Fury of the Phoenix

Fury of the Phoenix by Cindy Pon 2011 (ARC) Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins

Incredible Quote "I would fast for you, Li Chen Yong." Ai Ling pg. 310

*No spoilers for Silver Phoenix (well 1 tiny spoiler about relationships and a big one about a death) or Fury of the Phoenix are in this review*

Oh my goodness if you've read Silver Phoenix (and if not WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, GO!) then you understand the significance and awww factor that line has. And I rarely aw, especially not out loud, but that line made my heart melt a bit. But things aren't purely sweet for Ai Ling and Chen Yong. Chen Yong has decided to go search for his birth father, to do so he will need to set sail from Xia, heading for Jiang Dao. Ai Ling has a dream that Chen Yong will be in danger on the voyage so she decides to follow him by sneaking on board. Hopefully she won't be discovered until after the ship sets sail and hopefully she will be able to save Chen Yong. But it's Ai Ling who may end up needing to be saved as well.... There's less action in this book but still plenty of excitement leaping off the pages! Everything is described in meticulous detail from the food, clothes, Jiang Dao, the ship, and of course, the mythical creatures that terrorize Ai Ling and Chen Yong.

While I was both delighted and disturbed by the new creatures and fantasy elements we were introduced to (the Sea Shifters, learning more about reincarnation, etc) I was even more pleased by the character development. You all remember Zhong Ye, the villain from Silver Phoenix right? He was evil, eviillllll! Well not quite. I didn't think Cindy Pon could make me care about him, but to my complete astonishment (and I'm not exaggerating) Zhong Ye's story tugged at my heartstrings. While he starts off ambitious, he wasn't always power mad and there's a lot of talk about the sacrifices made by an eunuch. In a way the process of being an eunuch is like genital mutilation and rarely does anyone voluntarily go through that. So to think that Zhong Ye willing gave up such a delicate body part. *winces* I still don't like him but I understand how he was driven to do what he did in the previous book.

And for those who like some romance with their fantasy, be prepared because there is a A LOT of sexual tension and it's intense, smoldering. I was equally annoyed, happy, or heartbroken because of Ai Ling and Chen Yong not being able to pull themselves together. Everyone else can see that they need each other, they complement each other perfectly. Why can't they??? There's lots of teasing, stolen glances, misunderstanding and awkward moments (awkward for the characters, not the reader ;) There is also the romance between Zhong Ye and Silver Phoenix and it actually borders on sweet, again, the author makes you start to care about Zhong Ye. There are a few new characters introduced in this book and they move the plot along, adding significant intrigue. *SPOILER: highlight to read* Not that I ever seriously though Chen Yong would marry Ah Na, but I did wonder if he would want to stay in Jiang Dao.*End of Spoiler* The afterlife is explored and I don't want to give much away but it's absolutely spellbinding and I wanted to stay in that afterworld for a little longer, to learn more about how it works (the Mirror of Retribution!)

Fury of the Phoenix is a seducing, irresistible tale. I loved this book even more than the first. The worldbuilding is just as wonderful as in the first, but we also get to see further character development and while in the first book I wanted more character interaction I felt thoroughly satisfied in this sequel. At first I was sad to leave the action-packed world of Xia behind, but it was a nice change of pace to slow down and really observe (and smile knowingly) at Ai Ling and Chen Yong's relationship. Life in Jiang Dao seemed slower in general and while Xia reminds me a bit of China (says the girl whose never been), Jiang Dao reminded me more of a Western European country (loosely based of course). The ending was satisfactory, although I did think that a certain relationship was a bit too perfect (not between Ai Ling and Chen Yong but another significant relationship). A discerning attention to detail, smooth transitions from present to past, fabulous wordbuilding and great, fully-realized characters.

And guess what? Cindy Pon is coming to Chicago on May 10th so I can get Fury of the Phoenix signed! YES

PS while I didn't know what the Chinese characters meant, I thought they were a lovely touch. Such a talented and well rounded author is Ms. Pon ;D

She's Not The Only One (Female Authors of Color Support One Another)

I am always amazed and impressed by female authors of color willingness to support one another.

At her blog, illustrator Yuyi Morales recommends five great book and other gift pairings. None of the titles are illustrated by Morales. When I saw that, I was like wow, how unselfish is that. I don't think anyone would fault Morales for suggesting one of her own titles, since she has a great body of work and bilingual titles were greatly impacted by the drop in overall book sales.

Yet here is a female artist of color who is giving space to others and she's not the only one.

Author Neesha Meminger second young adult novel, Jazz in Love which was recently released was self published. In a recent blog entry Meminger mentions author L.A. Banks new YA novel Shadow Walker which is also self published.

If there was ever a time for an author to be selfish its when self publishing. Yet, Meminger still made space for another female author of color.

She's not the only one.

Author Carleen Brice, debut novel Orange Mint and Honey (loved it) was published in 2008. She published her second Children of the Waters in 2009. With just two novels, Brice is still relatively new. So no one would blame Brice for promoting her own books. Yet, she still found the time to start White Readers Meet Black Authors, a blog dedicated to promoting African American authors.

Authors Cindy Pon and Malinda Lo started Diversity in YA when they realized they both had Asian inspired YA novels coming out around the same time in 2011

Earlier this year, Malinda Lo and I discovered that we’ll both have Asian-inspired young adult fantasies releasing around the same time in April 2011 (Malinda’s Huntress and my Fury of the Phoenix). We decided this was a wonderful excuse to have a celebration!
After lots of brainstorming, we decided that we would join forces to do a four-city tour in May 2011.

"Lo vs Pon, who will sell more?" Could've easily happened, since for some unknown reason there are never too many similar themed novels with White protagonists but let a story feature characters of color and sometimes two is one too many.

When authors recommend titles other then their own, they run the risk of making readers decide - "Who should I read next?" This is especially true for female authors of color, whose stories don't get the respect or recognition they deserve.

Even though the publishing industry is set up in such a way that female authors could easily being fighting for the little space that is garnered for their stories, there's more of a lets work together attitude.

I know there are more stories of Female authors of Color supporting one another. Please share any you know of and lets see how big

She's not the only one, can get.

Women Writers of Color: Cindy Pon

Full name: cindy pon

Birth date: august 29

Location: taipei, taiwan

Website/blog: cindypon.com

Genre: young adult fantasy

WiP or most recently published work: Fury of the Phoenix, the sequel to Silver Phoenix.

Writing credits: Silver Phoenix was my debut novel.

How frequently do you update your site? once or twice a week i'll post on my blog.

Is your site designed for reader interaction? yes! i love blog comments as well as emails from readers.
Post of note, something in particular you want readers to check out:

http://cindypon.com/2008/when-they-were-young/

i recently thought about my maternal grandmother. i dedicated Silver Phoenix
to her and my grandfather. i share some fotos and thoughts about them in this
post.

Top 5 reads you’re looking forward to reading in 2010 (or have already read)?

i really loved The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, The Demon's Covenant, Clockwork Angel, Tipping the Velvet and Unwind. all read this year.

100 words or less how would you describe your work?

Chinese inspired fantasy that may read epic at times but really grounded in very personal journeys about growth, friendship, family, love, choices and change. there are demons, cute boys, and food. =)

You are unafraid to write about sexuality in Silver Phoenix. Were you nervous about writing those scenes and seeing how people would respond?

not really. i wrote what i felt was appropriate for my story and the culture i created. when a society's expectation of a girl is for her to make babies, there's no tip toeing around that fact. i think it has made some readers uncomfortable, how forthright i am with that aspect of the storytelling. but i think i remain true to to it--and perhaps, being made uncomfortable isn't such a bad thing. this was a reality for many girls in societies and cultures of the past, even today.

You were recently the subject of a cover controversy. How do you propose we bring more attention to books about PoC so that publishers don't feel the need to whitewash the book in order to support the author and so that bookstores are more receptive to selling them?

The truth of the matter is, publishing is a business and money does need to be made. i think when we see a young adult novel featuring a main protagonist of color gain commercial success, we'll be taking strides in the right direction.

I've always said that The Story is the most important thing to me. after all, it's what i poured my heart and soul into. i understand readers being upset over the cover change, because it was symbolic in many ways. there simply isn't anything like Silver Phoenix on the young adult shelves right now. but if the cover change is necessary to give the book a second life in bookstores, of course i'll support it. is the situation ideal? no. but again, until we have that breakout novel...

the very fact that Silver Phoenix is out there amazes me. i did not have a book like that while growing up.

what can readers do to help? buy the novels!! i realize not everyone can afford to buy hardback covers of novels or perhaps, even paperback. but you can certainly help
PoC stories in other ways :

1. request it at your local library.

2. blog about it. talk about it on twitter, fb. almost everyone agrees that word of mouth still carries A LOT of weight when it comes to a novel's success--especially for debut authors who may not be very well known or carried widely in bookstores.

3. review it (this goes with blogging about it).

4. talk about it with your friends!

5. suggest reading the novel for a book club. if participants can't afford to buy, share the novel. or request through the library. i actually had so much fun doing local library teen book club visits.

6. email the author if you've read her/his story and enjoyed it. i can't
tell you how heartened i've been to hear from readers who really connected with my novel. it's why i wrote it in the first place--to be read by others. it takes a lot of courage to write what you love--and hearing from fans is always a courageous reminder for me.

i'm really a believer in being active through positive action.

thanks so much for having me, ari! i really enjoyed this interview
and thanks for all your support of Silver Phoenix.

Thank you for the interview Cindy! I can not recommend Silver Phoenix enough. It is so very unique. Ai Ling is a fighter while still trying to remain true to the time period she lives in. She can be shy, but she is passionate, committed and brave. Plus she loves to eat and the food descriptions are divine!

Furthermore, even if you are angry at the whitewashing of Cindy's covers, don't refuse to buy the book. Email/write to the publishers and bookstore chains decrying the whitewashing of covers. But the fact of the matter is, the publisher is sticking with Cindy and I, personally, appreciate that. I would be highly upset if I never got to read the sequel to Silver Phoenix.

PS The above is a postcard that you could win later on in a swag giveaway! It's a postcard of Silver Phoenix and a new character, Zhong Ye. It's so pretty :)