Initially, 'Child of the Phoenix' was a fairly solid example of the historical fiction genre. It’s a bit cliched (can we say beautiful and willful heroine?) and nothing spectacular, but the story races along quite well and I found it an engaging and quick read despite its size. Characterisation is patchy and inconsistent: Eleyne is described throughout as an independent, opinionated, fiery woman and yet she submits without question when her first husband beats her to punish her for her actions, then has willing sex with him and snuggles up to him for comfort, which is utterly unbelieveable. I would have expected, shock, anger and hurt, not the strange meekness which Erskine suddenly gives her. I could live with that though, as most of the enjoyment of historical novels for me is in the plot rather than the characters.Halfway through, however, the book runs into major problems. The story goes round and round in circles as similar events happened repeatedly with seemingly no attempt to differentiate between them. Then the paranormal romance strikes! Now, I have nothing against a bit of magic in books, particularly the occasional use of the Sight or references to the old gods which seems to be ubiquitous in any historical novel with an even vaguely celtic setting, but this combination of strange visions and a ghostly love triangle was far too much for my tastes. Erskine explains in her afterward that very little is known about her central character. In fact, she may even be two entirely different people that Erskine has erroneously combined, historical records are that vague and incomplete. To me, the paranormal subplot which quickly takes over is a lazy way of attempting to inject excitement into the times when very little was happening in Eleyne’s life without having to develop the story and characters in a more difficult way without such instant appeal. The paranormal occurrences are noticeably absent at times when important and interesting historical events are occurring, and so they really do just seem like a way to fill in the gaps without trying. Ultimately, I would have preferred this book if Erskine had avoided the problem of long periods when nothing happened by making the book much shorter. There are plenty of examples of time being skipped over, just indicated by a dated heading, and so, at over 1,000 pages, I feel that she could have trimmed a lot of fat from this book and made it a much tighter read, without the need for a silly ghostly lover.
Overall this book was great, I would have given it 5 stars if not for that part near the end (view spoiler)[where Eleyne was fighting GhostAlexander away from her and having sex with him... Yes she had sex with a ghost. I didn't have any problem with his spirit being there and watching over her but for me that just went to far. The ending with Alexander and Eleyne running into the crashing tower together was great, a fitting ending to this story but please Mrs Erskine, never again do I want to read about ghost sexs, especially if the rest of the story is just lovely. I get why she did it, nothing really happened during that time in the 'real' Eleyne's (I tend to agree that they where one and the same) life but really a time skip would have been the saving grace here. (hide spoiler)]
What do You think about Child Of The Phoenix (1996)?
This book gave me goose bumps...The names are tough though, long names....I had to visualize short forms of the names so that as I was reading I didn't have to try and pronunciate the names each time, but had a quick short form of their name in my head so when I glanced at the names I knew who it was. I have two more books here by Barbara Erskine that I haven't started to read yet. I had two by her earlier and didn't care for them as much as Child of The Phoenix...but I'm still hopeful and will try these other two when I'm get the time.
—Annette
One of Erskine's best that I've read -- when she gets it right, she's GOOD!!!! The strength of this book for me, besides a page-turning, compelling plot, was that she set it entirely in the 13th century, (rather than a time-slip story as some of her other novels are) and nobody can recreate the past like Erskine. She can weave a magical spell and tell a tale of the old gods and ancient beliefs and blend it with bits and pieces of history that makes you feel as if you've been transported to another time and place. A hefty novel, but it moves quickly and is a rich and rewarding read. Highly recommended!
—Joanne
if u are seeking adventure, romance and magic or say miracle then its for you.. it will take you back in time, the castles, the wild nights behind the curtains and the controversies surrounding kingdoms...
—Shivani
