Cindy Pon

This thrilling sequel to Pon's Serpentine (2015) begins soon after the Great Battle between mortals and demons, as Skybright and her compatriots struggle with the fallout and face the looming threat of a new breach to the underworld.

Vivid sensory descriptions make the Chinese-inflected fantasy kingdom of Xia an immersive world. The mortal realm, the heavens, and the underworld are at once enchanting and terrifying, and at the story’s core are dynamic characters who resist confinement to show more archetypes. Torn away from her mortal life, Skybright grows to accept her nature as a serpent demon without rejecting her love for her friends. Zhen Ni, meanwhile, displays extraordinary cunning as she navigates her new duties as a wife while uncovering her husband’s dark plans. Kai Sen’s fierce determination to save Skybright and break the covenant makes him shed his dreamer personality to hone his magic. Stone, immortal intermediary to the gods, learns to respect and admire the mortals as he witnesses the strength of their will. The narration unfolds through their four points of view, shifting perspectives at key scenes rather than chapter by chapter. The resulting dramatic irony tests the characters’ integrity and their faith in one another. Still, they are impressively wise and compassionate, acting, when pressed, out of loyalty rather than bitterness.

A brilliant second act that can be read alone. (Fantasy. 15 & up)

-Kirkus Review show less

Reviewed by Cat for TeensReadToo.com

From the beginning, Ai Ling has lived life differently from most young women in Xia. Born of parents who married for love, she is a cherished only child in a society that prizes sons, educated by her scholarly father and, as she comes of age, the ability to sense the thoughts of those around her.

When her father is called to the Palace of Fragrant Dreams expecting to be away no longer than two months, he leave his daughter with two things: a green jade show more pendant carved with the character "spirit" and the reminder that she is special beyond the belief held by a doting father.

A woman traveling alone is a dangerous undertaking, but more than three months pass and an opportunistic merchant tries to force her into an unwanted marriage, and Ai Ling knows that she must journey to the Palace herself and bring her father home. Attack by an unknown, dark force brings rescue and a traveling companion in the form of nineteen-year-old Chen Yong, a young man also searching for his father.

It is only after another attack, the counsel of Master Tan, and a glimpse at The Book of The Dead, that Ai Ling truly begins to grasp the enormity of her power and the menace she faces. Joined by Chen Wong's brother, the outrageously flirtatious Li Rong, the three teenagers embark on a pilgrimage that will lead to the gods themselves...and eventually to a confrontation with an evil sorcerer Ai Ling has (unknowingly) faced before.

Where do I start with all the things I love about Cindy Pon's debut fantasy SILVER PHOENIX? Finally, a novel based on Chinese legends and myth rather than the same, tired rehash of Celtic and other western European folklore. I relished Ms. Pon's vividly rendered portraits of both Ai Ling's normal and paranormal "worlds," from the quiet tranquility of her family's home, to the lush splendor of the Golden Palace, or the frightening grotesqueness of The Chief and The Anatomist.

Ms. Pon exhibits a deft ability in characterization, giving us multidimensional humans, appropriately removed deities, and viciously single-minded evil entities. Even Zhong Ye boasts enough shading and nuance to become more than the stereotypical archvillain. Ai Ling is a compelling protagonist and, though some might say it's unusual for a young woman in her position to so easily overstep society's boundaries (even to save a beloved parent), Ms. Pon has already established that Ai Ling is unaccustomed to those restraints. My only complaint in this area is that while Chong Ye is clearly the odds-on favorite for Ai Ling's romantic interest, he falls flat in the presence of Li Rong's flare and charm.

And while the continued reference to characters packing and unloading their knapsacks (did knapsacks even exist in ancient China?) kept jarring me out of the story, I loved everything about SILVER PHOENIX.

This is one of those rare books that has made my "keeper" shelf. show less

(Read as a buddy read with Samantha of Forest of Words and Pages)

First things first - THIS COVER THOUGH. I mean, I can't possibly love it more if I tried, but I'll try pretty damn hard to because THIS COVER THOUGH.

And can we talk about how awesome Daiyu is? Actually let me talk about how awesome she is, but beneath a cut since learning about some of her awesome actions could change your reading

Daiyu spends her kidnapping refusing to bow to damsel in distress tropes. She isn't happy, but she show more quickly realizes that Zhou is a lot of show, but not bite. She uses her time to learn about the mountains and experience a part of life that she's never had a chance to before.

She's whip-smart; like any child she doesn't want to believe the worst of her father, but once her eyes are opened she doesn't turn away again. She makes it possible (both directly and indirectly) for Zhou and his team to infiltrate Jin Corp's offsite location. She doesn't judge Zhou for what he did (kidnapping her), but she does strive to understand. Actually the entirety of their relationship is built on the two of them realizing "wait a second, the world isn't so easily cut and dry".

She genuinely wants to build a better future and is willing to BURN HER WORLD to ashes if that's what it takes.

I had a couple questions at the end - namely when all was said and done what happened with Joseph? He contracts the flu, his family is whisked away from their home, and I'm guessing he survived since Daiyu never mentioned a funeral...? What is Daiyu's mother like? Who would I have play Zhou, Daiyu and everyone else if a live action drama was ever produced?

I had some qualms with Zhou at times; Vic is right, he's a bit too tender hearted for the mission and he spends a lot of time angsting over what to do about Daiyu. I wish we could have spent a bit more time with the group, or with each individual member. You get a good read on Lingyi and Arun, but other than some observations by Zhou about Iris and Victor, we have very little time with them as individuals outside of the group. Much is made of Victor's ability to wheel and deal based on his charming personality and suaveness, but we see very little of that as he keeps a different kind of "front" up around the group. Iris...the vulnerable moment we see of Iris late in the book is a beautiful moment. I wish we could see more.

The opening jumped around for a bit and the group's plan takes a few chapters to even get off the ground as they tried to get all their ducks in a row after a slight set back. While Zhou is an engaging protagonist, I really wanted Daiyu to show back up and be part of the action again. Or for Iris to run around spooking the living daylights out of Zhou constantly. Maybe both.

The setting is a very visceral part of this book. I've never been to Taipei or Taiwan, but Pon's descriptions of the night markets, of the lights and the mountains, of the way things seem to be both diminished because of the pollution, but also desperately trying to carve out an existence still, the beauty that once was and the beauty it could be once more...its almost its own character. Zhou's love of Taiwan is what drives his actions, what drives all their actions in the end. Pon brings that love to life and into focus, even as things seem really bleak at times. show less

I find it simply amazing how love can be the root of many evil and despicable acts. Because Zhong Ye fell in love with Silver Phoenix, events were set into motion that would take centuries to truly be resolved.

While this book was filled with far less mythology than the first, it was no less magical or awe-inspiring. Pon examines both the present (Ai Ling and Chen Yong's journey to Jiang Dao to find his birth father) and the past (Zhong Ye's courtship of Silver Phoenix and what began his show more obsession with immortality), interweaving the two storylines throughout almost in a parallel path to that of Ai Ling and Chen Yong's.

The Zhong Ye we see in the past is both very different from the man we saw in Silver Phoenix, but very much the same. The same determination he showed in tracking down Ai Ling and forcing her into a corner is shown in his carefully calculated movements up the treacherous political structure of the Palace. This is a man who understands (and often exploits) signs of human frailty. A man who sacrifices much in order to attain a position of respect and power. He is not however the Zhong Ye that terrified and repulsed Ai Ling, the one who forced her into a marriage and sent demons after her in order to ensure she would become his.

Putting aside Chen Yong's quest to find his birth father, which felt almost tacked on, the growth in emotions and maturity that Ai Ling and Chen Yong undertook during their two month long journey to Jiang Dao, and later in Jiang Dao, was far more intriguing. We're told about the fact they hadn't seen each other in a while, hadn't truly communicated except from the letters Chen Yong sent to Ai Ling (who only responded once).

The gulf between them is more than just a loss of comfort or camaraderie, its tainted with guilt and regret and a feeling of loss. Neither fully understands what the other is feeling (Ai Ling could, if touched upon his spirit, but she refused to do such an invasion again), or what they went through. Chen Yong doesn't know the whole truth about what transpired on Ai Ling's 'wedding night' nor what Ai Ling was ready to do to bring Li Rong back and Ai Ling doesn't understand the feeling of obligation that Chen Yong foists upon himself.

I said that that the search for Chen Yong's birth father felt tacked on only because it lacked any real...urgency or zip. Between Ai Ling's growing powers and fears, Zhong Ye's history and the emotional turbulence of Ai Ling and Chen Yong...the search felt almost superfluous. A necessary plot device that also served to tie up many loose ends. It progressed pretty predictably and even the minor hiccup that Ai Ling uncovers is really nothing unusual when you think about who's involved. It was too neat.

Whether this was intentional or not I felt that the Ai Ling/Chen Yong relationship followed a similar path to Silver Phoenix/Zhong Ye's. It almost felt like Ai Ling/Chen Yong were making the same mistakes. Its difficult to put to words honestly because while the actions were vastly different, the motivations felt the same. Ai Ling wanted a life and future with Chen Yong just as Zhong Ye wanted one with Silver Phoenix. The only difference was where Zhong Ye lost his moral center (Silver Phoenix), Ai Ling had hers in her Chen Yong and because they believed in each other, they were stronger for it.

Once again the ending, minus the wrap-up with Chen Yong's birth father, fit perfectly. Despite everything else Chen Yong and Ai Ling suit one and other perfectly. They understand one and other, their weaknesses and strengths. That to me was the most endearing trait both books shared. show less