Heart of Flames

by Nicki Pau Preto Narrated by Cassandra Campbell, Michael Crouch, Samantha Desz, Gibson Frazier, Joy Osmanski, Timothy Andrés Pabon, Jacques Roy

Overview

Veronyka, Tristan, and Sev must stop the advancing empire from destroying the Phoenix Riders in this fiery sequel to Crown of Feathers, which #1 New York Times bestselling author Kendare Blake calls “absolutely unforgettable!”

You are a daughter of queens.

The world is balanced on the edge of a knife, and war is almost certain between the empire and the Phoenix Riders.

Like Nefyra before you, your life will be a trial by fire.

Veronyka finally got her wish to join the Riders, but while she's supposed to be in training, all she really wants to do is fly out to defend the villages of Pyra from the advancing empire. Tristan has been promoted to Master Rider, but he has very different ideas about the best way to protect their people than his father, the commander. Sev has been sent to spy on the empire, but maintaining his cover may force him to fight on the wrong side of the war. And Veronyka's sister, Val, is determined to regain the empire she lost-even if it means inciting the war herself.

Such is your inheritance. A name. A legacy. An empire in ruin.

As tensions reach a boiling point, the characters all find themselves drawn together into a fight that will shape the course of the empire-and determine the future of the Phoenix Riders. Each must decide how far they're willing to go-and what they're willing to lose in the process.

I pray you are able to pass through the flames.

Editorial Reviews

APRIL 2020 - AudioFile

Catapulting listeners back into the Golden Empire and the heart of the Phoenix Riders, this stunning and highly anticipated sequel to the CROWN OF FEATHERS electrifies listeners. Cassandra Campbell, Michael Crouch, Samantha Desz, Gibson Frazier, Joy Osmanski, Timothy Andrés Pabon, and Jacques Roy unite for Nicki Pau Preto’s series once again. With a complex storyline, the use of multiple narrators is an excellent choice, as collectively they give a unique feel to each of the main characters by using varied vocal effects, accents, and pacing. While embodying a large cast, the narrators take listeners on an epic adventure to save the fate of an empire and discover the importance of listening to one’s heart, no matter the consequences. J.O. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

Kendare Blake

"Set in a world of warrior queens and their fierce phoenixes, Nicki Pau Preto's CROWN OF FEATHERS is absolutely unforgettable. It draws you in with the first flaming feather and doesn't let go. Fans of magical creatures, get in line, because I haven't loved a phoenix this much since Dumbledore's Fawkes. This is an instant favorite."

Shea Ernshaw

"A beautifully told story about justice, sisterhood, and warrior women. This richly woven world had me turning pages well into the night. Nicki Pau Preto is one to watch!"

From Elly Blake

Crown of Feathers is a feast of magic, action, and romance. An immersive, deeply satisfying fantasy that will stay with you long after the story is finished. Nicki Pau Preto is an author to watch!

January 2019 - BCCB on CROWN OF FEATHERS

"The well-paced plot is chock-full of shocking revelations, betrayals, and moments of empowerment in the face of adversity that give this novel an epic scope and set up the beginning of a promising book series."

Nov 1, 2018 - Booklist on CROWN OF FEATHERS

"This is a new twist on fantasy favorites, and Pau Preto’s first novel is as ambitious as it is lyrical."

Lisa Maxwell

"A fierce and incendiary tale of warrior women, sisterhood, and the choices that define us, all set in a soaring new world that readers will fall in love with. I couldn’t put it down."

Quill and Quire on CROWN OF FEATHERS

"Crown of Feathers is epic in the truest sense...it's the perfect series kickoff."

Morgan Rhodes

"The unique and imaginative world of the Phoenix Riders had my rapt attention from the first sentence. Nicki Pau Preto is a bright new talent, and I can't wait to read more!"

APRIL 2020 - AudioFile

Catapulting listeners back into the Golden Empire and the heart of the Phoenix Riders, this stunning and highly anticipated sequel to the CROWN OF FEATHERS electrifies listeners. Cassandra Campbell, Michael Crouch, Samantha Desz, Gibson Frazier, Joy Osmanski, Timothy Andrés Pabon, and Jacques Roy unite for Nicki Pau Preto’s series once again. With a complex storyline, the use of multiple narrators is an excellent choice, as collectively they give a unique feel to each of the main characters by using varied vocal effects, accents, and pacing. While embodying a large cast, the narrators take listeners on an epic adventure to save the fate of an empire and discover the importance of listening to one’s heart, no matter the consequences. J.O. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2019-11-17
As war threatens on the horizon, Phoenix Rider Veronyka fights to control her magic and learn the truth about her identity in this second installment of Pau Preto's (Crown of Feathers, 2019) fantasy series.

Power hungry Lord Rolan sends soldiers into Pyra to provoke the Phoenix Riders into battle and force the Golden Empire's Grand Council into declaring war. Now reunited with her phoenix and no longer in disguise, Veronyka hopes to prove herself a Master Rider and join the action. In the midst of her training, Veronyka strains to control her shadow magic, a secret power that gives her a mental link to Val, the reincarnation of the ruthless Ashfire queen. Shutting down her magic is the only way Veronyka knows to protect herself, but opening her mind may be the path to learning about her past. Slow-burning romance simmers between two pairings, one of which is a same-gender relationship between two boys. Historical documents between chapters expand on the world and create suspenseful foreshadowing. However, the continued cisnormativity throughout the book detracts from the otherwise high quality of the prose, deeply developed world, page-turning plot, and thrilling, cliffhanger ending. Veronyka has golden-brown skin, and Rolan is white.

A fiery sequel that yearns for more. (Fantasy. 12-18)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940177717012
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster
Publication date:	02/11/2020
Series:	Crown of Feathers Series , #2
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	1,018,934
Age Range:	10 - 13 Years

Read an Excerpt

Chapter 1: Veronyka

Soth’s Fury is a series of caverns named by the ancient Pyraean people who that believed the south wind—called Soth—was wicked and vengeful, blowing storms and chaos up into the mountains from the valley below. Only Soth could carve such deep, destructive paths through the mountain, creating shadowy places in the world where Axura’s light could not touch.

Soth was more superstition than true god, at least to the people of Pyra, and a product of lower rim communities who mingled more with the valley civilizations and their diverse, wide-reaching pantheon.

The word itself has similarly unknown origins, and most historians believe that the god may have been adopted from the mysterious Lowland civilization that was later wiped out by Lyra the Defender and her Red Horde after the Lowlanders tried to invade Pyra.

The tradition of naming nature gods is a popular custom of the Arborian people, possibly suggesting a unified ancestry with the Lowland civilization. For example, the people of Arboria pray to Nors, the fair north wind, for good weather and safe travel to this day.

—“Weather and Nature Deities,” from Obscure Gods and Goddesses of the Golden Empire, by Nala, Priestess of Mori, published 84 AE

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