Title: Phoenix Unbound
Series: Fallen Empire #1
Author: Grace Draven
Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Publication Date: September 25th, 2018 by Ace Books
Format: e-Arc
Source: I received this book on Penguin First To Read Program in exchange for an honest review.
Rating:
A woman with power over fire and illusion and an enslaved son of a chieftain battle a corrupt empire in this powerful and deeply emotional romantic fantasy from the USA Today bestselling author of Radiance.
Every year, each village is required to send a young woman to the Empire's capital--her fate to be burned alive for the entertainment of the masses. For the last five years, one small village's tithe has been the same woman. Gilene's sacrifice protects all the other young women of her village, and her secret to staying alive lies with the magic only she possesses.
But this year is different.
Azarion, the Empire's most famous gladiator, has somehow seen through her illusion--and is set on blackmailing Gilene into using her abilities to help him escape his life of slavery. And unknown to Gilene, he also wants to reclaim the birthright of his clan.
To protect her family and village, she will risk everything to return to the Empire--and burn once more.
Every year, each village is required to send a young woman to the Empire's capital--her fate to be burned alive for the entertainment of the masses. For the last five years, one small village's tithe has been the same woman. Gilene's sacrifice protects all the other young women of her village, and her secret to staying alive lies with the magic only she possesses.
But this year is different.
Azarion, the Empire's most famous gladiator, has somehow seen through her illusion--and is set on blackmailing Gilene into using her abilities to help him escape his life of slavery. And unknown to Gilene, he also wants to reclaim the birthright of his clan.
To protect her family and village, she will risk everything to return to the Empire--and burn once more.
*** I received this book by the Penguin First To Read Program in exchange for an honest review, thank you so much to Ace Books for the oppertunity to read and review Phoenix Unbound! ***
Oh My, My My what a fantastic and amazing book Phoenix Unbound was for me, I can not describe how excited I was about reading this book. I heard nothing but amazing things about Grace Draven other books. I have read some of the reviews about Mrs. Draven other books and they were all highly praised and recommended. So when I had a chance to check this book out on Penguin First To Read Program I jumped at the chance to read it. I will tell you all the truth I had high expectation on this book and I was not disappointed at all. This book had everything that I love in a book, it had a fantasy, romance, and it had some action as well. I absolutely love the slow burn romance that Azarion and Gilene had, their relationship first started off as sworn enemies to lovers and I just love reading how the two interacted with each other. Brave, Stubborn and Beautiful Gilene had to protect all the other young women of her village and sacrifice herself over and over again at the empire entertainment of the masses who burns young women alive for their Gods, and Gilene has a power of being a Fire witch which fire does not kill her so she is the one who goes every year in illusion to sacrifice herself to the evil empire to protect the woman in her village and burn at the stake. I felt so bad for Gilene to go through this sacrifices every year she's been doing it for five years straight and it has taken a really bad toll on her physically. But Gilene is also very brave and strong woman to do this sacrifices for five years it has shaped her to be a very strong will woman and that the evil empire will not break her. Now the poor village where Gilene lives at does not care an ounce about what Gilene thinks or about her health at all even her own family doesn't care about her own welfare and what she thinks either, they all believe that it is her duty to protect them at whatever the cost may be if it means in Gilene own health or even her own death. Gilene family and village are true cowards that they take the easy way out from these sacrifices and let Gilene take all the burden within herself. Now the empire is pure evil and full of corruption that I just shiver every time that I read about it. And the cruel and evil empress is more vicious than the whole empire itself, the empress Davila is pure evil incarnated to the bones that she takes pleasure from the pain that she commits towards her own people yes she is that psychotic! Now let me tell you about Azarion the strong, brave and very handsome gladiator prime, I just love him so much yes he did some terrible things to Gilene at the beginning but he had a really good reason to do them and he felt just horrible and awful to put Gilene through everything and blackmailing her. Now the reason why Azarion was blackmailing Gilene and how he became gladiator prime I won't say because that is a spoiler, you have to read the book to find out and believe me when you find out you will be truly livid for everything he went through as a gladiator prime. Now there are trigger warnings in Phoenix Unbound there are some dark themes in this book as well so be prepared for that when you go into this book. Also, this book is told by two different pov's which are Gilene and Azarion pov's I really didn't mind reading two different pov's, because I absolutely loved and enjoyed reading about Azarion and Gilene prospective. Now Azarion and Gilene are my two favorite otp ever I can't wait to read more about them in the next book! All and all I absolutely and utterly loved and enjoyed Phoenix Unbound that it is going to be pure torture to wait for the next book to come out but alas wait I shall do until the next book comes out!
Oh My, My My what a fantastic and amazing book Phoenix Unbound was for me, I can not describe how excited I was about reading this book. I heard nothing but amazing things about Grace Draven other books. I have read some of the reviews about Mrs. Draven other books and they were all highly praised and recommended. So when I had a chance to check this book out on Penguin First To Read Program I jumped at the chance to read it. I will tell you all the truth I had high expectation on this book and I was not disappointed at all. This book had everything that I love in a book, it had a fantasy, romance, and it had some action as well. I absolutely love the slow burn romance that Azarion and Gilene had, their relationship first started off as sworn enemies to lovers and I just love reading how the two interacted with each other. Brave, Stubborn and Beautiful Gilene had to protect all the other young women of her village and sacrifice herself over and over again at the empire entertainment of the masses who burns young women alive for their Gods, and Gilene has a power of being a Fire witch which fire does not kill her so she is the one who goes every year in illusion to sacrifice herself to the evil empire to protect the woman in her village and burn at the stake. I felt so bad for Gilene to go through this sacrifices every year she's been doing it for five years straight and it has taken a really bad toll on her physically. But Gilene is also very brave and strong woman to do this sacrifices for five years it has shaped her to be a very strong will woman and that the evil empire will not break her. Now the poor village where Gilene lives at does not care an ounce about what Gilene thinks or about her health at all even her own family doesn't care about her own welfare and what she thinks either, they all believe that it is her duty to protect them at whatever the cost may be if it means in Gilene own health or even her own death. Gilene family and village are true cowards that they take the easy way out from these sacrifices and let Gilene take all the burden within herself. Now the empire is pure evil and full of corruption that I just shiver every time that I read about it. And the cruel and evil empress is more vicious than the whole empire itself, the empress Davila is pure evil incarnated to the bones that she takes pleasure from the pain that she commits towards her own people yes she is that psychotic! Now let me tell you about Azarion the strong, brave and very handsome gladiator prime, I just love him so much yes he did some terrible things to Gilene at the beginning but he had a really good reason to do them and he felt just horrible and awful to put Gilene through everything and blackmailing her. Now the reason why Azarion was blackmailing Gilene and how he became gladiator prime I won't say because that is a spoiler, you have to read the book to find out and believe me when you find out you will be truly livid for everything he went through as a gladiator prime. Now there are trigger warnings in Phoenix Unbound there are some dark themes in this book as well so be prepared for that when you go into this book. Also, this book is told by two different pov's which are Gilene and Azarion pov's I really didn't mind reading two different pov's, because I absolutely loved and enjoyed reading about Azarion and Gilene prospective. Now Azarion and Gilene are my two favorite otp ever I can't wait to read more about them in the next book! All and all I absolutely and utterly loved and enjoyed Phoenix Unbound that it is going to be pure torture to wait for the next book to come out but alas wait I shall do until the next book comes out!
Grace Draven
