The Phoenix Empress by K Arsenault Rivera

Title: The Phoenix Empress
Author: K Arsenault Rivera
Page Count:
Rating: D
Format Read: Galley
Genre: Fantasy
Keywords: LGBTQ+, Asian Inspired, Gods
Kid Appropriate: No

Synopsis from Goodreads:

The Phoenix Empress, the sequel to K Arsenault Rivera's wildly buzzed about The Tiger's Daughter, an epic historical fantasy in the vein of Patrick Rothfuss and Naomi Novik.

Since she was a child, the divine empress O Shizuka has believed she was an untouchable god. When her uncle, ruler of the Hokkaran Empire, sends her on a suicide mission as a leader of the Imperial Army, the horrors of war cause her to question everything she knows.

Thousands of miles away, the exiled and cursed warrior Barsalyya Shefali undergoes trials the most superstitious would not believe in order to return to Hokkaran court and claim her rightful place next to O Shizuka.

As the distance between disgraced empress and blighted warrior narrows, a familiar demonic force grows closer to the heart of the empire. Will the two fallen warriors be able to protect their home?

My Review:

See my review for The Tiger's Daughter here!

I genuinely loved The Tiger's Daughter, devouring it over the span of four days despite its large page count. When I received a galley copy of The Phoenix Empress I expected to love it just as much and be taken on a fresh adventure fueled by love and mythology. Instead, a month of reading has resulted in frustration and disappointment.

Writing a book is no easy feat and having to give negative reviews is not pleasant when I think about all of the work that goes into the writing and publishing of a book. However, I have to agree with many of the other negative reviews I read on Goodreads. At over 500 pages, 75% of this book could have been cut out. It served no purpose and for the first half of the book I felt as if literally nothing was happening. Reading pointless material is not encouraging and I can see many readers DNFing this book. If all of the more pointless material had been cut and the small amount of relevant material been added to the next book (which I genuinely hope to enjoy) I think the story would have flowed so much more smoothly.

Unlikable character development, a sluggish plot, and pointless flowery phrases made this book impossible for me to love.