Review: "Fox and Phoenix" by Beth Bernobich

Hey y'all! So, I've decided to start posting on Mondays and Fridays--Monday will be review day, and Friday will be "Fun Friday", with fun bookish posts (hopefully!). So, this is my first Monday Review!

This is a book that I read fairly early in quarantine, and a review that I wrote fairly early in the history of this blog, but it kept getting pushed back by 'more interesting' posts *gives side-eye to "Forging the Fellowship" and "Good, Better, Best"*, so I thought I would let it get some airtime today. It was a really interesting book!

Fox and Phoenix by Beth Bernobich

The king of Long City is dying. For Kai Zu, the news means more than it does for most former street rats in the small mountain stronghold, because he and the king's daughter are close friends. Then the majestic ruler of the ghost dragons orders Kai to travel across the country to the Phoenix Empire, where the princess is learning statecraft. In a court filled with intrigue, Kai and his best (female) friend Yan must work together to help the princess escape and return to Long City. A refreshing mixture of magic, wit, and action, Fox and Phoenix is an auspicious debut!

Worldbuilding

Lots and lots of fun. Because, I mean, Asia! Spirit companions! Magic! Magic that flows like seasonal flooding! Royals! Politics! I really enjoyed how the culture was portrayed as very high-context, which was very interesting, because I don’t tend to see a realistic portrayal of Asian high-context-ness very much. I just wish some of the worldbuilding had been explained further, because there’s magic, but also fairly modern banks? And paperwork? And on the cover there are neon signs? But it still feels like it’s set in the middle ages, more or less?

Plot/Story

The story was fine, a classic quest-type out-and-back plot, which I have no problems with AT ALL (looking at you, LOTR). The journey was interesting, and the reason for them undertaking it was not contrived. The thing was, the whole book I felt like I was reading the second book in the series without reading the first (This happens to me all the time. Have I mentioned I don’t like waiting for books?), but this is the first book. The slightly under-explained world-building contributed to this, but also I thought that the friendships were underdeveloped for a first book, and the characters kept referring to past events and characters as if the readers should recognize them, which was a bit disconcerting and off putting. Also, the denouement felt rushed, to me.

Characters

Kai: Is a lot of fun. A very realistic boy character in my opinion. I am not a boy, so I can’t be sure, but his cluelessness is exactly what I’m used to getting from Pippin (love you, Pip!).
Yan: Actually kind of reminds me of me. Works very hard, gets exasperated easily by the boys in her life, and most of the time has the right answer. I really enjoyed her character, although I’m confused as to why she was ignoring Kai at the beginning?
The Princess (I’m having goldfish brain and legitimately cannot remember her name): Not very developed—loves her father, loves her kingdom, doesn’t want to give offence, and can give some authoritative orders when she needs to.
The Spirit Companions: Hilarious! I’m not going to spoil this for you by giving too many details, but the banter was really fun.

Romance

No spoilers here, but it felt kind of rushed/groundless? See: feels like a sequel.

Content

Some kissing. Some violence. Nothing detailed.

Overall Rating

3 stars. A fun read, but not the most spectacular.

What are some of your favorite stories set in Asia? Are there any other books with interesting high-context representations?