Phoenix by Melissa Starr
(Phoenix Elite, Book 1)
Paperback, 189 pages
Published May 27th 2012 by Fire & Ice Imprint of Melange Books LLC
Summary:
Elora Rae Gannon believes her life is over. On her sixteenth birthday she receives news that she is a mythical monster of hellish proportions and if that's not bad enough, she receives this information in the form of a letter from her dead mother who also informs her that she must become part of an elite secret society of others like herself or die. Sucky birthday, huh? And just when she thinks she's got it all figured out, her new-found family in the Elite forces her to break ties with her human BFF shortly before her BFF just up and vanishes. With her world in utter upheaval, Elora makes the move to a new school- Marlind Prep, with full intentions of finding out exactly what is going on behind the scenes and why her best friend has vanished- all while trying to figure out how to successfully make out with her boyfriend without sucking the very life out of him!
My Review:
This book is great! I love the plot and how the author mixes in some Egyptian mythology into it! I love anything that has Greek or Egyptian things in it!
The plot is tells how a Elora learns about the Phoenixes and how her mother was one and therefore, she's one too. But Elora's mother died when she was born so she never had anybody to tell her about her life and her dad doesn't know much about it either. She gets an advisor named Ezra who later on becomes her boyfriend. Meanwhile, Elora's best friend Chloe tries to dig up about the Phoenixes' secrets and gets threatened and hurt in the process. Chloe doesn't care though and still tries to find out more which ultimately gets her kidnapped and almost killed.
I really love the main character, Elora. She's really nice and caring and loyal to her friends too. Even when the Phoenix Elite told her that she had to cut ties with her human friends. She still tried to meet up with her best friend Chloe. And while we're talking about Chloe, let's just say I'm not really liking her. She had been warned more than once to stop what she was doing, but nooo. She didn't listen. And now it's her fault that she's where she is now. It's not really much of a bad place though, since her 'guard' is cute. Another character that I liked was Wynter. I really thought that she would be a good friend of Elora's to help her and teach her about the Phoenix Elite. But she didn't really have a good ending.
This book really made me want to kinda be a Phoenix. I mean, they're basically taken care of their whole life. They have more money than they can spend and they get a nice car too. But there are some bad aspects in being a Phoenix though. You have to kill people. Well, not really kill but suck their life out so you can live another year. I wouldn't want to do that.
Overall, this book is a great read if you feel like reading a little romance and some paranormal fantasy. 4 Stars!
Author Interview
Q. What was the inspiration for this book?
A. I've always had an infatuation with mythology, Greek, Egyptian, Roman, Native American and the like and I've always liked how the Phoenix was able to rise from its ashes and begin a new life and I thought...well what if the Phoenix was actually a superhuman-type being who gets its life renewal by taking it and thus the Phoenix was born...
Q. Which character is the one you're most like?
A. I think I am a combination of Logan & Chloe. Logan tends to lie low, watching people and is mysterious by nature with a sentimental side whereas Chloe is outgoing and mysterious but in a calculated sort of way and wears a harden exterior. I wasn't really outgoing until high school but I was probably what you called mysterious because I kept a lot of what I was thinking to myself and always calculated what I was thinking in any situation. I'm a bit of a control freak, lol. Only since I've become an adult have I developed Chloe's knack for getting under peoples skin by being very forward & opinionated.
Q. Is there going to be a sequel? When's it coming out?
A. Yes! Ruhk's Rising (Phoenix Elite Book 2) is set to be released Feb-Mar 2013.
Q. I got the impression that Phoenixes were hard to kill; What can kill them or are they just like humans?
A.They can be killed but they're harder to kill. Like, if they're shot they're going to be able to handle it a lot better than a human because of the Phoenix spirit within them. They can withstand things like full blown pneumonia as if it were a summer cold but eventually it will break them down if let go on long enough. It might not kill them but it would definitely weaken them. And as we know, pneumonia will absolutely kill a human if we don't treat it. The best way to take out a Phoenix would be to kill them in a way that would cause the spirit to leave their body instantaneously. Say maybe if they were decapitated or their neck was suddenly snapped, that would do it.
Q. How did you get the names for the characters? A lot of the names are really gorgeous ones like Elora's and Wynter's.
A. Actually I grew up on movies like Willow. The princess in that movies' name was Alora and I had always really liked it. When I started writing Phoenix my main character just felt like an Alora so I just changed it up a bit. Wynter happened to come from a friend's name on Face Book. I fell in love with it the moment I made her acquaintance.
Q. Can you go more in-depth with the relationship between Ruhks and Phoenixes?
A. So, I could write a book on just the background...which I plan to do eventually but to sum it up quickly- Ruhk's were born from deception & betrayal when Isaac's father, Seth "supposedly" forced his mother, Aset into bed with him against her will. The magic that existed within the great nine (or Ennead) manifested in the form of the Ruhk. Of course no one but Aset & her nurse was supposed to know of Isaac's birth and he was immediately hid away. Aset didn't have the heart to kill the child & knew that if she presented Isaac to her husband, Osiris, he would know he wasn't his & have him killed. Soon after, Aset bore her husband, Osiris a child of his own. Once again the magic that had manifested in the form of the Ruhk manifested again in the second child but this time the child was born Phoenix. Phoenixes were born to protect humans against the blood lust of the Ruhk but as Isaac laying sleeping through a millennium, the magic born him seeped into the fabric of the world & tainted the Phoenix line causing them to ironically have to take life once a year to live. Phoenix-kind vowed to rid the Earth of the Ruhk praying it would give them back their fervor with their forefather Amun Ra but it didn't, because alas the Ruhk still live... Enemies to the end I fear.
About The Author
Melissa Starr is a small town, country gal from deep in southern Oklahoma. Born in Altus and raised in Frederick, it only seemed right to put down roots there with her own family; a husband, two sons and two daughters. She resides and writes from her home in Frederick where she spends her free time attending her children’s various sporting activities and just enjoying being a mom.
Melissa is also a freelance photographer who enjoys camping and riding ATV’s when the weather permits and snapping a million and one pictures of her family and friends against much protest. *Smiles*
Website: http://melissastarr.webstarts.com
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