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emmejo, July 22, 2009 (view all comments by emmejo)
Ai lIng is secretly pleased not to be betrothed like most girls her age, she has too much she wants to see and learn and do. When her father goes to the imperial palace and doesn't return Ai Ling sets out to try and help him. However she starts encountering strange, terrifying beings she starts to realize that she has unusual powers and that she has a destiny that requires her to learn use them.

I really enjoyed this book. Asian fantasy is far less common then fantasy set in a world based off European type countries. The writing was beautiful and flowing and the characters interesting.

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BookwyrmChrysalis, June 19, 2009 (view all comments by BookwyrmChrysalis)
Silver Phoenix is an exquisite Asian fairytale, something I’ve been hoping for for some time. Of course, my knowledge of ancient China is pretty limited, but it felt very authentic to me, and we can chalk up any problems to the fact that this is fantasy, and not exactly China. I especially loved how Pon stayed true to restrictions and prejudices toward girls, but worked around them in a way that didn’t make me go "But.. but… one girl is not going to change the gender prejudices of a whole nation!!!!!" It was great to see a fairytale style story that is very distinctly set in a non-western country, and one that doesn’t feel like it was just transplanted there without regard for all the little nuanced differences that come between western and eastern societies.

Another element I found well done was the topic of sex. The book opens on Ai Ling pretty much getting a sex ed lesson from her mother, about her duties as a wife, and throughout the book the topic of sex and purity is artfully and realistically woven into the story. Of course that makes me hesitate to say it’s appropriate for kids under 13, without knowing the kid, but I must commend the author on her good usage of the subject. I’m tired of books that use sex as purely a "look, kids, we’ve got smut!" or where girls are constantly threatened with rape ’cause they are girls in a male dominated society. The issues of sex, rape, and purity, though, were of great importance in earlier societies, so I also dislike it when authors glaze over them or pretend "oh, let’s have a medieval society, except everybody is openly promiscuous and the guy totally won’t care if he doesn’t know if he’s the father of the kid." Those kind of social changes take a lot more background history modification. But I’m digressing, and my grand debate about women’s roles in older societies can be left for a different day.

My least favorite thing about the book? The ending. Darn those open endings that need a sequel! It’s always been a pet peeve of mine when I get towards the end of the book and start realizing "wait a sec…. the author wants me to hang around for a sequel before she wraps things up, doesn’t she???" (Un?)fortunately, this was an excellent book and I will be eagerly awaiting the sequel to see how things turn out, especially with the unspoken promise of getting to see some other countries in this world. I’m not sure how to feel about the fact that the author told me on Goodreads that the book would have ended there even if there hadn’t been a sequel coming, but I probably would have felt a tad let down. I like my fiction to have what I consider happy endings. Life has enough ambiguity for me.

Read more about this book and more of my reviews at Bookwyrm Chrysalis :: yafantasy.com

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gaby317, June 12, 2009 (view all comments by gaby317)
Synopsis:
Ai Ling is a young girl who is raised differently from most girls. Her father had been a respected member of the Emperor's court and given his daughter the best education possible. Not only can Ai Ling read and write with a beautiful hand, she is familiar with the most sacred texts. Despite her education and skills, Ai Ling is still subject to society's rules and finds herself betrothed to a well positioned young man whom she has not met.
At the betrothal meeting, Ai Ling finds that she has the ability to hear people's thoughts. She hides her gift, but Ai Ling is considered an unsuitable match and is humiliated. Her bad fortune does not end there. As her parents search for a replacement match for Ai Ling, her father must suddenly journey to the Emperor's court. Before he leaves, he bestows on his daughter a special pendant to keep her safe. When he fails to return, Ai Ling and her mother have no one to turn to. Ai Ling is unable to solve their problems in the village and undertakes a quest to find her father and bring him home safely.
During this journey, Ai Ling befriends Chen Yong, a half Xian and half Western young man who is on a quest to learn more about his parents, and Li Rong, Chen Yong's adoptive brother. Together the friends encounters mythical beasts and dangerous enemies and must face challenges that they had not imagined and could not have prepared for.
Set in the Kingdom of Xia, the tale appears to takes place in a mythical world similar to the era of the 16 Kingdoms of China between 407 AD to 431 AD.
Review:
To be honest, I had been very excited about the book even before I had the chance to read it. A young adult fantasy novel set in Ancient China with a young, smart and brave Chinese heroine on a quest to save her father from an evil presence in the Emperor's Court!? Count me in, I thought! Growing up, I hadn't read that many books that were set in Asia or had strong women heroines. I had read The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck, but the heroine there is worlds apart for Ai Ling.
While reading the book, I was very conscious that it had a young heroine whose family helped her develop her intellect and strength. Ai Ling was strong and had confidence in her abilities - this helps her through the trials ahead. I also got a kick out of how much the book reflected the flora, fauna, food and possibly myths of China so naturally in its references to images, scents and atmosphere. For instance, Ai Ling's betrothed was "a bamboo of a boy, the barely green type, with large almond eyes in a pale face." I'd be the first to admit that it's a bit silly to be happy that Ai Ling had dried mangoes and dried squid in her traveling pack and that she craved pork buns, hand pulled noodles, dumplings, and duck, but I was! I couldn't help but notice that even the scents and jewelry were Asian, from Ai Ling's mother's the gardenia oil and jade hairpin to the peonies that inspired Ai Ling to paint. Food and smells evoke memories and location in my mind and have appeared effectively in many of my favorite novels, so these descriptions resonated with me and was just another reason for me to chuckle while reading Silver Phoenix.
But putting aside my excitement to have an Asian heroine, I enjoyed the book for many other reasons. The writing was so clear and effective without being overdone. The characters were well established, seemed so natural and were so simpatico that I was on their side from the start. The kingdom of Xia was unique and well developed as a whole new world inhabited by demons and fantasy creatures that were different from the usual fantasy mold. Plus, the journey was action packed - I found myself constantly waiting for the next phase in their adventure to see how Ai Ling, Chen Yong and Li Rong would respond.
I highly recommend Silver Phoenix to anyone that likes adventure and fantasy stories. It's a book that I intend to give to my niece and friends' kids once they get older. It's a keeper!

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Product Details

ISBN:

9780061730214

Subtitle:

Beyond the Kingdom of Xia

Author:

Pon, Cindy

Publisher:

Greenwillow Books

Subject:

Fathers and daughters

Subject:

History

Subject:

Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic

Subject:

People & Places - Asia

Subject:

Girls & Women

Subject:

Fantasy & Magic

Subject:

Voyages and travels

Publication Date:

May 2009

Binding:

Hardcover

Grade Level:

- Up

Language:

English

Pages:

338

Dimensions:

9.18x6.36x1.23 in. 1.12 lbs.

Age Level:

14-UP