Acquired Book By: I started to notice I was receiving quite a few enquiries on my blog the last few months – in respect, to authors reaching out to me directly about reviewing their novels and one publicity firm I hadn’t worked with in the past as well. Mr Crawford was one of those lovely authors who reached out to me and told me about the novel he co-wrote with his wife. I was taken by the premise of it and asked a few questions as potential trigger warnings for the book in respect to violence or other issues I might be unaware of as a potential reader. I have been actively asking these questions for certain stories in Children’s Lit (ie. Middle Grade and Young Adult) as more times than not, these stories can sometimes be inclusive of scenes and depictions I am not interested in experiencing as a reader. Blessedly his responses reassured my concerns, and I realised the novel was written for an Upper Middle Grade or early Young Adult reader in mind.
I received a complimentary copy of “The Phoenix and the Firebird” direct from the authors Alexis Kossiakoff and Scott Forbes Crawford in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Why this particular story impressed me and why I wanted to read it:
I have oft sought out the stories which speak to me to read – stories which have the tendency of being independently published and outside the scope of the mainstream, too. Especially if you consider all my top favourite reads within Speculative Fiction (ie. Fantasy, Science Fiction and Cosy Horror) are either published by Indie publishers, Small Trade Press or are self-published by the authors themselves. I love seeking out the stories which might not have a wide audience yet and are as eager to find us as readers as we desire to find them to read. I love finding stories which are uniquely told, share a different perspective and have incredible world-building. Which is why when I read the message from the author asking me to consider this for review, I was immediately smitten with curiosity.
I am also one of the few readers who doesn’t judge a book or select a book strictly on cover art alone – it has to have some teeth behind it in respect to plot, character and the overall arc of journey. I love to feel emotional connections to the stories I’m reading, too whilst finding myself carted off to someplace new – whether that is by location, time or dimensional shift. I love exploring timescapes as much as worlds – seeing how writers choose to tell their tales but also how they develop the world round the story, too. In essence, one of the reasons I love reading SpecFic is because it is redefined and evolved through each new writer who writes a story within its scope of the craft.
When it comes to Mythological Fiction – that is something I credit as an interest of my own to a fellow book blogger and friend of mine, Louise @ FoxesFairyTales who developed the readathon #Mythothon years ago. I was one of the first to join the ranks of readers and bloggers and the socially bookish to follow in her stead and see where that challenge took us. For the initial challenge, I took it a step further and sought out Mythological stories in Fantasy and Fiction which parlayed into the prompts. It is still an on-going quest of mine to read those books in full and to travel prompt by prompt of the other events she’s held over the years, too. I am endeavouring to participate in the current round of #Mythothon whilst being active with the community of the event via Discord this year as Round 9 Climb the World Tree begins this September!
Previously, I did start to dip my toes into Mythologically inclined stories or stories which bent into other aspects of SpecFic into their plots such as The Ghost Bride. However, by participating in #Mythothon off/on over the years, I’ve become much more inclined and open to seeking out a wider variety of stories in this scope of literature. Including my on-going project to read The Cycles of Norse Mythology.
And this brings to the book I am featuring today. My journey as a reader has been evolving these last eleven years, I’ve been a book blogger – each new story and writer or co-author team I find offers a new window into literature and a new way of experiencing a ‘story’. Thereby without the journey leading into today, I might not be reading The Phoenix and the Firebird because I might not have been ready to read it. I’m hunger for stories like this right now and I am grateful I started opening doors into books like this one a while ago now to where I can pivot and dive into a novel like this one and savour every single second of it.
This one is meant to be at the intersection Middle Grade and Young Adult – as it could appeal to both readers of those kinds of stories. What perked my interest the most was the premise itself – combined with the research the authors did on the story’s behalf and how they lived in China, too. Their a unique writing team and there was just something wicked special about this story that felt like a story I could really sink my teeth into and become entranced by it.
It is considered Historical Fantasy rooted in the authors’ own family’s journey during the Russian Revolution. Described as a merger of Chinese and Slavic myths – we entreat into the 1920s and follow in the footsteps of Lucy whose father has been kidnapped. I love stories which feature brave children facing incredible circumstances and how their journey is both external and internal, too. This one feels like the kind of story the Wyrd And Wonder community would appreciate, too, based on the fact it parallels both the fantastic and the reality in which we all know.
I did find this interview by the authors, but I didn’t read it until I read the story myself as I wanted to keep the experience of discovering the story to myself for a bit longer. Sometimes I read interviews ahead of reading stories and other times like now, I keep them to read afterwards. It just depends. I hope by sharing my thoughts and reactions on behalf of reading The Phoenix and the Firebird – I might inspire you to take a chance on reading it, too!
The Phoenix and the Firebird
by Alexis Kossiakoff and Scott Forbes Crawford
Illustrator/Cover Designer: Dinara Mirtalipova (cover artist)
Source: Direct from Author
War and revolution took almost everything from them. Now they must brave a world of magic and monsters to save what’s left.
A bullet-riddled train staggers into the station, delivering an ominous message that will change Lucy Markov’s destiny: her father, a Russian officer, has been kidnapped. A refugee who lost so much before she found a home in China, Lucy refuses to lose her last remaining family. Guided by a mysterious feather, she must cross into an enchanted realm to find him.
Lucy’s quick-witted, spirited friend Su joins her quest. Following the clues, they discover a warlord commanding an army of human soldiers and magical beasts has seized Lucy’s father – and now plots to invade their city. To save her father and their home, Lucy and Su must confront the criminal underworld, cross a haunted forest, and outsmart creatures they thought lived only in fairytales. With each step closer to the warlord’s lair, dangers test their courage and their bonds to each other. Will they unlock the secrets of the feather in time?
The Phoenix and the Firebird melds the turmoil of 1920s China with the majesty of Slavic and Chinese myth. Join Lucy and Su as they soar into a world woven from history and folklore and learn whether friendship is the strongest weapon of all.
Places to find the book:
ISBN: 978-9888843381
on 20th August, 2024
Format: Paperback Edition
Pages: 224
Published by: Earnshaw Books
Follow @EarnshawBooks (via Instagram)
This story took the award for BEST Middle Grade Fantasy.
about the cover art:
I knew the cover artwork was going to have a special connection to the story but the overall design of it didn’t fully come to fruition to me until I reached the latter half of the novel which is when the lightbulb clicked for me! Especially as one of my favourite characters was the fox with nine tails – as seen on the cover in the lower left corner! You can see Lucy as a silhouette above the word “Phoenix” and Su is right above the word “Firebird” – which is also a nod to the story itself but I won’t be revealling ‘why’. The rest of the images are connected to the mythologies and folklore knitted into the background of the story and is simply beautifully illustrated! It is a such a strong representation of the novel, and I am so grateful the authors had such a keenly insightful illustrator to put this cover together for them.
my review of the phoenix and the firebird:
The story begins with a letter, from a father to his daughter – about how he is attempting to reach her as he has already sent her ahead to China from Russia. As this story is anchoured between countries – as a lot of people tried to flee Russia and seek sanctuary elsewhere due to war and the uncertainties that come in the aftermath of war. They have become lost to each other between time, space and distance. To get away from the terrors back home and to be somewhere else that is safe. His letter explains how he is looking forward to their reunion. There is a lot of emotion in the letter, and you can feel his urgency to reunite with his daughter. I felt this was a brilliant start to the story – as I am a HUGE appreciator of Epistolatory Fiction. Whether it is the main driving force of a story (as it had been in Letters to Skye* or in smaller inclusions of other stories). There is something wicked about how a story can be elevated by the premise of letters and/or diary entries – as both are treasured discoveries for me as a reader.
We are introduced to Lucy as she makes her way to a special place her and Su like to hang out together away from everyone else. It was one of the closed Temples in the city – as due to a change in command and power, the Temple had become shuttered. It was apparently an ideal place for two girls to meet-up and forge a friendship without prying eyes as this is set during a time where a Russian girl and a Chinese girl might have had to deal with the opinions of others about their friendship. I thought it was quite clever how they found a secreted place to be themselves but also, to hide from the world itself, too. Whilst at the same time, I loved how the authors showcased how people can see past cultural and heritage differences to find friendship in what they share in common and let their differences not become what divides them.
When Lucy starts to talk about the stories her father used to tell her, they reminded me of how stories were a large part of my growing years, too. Not of the fantastical ones she had but of the living histories of my family which were an important part of my childhood. I, too, oft believed the longer you tell the stories, the more they can take flight and keep residence in your life as you move forward into the future. Stories have a way of enduring time and memory, and I could relate to that as much as Lucy could herself. Except I had a feeling her stories were more transformative and alive in respect to what those stories referred too.
Su wanted to give a kindness to Lucy ahead of reuniting with her father – taking her to a place which made the stinky tofu Lucy loved to eat but which wasn’t as keen of a favourite for Su. Whilst there they encountered the cruel reality of the underworld trying to take a stronghold in the city – where threats were not just made but endured. It showed how cities can take-on different kinds of light – both dark and beautiful and how keenly observant you have to become in order to survive the different areas you walk. I felt bad for Lucy in that moment as she was still a bit more innocent than Su, who was much more street smart than Lucy was herself.
There is an undercurrent of darkness swelling in the background of the story, too, and comes out through the notorious reputation of the Taotie. Who is rumoured to be a dark overlord who wants nothing but complete control of the area around Peking and especially the people who live there. We first are introduced to this darker character as it is believed Lucy’s father was one of the unfortunate persons abducted by him from the train as she was meant to be reunited with her father at the train station after years apart from each other. It was there in that moment, I felt Lucy was starting to set her mind about what she had to do next and what was expected of her to accomplish shortly thereafter. She had to take the lead and investigate every angle she could to unearth what befell her father and if there was a way in which she could rescue him. Tethered to that internal resolution of hers was a healthy dose of optimism and doubt – of not knowing whom to trust or which way would her forward towards her father. Su was the guiding force to provide the clues – of taking Lucy to a soothsayer and a reader of oracles wherein both girls learnt their paths were entwined and not separate. And, this was the beginning of where we started to see the overlay between their lives and the ‘otherness’ which was happily concurrent to their timeline.
Before Lucy can hope to locate the Taotie, she felt it was necessary to seek out Vlad (who was the crime boss in Peking) on her own and against Su’s advice. This takes her into the underbelly of the underworld of the city. Interestingly enough, she finds comfort in having tea with Vlad due to the nostalgia it provides as they share a cultural heritage which she witnessed is still important to some who haven’t forgotten their origins. Despite the circumstances it was nice to see the overlay of history and cultural tradition being observed in that particular scene. There is a passage of shared conversation between Vlad and Lucy – about apples and how they represent the circumstances of the Russians who through the war and trauma of its wrath have become disconnected and scattered; all but lost and forgotten outright as a result of being displaced, too. It was a somber moment in the story – as it connected someone like Vlad (by all appearances not the person of whom you would readily trust outright) to Lucy (a girl seeking to rescue her lost father) and the shared reality they both had survived.
Lucy had forethought and insight into what she needed to do but to convince Su of this foreknowledge seemed to be quite the trial. What was more fascinating was how the authors introduced us to the tradition of the corpse walkers (ie. people who carried the dead on their back and walked them home) and how one such walker intersected with them on their way to finding the Taotie. It was there at the edge of the forest where this ragtag team of rescuers found themselves at a crossroads and at a choice which would either shorten or lengthen their arrival time. I enjoyed seeing Vlad in a different ray of light – as no one is completely dark or light and there are different proportions of dark and light in most people. I felt it was clever to show this in Vlad as it made his character more ambiguously moral than most might expect.
The folklore is beautifully interwoven into the backbone of the story – as Vlad regales Lucy and Su with the tale of an immortal character from Russian folklore as they drive deeper into the forest. The forest of course I felt was a fitting setting for a story anchoured between folklore, mythology and a girl seeking to set her father free of captivity. Forests are dimensional as much as they are alluring due to how non-penetrating the light can become under the canopies. They hold secrets of their own and there is an old soul sensibility to the forest as well. At one point I felt Vlad was retelling part of his own story through the legacy of the folktale.
When the departure of Vlad in the forest lent itself to giving the girls’ their own separate journey towards finding the Taotie, I felt the authors did a great service in showcasing how wits and courage can carry you through the seemingly impossible scenarios which can occur whilst you’re trying to survive harrowing experiences. They met such wondrous characters and creatures, too, whilst they were running solo through the forest. This is why I love stories set within the forest itself – because it has such a magical lens to it and can give the reader a lovely insight into otherworlds just outside our own sight. Except of course when the forest can have a few surprises of its own you are not ready to embrace! This came through in the entities they encountered ahead and on arrival at their destination. Some horrors are without words – especially when it comes to overlords and the cruelty of what some men thirsty of power and rage want to impart on others. The dangers within this story are what you would expect but still pack a bit of surprise for the reader, too, especially considering how high the odds are stacked against the girls.
What I loved most was how astute Su’s training was from her father – from martial arts to critical thinking and how those homespun lessons were put into practice in such clever ways by the authors! They gave children a way of seeing how homeschooled children can thrive in the real world and use what they are taught as applicable ways of fighting through any challenge which can arise in life. As I have noted over the score of years, those who take a non-traditional path of education are oft met with scrutiny or harassment which is unfounded and unfair. Su is a champion of her upbringing and such a strong character of her own.
Aside from Lucy and Su, of whom I loved equally as characters, there were two unexpected champions of these story I loved equally as much as they had such a strongly rounded personality: Vlad and Kang. They were so well developed and gave you so many enjoyable passages to soak inside by their presence. I did not want to part from either of them by the time the story came to its own conclusion on this chapter of Lucy and Su’s lives. As there was a door left open in the latter chapters which inferred a nod of sorts that this story could develop into either a duology or a series; if so, I would be eager to read those next installments!
When it came time for the final showdown between the Taotie and the girls what was most interesting was how all the folklore and mythological undertones came full to centre. I won’t spoilt what happens but there was an epic battle of will and courage which was quite a testament to the power of choosing freedom over tyranny and courage over fear. It was in those latter chapters where we also learnt the most about Lucy and the gifts she was given by her family. They were given to her in different and unique ways (again I won’t spoilt the surprises!) and it proved sometimes folklore isn’t just meant for stories but can step through our own realities, too. The fantastical elements all converged on the ending chapters, and it was such a treat of joy for a reader of Mythological Fantasy to see how the authors wanted to present all those elements together and then, allow the reader to suspend their own imagination against what was being shared.
*NOTE: Visit my review of Letters to Skye to see why I love Epistolatory Fiction.
on co-writing styling of the authors:
From the moment you begin reading The Phoenix and the Firebird – you become entranced by Lucy and her best friend Su. Set in Peking (Beijing), China – the co-authors immediately place you there with descriptive narrative and a friendship between the girls’ which is felt as soon as you see them on the pages. Lucy is a very independent young girl as much as Su is herself. Both were given extra courage to tackle things in life most children at their ages might not have to endure due to circumstances which changed the direction of their lives and of their families. I felt they were bonded due to that kind of shared history even though they were from two different countries. I loved how readily we felt as if we could step through time and history and walk alongside them. For me that is what pulls me into these kinds of stories – the ways in which the writers can illuminate the story and set the tone of what will follow next.
The writers have a lovely imaginatively immersive style to their story-telling – as they visually paint their scenes alive with descriptive narrative which happily roots you into the scenes. From how they describe everyday life in this part of the city to the encounters Lucy and Su have as they walk through the streets themselves. Everything comes alive to you, and you can travel alongside them as readily as if you were there yourself simply by how wickedly transparent the visuals are and how wickedly the story pulses with city life. Including the shady characters, you might expect to encounter in the darker portions of the city where crime and mayhem might be more frequent than the cosier family neighbourhood sides of the city, too.
I loved how the authors offered the vantage points they gave in the narrative – of how two independently fierce young women could write their own stars and create their own routes to the future. They were each undertaking so much on their shoulders, but they did it with the full belief they could achieve what they needed to do rather than question if someone else was more qualified or if they needed more assistance past what they could each shoulder together.
Interestingly enough the fenghuang was also mentioned in The Legendary Mo Seto which I recently read as well. I was curious if it would come into play in this story as well given the title. I was not disappointed, too! I didn’t quite put it all together in my mind until the very end of the novel – as there is an interesting twist to the title and to the context of the story, too. I felt it was brilliant how the authors made those choices and how the definition of the title evolved over the score of the girls’ journey.
As this is a co-written novel between two authors, one thing comes through quite strongly and that is the seamless voice of the narrative itself. It reads as if it were written by one author, not two as there isn’t a distinction of changing tone or voice or style – each author merged their ideas and voice into the other to present such a wickedly connective narrative you almost felt you could not see the lines of thought between them as they wrote as singular voice to give further cadence of joy to see how the story continued to reveal itself.
On being Middle Grade or Young Adult:
For me, this story should be classified as Upper Middle Grade and Young Adult. Lucy is twelve years old in the storyline and the content of her adventures in this novel feel closer to YA than MG. Although, I labelled it as Upper Middle Grade as it would suit well for readers who are about to exit reading MG and want to move into YA. It isn’t too adult to where a seasoned Middle Grade reader would feel uncomfortable, but it would be for the mature MG reader who is seeking out YA and stories which befit their transitions IRL too. It deals with heavier themes and could be sensitive to readers who are seeking gently told Middle Grade stories in other words.
The story is eloquently told and the narrative itself is lyrical and poetic as much as it carries the heritage of its setting. I would feel younger readers would drink in the descriptive details with joy and fervor as much as I did myself.
→ Dramatic action sequences
→ No grisly violence or depictions of violence
→ A bit of Cosy Horror
→ Loss, Abandonment and insecurity of a stable home environment
→ Is inclusive of a corpse walker which is a tradition in China
I enjoyed the dramatic action sequences and how they were kept within the scope of MG and YA audiences. You almost hold your breath a few times awaiting to see the results of what was happening, too! There blessedly was no grisly violence or anything close in nature to it either. In that respect, this was a story that although realistically told held back from being overtly depicted or described that would affect sensitive readers of those kinds of scenes. Even when they mentioned the scars on Vlad – most of it was left to your imagination rather than being described the way they could have been in say an adult novel.
The loss and abandonment Lucy felt was aptly showcased as was her insecurity of a stable home environment. I felt this was equally true for Su as well as both girls’ were growing up motherless and both their fathers’ needed their help and aide for different reasons. They found family in each other and towards that end, they felt more like sisters than friends.
The tradition of the corpse walker lent to mind when I saw Lonesome Dove (the film) and a good portion of the story was about the journey of returning the dead to their home; except rather than walk, they were taken by wagon. Either way, it is simply the act of returning the dead to their loved ones or to where they once called home. Similar truly as those who were chosen to be sin eaters in the 17th to 19th centuries of England, Scotland and Wales; although the tradition of this act was also noted in other places, too. A sin eater would consume the sins of the deceased and in effect set the person free of them. There are a lot of different traditions both culturally and religious which happen at time of death or shortly thereafter and it was nice to see The Phoenix and the Firebird included one such tradition to help children become further aware of life outside their own purview.
There were what I would consider a bit of Cosy Horror moments in the novel but nothing that would shrink you away from wanting to read this novel. It was simply in dealing with how to depict a magical entity that is both fearsome and foul whilst being completely terrifying at the same time. A few other scenes also broker Cosy Horror elements and/or descriptions themselves but are within the realm of what you would believe would be within this world being built behind Lucy and Su’s journey. In the conclusion of the novel, there is a horrific scene that is painted mostly ‘off scene’ and you only have your own imagination to imagine what truly was happening rather than reading about it directly. Thereby, I stand by what I said about this being Upper Middle Grade and Young Adult.
Elements of the Fantastical:
→ The feather of the Firebird
→ Oracles and Prophecies
→ Magic and the Practice of Magical Elements
→ Shapeshifters and other magical creatures
The magic and magical elements within this story are of Earthen nature and borderline elemental, too. The elements play a role in the story as it ties into the oracle and prophecies the girls’ were told before they took their journey. That in of itself was quite unique, too, as it showcased an ancient art of seeing with the third eye and understanding second sight. The feather of the firebird was a clever touch to be found and kept too as it tied into Lucy’s father’s letter which as you move through the story was more insightful than on first reading!
The beauty of the Fantasy within the storyline is its subtlety and inclusive nature of being revealled. It is so in-step with the journey of the girls’ which reminded me in different ways to The Journey of Natty Gann (film) where one’s wits and courage has to be enough to carry you through the most trying of obstacles and adversities to reach the destination you hope will prove that the impossible can be done. I loved how those parts of the story, from the shapeshifter to the other magical entities in the story were beautifully themselves and quite happily readily found just where you’d expect them to live.
Being a Historical Fantasy, you also have the world-building to be historical in nature whilst the authors found a way to own the fantastical, they wished to weave through the journey the girls’ undertook through the forest. It created a lovely space to explore and to tuck past what you were reading and imagine what was not readily being said or shared, as there were some elements of the fantastical which were implied and/or plausibly understood to be real but not readily explored further. That became a delight of its own as it begged the question, “What if”? this or that was actually real and true and alive? Those kinds of questions and thoughts make good fodder for children who read stories to enrich their imaginations and their creative thought processes.
This book review is courtesy of the authors:
About Alexis Kossiakoff and Scott Forbes Crawford
Alexis Kossiakoff and Scott Forbes Crawford spent more than a decade in China and often draw from its deep well of myth and history in their writing. Trained as an anthropologist and now an international teacher, Alexis is fascinated by the meeting of cultures. Alexis’ research into the history of her family, who escaped from revolution and war in Russia to China, inspired the writing of The Phoenix and the Firebird.
Scott grew up in Japan and studied at a Chinese university. He is the author of the novel Silk Road Centurion (“compulsive reading due to its many colorful characters and twisting plot points” – Taipei Times), a history book on ancient China (“a simply fascinating read from beginning to end” – Midwest Book Review), and numerous fantasy, adventure, and mystery short stories. He’s also an award-winning poet. Scott and Alexis live in Japan with their daughter
Closing Thoughts:
I was so entralled by this story and how it was told. There were so many layers to pull back and peer behind, too. In the back Appendixes of the novel, the authors generously explain a bit more about the inspirations and meanings of what is inclusive of the story, too. I have been a reader chasing after #dragonfiction for a while but appreciated finding out about the connection dragons have to China, too. What truly stood out to me was the fox spirit and how they gave us a chance to read more stories about fox spirits – by giving us a book recommendation! I have a feeling I might be soon chasing after more stories which illustrate this particular fantastical creature as those passages were some of my top favourites within The Phoenix and the Firebird.
I was grateful when it came time to recognise the truer origins of the Deathless character the authors elected to write about his gentler side of personality as I had a feeling all along that he was truly quite too intense even for YA! I knew some of the back histories of China and Russia within the timeline of the story – but for the authors to give a quick History lesson in the Appendixes I felt was very thoughtful and kind as sometimes those histories are not always known or shared in school. Plus, it helps younger readers who are reading to seek knowledge beyond the stories themselves to have a steppingstone awareness of events in our living history as well.
The beautiful gift of this novel is the homage Kossiakoff gives to her family and the legacy of their own courage and strength as a family to find new roots to grow their lineage in a new country after war. The parallels of their real-life story and Lucy’s were lovingly conceived and executed and provides further insight into the novel overall. I encourage all readers to read those Appendixes after you read the story because it will only enhance your interpretation of the story and better understand the characters post-reading rather than having those impressions on you ahead of making those discoveries yourself. I would also consider this Autobiographical Fiction as it was told from a descendant who used her ancestors’ lives as the main backbone of inspiration to tell the story in such a wicked good way!
This review is cross-posted to LibraryThing.
{SOURCES: Cover art of “The Phoenix and the Firebird”, book synopsis, authors biography and photo were provided by the author Scott Forbes Crawford and are used with permission. LibraryThing banner is provided by LibraryThing and is used with permission. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: Children’s Lit Summer of Reading Book Review banner, 11th Annual Jorie Loves A Story Cuppa Book Love Awards badge (Coffee and Tea Clip Art Set purchased on Etsy; made by rachelwhitetoo.) and the Comment Box Banner.}
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