Crown of Feathers
- Downloads：1071
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-28 09:54:00
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Nicki Pau Preto
- ISBN：1534424628
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
I had a sister， once…
In a world ruled by fierce warrior queens， a grand empire was built upon the backs of Phoenix Riders—legendary heroes who soared through the sky on wings of fire—until a war between two sisters ripped it all apart。
I promised her the throne would not come between us。
Sixteen years later， Veronyka is a war orphan who dreams of becoming a Phoenix Rider from the stories of old。 After a shocking betrayal from her controlling sister， Veronyka strikes out alone to find the Riders—even if that means disguising herself as a boy to join their ranks。
But it is a fact of life that one must kill or be killed。 Rule or be ruled。
Just as Veronyka finally feels like she belongs， her sister turns up and reveals a tangled web of lies between them that will change everything。 And meanwhile， the new empire has learned of the Riders’ return and intends to destroy them once and for all。
Sometimes the title of queen is given。 Sometimes it must be taken。
In a world ruled by fierce warrior queens， a grand empire was built upon the backs of Phoenix Riders—legendary heroes who soared through the sky on wings of fire—until a war between two sisters ripped it all apart。
I promised her the throne would not come between us。
Sixteen years later， Veronyka is a war orphan who dreams of becoming a Phoenix Rider from the stories of old。 After a shocking betrayal from her controlling sister， Veronyka strikes out alone to find the Riders—even if that means disguising herself as a boy to join their ranks。
But it is a fact of life that one must kill or be killed。 Rule or be ruled。
Just as Veronyka finally feels like she belongs， her sister turns up and reveals a tangled web of lies between them that will change everything。 And meanwhile， the new empire has learned of the Riders’ return and intends to destroy them once and for all。
Sometimes the title of queen is given。 Sometimes it must be taken。
Reviews
Linda
，
DNF ~5%。 after two whole chapters of info-dumping i’ve lost all interest。 personally i thought val was the more interesting of the two， even if she’s less likable， but it’s obvious i’m supposed to prefer veronyka， the protagonist。 too bad。
Sab
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I officially cannot finish this as I find that I care not for this story。 It's badly written， multiple POVs， no real depth to the characters。 I officially cannot finish this as I find that I care not for this story。 It's badly written， multiple POVs， no real depth to the characters。 。。。more
Maria Eduarda Alves
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3。5*
Kate Walsh
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I LOVED THIS BOOK！！！！ Such a good plot and I have an idea as to where this series will go and I'm SO EXCITED！！！！！！ I LOVED THIS BOOK！！！！ Such a good plot and I have an idea as to where this series will go and I'm SO EXCITED！！！！！！ 。。。more
Ilona Van Spellen
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This was really good！ I love the world and the magic and the sisters and basically everything。 The book is not quite fast-paced so you have to like that。Reason I'm giving this four stars was that a certain thing took forever to sink in with the main character， I saw it coming from miles away and I found that quite annoying。 This was really good！ I love the world and the magic and the sisters and basically everything。 The book is not quite fast-paced so you have to like that。Reason I'm giving this four stars was that a certain thing took forever to sink in with the main character， I saw it coming from miles away and I found that quite annoying。 。。。more
Laurianne
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The story was really good and the wold a lot fleshed out （maybe too much sometimes， there was a loooot of info about the world and its past）。 There were also a lot of good plottwists and I really enjoyed the characters！Glad I bought the sequel！
Lia
，
Interesting premise， boring characters and the writing was weird at some points like she was trying to EIL5 an already simple thing。 But I'll round it up cause I love the phoenixes and more than that the past letters and accounts。 Seriously forget these losers， the old queens were the best。 Give me that epic soap opera of blood and passion instead。（view spoiler）["Veronyka didn’t feel like a boy on the inside—she wasn’t like some of theother children she’d known growing up who might be born as bo Interesting premise， boring characters and the writing was weird at some points like she was trying to EIL5 an already simple thing。 But I'll round it up cause I love the phoenixes and more than that the past letters and accounts。 Seriously forget these losers， the old queens were the best。 Give me that epic soap opera of blood and passion instead。（view spoiler）["Veronyka didn’t feel like a boy on the inside—she wasn’t like some of theother children she’d known growing up who might be born as boys or girls butdidn’t feel like they t that category， and so they dressed in a way that feltright to them。"I think boiling it down to clothes sends the wrong message because people have been fighting to un-gender clothes so boys can wear what society considers "girl clothes" and vice versa。 Basically I understand the （good） point the author wanted to make but I feel like she couldn't weave it in without going on a tangent so it ended up half-assed。 （hide spoiler）] 。。。more
Savannah Andrews
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It really did nothing for me the plot was kind bland， and it felt like nothing really happened the entire book。 No progress was really made with the characters。The only redeeming quality was the plot twist at the end， but even that is not enough to make me want to read the next book， I might read it， but I dont think it is worth my time。 Overall I thought the book was boring， and predictable。 Its not the worst book I've ever read but I should have just DNFed it a while ago， it was not worth it。 It really did nothing for me the plot was kind bland， and it felt like nothing really happened the entire book。 No progress was really made with the characters。The only redeeming quality was the plot twist at the end， but even that is not enough to make me want to read the next book， I might read it， but I dont think it is worth my time。 Overall I thought the book was boring， and predictable。 Its not the worst book I've ever read but I should have just DNFed it a while ago， it was not worth it。 。。。more
Jaclyn
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I LOVED this！ The detail given about the appearance of the characters， even the intricately described braids and clothing， made me feel so engaged。 I really liked the history about this world， and the little flashback entries throughout the story paralleling the current story。 So so good！
Sabine
，
3。5/5
Noelle Fancher
，
It’s incredibly refreshing reading a book based mostly on familial love vs romantic。 If I weren’t thousands of miles away from my sister， I would hug her right now lol。 The book starts a bit slow， and I got bored for a moment in the beginning。 But it takes some very interesting twists and turns that ended up with me binging the last 3/4 in a couple days。 Very lovable characters， very intense emotions， and a very amazing world。 I’m excited to read the next in the series :D
Kim
，
3。5*
Natalya Kahmann
，
Why did I sleep on this series for so long？ The only good thing is that I can binge read the entire thing。 ^_^
Anitha
，
This book started solid for me。 I loved Val and Veronyka。 But I had pacing issues in the middle。 I enjoyed reading about phoenixes and phoenix riders。 And I enjoyed banter between Trix and Sev。 I loved the ending of the book。 I didn't expect couple of twists。 Looking forward to the next book。 This book started solid for me。 I loved Val and Veronyka。 But I had pacing issues in the middle。 I enjoyed reading about phoenixes and phoenix riders。 And I enjoyed banter between Trix and Sev。 I loved the ending of the book。 I didn't expect couple of twists。 Looking forward to the next book。 。。。more
Aspin
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 While reading this book I had a hard time deciding how I felt about it。 I went back and forth a lot between being bored and being fascinated/intrigued。 I really felt like this was a twisted phoenix-driven Mulan retelling that had a far more satisfying ending。 The Good The PlotI felt that the overall plot of this book was great。 There were high points and low points that all culminated in an epic ending that really brought the whole thing together。 It was clear that the author really thought thr While reading this book I had a hard time deciding how I felt about it。 I went back and forth a lot between being bored and being fascinated/intrigued。 I really felt like this was a twisted phoenix-driven Mulan retelling that had a far more satisfying ending。 The Good The PlotI felt that the overall plot of this book was great。 There were high points and low points that all culminated in an epic ending that really brought the whole thing together。 It was clear that the author really thought through every detail she added to this book and it made the plot twists in the end that much more satisfying。 I always hate when I feel like plot twists are thrown in with no warning， but in Crown of Feathers I really felt like the author went above and beyond to add little tidbits along the way that kept you guessing but ultimately made so much sense in the end。 Anyone who didn't make it to the end really missed out on how things wove together。 VeronykaI really loved Veronyka in this book。 I've seen people talk about how so many problems in this book could have been solved if the characters would stop lying， but honestly， I didn't feel that way at all。 Veronyka's deceptions all felt necessary to me。 Just as in Mulan， Veronyka has to pretend to be a boy to join the riders and spends the story trying to prove herself。 Given that she didn't have another option in the moment， this made a lot of sense to me， and when the moment came where she could continue to hide her identity and keep lying she opted not to a chose to be her honest self。 This is the first female main character I've read in a long time that honestly felt strong for the sake of feeling strong。 There was no tearing down of other women to try and prove her strength， and nothing along those lines。 She was strong and stood up for those who deserved it and did everything she could to prove herself worthy of the position she was after。 She didn't make stupid decisions for the sake of the plot。 Really a great character in my opinion。 The RomancesI really enjoyed the romances in this book。 The natural development of feelings between Veronyka and Tristan was really adorable and I really appreciated that Tristan didn't abandon Veronyka after discovering she was a girl， because as he says in the book， it truly didn't matter because ultimately she was still the same person。 Veronyka was his friend and confidant， he understood her need to hide her identity， but that didn't destroy the connection they had。 Their romance and relationship wasn't the centerpoint of this book and I think that's what made it feel that much more natural。 The other relationship in this book would be Sev and Kade。 I wasn't nearly as invested in this relationship， mainly because I really didn't care for the characters， but they were still quite cute， so I approve。 InclusivityI really appreciated the inclusivity of this book。 With people of all different ethnicities and sexual orientations， it truly felt like a natural inclusion。 I personally didn't notice any over embellishment for people of different races or a need to make one shine over another， which was great。 Also， the LGBT+ inclusion was great。 At one point Veronyka makes a point of acknowledging the difference between herself （a girl disguising herself as a boy） and trans children she knew growing up。 She talks about feeling like a fraud because they were showing their true selves when they dressed as the opposite sex and she was hiding her true self。 Her dressing as a boy wasn't shown as a bit of feminism， she really acknowledges that she would be stronger as herself。 The Bad TristanI've really gone back and forth on whether or not I like Tristan as a character， and ultimately I've landed on this: great love interest， boring character。 Tristan is a great love interest because he is encouraging， understanding and patient。 He's not like some love interests that are actually just possessive creeps pretending to be love interests。 He develops an authentic affection for Veronyka through friendship and sees her as an equal by the end of the book， which is great。 HOWEVER， Tristan as a character and POV is truly dull。 His entire personality is afraid of fire and fighting with his dad。 There is hardly a moment from his POV that isn't revolving around one of these things until the end of the book when he discovers Veronyka's true identity and then he finally has a third train of thought， which is all about her。 I really wish he had more depth to him and was a well rounded character， because that would have made his POV really interesting。 Instead， we got the same thoughts over， and over。。。。and over。。。。。。。。and over。 The PacingNow to the big elephant in the room， the pacing。。。this really needed some work。 So many points of this book were EXTREMELY drawn out and I really had to drag myself through them。 The climax of the book that easily could have happened in a couple chapters was drawn out over 5 chapters and 70+ pages if you ONLY count the battle and not the action leading up to it。 And then。。。it just ended。 The battle that had been SO drawn out was just suddenly over。 I really felt like the whole book was too slow and drawn out and could have been a far more enjoyable read if I didn't have to skim so many paragraphs about the hills and grass and stone buildings。 The Third POVSev's POV。。。。O。M。G。。。。。this could have been COMPLETELY cut out of the book and nothing would have been lost。 I literally groaned every time I saw we were back to him because absolutely nothing happened and Sev， just like Tristan， was an incredibly bland character。 There was no depth to Sev。 His entire personality was his parents death and the fact that he was an animage disguised as a soldier。 That's it。 He never thought about or cared about anything else， except occasionally thinking about how cute Kade was。 Sev could have 100% shown up as a huge plot twist at the end of the book from Veronyka's POV and had the exact same impact。 RepetitivenessOne of the things that made this feel so slow was how repetitive this things were。 I understand we had three very different characters we were reading about who all had to think about things at some point， but we really didn't need each character to repeat the exact same history of the country over and over again。 We got it。 We understand。 We really only needed it once。 I'll be perfectly happy to NEVER have to read about the sisters history again because now I'm pretty sure I've read it at least a dozen times in a dozen different ways。 Unnecessary InformationThis book was filled with so much unnecessary information that at some points it was almost painful。 I truly appreciate that the author tried so hard to give us a really thought out world。 It's clear that she really went in depth with the world's history， politics， cultures， beliefs， etc。 BUT almost none of it was really relevant to the story， making the extensive inclusion slow， tedious， and incredibly unnecessary。 The little extras thrown in at the ends of most of the chapters was awful to try and read and I felt like I was going over textbooks again， but even worse because they were truly irrelevant to anything。 Halfway through the book I completely stopped reading them and didn't feel like I missed a single thing by skipping them。 ConclusionThis was an incredibly well thought out book that had so much potential and really could have been a star in the fantasy literary world。 But the inclusion of so much unnecessary information， an irrelevant and boring POV， and the repetitiveness of the whole thing really made it hard to get through。 I've been debating continuing on to the second book。 。。。more
Grace
，
Great start to a new fantasy trilogy！ I thoroughly enjoyed my reading experience of this first book。 I think there could have been less POVs （and that is a common criticism of mine throughout the series） but nevertheless good story！
Taani Reads
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I was not expecting anything when i picked this book up and by the end i was enjoying it way too much。 Let's talk about the reason most of us want to pick this book， PHOENIXES。 Having phoenixes as animal companion is like a wonderful thing to write on。 The start of the book is very slow as in order to make ourselves settle with the history of the world。 We are constantly taken back to the past and told about the two sisters while focusing on once again two sisters itching to get phoenixes and jo I was not expecting anything when i picked this book up and by the end i was enjoying it way too much。 Let's talk about the reason most of us want to pick this book， PHOENIXES。 Having phoenixes as animal companion is like a wonderful thing to write on。 The start of the book is very slow as in order to make ourselves settle with the history of the world。 We are constantly taken back to the past and told about the two sisters while focusing on once again two sisters itching to get phoenixes and join the rank of phoenix rider。 The nation is one reeling from the end of war and preparing for the rebel once again and in the midst the young protagonist main aim is to find the phoenix rider and join their ranks， but things are not easy and it has one of the interesting trope of disguising as other gender。 The end twist were something i was not expecting one bit and it amazed me very much。 。。。more
Ken Grant
，
This is a complex world the author has built with lots of history， backstory， and detail。 I found myself struggling to grasp how everything fit together and thus the early part was difficult to work through。 Fortunately I was rewarded as the story picked up and the various pieces of the tale were woven together。 The characters became more rich and the emotional content felt more real。 I would recommend this only to the reader who is in it for the long haul， but for those who are the rich detail This is a complex world the author has built with lots of history， backstory， and detail。 I found myself struggling to grasp how everything fit together and thus the early part was difficult to work through。 Fortunately I was rewarded as the story picked up and the various pieces of the tale were woven together。 The characters became more rich and the emotional content felt more real。 I would recommend this only to the reader who is in it for the long haul， but for those who are the rich detail will be its own reward。 。。。more
Elisha
，
4。75
Noor Malik
，
4。5
Rozanne
，
4。5 stars rounded up :）
Tara
，
Love love thisThis story is amazing。 Well written and takes you on a journey。 One of those books you can read in one sitting。 I cannot wait for the next book。
Vish
，
*4。5 stars
Bre
，
This book was really good， it’s a good book for women power， strong female characters。 Amazing plot twist that I kinda expected but was still a little shocked， like the women disguised as a man。 Definitely going to be getting the second book I need to know what happens next。
Ariel
，
4。75
Kelsey
，
Given the fact that I am still very new to Fantasy， as well as Teen/YA books， I don’t feel fully qualified to star-rate this book， as I have little to compare it to， but if I had to rate it， I would give it between 4。0 - 4。5 stars！ It was an excellent little read （made better by audiobook） with a great cast of characters and a punchy Mulan-like storyline！ I’m finding that with Fantasy books， it takes me a little longer than usual to get into the beginning and become acclimated to the magical set Given the fact that I am still very new to Fantasy， as well as Teen/YA books， I don’t feel fully qualified to star-rate this book， as I have little to compare it to， but if I had to rate it， I would give it between 4。0 - 4。5 stars！ It was an excellent little read （made better by audiobook） with a great cast of characters and a punchy Mulan-like storyline！ I’m finding that with Fantasy books， it takes me a little longer than usual to get into the beginning and become acclimated to the magical setting， character groupings， timelines， creatures etc。， and this was no exception。 Once I got my bearings， though， I was off and running with this storyline—fully committed to seeing Veronyka， Tristan， Val， and Sev through to the end！！ There were courageous battles to be fought， fears to overcome， difficult choices to be made， secrets to be revealed， and of course， some glorious Phoenix riding to behold！ 😎🔥🔥🔥 —served with the perfect helping of family drama and romantic tension on the side。 Crown of Feathers was a great Teen/ YA book （ACTUALLY appropriate for teens） that I enjoyed listening to， and I will be looking forward to reading the second and third book in the series！ 。。。more
Jordan LaMagna-Meneghetti
，
This book follows a set of sisters， Veronyka and Val。 They are animages who are living day to day after a bloody revolution ripped their country apart。 At the opening of the book， they are incubating 2 phoenix eggs they found。 When one hatches for Veronyka but not for Val， Val's brutal personality is fully exposed。 Veronyka runs off in search of the Phoenix Riders。 What follows is a story of heartbreak， deceptions， and love。 This is the first book in a while that I have wanted to stay up all nig This book follows a set of sisters， Veronyka and Val。 They are animages who are living day to day after a bloody revolution ripped their country apart。 At the opening of the book， they are incubating 2 phoenix eggs they found。 When one hatches for Veronyka but not for Val， Val's brutal personality is fully exposed。 Veronyka runs off in search of the Phoenix Riders。 What follows is a story of heartbreak， deceptions， and love。 This is the first book in a while that I have wanted to stay up all night reading。 I didn't want to put it down。 I was enthralled。 I read a lot of reviews saying the pacing was off， but I didn't really have a problem with it。 I love Veronyka as a protagonist。 She is fierce， but very kind。 Sev was such a great side character。 His arc was so unique from what you find in most YA books， but I was rooting for him and Kade from the outset。 All of the revelations in the last quarter of the book had me squealing out loud。 I didn't guess any of them。 I like that a lot of the tropes were twisted a little to be unique。 Also， who WOULDN'T want to read about people that can connect magically to animals and RIDE PHOENIXES？ Like， what more do you need to know going into this story？ Nicki Pau Preto has done an excellent job creating unique characters， an enthralling setting， and a captivating plot line。 I have already requested the next two books from my library because I just cannot wait to read the rest of this series， and anything else this author releases。 TW: animal death， death， emotional abuse， gaslighting， mind control， slavery， war 。。。more
Belle
，
This book impressed me。 I started out unsure if I would like it or not。 It took me a while to get into the story， but once I did I fell in love with the world， characters， and relationships the author created。 I can’t wait to see what happens next， and have already picked up the next book。
Samwise Banjee
，
4。5 Stars
Roben
，
I liked this - I enjoyed the phoenix mythology of rebirth。 And the characters are interesting。 There's a lot of tension between Val and Veronyka plus the tension between Tristan and Veronyka。 And then there is Sev and Kade， also。 The story is told from multiple POVs。 There are similarities between this first book and the Pern series。 Except this is phoenix riders instead of dragon riders。 This is the first book in a trilogy - and all three books have been published so you won't have to wait to r I liked this - I enjoyed the phoenix mythology of rebirth。 And the characters are interesting。 There's a lot of tension between Val and Veronyka plus the tension between Tristan and Veronyka。 And then there is Sev and Kade， also。 The story is told from multiple POVs。 There are similarities between this first book and the Pern series。 Except this is phoenix riders instead of dragon riders。 This is the first book in a trilogy - and all three books have been published so you won't have to wait to read the entire series！ Hooray！ I have only read the first book but I would feel comfortable handing it to a 7th or 8th grader who has read McCaffrey's Draongsinger （Harper Hall） trilogy -or even Wings of Fire and Riordan books - and is looking for something else。 I do have a feeling， however， that content may mature as the books progress。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Crown of Feathers
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Crown of Feathers&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Crown of Feathers&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0