I always knew I was different. I’d thought it had to be hidden – to stay a secret. I didn’t know my secret would become the key to my survival. Turning eighteen and getting accepted into college brings me everything I need to escape from the nightmares of my past but I never could have imagined my nightmares – and dreams – were just beginning. Finding myself thrown into a world of fantasy, … politics, friendships, and rules that are nearly impossible to understand, I feel like I’m drowning in a world of shifters I never knew existed. As I struggle to find my place and prevent my nightmares from tearing me apart, I find myself surrounded by an unusual group of sexy men. With Hiro, Killian, Theo, Damien, and Ryder I’m trying to become the woman I’ve always wanted to be, if my past, and my future, will let me.
Warning this book contains scenes and references of abuse that some readers may find triggering. This book also contains some m/m themes.
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I love the world Arthurs and Wylde have created. Nix has been through hell, but she is smart and has an inner strength. I like that she is cautious, especially after the trauma she has been through. I like how the guys respect her boundaries, but still push her forward. I also like the friendship between Nix and Rini. The story does end on a cliffhanger.
I can’t wait for the next story. I need more about her history and what is going to happen with the Council.
So let me first say that I would give the story a 5/5, I loved every second of it. In terms of the audio I would only give it a 3/5 because of some issues with accents that kept taking me out of the story (more in a bit).
Let’s first talk about the story. This is my first audiobook from this duo and it certainly won’t be the last! I have read a book by one of the authors previously which I did like. I didnt know what to expect from this series because it has been talked about so much in reader groups I am in. It didnt disappoint and I was sucked in right from the beginning. I love Nix and her tenacity. Yes, she has a lot of things to work on, but she is a survivor that has had to go through more things than grown adults have had to go through in just her short 18 years of life. I loved how the guys were introduced (I actually don’t have an outright favorite – Kill might eeeek it out a bit) because they are all so different that it makes it hard to like just one haha. Glad this is a why choose moment! I loved they are the mythological shifters, makes it really cool. And the hints at M/M are fun (more to come as I progress further into the series – currently listening to book 2 and loving it!). My heart ached for Nix and her upbringing and for some of the guys who had troubled pasts (alluded to in book 1), I can’t imagine how I will feel when we get more details about them. Phenomenal start to this series
Now I know I can be an audio snob, I can admit it haha. I have listened to Heather before and had no issues, but I think it was because the male voices she had to do didnt have accents or maybe not as tough as accents. I will say I loved Brandon and could listen to him all day! I was looking forward to his parts. I wish this had bene duet not dual, or I would have easily given it 5/5 stars. Heather cannot do a Scottish accent, and its hard not gonna lie, but she kept making Kill sound like he was Russian. It irked me to no end. All I could think is I hope Brandon has most of Kill’s scenes because he nails it. I was kinda confused in the beginning all the guys different accents. I thought Hiro and Damien were American (Damien sounded either having like a New Yorker accent – kinda ode to Italian roots), Kill was Scottish, Theo was Aussie, and I swore Ryder was a Brit but I think he is actually an Aussie too? Again, if the audio matched the accents better between the 2 narrators and the description from the authors, this would have been a homerun.
Overall I still recommend, I probably would prefer to read this series and not listen because I think the audio can detract from the story, which goes against one of the reasons to put it in audio (help bring the story to life, connect with readers more). I am going to continue to listen because I am invested and don’t have much time in my life to read (but a ton of time to listen) and from the story alone I would recommend
This is definitely not for the faint of heart. There’s constant abuse and rape flashbacks. That’s also what helps to shape Nix and turn her into who she is. She’s trying to come to terms and is getting stronger. I’m sure I’m going to enjoy this series.
I couldn’t put it down, non stop actjon, an emotional rollercoaster with excellent narration. I can’t wait for book 2.
This book and the entire series so far have been absolutely amazing! Can’t wait for more!
I’m loving this series . It has so many dark moments that make you feel for Nix . Nix is a strong woman , I love her character. She thinks she is so broken and all she wants is a normal life , little does she know her life is never gonna be normal again. Then she meet. Killan, Theo, Ryder, Hero and Damien and learns so much more about who she really is .
This book pulls you in and keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Now that Spark of Intent has FINALLY come out, I’ve been rereading the series, and I love these books – aside from the cliffhanger at the end of this book. That, I am not a fan of. Nix is a brilliant character. She’s sassy, sarcastic, but still super vulnerable because of her past. The guys are all brilliant, patient and kind with their own personalities. If I was going to pick at threads, I think it’s a bit of a push that someone with Nix’s backstory would open up so quickly, but, let’s be honest, this is a RH story about shifters. Reality isn’t exactly why I picked this up. And that’s me REALLY trying hard to have a complaint. In general, I have no complaints, and I’m so excited the third book is finally out.
The first line in this book got me hooked. It’s a very dark book but the characters are fantastic. This is one of my top series to read so far and I can’t wait to keep going and see what happens
Great first book! Good character development and storyline. This story kept my interest and I was sad when the book ended. I can’t wait to find out what all the other guys are in book 2. Also what is going to happen and how they are going to protect Nix especially now that everything is new.
Freaking amazing characters! This bad guy is the worst, and Poor Nix has been through the unthinkable and unimaginable her entire life. Now that she’s in college she finally finds she isn’t alone. Nix is the strongest and bravest MC I’ve read in a long long while, she’s sweet with a feisty, fun attitude. The men are equally amazing, and all the different and complex personalities all mesh well together throughout the story. For the first book in the series there is a perfect base to the story, the characters get a small amount of steamy, which makes it more believable. It’s a well written and compelling story, I’m excited for the next installment in this series.
As the first installment of the Pheonix Rising series, you’re captivated as soon as you open the book. The first sentence is a page-turner all in itself and that’s more than what any author can ask for. The second notable factor was the seamless insert of the characters and their pointer-views. After seeing the chapters switch between not just 1 but 6 pointer-views, I did the most dramatic eye roll of all eye rolls. But once you give it a chance, the characters all stand out as individuals and reading each of their pointer-views doesn’t become such a chore. There are a few instances where some decisions were unbecoming or uncharacteristic of a character, but overall you become captivated by the story of Nix and her five suitors. I also think this is a good story to integrate a newbie Reverse Harem reader into. I’d recommend the book due to its short comings not being nearly as large as its successful upbringings.
The last couple of months I really gotten into reading reverse harem books, it became one of my favorite kind of stories. And it’s not only me because if you look in the right places you realize that they come out by the dozens every week. It became a pretty popular genre, but not all of them are as great as I hope for. That’s why I’m outstandingly happy when I find an exceptional one like this one was.
It has a phenomenal and engaging writing style which paired with the plot sucks you in immediately and doesn’t let you go until it leaves you hanging with that huge cliffhanger at the end. And I’m serious; you just can’t leave me like that when there is not even a date for the next book. Come on!
One of the best things in this book is the way the author created her shifter world, I just loved the idea behind the whole shifting into mythological creatures and abandoning the usual and slightly overused species like werewolves and such. It creates and interesting, creative spin on things that makes you want to know even more about them. True the hierarchy and the priorities of the shifter society is pretty screwed up if you ask me and the shifters partially being creatures that not exactly created for fighting leaves a couple of questions for later but I liked that the authors dared to step out of the norm.
I really enjoyed the book but I only gave it 4.5 stars and you can ask me why when in my opinion it has every potential to be 5 stars. For me to give 5 star there has to be a perfect balance between romance, action, mystery and character development in a book. And while this book for the most part has a really great balance around 70 or so percent it started to go a bit askew. It started to solely focus on the one on one connection between Nix and the boys when there was so much more important things going on around them, things they needed to figure out other than the overwhelming attraction. This threw me off a bit.
I think Nix for the most part is a phenomenal main character. She is reserved and cautious, but also perceptive, resourceful and a survivor, she is strong in her own way. However after she started to open up for and trust in the boys she kinda throws her caution in the wind and started to ignore every obvious warnings which led to the big conflict at the end. It was a shame because she started out really strong and her development went in the wrong direction.
I liked the boys all of them. They are as usual for a reverse harem book all represent quite different personalities but still working well with each other. However since there is 5 of them their personalities are not as detailed as Nix’ even if we get a couple of chapters from their POV as well. I have huge expectations for them and the dynamism among them especially with the whole m/m aspect thrown into the mix. This book is heading into the direction I love I my RH books.
The only question that left is when the next book is coming??
Let me start off by gushing about how gorgeous this book cover is! I wanted this book based on that alone! It’s a bookshelf MUST for sure.
Loved this book! It was sad, emotional, funny, and had some hot moments too. It was deeply entertaining and kept my attention from the beginning to the end. So excited to jump into the next book!