Sarah Mughal Rana throws you into the world of Dawn of the Firebird from the very first line. With unfamiliar words and terms used right from the beginning, it feels like its sink or swim.
Khamilla is raised in her mother’s nomadic clan, training to become a ‘folkteller’, when her village is attacked and she awakens her heavenly power. She is reluctantly taken in by her father and is taught how to control her power and detect poison. When her new home is once again destroyed, she must hide her identity and infiltrate the enemy’s army. While attending the enemy’s military academy, Khamilla is confronted with a history that contradicts her father’s teachings, and she must make a choice.
The premise of this novel was interesting, with the synopsis offering everything I love about this genre.I really wanted to like this book but found it difficult to read. I became confused about where the characters were and how much time had passed. The characters would be walking in one palace, then be training in another, without any sense of movement. I couldn’t feel the flow of time as I was reading, so I was often surprised when the passing of a year was mentioned.
However, Mughal Rana’s descriptions of setting and food, are vivid, creating a clear image in the reader’s mind. The politics and history, though dense at times, provide an interesting framework. And, despite its flaws, I look forward to seeing where this series goes.
Reviewed by Aimee Fletcher
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
SARAH MUGHAL RANA is the Sunday Times and USA Today bestselling author of the fantasy trilogy Dawn of the Firebird, and the young adult novel, Hope Ablaze. Beyond the page, she has an MPhil from the University of Oxford, at the intersection of economic policy and human rights, and co-hosts the On The Write Track podcast, where she spills the tea with bestselling authors. Her short fiction has appeared in several anthologies.
When she’s not writing, she works in tech and splits her time between the UK and Canada, where you can find her diving into history rabbit holes or honing her skills in traditional martial arts.
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