Phoenix Rises, Dragon Soars

At a Glance: A Grimdark Spin on Martial Heroes

Phoenix Rises Dragon Soars is a debut grimdark novel that highlights complex, interesting characters and a magic system that has a deep cost directly tied to the mythology it represents. They have to navigate a world where the Empress is now in power, and her soldiers are kidnapping and assaulting citizens in the streets without recourse. Three walks of life converge in a tragic tale of survival, trauma, confused feelings, and a slight bit of hope to create an incredibly strong grimdark debut in a world that feels alive with culture.

The novel seamlessly ties together four broken lives in the small town of Songjin who all end up reluctantly working together towards a common goal. A mercenary leader with a conscience he can’t afford, a noblewoman whose compassion becomes her tragedy, a fugitive general hiding a deadly secret, and a medicine woman who has lived her life in sanctuary for years.

Like the ink stains on his fingers after doing the damned books, the blood on his robe never washed off completely.

When the Empress’s tyrannical rule burns their worlds to the ground, they aren’t fighting to save the world—they’re fighting to survive minute to minute. The story is tense, full of intrigue, and a romance subplot to add moments of reprieve from their grim situation, all while presenting some incredible character work to craft an incredibly strong debut novel steeped in rich mythological Chinese culture.

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Empire of the Vampire

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Mercy: Tears of the Fallen

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Empire of Tianlu: Lands Dominated by Fear

Phoenix Rises Dragon Soars is set in a land where the Four Guardians play a big role in the peoples lives, where the real mythology is that these four gods represent balance through cardinal directions. Saulter reimagines this mythos and instead of being benevolent gods, they become the sources of magic that is outlawed in the land. Magic is hereditary and can remain dormant for decades, becoming incredibly dangerous as the magic is directly tied to the emotions of its wielder.

There is different levels of political intrigue sprinkled throughout this story, clearly laying the groundwork for what feels like a much more focused political fantasy angle in future series entries. The Emperor has died and left a vacuum in power, which is filled by his wife—the now Empress—who rules through fear and devastation turning the once respected monarchy into a tyrannical and oppressive one. She deploys her soldiers and gives them free rein to rape, steal, assault, and kill with impunity, leaving citizens living in constant fear and with no protection.

This rule allows the Black Lotus Group, a criminal organization comprised of mercenaries to take over control of the poorer areas of the empire, where they employ similar tactics to keep coin flowing into their pockets. They add another layer to the already tyrannical rule which makes the lives of those living in Tianlu feel almost completely hopeless, and really sets the tone for just how bleak the world they’re living in is.

The magic system—Wuxing—is an elemental magic with an innovative approach that makes it feel fresh and unique. The system is hereditary and the power is drawn from emotion and has clear limitations and a cost that adds weight to its usage. How Saulter deploys the system is really what stands out, with magic being outlawed and punishable by death, most citizens don’t have the knowledge of how it works or that it even exists anymore. Magic isn’t a solution to the characters problems—often, it is the problem, risking exposure for the person using it while simultaneously causing adverse physical effects sometimes for days.

As I fought in fear for my life, a...power awakened inside me, a force—I cannot describe it any other way—burned hot, and I found myself glowing in a bright white light. I closed my eyes to shield them from this light, and moments later, men screamed.

Broken Souls: Trauma Binds and Breaks Connections

The characters were arguably the most interesting part of the read for me for two reasons. Firstly it took me about the first third of the book to care about them, I wasn’t finding myself connecting or really caring about them much. Secondly was that I don’t know when or how it happened, but suddenly I found myself heavily invested in them, feeling the tension, the yearning, and the fear for them as things unfolded. They’re complex, morally gray, and incredibly interesting once they become the focus of the story being told.

Longwei is our mercenary and one of our main characters, and one of the most complex anti-heroes I’ve read. Morally gray is my bread and butter when it comes to stories. When first introduced it feels like he’s just being set up for the enemies to lovers, the bad boy who finds the nice girl and changes his stripes. As we get more of a look into his past it becomes clear that he’s well thought out and very much a complex character and not a trope service. His past is grim, tragic, and he joins Black Lotus Group in search of the family he never had, but at the cost of being honorable. His progression isn’t smooth, isn’t instant, and most importantly he’s not reformed. He makes the wrong choices often and leaves you frustrated but empathetic with what he decides, while he legitimately feels like he’s trying to improve but never quite succeeds. Arguably the most real feeling character I’ve read in a while, with deeply rooted trauma, biases, and struggling with his self worth as he trades what is basically his identity in an attempt to attain a family and love he has never had.

he could no longer deny that he wanted something Black Lotus Group could never give him: a chance at love, a home, a family.

Shufang is the noblewoman who has her world completely shattered at no fault of her own as tragedy befalls her family and causes her to lose her memory and autonomy. Only once she is faced with an extremely tense and grim situation does she start to become coherent again, but still doesn’t remember everything from her past. She returns to us a broken woman without her memories and incredibly fearful of her future. She suffers tremendous loss, struggles with the realization of what almost happened to her, and the reality of what she did to survive it. Saulter does an incredible job at avoiding the typical trope of quick recovery here as well, Shufang doesn’t just get powers and instantly come to terms with her internal struggles. She not only has to grapple with the trauma she’s endured, but now has to try and navigate it with the added fear of those emotions causing harm to others.

Jindai and Huizhong felt like supporting characters even if we do get some direct POV moments. They both are fleshed out, add a level of complexity to the story and round out the group dynamic as they navigate their own issues while also trying to navigate surviving with everyone even though they all have similar but different goals.

A Slow Start That Hits its Stride

Phoenix Rises Dragon Soars does suffer from a bit of the setup book struggles in the beginning. Like a lot of epic fantasy stories these days, there is a heavy emphasis on world building and plot setting that is handled up front. While I commend Saulter for using the characters as a way to make it feel less like a long exposition, it made it difficult for me to get invested in the characters, and in turn the story being told. What was truly unexpected was how I was reading through and suddenly found myself connected to the characters and invested in what was happening around them. It’s a rare occasion that I can’t pinpoint an exact moment a story takes a turn, but this is one of those times and I’m glad that I continued on because what unfolds from about the first third on is something great.

What I enjoyed most was how Saulter strategically used POVs outside the main cast to add context to the story while building the tension of the conflict. Even when we’d get a point of view that wasn’t directly involved with our main characters, you could still feel that connection to them which helped enhance the immersion vs break it. The use of contrasting perspectives helped keep the scope of the world from feeling overwhelming because we’d get Jindai’s perspective of the looming threat of the Empress from afar, and then Longwei who is hyper focused on the current situation and surroundings. This allows the world to feel large but keeps you grounded in the current arc that is unfolding in this novel.

The other refreshing thing was that the action and even development of the powers they discover doesn’t instantly make them superheros. They get fatigued, they struggle, they suffer wounds that they can’t just ignore and press on in the heat of the moment which makes it feel real and authentic, and ultimately adds gravity to the action as it unfolds.

Between the Sheets: Unexpected Yearning From a Grimdark

Phoenix Rises Dragon Soars has an interesting romance, with pining and yearning that I truly didn’t expect from this otherwise dark story. It’s a bit of enemies to lovers but with an underlying secret that is poised to make the entire thing fall apart. There is no sheets to get between in this one though earning it a 🌶️ (1.0) on our spice scale.

I did find myself rooting for the romance that was developing between Longwei and Shufang but I also had an overwhelming sense of dread because of what hung over it. It made for a little bit of bittersweet light in an otherwise grim story.

Bro Reading Comfort: Safe for the Christmas Party

If you’re someone who attends the work Christmas party because you don’t want to have someone comment about how you didn’t show up, but then proceed to find a quiet corner to read instead of socialize, first I see you and I am you. More importantly if your office hall monitor happens to find their way over to your table, you have nothing to fear from them or HR earning this one a 😳 (1.0) on our comfort scale.

The cover for Phoenix Rises Dragon Soars certainly will stand out, but only because it’s vibrant and really well done. The book covers some dark themes and can get incredibly tense and a bit gory, but unless you’ve got a weak stomach you should be able to manage reading this in public.

Darkness Factor: Blood, Ash, and Tragedy

Phoenix Rises Dragon Soars certainly doesn’t shy away from its dark themes, exploring childhood trauma, grief, lack of identity, and the mental toll that a close encounter with SA can cause. The book does get graphic and detailed in a lot of these areas, but it never feels like it goes over the line from plot service to shock value earning this one a 💀💀💀 (3.0) on our darkness scale.

Several different characters all are dealing with different types of their own trauma, but the one scene in particular that really stood out to me involved a close encounter one of the characters has with sexual assault. While there is physical contact made, it’s brief and never fully takes shape as it’s stopped, but not before the mental damage is done. It serves a purpose and is used to further explore how destructive a situation like that can be to a person.

Book Battlefield: Grimdark Martial Fantasy

Phoenix Rises Dragon Soars clearly has deep roots in what feels like a very well researched Culture and Chinese Mythology that enhances the fantasy and world while still managing to keep the stories darker undertones at the forefront. I think any fan of the Grimdark genre will feel right at home which is awesome. What I think is more important is that this will also appeal to fans of Epic Fantasy who love it for it’s political intrigue, deep character work, and world building that manages to give that epic scale feel without being overwhelming. If you loved the cultural depth in R.F. Kuang’s Poppy War but want more elemental magic exploration, this is your read.

If you’re looking for a new magic system that has a cool new take on elemental magic by tying it to the Chinese philosophy of Wuxing with a cost that feels real. Saulter also takes this a step further, since magic is punishable by death and largely forgotten, as the powers awaken in the characters you feel just as shocked and unsure as they do because the details and rules are unclear. This serves a purpose and we do learn more about the system, but we learn it as the characters do which keeps it intriguing and tense since we only know the same limited amount as they do.

Should You Bother?

For Fans of Grimdark: This is an easy one to recommend, it’s got morally gray characters, exploration of darker themes, and plenty of tense moments.

Deep Cultural Story Fans: Phoenix Rises Dragon Soars was clearly well researched, everything about the world and mythos makes sense and feels like it fits.

For Fans of Complicated Romance: Saulter delivers a great romance that feels natural and earned which enhances the story and feeling of connection with the characters in a spectacular way.

For Debut Discovery Fans: Saulter delivers a debut that reads like someone who has been at this for a while—complex character work, strategic POV usage, and a magic system with real cost. If you’re hunting for new voices in grimdark, this is exactly the kind of discovery that makes indie exploration rewarding.

Final BroMantasy Verdict

Phoenix Rises Dragon Soars certainly doesn’t feel like it is a debut, it’s an intriguing story told from multiple POVs to give it that epic fantasy feel and avoids some common pitfalls in the process. It explores some heavy themes with the delicate but vividly descriptive prose required to really nail that grimdark feel of high stakes and emotionally charged moments. It also has one hell of an interesting pair of protagonist and a yearning romantic subplot to really bring it all together earning this a 4.0/5.

The real star of Phoenix Rises Dragon Soars is not that the magic system is incredibly cool, high stakes, and shrouded in a bit of mystery. It’s not the rich cultural world Saulter has built, with an epic but still intimate feel, nor is it the interesting overall arc and intrigue that she’s built with her ending. The standout of this novel is the characters, and while they’re all interesting and well fleshed out, Longwei was the most memorable for me. His story is so tragic and his internal struggle with trying to become a better person while still maintaining his identity was incredible. The empathy I had for him was on another level, every time he would slip up or make a decision for the wrong reasons and then have to face the consequences made his character feel so viscerally real and human.

While Phoenix Rises Dragon Soars is certainly a strong debut, it’s not without some faults when it comes to the pacing and exposition. This book will require patience from readers who are more character focused in my opinion. The first third is a lot of setup which felt like more of the focus and the characters just feeling like pieces of the plot vs people and I was finding it hard to care about them and in turn what was unfolding. What was remarkable about Saulter’s story though is that as the characters came more into focus I found myself heavily invested in them, their history, and the story unfolding without knowing when it happened. Nothing in the prose changed, it was always a smooth read with vivid details when they were needed, but once that was applied to the characters this book just lands.

I will certainly be continuing this series when Saulter releases the next book because I need to know what happens to all four of these tragic souls. I will be recommending this book to anyone who loves a good grimdark fantasy that has tragic characters you become overly invested in. Be sure to follow Charlotte Saulter on instagramand go buy Phoenix Rises Dragon Soars!