Phoenix by Elizabeth Richards [Review]

Written by: Elizabeth Richards.

Published by: Putnam.

Format: Hardback.

Released: 4th June 2013.

Rating: 5/5.

Official synopsis: "Ash and Natalie are just starting to build a life together when things in the United Sentry States go from bad to worse. Ash and Natalie find themselves at the center of turmoil when dictator Purian Rose threatens Natalie’s life unless Ash votes in favor of Rose’s Law—a law that will send Darklings and other dissenters to a deadly concentration camp known as the Tenth. When Ash can’t bring himself to trade Natalie’s life for those of millions of Darklings, her fate is sealed. Enter Elijah Theroux, the handsome Bastet boy Natalie once saved from her mother’s labs, where he’d been experimented on and tortured. It was his venom the Sentry used to create the lethal Golden Haze, the heart of the government conspiracy that led to Black City’s uprising and Ash’s rebirth as the Phoenix, the face of the rebellion. Elijah is back and Ash doesn’t like him; it’s clear he’s taken with Natalie, and Ash fears she may have feelings for him as well. But Elijah also may have the answer to taking down Purian Rose for good—a powerful weapon called the Ora. Ash, Natalie and Elijah just have to escape Black City undetected to find it. But fleeing the city and finding this weapon (if it even exists) are easier said than done, and the quest could tear Ash and Natalie apart, even pushing them into the arms of others. This enthralling sequel to Black City is just as absorbing, delicious and steamy as the first book, leaving readers hungry for the series conclusion."

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I have literally no idea where to start this review. I knew that it'd be an awesome read because book one of the trilogy, Black City, which was published last November blew me away, but boy was I unprepared for this one. This book reduced me to a quivering mess by the time I turned the last page. The stakes are so much higher than they were in Black City. Ash and Natalie made a joke of Purian Rose and he is not a happy chappy. They knew he wouldn't take it sitting down but boy does he have some horrors up his sleeve.

I will be honest, there are some points where I think Phoenix is a little quieter than it's predecessor, but that's only because there's quite a bit of tavelling across the United Sentry States, and also there is some build up for the final book in the trilogy, Wings, which is due next year, so this is understandable. Phoenix has a job to do, to set things up nicely for what is sure to be a stunning conclusion.  

I love the elements taken from our own history. The concentration camps - just the mere mention enough to send a chill down your spine and into your heart - really make a great addition to the story and make it feel all the more real. Purian's use of his army, the weapons they possess, and their sheer cruelty. All these make for a stunning conflict that has you glued to the pages as Ash, Natalie and co try to stay one step ahead of their enemy.

The characters, just as with Black City are as lovable and hatable as they were. You hate Purian with every fibre of your being and Sebastian turns out to be even more of a nasty piece of work. This book I feel is a lot grittier than book one, some of the things that happen, the things some of the characters do to one another... I just couldn't, and there was one point, which I'm sure Elizabeth knows what I'm on about... where something so vile and sickening happens that despite this being a totally addictive read, I had to put it down for five or ten minutes and just breathe through gritted teeth. If Sebastian was a real person, oh boy!

But then the good things. Ash. Damn. I said in my review for Black City he is sexy and I stand by that. He's just such a swoon-worthy character, I love all his chapters, I love everything about him, even his flaws. That and I imagine Zayn from One Direction as him as he just seems to fit so well! Haha. I know I've said this to Elizabeth herself and she agrees! Perfect casting there! And this book does get pretty damn steamy in places too! Pretty steamy indeed!

But no, this book knocked me even harder than the first so I am in someway dreading book three! What are you going to do to us next, Elizabeth? We're only human. We can't take it!

Honestly, if you haven't read Black City, do it! Yes it's vampires, but they're so much more than that and the whole race issue kind of detracts from them being supernatural, more just vulnerable. I can't recommend them enough and I am dying for Wings already!

Buy Black City from The Book Deposirty (free worldwide p&p)

Buy Phoenix from The Book Depository (free worldwide p&p)

Trailer for SF Said's PHOENIX

I'll be honest I haven't read any of SF's work before but after getting an email in my inbox over the weekend about Phoenix which is due out next month I got so excited because it sounds amazing, the cover looks amazing and it has an awesome trailer which seems to give an awesome insight into the book. And the illustrations look amazing. You can feast your eyes on the awesome cover above, and check out the trailer below. I for one cannot wait to read it!

"THE SUPERNOVA IS COMING . . . ONE BOY ALONE CAN SAVE THE GALAXY!  

Lucky thinks he's an ordinary Human boy. But one night, he dreams that the stars are singing – and wakes to find an uncontrollable power rising inside him. 

Now he's on the run, racing through space, searching for answers. In a galaxy at war, where Humans and Aliens are deadly enemies, the only people who can help him are an Alien starship crew – and an Alien warrior girl, with neon needles in her hair. 

Together, they must find a way to save the galaxy. For Lucky is not the only one in danger. His destiny and the fate of the universe are connected in the most explosive way . . . "

Cover and title unveiled for Black City #3!!!!

So I don't really know how I missed this, but yet again I am late to the party! Late last night, and I mean really late... like 3am late... I was browsing twitter in between reading and watching TV because I am an insomniac and who needs sleep anyway, right?! So, anyway, I was just reading and then I saw something that Elizabeth Richards had re-tweeted about a cover reveal for a book called Wings. Ooh... Might as well check it out, wonder who it's by... *clicks link*... *loads...* SHOOT! SHOOT! NO WAY! NO FREAKING WAY! It's Elizabeth's book. It's the finale of the Black City trilogy... Eeep... Compose yourself... And then I saw the picture of the cover and I was so excited. Because guys, it is beautiful. It's just so awesome, you need to see it for yourself...

BOOM!

Just... Gah! The colours. The title. The butterfly. The shattered glass. It is so so beautiful and it fits along with the previous books, Black City and Phoenix and it's going to look so freaking amazing on my bookshelf next to them. I cannot wait to read it. It's out in 2014, which just reminded me, I really need to get my review of Phoenix up because it was a stunning read!

If you haven't already, check out Black City. It doesn't have a UK publisher at the moment, although why the hell not, I do not know... MADNESS I TELL YOU, MADNESS! But, you can buy it for your Kindle on Amazon UK or you can just import the beautiful physical copies in courtesy of the Book Depository, which is what I did! Black City really is amazing, please don't let the fact that it's about vampires deter you because it's so much more than that! And Ash is one sexy character for sure that will have you demanding to read on!

Black City by Elizabeth Richards [Review]

Written by: Elizabeth Richards.
Published by: Putnam.
Format: Hardback.
Released: 13th November 2012.
Rating: 5/5.

Official synopsis: "A dark and tender post-apocalyptic love story set in the aftermath of a bloody war. In a city where humans and Darklings are now separated by a high wall and tensions between the two races still simmer after a terrible war, sixteen-year-olds Ash Fisher, a half-blood Darkling, and Natalie Buchanan, a human and the daughter of the Emissary, meet and do the unthinkable—they fall in love. Bonded by a mysterious connection that causes Ash’s long-dormant heart to beat, Ash and Natalie first deny and then struggle to fight their forbidden feelings for each other, knowing if they’re caught, they’ll be executed—but their feelings are too strong. When Ash and Natalie then find themselves at the center of a deadly conspiracy that threatens to pull the humans and Darklings back into war, they must make hard choices that could result in both their deaths."

First off I need to say that this review might not be exactly coherent. I have so many thoughts and feelings about this book right now that I'm beginning to worry slightly how I'm going to say everything I want to say and to actually make those words make sense. Buckle in kids, this could be a long one! Haha!

I first heard about Black City a few months ago, thanks to the wonders of Twitter. I saw a lot of people talking about it at Book Expo America when that took place (what I wouldn't give to go to America just for the expo!!!) and one person who I saw talk about the book in particular is my fellow UK book blogger, Casey over at Dark Readers. She has some contacts and managed to snag an arc of the book and when she read it was pretty enthusiastic. I believe the word she used was "epic"... I made a note then, mentally, to at some point make sure I checked out what all the fuss was about. Time went by and then a week or so ago, I realised that the book was out now. Just a little random searching on Amazon and it popped up. Went on over to the trusty Book Depo and ordered it and as soon as it arrived I started reading...

And holy cow what a ride! From the start we're taken right into the heart of Black City, to... er... well... Black City itself. Ash is a Darkling, and it is with him that the tale begins. He exudes confidence, sexiness, he has a raw power about him, something that makes you instantly take notice of him, and he's also a dealer. Haze. A drug that Darklings possess in their venom that makes humans go into a state of pure bliss. He doesn't want to deal, but things are bad. It's only been a year since the war ended, segregation has torn the city in two and it's the only way he can get the money that he, and his human father, so desperately need to survive. It doesn't help that when things go wrong with his latest client, Natalie Buchanan, the daughter of the Emissary turns up.

Ash makes a dash for it, hoping that that will be the end of his trouble, but Natalie Buchanan isn't far off. Soon she joins normal school and Ash is forced to confront her every day. But soon these feelings of loathing, this tension, melts away and it's replaced by something else, and it soon becomes clear that Ash and Natalie are meant for each other. They're Blood Mates. But it's illegal. Humans and Darklings - even twin-blood's like Ash - are not allowed to be together. It's forbidden, punishable by death. Soon, the world of Black City itself becomes more and more dangerous, with less places to hide, and with conspiracy and betrayal everywhere, it's hard to know who can really be trusted.

I'll be honest, from the synopsis of Black City, and from the reaction I'd seen from people reading it, I expected to like it, but not as much as I do. I love it. It's taken me completely by surprise. I won't lie, I am tired of vampires. Sick and tired of them. I know many of us are. Where are the monsters? Well, although the Darkling's here aren't ripping people to shreds left right and centre, there is an element of their natural monstrosity there, and Ash himself struggles with this. When dealing Haze he wants to feed, it's his natural instinct as half-Darkling, but he fights it. But the story we have here is different. 

It'd be so easy to liken Black City to Twlight. Boy meets girl. Boy's a vampire, girls a human. They try to steer clear of each other but end up falling in love. Boy wants to eat girl. But to be honest, I'd find that offensive. Because this is so much better. The element here of religion is brilliantly placed and one that sent shudders down my spine. The governments favourite form of execution? Crucifixion. And the scenes here in the book are not for the faint hearted. I squirmed. Had to stand up and pace a bit while I was actually reading it. But it works. It fits here. Darkling's are behind the wall, segregated from humans, although Ash is free as he is a twin-blood, but are punished the same.

The characters here are a great bunch. Natalie is strong-willed, and defiant of her mothers wishes. Ash is cocky, yet charming and as I said earlier exudes this kind of sexiness in the way he's described and in the voice used for the parts from his point of view. Sebastian, Natalie's bodyguard, and also her ex. A wolf in sheep's clothing, I'd say, not what he tries to make out he is. Power-hungry. Dangerous. Day and Beetle. Roach and more. A great cast that's well balanced.

There are elements of terrorism and of previous world wars, in particular concentration camps which actually made me wince when I was reading it. Everything about the book has a stark sense of reality about it, one that's powerful and makes you want to see what happens next.

The writing is beautiful. It's so smooth, the transition from Natalie's voice to Ash's is so clear cut and neat, you have no problem just leaping back into the story. The book itself is a real page turner and it's pretty darn addictive.

I'm not a big romance fan, and the book is pretty romance based, but it's handled well and it doesn't read all sloppy and gooey like some romances do. The sexual tension is palpable and well written.

To be fair, this book is just simply amazing. Elizabeth Richards has done a fantastic job and I simply cannot wait for the second book in the trilogy, Phoenix which is out in June! Why is June so far away? I want to weep, then hibernate all the way through to June so I can wake up the day my copy arrives. 

Honestly, do not miss out on this book. I'm not sure if it even has a UK publisher yet, but fear not, you can order from the Book Depository below and it's the same price as if the book was in the UK! Bargain! And free delivery world wide. So there's no excuse now. Read it! Do it! READ IT!

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