Crown of Feathers

December 1, 2018
From the ashes of rebellion, a force of Phoenix Riders rises to protect their people in Preto's debut novel.Sixteen years ago, the Feather-Crowned Queen died in a glorious blaze fighting her sister for her claim to the throne. Her rebellion turned the Council of Governors against Phoenix Riders and animages, people with the power to understand and communicate with animals. Veronyka, an orphaned animage with brown skin and black hair, and her controlling older sister, Val, who has brown skin and red hair, dream of hatching phoenix eggs together and flying like the warriors of the past. However, when Val betrays her sister, Veronyka discovers the strength to find her own path, disguising herself as a boy to join a secret operation of Phoenix Riders. Written in the third person, the chapters alternate between three perspectives, building tension with cliffhangers. Most characters described in the text have brown skin. While representations of same-gender romances appear in the story, Pau Preto repeatedly uses binary language and makes no distinction between gender and sex. No one sees through Veronyka's disguise--cut hair and (unsafely) bound chest--but Veronyka fixates on how her presentation makes her a liar. The resolution and the epilogue set the stage for the series to continue.Trans erasure casts a shadow on this otherwise fiery fantasy aflame with descriptive prose and simmering with suspense. (map, timeline, glossary) (Fantasy. 12-18)

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December 1, 2018

Gr 7 Up{amp}mdash;Phoenix Riders are the warriors and heroes who defend their kingdom with the help of phoenixes. When a war between two sisters rips their kingdom apart, the Riders are hunted and phoenix eggs become scarce. Veronyka dreams of being a Phoenix Rider and even begins to bond with a newly hatched phoenix until her sister, in an attempt to control Veronyka, kills the legendary bird. Disguised as a boy named Nyk, Veronyka leaves her home and joins the remaining Riders, caring for animals and helping the local commander's handsome son Tristan train with his phoenix for battle. Just as Veronyka feels like she's made a place for herself, her sister appears and things get complicated in the web of lies surrounding them. In the midst of this sticky situation, the army finds the Riders and marches to destroy their stronghold. The novel begins a little slowly as world-building develops, but it soon becomes an action-packed adventure that will leave fans of epic fantasies eager to find out more. The ending is the perfect setup for a sequel. VERDICT Recommended for fantasy shelves.{amp}mdash;Terri Lent, Patrick Henry High School, Ashland, VA

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2018
Grades 9-12 Queen Nefyra was the first in a long line of Rider Queens, women who walked through fire and emerged to ride the great phoenixes. Hundreds of years later, with Riders called rebels and phoenixes almost never seen, Veronyka has only one dream: to become a Rider. Her sister Val had once wanted the same thing, but a great betrayal has split the siblings apart. Veronyka seeks out the hidden Riders, dressing as a boy named Nyk to infiltrate their training program. Meanwhile, Val lurks in the shadows, and her return could ruin everything as the two mage sisters relive the great war that left their world divided. Also included in this story are enslaved Sev and apprentice Rider Tristan, who are both connected to the legendary phoenixes in strange ways. Interspersed between alternating chapters are pieces of scripture about Nefyra and the history of phoenix riders. This is a new twist on fantasy favorites, and Pau Preto's first novel is as ambitious as it is lyrical.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)