Table of Contents
Preamble & The Past
As I alluded to in my last blog post, the last few months of my life have been turbulent and as such has left little time or energy for reading. So when I wanted to get back into reading this month after that slump, I wanted something lighthearted and warm to ease back into the groove. Since it is late autumn and getting chilling, something warm also felt right for the season.
Enter: The Phoenix Keeper by S.A MacLean. I had this book preordered on the Kobo eBook store after hearing a good review of it from Cari. She had read advance release copy of the book and had nothing but praise for it. The book came out in mid-August while I was not able to read it and wouldn’t be able to read it until this month (October 2024).
The Review
On one hand I regret not reading this book earlier and on the other hand, I read it at the most perfect time. The frosty chill of the winter is creeping up but Lady Winter has not quite yet made a full appearance. Lady Autumn still holds court and this book is the one everybody in court is talking about.
An Aside About Romantasy
As far as fantasy sub-genres go, this goes in the romantasy category. Before I talk about the rest of my thoughts on this book I must say, I dislike the term romantasy. The word has bad mouth feel. Also to me it reads as “Roman Fantasy” instead of what it actually is “Romance Fantasy”. I like a good romance in my fantasy. Roman fantasy not so much.
Okay, Back to the Review
This book is a cup of hot chocolate on a chilly autumn morning. It is also extremely queer and neurodivergent. This book is a good showcase of what actually good representation of both queer and neurodivergent identities looks like.
Our main character, Aila – very autistic, high degrees of social anxiety, also extremely queer. Her best friend, Tanya – trans, queer, an amazing person and even better friend. Without spoiling much, I’ll say the love interest in this book is also a delightful queer woman archetype that had me cackling and swooning, sometimes both at the same time.
Initially, I was more interested in the social dynamics of all the characters in this story over the fantasy plot but as I got deeper, Aila’s charm and enthusiasm melted my heart and I found myself heavily invested in the plot about the zoo and its phoenix breeding program. I don’t think I’ve ever cared this much about the fate of a fantasy animal.
This book is genuinely one of those rare books that made me cry and laugh, often both at the same time. The dialogue between the characters, the romance, the fantasy plot with its wonderful fantasy animals, the zoo Aila works for. Everything about this book felt like a soothing balm for my heart and soul.
Conclusions
As far as I am aware, this is a standalone book and not part of a series. That said I would love for this to turn into a series. I love this world. I want more of Aila’s Adventures, both animal and romantic. I want more of Aila and Tanya kicking ass. I just want more of all of it.
I could not have asked for a better book to get out of a reading slump with.