A review by alexiskg
Fox and Phoenix by Beth Bernobich

4.0

The most interesting thing about this book is the fact that it is a stand-alone—and a debut—that operates like the second book of a series, referring from page 1 to the grand adventure had by the main characters before this story's action even begins, and which dictates how the protagonist sees and behaves with the other characters. It works, but it does make me wish the "first book" existed, so I could get a more fleshed-out sense of who everyone was, without depending on flashback/sequel-ish notes to TELL me who they were/are now.

The setting here was unique, and the pacing compelling, but I did get a bit distracted by all the vocab/technical jargon, which became disproportionately heavy in the last quarter of the book (a lot more "maybe-maybe"s and such, which hadn't been prevalent at the front). Still, worthwhile reading for any fantasy fan.