Besides just having their lives taken as they burn on a pyre, the Flowers of Spring undergo further torture as they are given to the Empire's gladiators for the night before their deaths. Azarion, the Gladius Prime and a Savatar clan leader's son sold into Kraelian slavery some 10 years before, selects Gilene for his companion that night, as he has for the past three years, regardless of her plain and homely appearance. She then learns that Azarion suspects her of being able to help him escape and threatens to expose her lies and charade unless she helps. He has not only been forced to fight for his life in the Pit for the last decade, but he has had the unfortunate role of the Empress' sexual plaything and she has tortured him mercilessly all these years. He must escape.
Fearing her village's complete annihilation at the possible discovery of the charade, Gilene agrees to help him begrudgingly, and the two make their escape, although she is not released once they are out. Instead, Azarion grabs her up as she is running towards her family and he spirits her away, heading back to his homeland in the Stara Dragana.
She soon learns that this man she has come to despise was sold off into slavery so his cousin could assume the role of heading their clan when Azarion's father died, and as the Savatar people worship the fire goddess Agna, he believes Gilene is blessed by Agna and is her handmaiden, an Agacin. Having her there as he makes his plea before the council will add much credence to his claim, but can she be trusted to stand by him when she loathes the sight of him? Turns out he'll have to take that chance, but since she is somewhat wounded and completely drained of fire magic following her massive use of it at the Rites of Spring, perhaps she isn't as dangerous as she will be later. As Azarion will soon learn, Gilene wields far more power than simply fire magic; she wields the power to capture his heart, even if she doesn't want it.
Phoenix Unbound is a thrilling adventure filled with intrigue, action, violence and a bit of romance as well. It is well written and captivating, and I became an instant fan of Grace Draven as I read this story. If you are looking for a new adventure, definitely check out Phoenix Unbound. I can't wait to see what happens next in this series.
