I received a PAPERBACK copy from the authors! Thank you so much!
This was a great start to what’s sure to become a unique fantasy/YA series. I wasn’t expecting Phoenix Angel to be what it was, but in a good way. It really surprised me. There is definitely something fresh and new about this book.
Fate is a curious concept. I cannot recall when I first recognized mine: the knowledge that no matter how far I run, how much I learn, or how much power I attain, inevitably my destiny is realized. The magic will always consume me in the end. Flight seems my only option, the only way to slow my future's progress. I have escaped fate's snare through battle, agony and--oddly--time. But only temporarily. I can almost feel it stalking me.
--First paragraph of Phoenix Angel.
The story starts with a Prologue from an unknown point of view. It’s very mysterious and intriguing, making you wonder what’s going on from the very first page. Same goes with the story itself; it keeps you guessing, wondering what’s going on, what’s going to happen. Personally, I find that to be a very good thing.
And it’s not a “perfect” story. Shit happens in this book, and sometimes the heroes are powerless to do anything about it. It’s real.
The story’s divides to two parts; in the first part we’ve got Maggie and Kyle’s story, while on the second part we’ve got Lily and Carter. I can’t really tell you who the main character is. Mostly because I myself don’t know. It's confusing, but in a good way.
The characters are all very flawed.
Maggie is sarcastic, relationship phobic due to a bad relationship (and by that I mean she swore boys off for the rest of her life), kind of cranky, hates the entire school (aside for her best friend), and scares everyone off. She’s closed off and trusts no one.
While sometimes she did stuff that annoyed me royally – the way she handled Kyle was so frustrating. I just wanted to shake her out of it –she was so human in her voice I couldn’t resent her for it (for too long, anyway).
Kyle is a pretty awesome boy, he’s stubborn, strong, he can keep up with Maggie and loves her enough not to take her reservations to heart. He has a manipulative side, and at a point I was screaming at him to stop being stupid, but he eventually realized his stupidity... Much thanks to Lily.
Speaking of Lily… she’s the voice of reason throughout most of the story. She’s optimistic, social, friendly, she sees the best of people and trusts them almost instantly. (about the opposite of Maggie.
Carter – He’s never mentioned in the summery, which made him a total surprise for me. Can't say he was a very good surprise, as I didn’t like him much, mostly because Kyle didn’t like him, and I trusted Kyle by then. He’s pretty sweet near Lily, but kind of different around the others… I don’t trust him.
The romance in the story is pretty decent, and divides to two parts. Both are love-at-first-sight kind of thing.
I loved Kyle and Maggie’s relationship. First of all, Kyle had to work for her affection, even though it was very love-at-first-sight. They also fit, in a way. Maggie needs a person like Kyle, who's as strong headed as herself. Also, there was drama and chase in this relationship, which made it interesting. It wasn't instant, and we also got to see a part where they're already an established couple and have fallen into a routine, which was nice.
Carter and Lily's relationship, on the other hand, annoyed me. It was too fast; they met, she has already grown distant with her boyfriend by then, they start dating. The drama in their relationship was all from outside; her friends not trusting him. But the two themselves barely know each-other and are already dating.
There is a sort of past life/different life thing going on. All of the character feel something when they meet; be it romantic love, brotherly love, hatred. Those emotion seem to come from a time/place where they have different names. We don't get much explanation about what's going on in this book, which makes it so much more mysterious and intriguing!
This book ends with a cliffhanger. A pretty serious cliffhanger, at that, made even more so by the knowledge you don't get to see the resolution of that cliffhanger in the next book, as the next book jumps in time (or in worlds?) and gives us an entirely new world to explore.
Which means I have to wait for the third, or maybe fourth, book to know what the heck is going to happen! *freaking out* I hope everyone will be okay :(
As for the bad parts of the book... well, as I said, I wasn't the biggest fan of LilyxCarter, and also, the book seemed to lack a little in the "action" department. It started with a few creepy things happening, then again in the middle on thing, and at the end. But in between there was nothing except relationship angst. Now, not that I mind, but since there seem to be a point to the attacks on them, and their enemies knew where they are, I felt like there needed to be more in between.
But, regardless, I really enjoyed the book and recommend it! :)
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