Silver Phoenix – A Review

Title: Silver Phoenix: Beyond the Kingdom of Xia
Author: Cindy Pon
Reading level: Young Adult
Publisher: HarperTeen, 1 edition (April 28, 2009)
ISBN-10: 0061730211
ISBN-13: 978-0061730214

Generally, I prefer books that do NOT start off with a prologue. I like to cut right to the chase to find out what’s happening NOW instead of reading a lot of background information to set the stage for chapter one.

But I was immediately sucked into the story when I read the first paragraph of the prologue in Silver Phoenix because it skillfully transported me to another time and place and left me with many unanswered questions.

At that point, how could I NOT go on to read chapter 1?

I had no choice. I was hooked.

The main character of this epic quest is a young girl named Ai Ling. She’s about to meet her betrothed (it’s an arranged marriage) and her mother is showing her The Book of Making, which explains and illustrates (much to Ai Ling’s dismay) “all you need to know about the bedchamber and what it takes to pleasure your husband.”

But things don’t turn out as planned when Ai Ling is introduced to the “bamboo of a boy” she is supposed to marry, and soon Ai Ling must rush to save her father who is being held captive in the Emperor’s Palace. Along the way, Ai Ling meets Chen Yong, a young man who is on a quest of his own, and they end up making their perilous journeys together.

This is a beautiful story, filled with action, adventure, fantasy, and romance – everything to delight teen readers. It’s hard to believe this is Cindy Pon’s first book. I can hardly wait to see what she writes next.

Note: Watch the trailer for this book in the right sidebar of this page.