(Goodreads description)
A bullet-riddled train staggers into a Chinese station in 1920, and Lucy discovers that her father, a Russian officer, has been kidnapped. A mysterious feather guides her into a dangerous realm of magic and monsters to rescue him. But she knows she can’t take on the quest alone. With her friend Su, a girl as quick with words as with her fists, the two uncover the terrifying truth: a notorious warlord has seized Lucy’s father. Worse, he is about to invade their city. The friends confront the criminal underworld, cross a haunted forest, and outsmart creatures they thought lived only in fairytales. But will their wits and bravery be enough to beat the warlord’s army of human soldiers and magical beasts?
Soar into a grand adventure, a world of Chinese and Slavic myths … into the world of The Phoenix and the Firebird.
This is a very enjoyable children’s story. Although fantasy, it is set in a very recognisable historical time: the 1920s. More precisely, in 1920s China, where many Russians fleeing from the crumbling Russian Empire found refuge. These refugees had a hard time integrating into Chinese society, yet Lucy finds a true friend in lively, brave Su, who seems afraid of nothing. Lucy is waiting for her dad to join her in her exile (being an officer of the White Army, he resisted to the very end), but soon she discovers that he and many others have been kidnapped on the train heading to China by a mysterious warlock everyone fears. Knowing nobody is going to do anything to save these people, Lucy, Su and an unlikely ally go on a quest to free her father.
This journey is magical, and really, it is what I loved the most about this story. On their journey, they face a forest everyone avoids crossing because it is considered extremely dangerous. But Lucy fears going around it will take too long, so she enters. The more Lucy gets into it, the more reality and legends, both Russian and Chinese, intertwine and manifest in the forest in a way that feels surreal but also very real.
I really loved the dreamy quality of the episodes in the forest and the way legendary people and places come together seamlessly with real people and places. There is no barrier between the fantastical and the real. And I always love it when this happens because fantasy becomes stronger when merging with reality, and reality becomes more meaningful when merging with fantasy. At least, this is how I feel about it.
The plot started out very solid and became a bit predictable and childish towards the end, but I still found it enjoyable. Besides, the themes addressed here are among my favourites: friendship, self-discovery, belonging, loyalty and betrayal.
On the whole, a really enjoyable read, even for an adult.
The Phoenix and the Firebird #HistoricalFantasy #BookReviewSet in 1920s China, a heart-warming story of friendship, courage and legend come true. Share on XThe Phoenix and the Firebird
Excerpt
The tea was a perfect concoction of bitter and sweet. “This tastes just like home!” I blurted.
“That’s because it is Russian tea! Every week I have it delivered from Moscow. Even in times of war, a gentleman needs proper tea.” I wasn’t particularly sold on the gentleman part, though I did enjoy the tea.
“But the war is over, my father told me so.”
“Don’t fool yourself. It is never over. War has no home. It just slips from place to place like a travelling salesman paddling an endless supply of mystery.”
A silence settled as we sipped our tea.
“Hmm,” Vlad leaned back in his chair, deep in thought. He motioned to the large painting bahind him showing a fearsome wolf in a woodland. “What do you think when you look at that creature?”
I supposed this was some kind of test, and I spoke hesitantly. “Well, at first I think it looks a bit scary because he is baring his teeth. But he is also… beautiful. He reminds me of the wolf from the story of Prince Ivan and the Firebird. At first, he is unkind because he kills Prince Ivan’s poor horse, but then he allows Prince Ivan to ride him, and even rescues him from trouble.”
He favored me with an enigmatic smile.
“Yes indeed, the Firebird!”
“You know that story?”
“Intimately. As does every true Russian.”
I drew out my feather. “Then you would know this?”
“Where did you find that?” Vlad suddenly bolted upright and stared as if hypnotised at the feather. “You must tell me everything.”
The Thursday Quotables was originally a weekly post created by Lisa Wolf for her book blog Bookshelf Fantasy . It isn’t a weekly post anymore, not even for Lisa, but just like her, I still love to share my favourite reads on Thursdays and I still use the original template which included an excerpt.
