I’ve never read any Armenian-inspired fantasy – in fact, I can’t remember if I’ve ever read any fiction set in/inspired by Armenia! So when I heard about Rise of the Phoenix, which is basically epic fantasy but set in a world inspired by the culture and history of Armenia, I was immediately intrigued.

Rise of the Phoenix starts with Arme, the outcast son of the king, being called to a new destiny: he must shed his mortality and become a weapon of the gods if he is to save his kingdom. A few years later, Arme’s half-brother, Arameni, meets his bride, the warlord Kimbaru advances towards the kingdom, and the wheels of fate start to turn.

My favourite part of the book has to be the setting. While I’m not familiar with Armenian culture, I could tell that this book is very different from more traditional epic fantasy worlds from the descriptions of food, to their religion and even how they give pet names. I found the setting to be unique and I’m glad that Isajanyan added in some recommended readings because I really want to learn more about Armenian culture.

However, I did feel that this book was slightly underwritten, and could have been expanded to be two books pretty easily. This was especially at the start, when Arme is called to his destiny and Arameni meets his bride. I felt that both these events happened too quickly to be believable, and in the case of Arameni, the progression from “King abducts Princess to marry” to “couple deeply in love” felt far too fast for me, especially since I’m not a fan of most romance subplots. I did enjoy the power-couple aspect though!

Although the book felt a bit rushed at the start, there’s still enough space overall to allow the characters to develop. I particularly enjoyed Hayadusta, Arameni’s wife’s development from princess to Queen and I’m hoping that she will continue to be a key character in later books.

Overall, this was an enjoyable escape to another world! If you like fantasy and you’re looking for to read stories inspired by cultures that we don’t often see in the genre, you may want to consider picking this up!

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author. All opinions are my own.

Featured Image: Photo from Canva