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A review by ellemnope
The Phoenix Keeper by S.A. MacLean
2.0
2.5 stars. I REALLY wanted to like this one. A world full of mythological creatures and the focus on a zoo where I got to meet so many? It had to be wonderful. But I think this book suffered from a couple of big missteps that unfortunately hit its rating hard for me.
Billed as adult, the tone of the novel simply didn't fit that description. The language of the writing and the personality of the protagonist (along with her interactions) came off very much like a young adult novel. Had this been adjusted and marketed as such, it likely would have resulted in a better overall feeling in the reading. As it was, Aila just felt too awkward and naive. Though she clearly was highly qualified for her career, these personality traits made her seem somewhat inept and tainted my ability to root for her as a character. I would have liked to have seen her grow gradually over the course of the plot instead of feeling like it all came as a magical moment near the end.
The atmospheric building was good and I appreciated how much creativity and thought went into the development and description of different animals and plants. There was SO much at work there and a beautiful world was begin constructed on the page. The writing simply didn't let this information shine properly. Instead, the delivery just came off more encyclopedic, kind of a bit of a firehose approach that didn't let me really revel in the uniqueness of the animals. I left the novel truly wanting more of the world even though I wasn't enamored with the plot.
As for the plot itself, I had mixed feelings. There were some good aspects in the overarching lessons laced into the novel, but again the delivery made it less palatable than I would have liked. The "twists" of the plot were fairly easy to see early on, so there was a lack of intrigue to keep me hooked and the characters remained fairly cookie cutter in their personalities and actions. The romance aspect had it's ups and downs. I appreciate the development of diverse characters, but the interactions didn't lend to my really caring about the characters or their relationships. It felt a little shoehorned into the plot and I wish it would have been a bit more naturally developed from the beginning.
I am truly disappointed that I can't give a higher rating to my experience. The premise here was a good one, the execution just didn't come to the level of fruition I expected.
Billed as adult, the tone of the novel simply didn't fit that description. The language of the writing and the personality of the protagonist (along with her interactions) came off very much like a young adult novel. Had this been adjusted and marketed as such, it likely would have resulted in a better overall feeling in the reading. As it was, Aila just felt too awkward and naive. Though she clearly was highly qualified for her career, these personality traits made her seem somewhat inept and tainted my ability to root for her as a character. I would have liked to have seen her grow gradually over the course of the plot instead of feeling like it all came as a magical moment near the end.
The atmospheric building was good and I appreciated how much creativity and thought went into the development and description of different animals and plants. There was SO much at work there and a beautiful world was begin constructed on the page. The writing simply didn't let this information shine properly. Instead, the delivery just came off more encyclopedic, kind of a bit of a firehose approach that didn't let me really revel in the uniqueness of the animals. I left the novel truly wanting more of the world even though I wasn't enamored with the plot.
As for the plot itself, I had mixed feelings. There were some good aspects in the overarching lessons laced into the novel, but again the delivery made it less palatable than I would have liked. The "twists" of the plot were fairly easy to see early on, so there was a lack of intrigue to keep me hooked and the characters remained fairly cookie cutter in their personalities and actions. The romance aspect had it's ups and downs. I appreciate the development of diverse characters, but the interactions didn't lend to my really caring about the characters or their relationships. It felt a little shoehorned into the plot and I wish it would have been a bit more naturally developed from the beginning.
I am truly disappointed that I can't give a higher rating to my experience. The premise here was a good one, the execution just didn't come to the level of fruition I expected.