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Feb 19, 2011

Confession: Something must be wrong with me since I kept expecting Mushu to show up in this book.

. . .

Yes, you read right. I meant this Mushu:

description

. . .Okay, okay, I know what you're thinking. 'Jillian's trying to tell me that this book is a bit like Mulan, right?' Sort of. Admittedly, I'm a tough critic when it comes to Asian-inspired stories: actually, my imagination grew and blazed on the tinder of Japanese manga, many of which are inspired by J More...

3 comments like (12 people liked it)

Feb 08, 2011

Nikki rated it:

Up to a point, this review shouldn't be majorly spoilery about events (although it will be about themes). I'll let you know just before I do the spoilery part.

I had honestly never heard of Cindy Pon until the day before yesterday, and I might not have picked up her book to read even if I had. Mostly because I'm not supposed to be buying new books at the moment, admittedly. But inkstone's post about it, here, a post about the whitewashing of the covers for this book, caught my eye. Yo More...

2 comments like (6 people liked it)

Feb 27, 2011

Kristi (The Story Siren) added it

Silver Phoenix was a fascinating novel. I literally could not stop reading it once I started. It was beautifully written and I was completely captivated by the world and characters that Cindy created.

I thought Ai Ling was a very well developed protag. She was impulsive, courageous, yet shy, selfish, and yet compassionate. I wish we would have been divulged into the entire history of Silver Phoenix. I want to know more about her!

I loved the creatures that were presented i More...

2 comments like (8 people liked it)

Mar 18, 2009

Ellen rated it:

Silver Phoenix is beyond exciting and exotic! It is original and not afraid to push the line. In Chen Yong, Cindy has created the perfect hero. One that any reader could easily fall for. But in Ai Ling, Cindy has truly outdone herself. Ai Ling is smart, tough, funny, sweet, brave, and absolutely lovable. What I love about her character is that she is young and therefore headstrong and will make rash decisions, but she is not stupid and so even if she makes a wrong choice, she rethinks and ultima More...

3 comments like (9 people liked it)

Apr 05, 2009

Yan rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

7 comments like (4 people liked it)

Jan 18, 2009

Sarah rated it:

Ok...the back copy of SILVER PHOENIX references Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which is one of my favorite movies of all time...so I had extremely high hopes for this one. And Cindy Pon delivers. Ai Ling is an amazing character, I can't decide which I want to do more--be her BFF or hire her to be my bitchin' bodyguard. There's a perfectly vile villain and a rich, wonderfully built world that sucks you in. And can we talk about Chen Yong? And how much I love him? He's hawt. And tough. Which happ More...

5 comments like (6 people liked it)

Mar 31, 2009

Margo rated it:

I'm a sucker for cool covers and I thought this cover was really cool.

In a time period when women were told what to do and when to do it - this book gives us an interesting character that is rebellious and heads out on her own to save her father. She comes to discover that she has unique powers that allow her to do some amazing things. She hooks up with another character who does not fit into the sterotypical ancient Chinese mold. Together, they battle evil and attempt to save the re More...

3 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 14, 2010

dioscurio rated it:

Wow, banyak mitos dan legenda cina yg diexpose -- dan bukan yg umum2 doang kayak naga dan phoenix -- tapi mahluk2 mitologi aneh kayak cewek-ular, cewek-penggoda-bepayudara-tiga, manusia-cacing, kesurupan-ala-cina, dan masih banyak lagi deh..

Universe yg dibangun juga berdasar riset yg memuaskan, dari cara berpakaian, makanan sampe adat pernikahan (dan buku-penyatuan-dua-sejoli sejenis kamasutra, hihi)

Petualangannya seru, membuat penasaran dan sukses membuat gw nggak berent More...

18 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 09, 2011

Estara rated it:

Well, I was glad to have read it but I don't think it's a reread for me. It was most convincing to me when the author dwelled on the dialogue between the people sharing the adventure and when she lovingly described the food ^^ - being a long-time manga reader and anime watcher the shiny bits (the descriptions of the monsters, of the different world, of the fight scenes) were probably not as polished and detailed as I'm used to.

Ai Ling went at things a bit too unquestioningly for me More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 18, 2010

indri rated it:

#2010-67#

Awalnya saya pikir ini cerita fantasy oriental sepeti Dragon Keeper, perjalanan dan petualangan anak perempuan. Jalan ceritanya sih menarik, tapi latar belakang yang tidak jelas membuat saya bingung.

Perjalanan Ai Ling dan Chen Yong melewati berbagai tempat dan menemukan berbagai lawan yang bisa mereka hadapi adalah plot standar penceritaan. Yah, seperti review teman-teman yang lain, ada benang merah yang hilang dalam cerita ini. Silver Phoenixnya sendiri yang hi More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 15, 2010

e.c.h.a rated it:

Mmmmm...where do I begin....

OK bagaimana kalau di mulai dengan satu hal yang membuat saya harus mengeluarkan liur. Kenapa? Karena pendeskripsian makanan di dalam buku ini yang bener-bener bikin "muka pengen" serasa makanan tersebut benat-benar dihidangkan di depan muka saya. Tokoh utamanya Ai Ling sangat-sangat menikmati dan mencintai makanan, bahkan saat Ia makan manisan saja bisa membuat saya juga meneteskan liur. Belum kalau Ai Ling sedang kelaparan dan bisa menemukan ma More...

46 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 11, 2011

Natalie (Mindful Musings) rated it:

Silver Phoenix was entirely different than what I expected, but in a good way. I’ve always been intrigued by authors who manage to incorporate fantasy into history—especially when it’s obvious that a lot of research has gone into making sure that history is correct.

The word that immediately comes to my mind to describe Silver Phoenix is “unique.” Not only do I feel that the historical fantasy genre holds an untapped wealth of ideas, but I also think that the publishing world is in need More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 13, 2011

Margaret rated it:

Ai Ling is supposed to be getting married, as a good daughter should. But at the dinner that's meant to seal her betrothal, her prospective mother-in-law publicly rejects her, ruining her chances for a good marriage. In order to escape a bad one, Ai Ling journeys to the Emperor's court at the Palace of Fragrant Dreams to seek her father. Along the way, she meets Chen Yong, who has a quest of his own. Their quests are made more challenging by the new and mysterious power emerging within Ai Ling a More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Sep 10, 2009

Jackie "the Librarian" rated it:

This is a decent fantasy set in ancient China (here called Xia) that incorporates demons and other folkloric elements into this quest tale. Seventeen-year-old Ai Ling's father was once a high-ranking official at the emperor's court. Because of his role in shielding a love affair between one of the emperor's concubines and a foreign scholar, he was forced to leave in disgrace.

Now, he has been called back to the court, and has not returned. It is up to Ai Ling to rescue him from the e More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Apr 04, 2009

Barry added it

Hurray for non-Western fantasy...we need more of it! Really liked this, though I could quibble with the ending, which I found a bit unsatisfying...but I suspect there's a sequel in the works. Give this to fans of Shannon Hale.

2 comments like (3 people liked it)

Aug 01, 2009

Books written by POC added it

Silver Phoenix has many pleasures. The descriptions are vivid and clear; Ai Ling is real, neither "feisty" (although one person calls her that) nor constantly heroic. She is not a trained warrior; she is, however, slowly growing in mindreading (a very mixed blessing), and carrying a knife blessed by a monk. She's no Mary Sue -- she is not strikingly lovely, she has a temper, and she sometimes abuses her mindreading powers. The world itself is a treasure for me: Ai Ling's alt!Chi More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Feb 19, 2012

Maggie rated it:

I always approach books by folks I follow on Twitter with more than a little trepidation. I've usually heard so much about their writing process, and have seen the "man behind the curtain," if you will, that it takes away some of the joy of a good story. Also, there's always that lingering question in the back of your mind. What if it just plain sucks?

Well, thankfully, Silver Phoenix didn't suck. At all. Being the first full-on frontal fantasy I've read in awhile - the g More...

0 comments like

May 21, 2011

Cyndy rated it:

My first exposure to Cindy Pon's Silver Phoenix: Beyond the Kingdom of Xia was via blogs: The publisher had changed the cover of her novel, taking the obviously Asian-inspired, gorgeous cover art and replacing it with a more trendy and generic black cover.

I'm still sort of angry on the behalf of all of us for that change.

There are trends in young adult fiction at the moment: paranormal creatures; sweet smart love stories ...

Silver Phoenix is none of those things, an More...

0 comments like

Apr 16, 2011

Ashley rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 12, 2011

Candace rated it:

This is a fantasy book and I love fantasy. But sometimes things get overly descriptive or are difficult to understand. Not this one! It starts off feeling a bit like a historical fiction taking place in China. Now most people know that China is full of myths and superstitions so when Ai Ling starts seeing and experiencing odd things it just fit perfectly. It was hard for her to believe, but she'd read about them and she seemed quite accepting of them and that's how it felt it should be. We More...

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Apr 04, 2011

Jamie rated it:

Wow. I typically don't read a lot of fantasy. I'm not sure why exactly but I guess I thought it wouldn't do much for me. I was wrong. Silver Phoenix was infused with action, magical elements, vivid descriptions and a slice of romantic tension. I could not put this one down and found myself reading it on my Nook while I was stuck in traffic. The writing was phenomenal and Pon created such a believable world with all the mythical and magical elements blended in. I was completely enthralled by the More...

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Mar 27, 2011

Katieb (MundieMoms) rated it:

*reviewed on MM's*

This book had been on my radar for quite awhile and it wasn't until I saw Cassandra Clare's Barnes & Noble top 12 Book Picks did I finally pick it up. What a fascinating read it was. Cindy Pon not only has a rich mythology and setting, but some very strong characters.

Ai Ling is a strong, fierce heroine who's courage adds an element of surprise in her adventures. Set during a time when women were told what to do and excepted to obey, Ai Ling proves other wise More...

0 comments like

Feb 20, 2011

Splash Of Our Worlds rated it:

Okay...give my some time to do a recap of the book since there is some time i've read it....*yiota thinks*....

I would describe Silver Phoenix as one of those classic japanese stories. I don't know how many of you've watch movies like Howl's Moving Castle, with weird creatures which doesn't really make sense, but the book is exactly like that but not so childish. The writing was captivating, exotic and is exactly like watching an anime movie.
Good things: Great and strong p More...

2 comments like

Dec 22, 2010

Kate rated it:

I read this for a library book club and it was absolutely epic! I love the unique storyline, and the characters. They seemed like real people. My favorite was Chen Yong. Ai Ling was nice too, she reminded me of Katniss Everdeen from Hunger Games. I like how we have a strong female character here, who has a mind of her own and can actually make a sandwich without having to run crying to Edward (I swear I have nothing against Twilight! Just that Bella is just a little weak).

***SPOILERS** More...

0 comments like

Aug 10, 2010

Catherine rated it:

This book leaves me as confused as ever as to what constitutes a YA novel. The language in Silver Phoenix is much simpler than I've read in other YA works (I Am The Messenger springs to mind), but the themes here are profoundly adult - love, sex, marriage, horror, gore.

Ai Ling, the central protagonist, is a heroine to be fond of, blasting her way (as she does) through tradition and otherworlds to find her kidnapped father at the Emperor's palace. She's educated - and her literacy i More...

0 comments like

Aug 09, 2010

Judy rated it:

“Silver Phoenix” was one of the books that I was excitedly waiting for because of its gorgeous cover. It was listed as a book featuring a person of color written by a person of color on a YA lit blog that I can’t remember the name of. For “Silver Phoenix”, I was immediately drawn to what appears to be a story about a strong heroine (check), fantasy (double check), and an Asian writer (triple check!!!). This was all before I even read anything on the book itself, so it is surprising how much the More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 30, 2010

Ebony rated it:

I know I'm reading a wonderful book when the internal editor switches off and I simply live in the book. This book is wonderful. It's an incredible adventure full of mythical heroes and foes, challenges, mistakes, heartbreak, ruin and salvation. And food.

It's the story of Ai Ling, a dutiful daughter pledged to rescue her father (and dodge a few greasy 'suitors' along the way). It reminded me of the TV series from the 80s, Monkey Magic - the classic journey with many challenges, gods in More...

0 comments like

Jul 21, 2010

Kim rated it:

Silver Phoenix is the latest book (that I know of) to suffer the whitewashing of its cover. Except that what it really suffered was the powers-that-be in two major chain bookstores, Barnes & Noble and Borders, deciding not to stock the hardcover in their brick-and-mortar stores, so that it lost out on impulse sales. The publisher decided to remedy the situation by changing the cover design for the paperback edition. However, the new covers not only obscure the race of the protagonist, they make More...

0 comments like

Apr 22, 2010

Jess rated it:

Here's the thing about kick-ass girl characters in historic settings (or historic-inspired settings) - I have to be convinced that they are a product of their culture, and I have to be convinced that they grow into their kick-ass-ness through whatever circumstances. If you simply plop one of these girls into a world of women who follow the rules, I might enjoy it but there will be some serious eye-rolling.

There was no eye-rolling with Ai Ling, I'm happy to say. She is on many level More...

0 comments like

Apr 07, 2010

Laura rated it:

It's possible I'm being more harsh on this book than I would have been if I hadn't read such glowing reviews before hand. Maybe my expectations were too high, so take everything I write in this review with a grain of salt.

The Awesome:

Excellent world-building.

Without giving away a major plot point, I'll just say that reading this book really made me want to hear the story of the Silver Phoenix.

The lead is a kick-butt female with a cool power.

The N More...

0 comments like