Review: Too short
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 12 30, 2013
3 Stars!The book was too short.I never read a paranormal book about phoenixes. That’s why I was really interested in this book and the concept sounded intriguing. The world of phoenix shifters is very interesting. They might be immortal however they need warmth and sun to survive as well as different kinds of food / spices on a regular basis or they’ll die.I had the feeling the synopsis was a bit misleading. I expected much more from the story. There is actually no relative of Reece out there who has murder in mind. Well not really at least. It’s just a case of resentment and they want Ambrosia gone not dead. And I expected more from Ambrosias family, too. Maybe I didn’t catch it but there is also no dire medical situation that she has to return to. She does want to return to her hometown / house and her sister but because she misses her. The only medical situation I was aware of is the health problem Ambrosia had as a baby and little kid and her sister was born with a defect. Maybe this is the medical situation and I didn’t really catch that.What I liked was Ambrosia and especially Reece as characters. Reece was so sweet and normal. With normal I mean the little things he did with Ambrosia like kick her in the foot when he talked to her and she said something silly. Another thing was when he let himself fall face first on the bed and lay there for several minutes. In my head this was so damn cute and silly. It made him real and likable. Also Ambrosia wasn’t hysterical or totally overwhelmed by the pregnancy or the existence of phoenixes which she could have been. Who wouldn’t faint knowing you are pregnant with a phoenix baby from a guy you have seen for a total of 10 minutes. But she was strong, caring and reasonable. It was very nice to read and I liked the characters from the start.However the story could have been more detailed and needs some more drama. Nothing major happens in the whole book. The great final is told in 4 pages and no one gets hurt physically or emotionally. There is no real villain. Reece grandmother is a bitch but Sarah Gilman gives us reasons for why she is the way she is. So you can’t really hate her either.All in all, this book was just too short. The basic concept of the phoenix, how they exist, what they do and their whole world is great in concept. This book deserves 100 more pages to really honor the idea of the author and to make it more exiting.