A terrifying thriller! Full of excitement. It will make you question what would you do, if you found yourself in a dangerous situation.
Wanting to do the right thing, but will a mother's instinct and love prevail?
Exciting story, but I would have liked one more chapter, or epilogue tying up some unanswered questions.

Joan and her four-year-old son. Lincoln, have enjoyed one of frequent visits to the zoo. It has been an uneventful day, quiet except for the noise of popping in the distance (fireworks?) near closing time. Now, though, it is time to leave. However, on the way to the exit, she spots first some bodies on the ground and then a man with a gun outside the cafeteria. Praying that he has not spotted them and thankful that they know every inch of the park as well as that she is a dedicated runner, she grabs Lincoln and heads to a hiding place she hopes will provide cover from the shooter or shooters. They will spend the next three hours hiding, not an easy thing to do with a youngster. But Joan is a fierce mother who will do anything to ensure his safety even if it means she will put herself in even more danger to do so.

Hitchcock once said that ‘there is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it’ and author Gin Phillips understands this very well and uses it to great advantage in her novel, Fierce Kingdom. Most of the action happens off the page and the events, as horrific as many of them are, are not portrayed graphically which has the effect of making them that much more shocking and disturbing. Much of the tension is built and accelerates around Joan’s attempts to keep Lincoln quiet without scaring him too much, with the sound of approaching footsteps and of voices that she can hear taunting her when she is unable to judge how close they are, whether they know where she and Lincoln are or are just trying to flush them out.

Fierce Kingdom will resonate with anyone who loves a well-written and heart-pounding thriller and it gets a high recommendation from me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Group Viking for the opportunity to read this nook in exchange for an honest review

I can't wait to recommend this book to my readers who love suspense and women's fiction. The relationships are believable and the feelings are visceral.

A mother and young son are exploring the zoo as they often do most late afternoons. Suddenly gunshots and screams fill the air and Joan turns into a tiger mom whose only thought is to protect her son. As they run into a more remote area of the zoo, four year old Lincoln thinks they are playing hide and seek but then the game turns into a run for their lives as gunmen roam the grounds taking out anything and anyone that moves. The story shows ordinary people put into an extraordinary situation and makes for one heck of a thrill ride. It starts off with a bang (pardon the pun) and never slows down for a second. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy and high blood pressure.

How do i even begin this review?
I was not at all prepared for what I was getting myself into by reading this book. I started it earlier this morning around 11 am and finished it by 3 pm. I could not read this book fast enough!

Fierce Kindom wastes no time in diving into the story of Joan and her 4 year old child, Lincoln, spending an ordinary day at the zoo. As they are leaving and nearing the exit, they come upon men with guns and dead bodies on the floor. A cheerful day at the zoo quickly distorts into a nightmare as we find out what lengths a mother will go through to protect herself and her son as she tries to get them out of the zoo alive.

This wasn't just a thriller. Gin Phillips expertly weaves a believable story with characters you can't help but feel attached to and root for their safety. This book took me to that zoo and their fear was so palpable that they became my fears as well. The entire novel is set to only take place within a few hours and i really enjoyed how the author split that time by giving perspectives through the eyes of different characters, but stil mainly leading with Joan. I never felt that the story dragged on in places, as i struggle with this issue in many books, and the different viewpoints worked wonders in keeping me intruiged.

You know an author does an amazing job of storytelling when you can't stop imagining yourself in the main characteres shoes throughout the whole book. It would be terrfying enought to be trapped inside a zoo when armed men decide to start randomly mass murdering anyone they can find. I could only imagine its a whole new level of terrifying if i had my 4 year old child with me. Everything from hiding, to fleeing, to just trying to stay calm and level headed would be so much more difficult.

Overall this book definetely earns a solid 4/5 from me. It was an easy "read in one sitting" type of book. I would gladly recommend it to friends who are looking for an intense and fully immersive read.

I really struggling with a rating for this book. I decided on three stars because I was caught up in the story and had to know how it was going to end. However, I did have some issues with it.

Joan is relaxing with her four-year-old son, Lincoln in one of their favorite areas of the zoo. She is listening to him chatter about Dr. Doom and Batman. It's near closing time and so they start to head for the exit....the next moment she hears what sounds like popping balloons or firecrackers. As she continues to head towards the exit she sees something that makes her turn around and run.

For the next three hours she must run, hide, and make some tough decisions to keep herself and her son safe.

When the book started off it was really intense. I can't imagine being in such a terrifying situation. Trying to keep yourself AND your child calm at a time like that would be extremely stressful. Even though I am not a mother myself, my heart was literally in my throat as I wondered where I would hide/whatt would I do?
Most of the story is told from the mother, Joan's point of view, but we do hear from teenager, Kailynn who works in the zoo's restaurant and a retired schoolteacher, Margaret Powell. As the story grows we discover information about Lincoln and the relationship between mother and son. We also hear about Kailynn's life and her relationship with her father. and the teachers life and feelings towards her students
The mid section of the book seemed to slow down too much although it did pick up towards the end but this was such contrast to the beginning of the book which was pacy and tense. I had a few issues with believability - why would you throw your phone away to hide the light - why not switch it off? Also before she threw away said phone, she spoke to her husband on the phone but I was a bit confused as to why she wouldn't just call the police? If you were that scared, feared for the life of your child, would you not call the police immediately and scream "Get me out of here!" down the phone?
There were also a few unanswered questions for me in the book . . . I don't want to say because of spoiling the story for others . . . but there were a couple of people still left unaccounted for at the end which I found a little annoying.

All that being said, I felt compelled to continue reading to the end. I was engrossed by it and desperate to find out what happened in the end. I have to admit, I didn't like the cruelty parts of the book (again don't want to go into detail about this) but it didn't sit right with me. I am an animal lover but I didn't see the point in putting this cruelty in to demonstrate a psychopathic nature of a character - it could have been handled differently. Plus, in the writer's thank you's, she mentions the cat escapades and it filled me with horror; did someone she know actually do this and she was thanking them? I shuddered at that. I just don't like things put in for shockability factor and I felt this was why it was there. I can cope with most things and animal cruelty isn't one of them, although I am aware that is my personal preference and it may not bother others. However, I do feel there should be a warning about this in the front of the book.
Overall a great concept, good pace at the beginning and end, a bit lacklustre in the middle. I was compelled to keep turning the pages and finished the book in two sittings, but there were a lot of unanswered questions and the cruelty didn't agree with me.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my advanced copy.

I had really high hopes for this book, but it kinda left me bored and frustrated. I am giving it 3 stars because if you look at the whole story, it did move me and it was filled with action and backstories.
On to the problems I have with this book. First, Jean is so weird, her thoughts freak me out a bit. I could not connect with her in any way, because she was so different (not in a nice way). Next, it goes on for tooooo looooong. I was expecting a book filled thrilling scenes, yet I get hiding a lot and a lot of thoughts, which I don't really care about. The last 20% of the book WAS thrilling and I did enjoy that part, however I just wish that the whole book was like that!
The plot was good, however, I HATE THE ENDING. WHY WOULD YOU PUT MY HEART THROUGH SOMETHING LIKE THAT! 3/5 stars

Fierce Kingdom was a quick page-turner about a parent's worst nightmare. Mom and child go on their weekly trip to the zoo and end up hiding from crazy shooters. As a mother I was horrified for the mom, as a reader, I couldn't wait to see what happened next! Recommended!

The story idea is like nothing I've ever read before, a fantastic beginning with the horror growing I could not put it down and had to read to the end.
I felt it looses its way slightly and leaves far to many unanswered questions which is frustrating for the reader hence the 4 star rating.

I recieved a free e-copy of Fierce Kingdom from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I give this fast and intense thriller ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars!

•••

Fierce Kingdom starts with a mom and son enjoying a regular afternoon outing at the zoo. As Joan and Lincoln start making their way to the entrance at closing time, shots ring out and they see bodies on the ground. Without thinking or pausing for even a moment, Joan does the first thing her instincts as a mother prompt her to do: she grabs her son and runs.

The rest of the novel follows Joan to her various hiding spots and through her thought process of survival. She has to be careful with her five-year-old son: if she tells him too much he may cry and give their location away, but she has to tell him enough that he understands their need to stay quiet and hidden. The tension of the situation keeps the book moving quickly and might be a read-in-one-sitting novel for many people.

•••

I honestly didn't think I would like this book based on its description, but I decided to give it a try because I had heard a lot of good reviews for it. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the plot moved along, there was constantly something happening or changing. I did read this fairly quickly because I wanted to find out what would happen. Another thing that I think helped move the book along was the fact that there are no chapters, it is just one continuous start to finish roller-coaster of action. The only seperation between sections was a notation of time passed. Overall, a very enjoyable and fast paced thriller.

I thought the story line of this book was intriguing and I wasn't quite sure how a writer could turn this into a story but she did and it was fabulous. I read this book in two days and that is quick for me. I found myself speeding along feeling as stressed and breathless as the main character and had to catch my breath. I am a mother with a daughter about the same age as the boy in the book and she nailed four year olds and motherhood and everything in between. I felt at some points I wrote this book because she took my thoughts straight out of my head. Great book, great read. I rented this from the library and also received a copy through NetGalley and I will probably have to go buy it to add to my list of favorite books on my bookshelf. Great job and awesome read!

This. Was. Incredible.

My heart didn't stop racing as soon as the action hit until the very last page. It was suspenseful, heart retching, and action-y all in one novel. Joan 's choices to protect her son after gunmen take over the zoo just before close, make you feel like you are there with them. It was so real, so true, that I got completely lost in the novel.

It starts off a little slow at the beginning, but once you push past that little part, it doesn't stop until the very end. 5/5 stars, thank you netgalley for the arc for an honest review!

I'm struggling on my rating - somewhere between a 3 and 4 star. I was SUPER excited for this book. I remember first hearing about it on Amazon Prime Day, and since then, I've seen it everywhere. So I started reading in hopes that this would be one of my favorite books of the year. I'm not sure it's that...it was missing a lot. There were times when it was really hard to follow, and when the flow wasn't right, or when I just really didn't understand what the "bad guys" were talking about. But there is SO much more to this story than the surface level.

I sped through reading this book. It's not too long, and the writing/story keeps you gripped and hooked. And maybe my speed reading is what caused my confusion - I'll have to read it again.

Overall, I really enjoyed the zoo setting. I see how it was symbolic of the situation. How do we as humans, in certain situations, relate back to other types of mammals and animals? The zoo - like the human race - is full of nice, caring, and beautiful creatures but also harsh, determined predators.

I could not decide how I felt about the main character, Joan. And that was probably the point. She was a great, protective mother, but at times she just seemed selfish. Part of her reasoning for protecting her son, Lincoln, was for her own benefit. She would shift back and forth between putting him first, and then getting frustrated with him for being loud or hungry. Even in the middle of the book, she debates on saving someone because the noise might give her away to the shooters. But, I understand that these situations happen because Fierce Kindgom is diving deep into the human psychology. What would you do in this situation? If you were fighting for your life - would you help others? Or would you let them stay in danger so that you would be safe?

Joan and Lincoln's relationship and personalities remind me so much of the mother and son in Room. I even pictured the characters as Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay. And just like in Room, a mother (a human) can only take so much from their child in stressful situations. But in the end, they work together and their love for each other saves them.

Like other readers, there were some loose ends. But we can leave that up to our own imaginations.

I definitely recommend Fierce Kingdom to people wanting to think, people wanting to dive into the psychology and symbolism behind a story. The themes can be explored and can take you into an existential place of trying to understand the human psyche and how we respond to the most primal instinct - survival.

*Thank you to Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Viking for the ARC, for which I have given an honest and unbiased review*

My curiosity got the better of me on this one and I had to find out if this was as thrilling as others were saying. Well....as you can see based on my rating this didn't work for me. There were parts I found suspenseful but not too many. My biggest problem(s) were the many gaping plot holes...so many moments of the main character Joan doing things that just wouldn't in any way happen. I can suspend disbelief but these were so over the top that they distracted me significantly. One I could handle but several?? Nope. There's ALOT of inner character reflection by Joan, the mother, and you really get to know her quite well so if you enjoy lots and lots of..I remember whens....then this is the book for you. For me, to have the action stop so she could reflect on yet another memory of her son when he was little or her past just caused me to skim. I think I expected more action and thrills, but that's just my opinion and expectations there. In the end, I was pretty disappointed to find that a couple very important (to me) plot threads weren't addressed? I don't want to spoil anything but I do feel like the readers deserved to know...if you've read this you'll know what plot/people details I'm referring to. On the plus side, I read this super fast! It's a 1 or 2 sit read for sure and once I started I really did want to know how it turned out.

This thriller is the exploration of a mother's worst nightmare. Joan's bucolic trip to the zoo with her 4 year old son Lincoln abruptly transforms itself when three snipers decide to use the visitors and animals at the zoo as their own personal shooting gallery. Joan's fierce maternal instincts kick in, showing just how far a mother will go to protect her child. The character of 4 year old Lincoln was beautifully crafted and it rung so true. This is one of those books that you will read straight through. Fast-paced, relentless and authentic.

Thank you Netgalley for the e-review copy of this book.

3.5 Stars

There is a moment, in the beginning, where sweetness reigns, the innocence of youth, those moments where parents are reminded of the sweetness, innocence and goodness that abounds in their children in those snippets of time.

”’Do you want a nose, Mommy?’ he asks.
‘I have a nose,’ she says.
‘Do you want an extra one?’
‘Who wouldn’t?’
His dark curls need to be cut again, and he swipes them off his forehead. The leaves float down around them. The wooden roof, propped up on rough round timber, shades them completely, but beyond it, the gray gravel is patterned with sunlight and shadows, shifting as the wind blows through the trees.
‘Where are you getting these extra noses?’ she asks.
‘The nose store.’
She laughs, settling back on her hands, giving into the feel of the clinging dirt.”

It is their favourite part of the zoo, a quiet spot, and quiet is something rare in her life these days, as Lincoln rarely goes a minute without talking. Villains and heroes, superheroes are his latest obsession, her purse no longer her own, a temporary lodging for his superheroes, their swords and whatnots. His stories, the adventures he creates for these plastic architects of extraordinary doom and mayhem.

The afternoon is fading, and the zoo is closing soon, but Lincoln and Joan must head home, Lincoln lost in his latest episode he’s creating between Loki and Thor, Joan lost in thoughts of what to get a friend for their wedding gift, and now they’ve waited a bit too long and must hurry in order to get to the gate before they’re locked in.

And then she hears sounds in the distance, like fireworks or balloons being popped. Another. And another. And another.

But the zoo is closing in just a few minutes, so they must rush if they are going to make it, and she’s trying hard to convince him of this and to make sure she has all of his superheroes safely in tow, she doesn’t have time to contemplate and analyze what she’s heard.

And as they are rushing as quickly as a mother with a young boy dragging his feet can go, she notices that some of the scarecrows the zoo had put up for decorations have fallen, laying on the ground. And then she realizes those are not scarecrows.

She grabs hold of her son and hoisting him up to carry him. She runs.

When my oldest son was little, we lived not too far from a small Warner Bros. owned theme park, where a friend of ours worked as one of those mascots who dress up in costumes, sweltering in the heat. Since we could go for free, courtesy of our friend, and since my son was young then, and it was mostly wooded and cooler than our home, we went often. The attraction was supposed to be the animals, but they were supposed to be in a wild natural habitat, not caged, so the only way to see them was to drive through – which might have been worthwhile, but suffocating in a car without A/C. Apparently there were enough people not dissuaded by the voice telling you repeatedly of the dangers involved in rolling down your windows, since there were frequent enough deaths, and you heard about all of them if you lived close enough. More, if you had a friend who worked there. Local folklore says the animals were all set free, and that those who live in that area still see some of those lions and tigers and bears! Oh my, indeed.

This was where my mind kept returning as this story progressed, picturing my much younger self with my then young son, trying to find places to stay safe, trying to keep him placated enough to keep him from crying or talking too loud or getting angry at the unfairness of it all. Dealing with hunger. Questions.

My stomach is past being tied up in knots, it has turned into one knot; this large one has consumed all the little knots inside. My brain is throbbing from holding my breath so much while reading this intense story.

This is not my usual fare, I’m always leery of reading suspense books because I don’t like feeling this knot in my stomach, but lately the few I’ve read have not touched on a topic that is so timely, and one that I could imagine, knowing every day when the news comes on, that these types of actions seems to occur more frequently. Why, I will never understand.

This is intense, although there are parts where the tension does let up for a bit and then returns, kind of like the movement of a hammer being raised just to strike once again, overall, the feeling is just intense.

The author left open-ended some of the threads of the additional characters. I could understand, perhaps, leaving all but one open-ended, but that one? No. I think if it had been the last thing I had said, I would have made sure that someone knew…

I loved having the timeline for this story, seeing how the minutes were ticking by. Joan’s thoughts, as a mother, seemed realistic to me, as did Lincoln’s behavior – most of the time. I loved the bond between Joan and Lincoln, their bond, the love and trust they had in each other was what spoke loudest to me, and what kept me turning the pages.


Published: 25 Jul 2017

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Penguin Group / Viking

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC of this book.
Intense, disturbing, annoying, frustrating - this book was all of these things.
It deals with a mother's feelings for and relationship with her child as she attempts to escape from individuals who have shot up the zoo where she is visiting. It touches on the killers and other people trapped in the zoo, her parents and her husband. Perhaps the biggest problem with the book is that it is over-ambitious so it cannot do justice to any. As the author tries to get into the mother's mind, she digresses into seemingly unimportant details but perhaps that is how her mind would have operated under this kind of stress.

2.5 stars because I just could not figure out what the author wanted me to take away from the book.

I was absolutely riveted by this novel. Gin Phillips kept the tension high throughout this terrifying adventure. I must admit that my first thought was wow, this would make a blockbuster film. I even looked to see if anyone had snatched up the rights.....They Have!
The premise of the story; mother and child trapped in the zoo after hours by unknown "terrorists" played out realistically. The additional characters made the plot more interwoven, and this is one of those books I devoured, read it straight through with no breaks! I really appreciated the way that the author didn't reveal everything, that the twists were not telegraphed, and the story stayed tight. The character profiles were fairly complex for a story that takes place over hours, but I felt that dialogue and actions suited my understanding of the characters. I will definitely be on the lookout for more from this amazing author.

3.5/5 stars.

When I read the description for Fierce Kingdom I was really looking forward to reading it because it sounded like it was going to be an intense read. Don't get me wrong, it was, but the pacing felt inconsistent. It seemed to drag in the beginning but thankfully picked back up midway through and kept me hooked until the end.

Something I really enjoyed about this book was that it was told in actual time, with a time stamp at the beginning of each chapter, that small touch made the story feel that much more real to me. I couldn't believe all that action could be packed into just a few short hours, but to the people living the nightmare it must have felt like an eternity. At times I found Joan a little frustrating, but to be fair I can't say how well I'd be able to hold it together in a terrifying situation such as the one she and her son found themselves in. .

I always romanticize about being able to finish a book in one sitting, but I never have enough patience for it. I'm fairly confident I could have finished Fierce Kingdom in one day, had I not started it so late at night. Sleep got the best of me, but as soon as I woke the book was back in my hands I didn't set it down again until I finished. This is a book that really draws you in, grabs a hold of you and refuses to let go. I'm sure I'll be thinking about this book for days to come.

Robby
Joan
Lincoln
Its all visceral, feelings and fear, and things that go bump in the night in the jungle, as the tale injects you into your seat into one day in a Zoo when it all goes horribly wrong and shifts to a nightmarish evening.
Nerd mother, who has super hero references to all things living, has a day where she must play to the stage and be a super hero herself, for her son.
You could sit and think over for a second the most dangerous animal in the zoo, but in this tale its not quite what you would envisage.
The narrative, the perspective of the telling, and the characters, have you unrelentingly reading on ahead, written in a short sharp way to match the momentum, this has not sentences to sit back and enjoy too long, the prose matches the showing, and the evokes the thrill, the fear, the need for safety in the reader’s mind, with some characters to care for.
Panic room anyone?