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Silver Phoenix Cindy Pon Books

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Silver Phoenix Cindy Pon Books

The beginning of this book gripped me so completely that I was compelled to keep reading. I was transported to China and the setting became real to me. The same with the characters. Ai Ling's struggles drew me, and I was able to identify with her, which is the sign of a good author. I haven't read many books with Asian characters and Asian settings, so I devoured this one and relished in the many new experiences. The story was well-plotted, too, moving at a satisfying pace and including a few twists I didn't expect. The one struggle I had was with the unusual names. Not being Asian, I had no idea how to pronounce the names of the characters or locations. I didn't realize how much this would bother me, but apparently I do 'verbalize' in my mind as I read. It bothered me so much I looked up Chinese pronunciations on the internet. Once I was satisfied that my version of "Ai Ling" and "Chen Yong" that stumbling block was removed and I devoured the story. (And there are some great food descriptions too!)


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Silver Phoenix Cindy Pon Books Reviews

3.5 stars

Hmm... Silver Phoenix, for me, was kind of a mixed bag. I was strongly attracted by the fantasy imperial China setting and enjoyed all the unique "sights" so to speak (and the tastes, while we're at it! The food descriptions are sumputuous throughout~), but the story overall felt a little disjointed to me. I didn't feel much of a sense of urgency for Ai Ling's quest throughout the story, even when--logically--I knew there was a lot at stake (e.g. her dad is missing, maybe dead; her household is running out of money; perverts keep pressuring Ai Ling to marry them, etc). There was just something about the narrative that left me feeling strangely detached.

My other big "huh?" moment comes from this huge and sudden turnaround in the story halfway through it. At almost exactly its midpoint, the Actual Quest (featuring the Final Villain) abruptly kicks in in a *literally* deus ex machina way (a flying dragon appears in our heroes' path to take them up to the Heavenly Mountain where a goddess appears and conveniently Explains All about the Final Villain, the goal and stakes of The Quest, etc, in one fell swoop).

That said, this sudden-turnaround was kind of where the story came to life for me. Fun but somewhat extraneous characters quickly exit, and the story shifts from Merry Band Journeying Through Monster-ridden Countryside to kind of a Chinese mythology phantasmagoria version of Alice in Wonderland, with our heroine and company traveling through truly wondrous and strange new lands (which, sadly, don't all get fleshed out). I would have loved to see more of the Country of Women and Country of Men, rather than the more typical setpieces toward the beginning of the journey (like the night at Master Tan's and the visit to the wise, old sage on the mountain). The final showdown with the sub-boss (i.e. the one who was actually sending all the monsters after our party) was very abrupt and resolved way too quickly. The "battle" with the Final Villain was a little better, but it still unfolded a bit too elegiacally for my taste.

In fact, that kind of sums up the general feeling I got from the story--it all just happens way too elegiacally for an adventure story. And while I'm thankful for the lack of pointless drama (especially between our heroine and her sweet, smexy love interest), I feel like a kingdom-threatening, death-defying journey like this one should be told with a bit more urgency. Still, there was a lot that was fun and I saw plenty of potential for future awesomeness from Cindy Pon throughout the story, so I will definitely check out the sequel.
I finished reading Cindy Pon’s SILVER PHOENIX around one in the morning last night – I simply couldn’t put it down until I knew what happened to Ai Ling and Chen Yong, her father and the evil Zhong Ye. Despite needing to work on my own book, despite needing to do some lawyering, despite needing to pay attention to the other humans in my life – the canine in my life does not allow for being ignored, so he is not on this list – my nose stayed glued to Pon’s epic tale of magic, mythology, and brutal love until the last word, which if you’re wondering, happens to be “twilight.”

Check out the notes I furiously typed at that late hour subsequent to closing the book, needing to get my immediate thoughts down on paper
1) SILVER PHOENIX is epic and awesome and so freaking good. a journey reminiscent of The Odyssey and really, does it get much better than that? 2) the feels, the adventure, the friendship, the unrequited love. it’s too much but you only want more, more, more 3) the badass girl and the boy who lets her be badass, promising always to be at her side – swoon 4) the magic and evil and wonder 5) Chen Yong’s pain of feeling other, being spoken to as if a lesser being, always seeking a place to belong when it’s right under his nose, with Ai Ling – meep

I promise you I was not delirious – Silver Phoenix is just as fantastic as classics like The Odyssey and Lord of the Rings and as I turned its pages, it reminded me of the pure joy I feel whenever I read those tales – the escapades and intrigue, the danger lurking around every corner, in every face, the overall genius of the hero’s journey. Silver Phoenix is just all. so. good.

But for me, because I am an admitted sucker and sappy romantic at heart – although please, please, please make my lovers total badasses to the end – even more moving and poetic than the journey is Pon’s underlying theme, that wicked slow burn she weaves throughout her novel, of unrequited love.

She had me stopping and taking notes and copying passages several times throughout the book
1) when Ai Ling notices Chen Yong’s eyes and immediately wishes she hadn’t 2) “I’m glad I followed you here.” 3) the LOVE LOST TREE – ugh – stop it! – please 4) “Besides, you always had my heart, I just never had yours.” 5) Ai Ling’s memorization of Chen Yong’s letter to her, “the curves and lines of his calligraphy” – dying

And this doozie

“Ai Ling realized then she would be willing to leave her home, her family, everything to be by his side – and the revelation stunned her…Look back again, she thought, and I will follow you. Instead Ai Ling watched him walk away, with easy grace, until he turned the corner. She shut the heavy wooden door…her chest tight with all the words she had not said…” – just kill me already because you already ripped out my heart

At one point, I got so brave as to tweet Cindy and based on her response, I think she enjoys that slow burn and our suffering for unrequited love. She certainly knows how to write it.

Silver Phoenix, Ai Ling, and Chen Yong are going to hold special places in my little bruised and battered heart for a very long time and already have me rushing off to to order the sequel. #Ididthat

Get the book, folks. Now. For real. #thankmelater
The beginning of this book gripped me so completely that I was compelled to keep reading. I was transported to China and the setting became real to me. The same with the characters. Ai Ling's struggles drew me, and I was able to identify with her, which is the sign of a good author. I haven't read many books with Asian characters and Asian settings, so I devoured this one and relished in the many new experiences. The story was well-plotted, too, moving at a satisfying pace and including a few twists I didn't expect. The one struggle I had was with the unusual names. Not being Asian, I had no idea how to pronounce the names of the characters or locations. I didn't realize how much this would bother me, but apparently I do 'verbalize' in my mind as I read. It bothered me so much I looked up Chinese pronunciations on the internet. Once I was satisfied that my version of "Ai Ling" and "Chen Yong" that stumbling block was removed and I devoured the story. (And there are some great food descriptions too!)