Probably one of the best Book 2s of a trilogy I've ever read. This never had a dull moment. It was forever building, throwing twist after twist and keeping me sucked in. Loved it!

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Full Review: http://wp.me/p7hLUw-2cq
Actual Rating: 4.5/5 ( )

All I can say it the last 100 pages were worth the whole book!! So good now I can't wait for the next one! ( )

This series is one of my favorites! I loved Black City and Phoenix did not disappoint!
It started right where book 1 left off and the intensity level was off the charts. An engagement, a threat, & a kidnapping all take place within a few days. Purian Rose *or Sentry Hitler* plans to send the darklings to a new place. He wants to work some and execute the rest. His main goal is to be rid of Ash and the rebellion. He wants the darklings gone and he uses each person within reach as a pawn in his own game.

Natalie and Ash plan to escape before they are taken... Enter *Elijah* ... That's right he's back! Him and his unique looks and arrogant personality is chasing after the affection of Natalie. Not necessarily as a love interest, but his flirty persona gets him in all kinds of trouble. I never expected a love triangle and to be frank, I'm not usually a fan, but holy crap! Ash and Elijah are too much hotness for one book. Their jealousy steams up the pages and brings out all kinds of emotion. Add in sexual tension, monsters, danger, and one intense betrayal and you get an awesome book!

The story line is the 100 meets Hunger Games meets Divergent. It's action packed with a romeo/juliet romance. There are twists and turns along the way and of course a cliffy ending. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. I was so consumed by the plot and intrigued by the possibilities... My heart raced, my stomach clenched, and my mind was boggled. I definitely recommend this book to all readers! The Author is a creative genius and the writing is top of the line. ( )

I don't use star ratings, so please read my review!

(Description nicked from B&N.com.)

“Weeks after his crucifixion and rebirth as Phoenix, Ash Fisher believes his troubles are far behind him. He and Natalie are engaged and life seems good. But his happiness is short-lived when he receives a threatening visit from Purian Rose, who gives Ash an ultimatum: vote in favor of Rose’s Law permanently relegating Darklings to the wrong side of the wall or Natalie will be killed.

The decision seems obvious to Ash; he must save Natalie. But when Ash learns about The Tenth, a new and deadly concentration camp where the Darklings would be sent, the choice doesn’t seem so simple. Unable to ignore his conscience, Ash votes against Rose’s Law, signing Natalie’s death warrant and putting a troubled nation back into the throes of bloody battle.”

This is one of those books on which I’m really torn. There were some things about it that were quite good, and some things that made me grind my teeth in frustration. Believe me, I’m not one of those reviewers that takes great glee in bashing a book, so it’s hard for me to write a review pointing out where I think an author made a serious fumble. On the other hand, I certainly don’t want to lie about how I felt about the book.

With that in mind, let me start with the positive: I think Richards excels at worldbuilding. She’s put a lot of thought into how the various parts of the country interrelate, how the government works, and how people view and treat beings like Darklings and Lupines. This novel allows the author to incorporate different locations than just Black City and to explore the wider world that exists beyond our own borders.

She’s also good at creating non-human cultures. While she doesn’t use a whole lot of page space doing this, she lays a solid foundation and gives just enough detail to give readers an idea of how other races live. In fact, I would have liked to see more time spent among the other communities.

That would probably have interfered with the exploration of the political situation sparked by Purian Rose and his cronies. It’s horrifying to see how cruel his followers can be, and that they get away with it. Even more horrifying is how plausible such scenarios are. I appreciate that Richards managed to convey a sense of evil from Purian and his cohorts without letting them descend into caricature.

Unfortunately, by the end of the book, I was so annoyed with Natalie and Ash that it overshadowed a lot of the novel’s good points. Natalie and Ash are supposed to be crazy in love with each other, and yet they spend much of the story not talking to each other and getting into the worst kinds of misunderstandings as a result. Overheard conversations are given the most destructive spin, casual glances are misinterpreted, and critical information is withheld. This happens constantly through the bulk of the novel. I got to the point of wanting to reach into the pages and shake some sense into the both of them so that they’d stop being so stupid.

And of course the dreaded love triangle happens. Someone who is attracted to Natalie and makes no secret of this fact shows up, and although Natalie does not reciprocate, she persists in hanging around this guy. Eventually things come to a crisis, Ash decides to get even, and things turn into a love… quadrangle? square?... for a few weird and stilted scenes. All of this angst and drama nearly eclipses the plot focusing on the increased sanctions on non-humans and the burgeoning rebellion in some of the human territories.

I think what this all boils down to is that Richards is trying too hard to push a romance plot with dramatic overtones instead of keeping the spotlight on the novel’s stated plot. There are enough interesting happenings to keep readers’ interest without all the weeping and wailing of Natalie and Ash’s relationship. Phoenix is not as good as Black City, but there’s enough of a story hiding in the romantic woes to make me curious about what comes next.

This review originally appeared on Owlcat Mountain on July 12, 2013.
http://www.owlcatmountain.com/phoenix/

Starts with a bang and it feels like I never left this dark world. Get right back into ash's head as he's forced to make an impossible decision. Natalie or his people... All while leading a revolt healing from burns and fighting nightmares of burning from the attempted execution from the first book.
The thing that draws me most though is the romance between Ash and Natalie. I Love their chemistry, moments together, physical and the soul sharing.
Action and complications are never far behind though so I treasured each of those moments.
The weird love triangle type thing both infuriated me and enthralled me. I saw the appeal of Elijah and understood what he saw in natalie but i am a big ash.fan so it didn't fly for me in the end. So I am glad that there was more than what it was at the surface, and that nothing too stupid of a line was crossed. Understood why ash thought it and what he saw. His pain was so intense but still loyal... Which brings me back to the reason that I love Ash so much. Natalie was actually hiding something else, that i never saw coming and took my breath away.
The pacing is intense and I loved the dual narration that continues in this one because I loved seeing both Ash and Natalie's perspectives.
It ended leaving me yearning for the next book, which I will be getting my hands on the day it releases to find out what happens next. ( )