Review: Wow, haunting, chilling and wild!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 12, 2013
Wow. Get ready for your mind to be blown. I dare you to be able to put down this pageturner after you read the words "Phoenix is risen." Because by then you'll have met intriguing characters, some of whom seem to be going through wretched and dangerous transformations, and you'll be completely drawn in to the paranormal and horrifying world that is unfolding.With great dialogue that brings the characters to life, Murray unfolds, taunts and seduces much like the gods at the center of her work. She plays with readers in doling out information and creating cliffhanger after cliffhanger--and it's really rewarding. Finally, a writer who knows what it means to be a storyteller, to keep readers drawn in with a combination of mystery, action and writing that is engaging and makes you care about what is going on. The writing is also haunting, at times lyrical (like when describing the longing and passion of the vampire Phoenix) and at times gripping (like when taking us along on Katherine's travails.)If you've read Chariots of the Gods? or similar work, you might be somewhat prepared for this exploration, but even so Murray takes these theories to new heights. What if the ancient blood-lusting Sumerian myths are true, and what if humans were meant to be their slaves, but we ended up becoming their obsession and playthings because of the way we began worshipping them as gods? What if their next reign of terror were about to begin?I loved a lot about this book. I loved the pacing. The passionate bloodthirsty scenes were awesomely portrayed, just tantalizing. The relationship between Ryan and Cross was incredibly well done. The plotting was excellent, highly skilled. Not all authors can move from scene to scene, point of view to point of view, so smoothly.If it's anything like this novel, I'm not ready! Because Murray's world is terrifying in it's unpredictability. No one is safe. Convert or death are the only options. It's also chillingly believable. It's fantastic to find a writer who goes all in, who sinks her fangs in deep like Rice or the like backed by great intelligence. This is a find of a book, and I'm so glad it's a trilogy because that means more is ahead. But as Phoenix says, "waiting is the hardest of all life's tasks."