Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto
Rating: 5/5
Imagine if Eragon and Wild Magic had a baby. This is that book.
Nicki Pau Preto absolutely knocked it out of the park with her debut novel, and it may be my favorite read of the year. I originally picked this book up at the end of September for my husband, but he is an infuriatingly slow reader, so I monopolized the book and read it in 3 days. It started out as one of my books for the Triwizard Tournament Readathon, and has now become my favorite.
Crown of Feathers is multi-perspective between three characters, Veronyka, Tristan and Sev. All three are children of war. The Blood War took family from all of the characters, but it turned them all into very different people.
Veronyka and her older sister, Val, are raised by their grandmother, who was killed in a raid post-war and are forced to go on their run to stay alive. Both girls are Animage - they can communicate with animals, and more importantly, can bond with Phoenixes. They are also Shadowmages, which is very rare and something that they are very set on concealing.
A turn of events in Veronyka's life has her seeking the lost Phoenix Riders - a rebel group who were a major player in the Blood War. The only problem? Phoenix eggs are scarce, so the Phoenix Riders is only recruiting boys. Obviously the most logical thing to do is to disguise herself as a boy and join that way.
Tristan is the son of the leader of the newly rebuilding Phoenix Riders. He is a talented Rider and has a lot of leadership potential, but his father has incredibly high standards for his son, and doesn't seem to quite be willing to allow Tristan to advance into higher ranks.
Sev is a soldier within the Empire's army, and is also an animage. His parents were members of the original Phoenix Riders, and died while protecting their home and village against the Empire soldiers.
Initially I felt a little disconnected to the different perspectives and how they all played together, but as soon as I connected with the characters, it all came together. The different perspectives were nuanced and each had their own part to play in how the story flowed. Each gave new information about prior events and how the kingdom came to be as it is now and it really made for a great ride.
The world building is done beautifully. For some it may feel slow, but it's all so important to the entire story. Does everyone love knowing the intricacies of political war? Not necessarily. But knowing how characters or events intertwine with the story line is immensely entertaining. Everything is important. That side character or event that doesn't seem relevant? Probably is.
It's got twists & turns, and is essentially what we all wanted Eragon to be. It's deeply thought out, the characters are all well developed and are their own individuals. They all have separate motives for their actions, and captured my attention right off the bat.
I would highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys political high fantasy, or even just someone who wants a really good story.
The sequel, Heart of Flames, comes out February 11, 2020 and I honestly can't wait for it. I'm actually really glad I haven't been able to read it, because I want to experience it with everyone else!
Photo: https://www.instagram.com/novelknight/
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