pages

:) This book is the sequel to Sliver Phoenix by Cindy Pon, which I reviewed earlier on the blog.

This book starts with Ai Ling chasing Chen Young to help find his father. Their adventure takes them on a journey through the sea. They deal with anger, embarrassment, and (because the story's not complete without it) monsters. They do meet his father, but will everything go smoothly? Knowing Ai Ling, of course not!

The same with the last book--it was great! I just loved reading it. Adventure, mythology, and romance--in my opinion, that is a great mix. I love all the food she describes, the area it's based off, and the way she describes everything. Again I couldn't put it down; this one I felt was more romantic filled then the last one.

This one explained a lot more than the last one on the relationship between Sliver Phoenix and Zhong Ye. I loved the way the author went back and forth between their story and Ai Ling's story.

The thing I didn't really like was how long the ship ride lasted. Now this may be because she flipped back and forth, which could have made it seem longer. Another thing is that this sequel didn't have as much mythology as it did last time. I was really sad about that, but I still love it as much as I did the last one, if not more.

Rating: 5 out of 5 chocolate bars because I liked the way it was written and the ending was amazing.
Appropriateness: well this one is fine for young adults or middle schoolers
Cover Thoughts: I didn't really like this cover, it looked like the knife was photo shopped in. there isn't very much color. I found it really dull and if I didn't know it was the sequel I never would have picked it up.

Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon

:) Little Angel's review of Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon

Title: Silver Phoenix
Author: Cindy Pon
Format: Hardback
Price: I got this book from my teacher.

In this book, Ai Ling (a girl born in a land similar to ancient China) discovers the power to jump from soul to soul. At first it’s just reading minds, but it slowly grows, and it’s starting to scare her. But when her dad is gone longer than normal and other things push her away from home, she leaves to go find her father. She meets her travel partners and is getting closer and
closer. But what will happen when she discovers the origins of her powers?

Silver Phoenix, I felt, was a very well-written book. I felt excited at every moment and was never bored with the book. I really liked all the mythology for it; I have never come across any Chinese mythology before. I liked how well the characters were developed and all the emotion Pon described. I felt as if I was jumping from person to person right along with Ai Ling. I just got right into it, it was just so suspenseful, and I never wanted to put it down.

The only problem I had with this book was the ending, it was just so unpleasing. It wasn’t so bad that I wanted to chuck the book across the room.  I just think it was unpleasing. BUT there is a sequel so I am quite pleased, and as I am typing this I have the book right next to me just calling for me to
pick it up and read it. All I can say that is it is also very well-written so far.

You may not find the book with this cover because they changed it. The say it was because there is a Chinese girl on the front, and that might deplete the interest in the book. I don't think this at all! I love the original cover; it's colorful, bright, and it's just so much better than the new cover.

5 out of 5 chocolate bars
Appropriateness: I have to say it’s a young adult borderline teenager. :)

Silver Phoenix, by Cindy Pon

I read the book Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon.  I really liked reading this book, and I liked it every step of the way!  With its thrilling fights and powers from the beyond, this book is great to read any time. 

It's about a girl, Ai Ling, who goes on a life-threatening journey to find her father.  On the way, she meets Chen Yong and his brother Li Rong.  They help Ai Ling with her journey, meeting many obstacles along the way.

These are a few things I liked and disliked about Silver Phoenix.  One thing I liked was the descriptions.  The descriptions in the book are great.  When Cindy Pon's explaining a dish of food, for example, you can actually smell and taste the food!  And when she describes a fight scene, it gets really intense.  The things I disliked are...nothing!  I can't really think of anything I didn't like.

And now, an argument that can change everything...the cover!  Dun Dun DUN.  Yes, the cover.  Some people didn't like the original cover because they were concerned it wouldn't attract the target audience because it has an Asian girl on it.  I know, that's really weird.  So they changed it, so there's still the same basic idea of the original, but it doesn't show as much of the person on it.  My opinion is...why?  I liked the cover the way it was.  Thank you for reading this review.  I will be interviewing Cindy Pon in the near future, so check back to see what she has to say, and check out the new paperback version of Silver Phoenix, which just released last Tuesday! 

The sequel, Fury of the Phoenix, is coming out March 29, so you'll have to wait a little while...UNLESS!  You could go enter this awesome contest for a chance to win an ARC (advanced reader copy) of Fury, a paperback of Silver Phoenix, or gift certificates of up to $50 for Barnes and Noble or Amazon!  All you have to do to enter is write a haiku that has the word fury or phoenix in it!


Review by LocoCoco