Author: Elizabeth Richards
Series:
Black City #2
Published:
June 4, 2013
Publisher:
Putnam Juvenile
368 pages (Hardcover)
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
Review:
Thank you for Kate of
Bookaholic Blurbs for hosting the tour and to the publisher of the book for
providing me an ARC.
Phoenix
was one of my most anticipated sequels in 2013. If you guys read my review for
Black City, you’d know how much I fangirl about it. Though it didn’t exceed my
love for Black City, I still enjoyed reading it. In Phoenix, Ash and Natalie
got engage. You’d think everything’s okay now and Purian Rose would give up
after what happened in Black City (talking about the rising of Ash from the ashes).
Nope, the evil bastard has a plan brewing on his mind. What plan is that, you
ask? He plans to threaten Ash into agreeing to his law or else he’d take Miss
Buchanan and slice her pieces by pieces. Ash is now facing off a hard decision—to
save Natalie or betray the Darklings. You might think that this is the book all
about (who Ash chooses), but no, Elizabeth added a lot of twists and turns in
this book (I bet you can’t guess half of it).
Like
I said, Phoenix contains a lot of twists that will surely catch you off guard.
While I was reading, I kept on guessing what will happen next. Though I got
some of it right, there are still scenes that shocked me. It honestly left my
jaw hanging. I commend Elizabeth for her brilliant thinking for she managed to
write a book that is unpredictable. Hail Elizabeth, the queen of plot twists
and turns! Haha. :)
Now
let’s talk about the main characters, Ash and Natalie. I don’t know how to
describe what I felt about them. I love them but there are times that I just
want to bonk both their heads for being so…caring? Yep, you read that right.
They care too much for each other that they do stupid things like staying away
from each other just to protect the other one. Like what happened to Natalie,
she discovers something (this is one of the plot twists that you’ll not expect)
and because of that she pushes Ash away without even telling him about what she
discovered. And now there’s Ash, he didn’t tell Natalie about the threat of
Purian Rose to him because he doesn’t want her to worry. See where keeping that
secret led to. *shakes head sadly*
There
are a lot of new characters that appears in this book and there are also
characters that have reappearance in this book. One of those characters is
Elijah. The moment Elijah appeared one day and told everyone about the Ora, I
already have my suspicion. I won’t tell you what he did, you have to read it
yourself. There’s also Giselle, she’s a new character in this book. Though she
didn’t do anything wrong *cough choke cough* Fine, she did something wrong but both
of them (won’t tell who’s the other one) are at fault that time.
Phoenix
is undoubtedly an action-packed book with a lot of twists and curves in
between. The moment you flip the first page of the book, you can’t stop
flipping it until you reach the last page. It’s THAT compelling. You’d know
what I’m talking about when you read the book.
60
SECOND INTERVIEW WITH…JUNO JONES
So today’s 60 Second Interview is
with the lead anchor for Black City News, Juno Jones.
1.
Please describe yourself in three words.
Inquisitive, bossy, feisty.
2.
What’s your favorite pastime?
I’m never off-duty, so my favorite
pastime is looking for my next big story.
3.
Cats or dogs?
Dogs. I appreciate their loyalty and
instant affection. I don’t have time to earn something’s love.
4.
What’s your favorite food?
Noodles. There’s a place in
Chantilly Lane that serves the best noodles in the city; I go there every
Friday with the guys from work.
5.
Tell us a secret about yourself.
My hair isn’t naturally this color.
I dyed it to look more like my sister, Amy’s. She’s got gorgeous auburn
hair.
6.
What are you afraid of?
That Amy will hook up with some jerk
of a guy who doesn’t deserve her. I’m very protective of my little sis.
7.
Who do you love the most in this world?
Amy, without question.
8.
Who do you hate the most?
February Fields. Urgh, I hate that
woman! She’s the lead anchor for SBN. I want that job!
9.
Would you rather vacation in Golden Sands or the Dominion State?
Dominion State. That’s where the
Sentry government is based, so you can bet there’s some juicy stories there!
10.
If you had one wish, what would it be?
To have my own primetime news panel
show.
About the Author:
Elizabeth
Richards is an award-winning journalist, who spent her early career
reviewing video games before making the bold (or crazy) move into
travel writing, despite suffering from terrible travel sickness. In
her spare time, she ran a successful lifestyle website aimed at teenage girls,
where she got to interview many of her favorite bands, go to gigs and basically
blag loads of free swag all in the name of ‘research’.
Elizabeth
lives in Buckinghamshire, England, with her husband. BLACK CITY is her debut
novel. The sequel, PHOENIX, is out on June 4, 2013.
Fun
facts about…Elizabeth Richards
- She’s an identical twin…and yes, she is the evil one.
- She’s part sloth.
- She hopes to see 10 volcanoes before she dies. She’s already climbed Vesuvius, had lunch on top of Mount Etna and watched Stromboli erupt at night.
- She’s a little bit obsessed with Daniel Radcliffe.
- Some of her favorite TV shows are Buffy, Being Erica, and Extreme Couponing.
- Her favorite authors are JK Rowling, Suzanne Collins, Beth Revis, Stephen Fry, and Veronica Roth.
Giveaway
