by S. D. Grimm
publisher’s synopsis
When the past comes knocking, think twice about opening the door.
Orphaned Ava Elderson is a Phoenix—a monster hunter created to protect the human race—but she’s without her most valuable asset—knowledge of what she is. Phoenix powers? A mystery. Past memories? Locked away. Worse, she’s unaware of the great evil searching to destroy her and enslave all humanity.
When Ava’s memories begin to resurface, she finds herself torn between the family she’s always wanted and the love of her life. But she’ll lose it all if she fails to unlock her powerful Phoenix fire before she faces the dark creature on her tail. Failure means dooming what’s left of her entire race to extinction—including her newfound brothers—and leaving the humans helpless—oh, and . . . she’s out of restarts.
What I Liked:
-The sibling relationships! While their relationships were flawed and messy–just like in real life–you knew that the Elderson siblings had each other’s back and loved each other at the end of the day. I’m always down for a good sibling story. 🙂
-Grimm’s take on phoenixes is fresh and original. It was fun to read. She also wrote the monster aspects of the story well, keeping it from feeling too dark or gritty.
What I Struggled With:
-There was one point of the novel where the passage of time didn’t seem quite right. Maybe I missed something or got confused because of the flashback memories, but something felt off.
-Maybe more will be revealed in book two, but the villain’s motivation was lacking a little bit for me. While we were given a reason for why she made her choices, it kind of felt like she was evil just to be evil.
Overall:
Phoenix Fire is is perfect for fans of urban fantasy, sibling relationships, and little bit of paranormal.
Cautions: several instances of “coarser” language; six kisses; moderate romance; semi-descriptive moderate violence; SPOILER: brief flashback to when a character, unaware of their relation, had a crush on and kissed his sister
Hailey Huntington 
Leave a comment