3.5 stars...so I'm rounding up.Fox and Phoenix was a great little story. I think what stood out to me most was the wonderful world building. Everything about the world of Long City and the Phoenix Empire (and everything lying in between) was very well fleshed out and felt like a plausible history. I loved the mix of magic and tech, and especially loved the kinda old, kinda new setting in which this interesting and fresh blend is created.Now for the characters. Reading other reviews, I don't understand why some other people don't like Kai. He's not the brightest bulb--he's an impulsive kid who tries to do his best. He struggles between selfishness and putting others first. For that alone, I enjoyed the dude's character. His friends were just as flawed and well crafted, and I enjoyed reading through their adventures.My only two complaints, which I felt hurt the story's quality, but not enough for me to dislike it: The plot felt a little disjointed at times, taking its time in some sections while rushing through in others (particularly in the last quarter of the book). As well, while I enjoyed the characters, I felt like they were never in mortal peril, and often times showed up in perfect timing with frustrating convenience. Strange things are happening in the land of the Seventy Kingdoms. The magic flux that runs through the land is disappearing, there are whispers of courtly plots and machinations, and the King of Long City is dying of a suspicious disease. Sixteen-year-old Kai is no stranger to adventure...Last year he and his friends helped Princess Lian find her heart's desire, winning her friendship in the process. When a ghost dragon tells Kai he must travel to the Phoenix Empire to tell Lian about her father's sickness and bring her home, it's up to Kai and his friend Yun to once again save the day.I looked at other reviews of this, and I am so glad I'm not the only one who was like "what the heck is going on? is this a sequel?" Apparently, although this is the first novel set in this world, it's a sequel to a short story the author published online. Although Bernobich tries to include the backstory in this book, I still had a hard time figuring out what was going on, and if I wasn't reading this for a requirement, I would have stopped reading somewhere in the first chapter.The book does get better once the exposition is out of the way, but I never grew to love it. The character of Kai is immature and often annoying, and I never really understood why he and other characters were reacting to things like they did. Everyone seemed so histrionic - often yelling at each other and having arguments that could have been easily resolved... Although Bernobich put a lot of effort into world-building, I found the magic to be confusing. I liked that it was creative and not a typical fantasy world, and the spirit animals were pretty cool, but I couldn't get rid of the feeling that I was missing something.This would be a good choice for traditional fantasy fans, especially those who have an interest in China or Japan. If I was recommending it to someone, I'd probably advise them to read the short story first so they knew what was going on.
What do You think about Fox And Phoenix (2011)?
An interesting fantasy world with some new ideas... Didn't really push my buttons, though.
—Sasi
Sweetly charming. My favorite part of the novel was definitely the world-building.
—vesperbell
