WINGS OF SHADOW

As war with the Golden Empire looms on the horizon for the outlawed faction of Phoenix Riders, a more devastating threat awakens from the shadows in this final installment in the Crown of Feathers trilogy.

Long-lost heir to the empire’s throne, Veronyka Ashfire flies toward a future with heavy expectations of rulership on her shoulders. With her bondmate, Tristan, held hostage by a warmongering politician, Veronyka and the Phoenix Riders plot to rescue him and eliminate their enemies on the empire’s council to stop the war before it begins. However, in the smoldering darkness of ancient ruins, resurrected queen Avalkyra Ashfire hatches a strix, a bird of hunger and shadow, thus granting herself the power to destroy anyone who stands in her way. Mounting stakes, chapter-ending cliffhangers, and tightly integrated worldbuilding accelerate the narrative’s pace. Unfortunately, despite these strengths, the conflation of sex and gender carries over from the earlier books with repeated use of female to describe both people and phoenixes. Jealousy and possessiveness uncomfortably are portrayed as positive signs of affection in a romantic relationship. The vilification of those seeking independence and the positioning of Veronyka as a peaceful, self-sacrificial savior combine with the resolution to send a message that may read as pro-imperialistic. The cast of characters have pale to brown skin tones, and one of the primary perspective characters, a White animage girl, is blind.

A promising flame that doesn't quite ignite.