Silver Phoenix
by Cindy Pon

    SILVER PHOENIX by Cindy Pon
    Category:  Fantasy
    Age Recommendation:  Grades 9+
    Release Date:  4/28/09
    Publisher:  HarperTeen
    Reviewed by:  Cat
    Rating:  5 Stars


    From the beginning, Ai Ling has lived life differently from most young women in Xia. Born of parents who married
    for love, she is a cherished only child in a society that prizes sons, educated by her scholarly father and, as she
    comes of age, the ability to sense the thoughts of those around her.

    When her father is called to the Palace of Fragrant Dreams expecting to be away no longer than two months, he
    leave his daughter with two things: a green jade pendant carved with the character "spirit" and the reminder that she
    is special beyond the belief held by a doting father.

    A woman traveling alone is a dangerous undertaking, but more than three months pass and an opportunistic
    merchant tries to force her into an unwanted marriage, and Ai Ling knows that she must journey to the Palace
    herself and bring her father home. Attack by an unknown, dark force brings rescue and a traveling companion in the
    form of nineteen-year-old Chen Yong, a young man also searching for his father.

    It is only after another attack, the counsel of Master Tan, and a glimpse at The Book of The Dead, that Ai Ling truly
    begins to grasp the enormity of her power and the menace she faces. Joined by Chen Wong's brother, the
    outrageously flirtatious Li Rong, the three teenagers embark on a pilgrimage that will lead to the gods themselves...
    and eventually to a confrontation with an evil sorcerer Ai Ling has (unknowingly) faced before.

    Where do I start with all the things I love about Cindy Pon's debut fantasy SILVER PHOENIX? Finally, a novel
    based on Chinese legends and myth rather than the same, tired rehash of Celtic and other western European
    folklore. I relished Ms. Pon's vividly rendered portraits of both Ai Ling's normal and paranormal "worlds," from the
    quiet tranquility of her family's home, to the lush splendor of the Golden Palace, or the frightening grotesqueness of
    The Chief and The Anatomist.

    Ms. Pon exhibits a deft ability in characterization, giving us multidimensional humans, appropriately removed deities,
    and viciously single-minded evil entities.  Even Zhong Ye boasts enough shading and nuance to become more than
    the stereotypical archvillain. Ai Ling is a compelling protagonist and, though some might say it's unusual for a young
    woman in her position to so easily overstep society's boundaries (even to save a beloved parent), Ms. Pon has
    already established that Ai Ling is unaccustomed to those restraints.  My only complaint in this area is that while
    Chong Ye is clearly the odds-on favorite for Ai Ling's romantic interest, he falls flat in the presence of Li Rong's
    flare and charm.

    And while the continued reference to characters packing and unloading their knapsacks (did knapsacks even exist
    in ancient China?) kept jarring me out of the story, I loved everything about SILVER PHOENIX.

    This is one of those rare books that has made my "keeper" shelf.