His father is the leader of this secretive band of rebels, determined to bring down the evil empire that wishes to put an end to the magical bond between the phoenixes and their riders. Tristan has grown up in the phoenix riders’ camp. She eventually finds them, and disguises herself as a boy in order to join their ranks. Of course, things don’t go as planned, and after a stunning betrayal at Val’s hand, Veronyka runs off alone in search of the band of phoenix riders.

All she needs to do is keep the eggs safe until they hatch and then bond with one of the birds after it’s born, and once she has a bonded phoenix, it will be easy to find the camp of phoenix riders rumored to be hidden nearby. When she discovers two phoenix eggs near their cabin, Veronyka is sure this is exactly what she needs to realize her dream. She and her older sister Val were orphaned as young children, and they’ve been living alone in the wilderness ever since, so it doesn’t seem at all likely that Veronyka’s dreams of soaring high on the back of a phoenix will ever come true, but she’s determined to keep her hope alive. Sixteen-year-old Veronyka has dreamed of becoming a phoenix rider for as long as she can remember. Crown of Feathers turned out to be everything I was hoping for and more.

I’ve always been intrigued by the phoenix, that mythical bird that rises from the ashes of its own funeral pyre again and again, so when I learned that Nicki Pau Preto had written a book in which phoenixes play an enormous role, I knew I had to read it.

Nicki pau preto crown of feathers