“Feathers of the Phoenix: Under the Norse Star” by Cheryl Carpinello

Feathers of the Phoenix: Under the Norse Star

Cheryl Carpinello
Silver Quill Publishing (2025)
ISBN: 978-1804401323
Reviewed by Demetria Head for Reader Views (12/2025)

Feathers of the Phoenix: Under the Norse Star by Cheryl Carpinello is a time-travel fantasy with coming-of-age elements and mythology. It takes readers to Rosa enjoying the fall weather and reflecting in her Colorado backyard. She’s thinking about the magical gift she inherited from her nana and her adventure two years ago in Ancient Egypt and on the island of Telendos. This is where she and her cousin Jerome recovered the first Phoenix Feather.

The Autumnal Equinox is approaching soon, and it’s tied to Atlantean magic. Rosa senses something is stirring right before ancient Atlantean, Mneseus, ends up materializing in her kitchen. He has a mission for her and Jerome to retrieve the second feather that is being guarded in the land of fire and ice, or should I say, Iceland. Her cousin is skeptical and resistant because of the danger they faced before, but Rosa hears voices from Atlanteans who are suffering, and she just can’t refuse the mission. What’s interesting is Jerome’s question about their grandfather’s mysterious connection to Atlantis and why he moved there after their grandmother passed. This sets the stage for an adventure, inviting readers on their quest to retrieve answers and a feather, or two, or five.

The character lineup is done really well. Rosa, the main character, has emotional intuition, empathy, and spiritual sympathy. But where she falls short is in her fear of repeating past traumas, and she has self-doubt. Her cousin Jerome is more of a scientific reasoning type of guy, logical, and of course, he’s loyal, but he is often sarcastic, which is really just masking his insecurities, and he fears magical unknowns.

Carpinello does an exceptional job in shifting the pacing back and forth between slow cinematic scenes and bursts of action in dangerous settings. For example, I like how the scene played out when Rosa and Jerome realize the “mountain” ahead is actually a massive glacier; meanwhile, the ground is shaking from the earthquakes, and Rosa’s magical ankh ends up burning her skin. This signals that there’s a dark presence near and possibly one of the Four Horsemen. Carpinello also does a great job balancing out the supernatural scenes with Jerome’s knowledge of geology, making it more realistic. But the whole time that Rosa and Jerome were trying hard to mask their fears, my heart was pounding for them.

I was so excited when Rosa and Jerome finally met the Ancient One, and this is where a huge revelation was uncovered. The Icelandic mythological landscape is deepened, but they also find out about a waterhorse named Nykur. I am confident that readers are going to really enjoy just how high the stakes get, especially surrounding the prophecy behind the Phoenix Feathers. The chapters just continue to get darker as the horseman tries to outmaneuver Rosa and Jerome with his evil tactics. I was infuriated by the audacity of this ancient evil being. There is quite a bit of action, villainous threats, misdirection, and traps, and Rosa and Jerome have to figure out who, on any side, Atlantean or otherwise, can really be trusted.

Carpinello allows the characters to feel every blow, rather than making perfect heroes out of them. They have the typical emotional reactions of any person who realizes someone or something has gained time to thwart their mission. The troll scene was probably one of my favorites because it was terrifying, but I could also feel the powerful emotional blow from it. By this time, the pacing has become even more tense, emotional, and fast.

Feathers of the Phoenix: Under the Norse Star is a steady build from a girl who is quietly reflecting in her backyard to a sudden mythic urgency. It’s a multilayered adventure that blends time travel, ancient lore, and danger. Readers get to follow Rosa and Jerome as they are guided by a telepathic glacier cat, being hunted by a Horseman and shapeshifters, and are tested by ancient and elemental forces. It can easily stand alongside Rick Riordan’s Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, which blends modern fantasy with Norse mythology. But Under the Norse Star also stands out in its own way with its rich world-building and its engaging and memorable storyline.