Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix

Princess Jade has grown up in exile, hidden away in a monastery while her stepmother, the ruthless Xifeng, rules as empress of Feng Lu. But the empire is in distress, and its people are sinking into poverty and despair. Even though Jade doesn’t want the throne, she knows that she is the only one who can dethrone the empress and set the world right. Ready to reclaim her place as the rightful heir, Jade embarks on a quest to raise the Dragon Kings and defeat Xifeng and the Serpent King once and for all.

One of the things that I profusely enjoyed while reading Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix was the world building–the world was built on what the first book, Forest of a Thousand Lanterns, described as well as on exploration of new and different areas of that world. The world’s folklore definitely brought a unique aspect to Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix; the folklore was woven into the story as a whole, adding new perspectives to the story and adding a unique twist. All in all, Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix was an amazing yet different retelling of a fairytale.