Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book, but I just could not get into this one. The writing style was difficult and took away from the suspense.

Out of this world fantastic. Couldn’t get enough Appreciated being introduced to this author.

I heard a lot about this book before I read it. It was fast paced, and read like a movie, but I just felt like it was missing something, although I'm not sure what. I found the enda bit abrupt as well. Overall a quick read.

A grippingly fierce and emotional story about a mother and her young child on a perilous adventure.
Joan and her 4 year old son Lincoln are on one of their frequent visits to the zoo. Right before closing they hurry toward the exit until they are stopped in their tracks when they hear and see something horrible. Someone at the zoo has opened fire.
What follows is a suspenseful three hours of running, hiding and doing everything possible to escape becoming victims themselves.
A thrilling, rollercoaster ride that is every parents worst nightmare.
An extremely well-written and captivating read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an arc of this novel in exchange for my review.

I really hard a hard time putting this book down but ultimately didn't find the experience completely satisfying.
Good points:
Plot--the story of shooters in a zoo is gripping and the zoo setting is new and interesting.
Present tense--I usually hate books written in the present tense but it works here. It's a suspenseful, action packed book and the tense is a great fit for the story.
Characters--I liked Lincoln, Mrs Powell and the zoo worker..Some of the minor characters are less fleshed out, though, especially the criminals. The main character Joan is problematic, though.

Less Good:
I usually hate epilogues but if there was ever a time for one, this is it. There are a lot of loose ends that could be tied up. Why introduce the baby if there was no resolution to that part of the plot? What happened to Joan, Mrs Powell?
Joan makes some poor decisions that didn't seem plausible--she threw away her phone?!?, after she found some help she didn't go back for the baby?!?, when she got to a safe place she didn't look for first aid?!?

So it was riveting but frustrating. At the same time I'm glad I read it and will recommend it, so a bit confused. : )
It would make a great movie.

I'll definitely read the author's next book.

While this was a really great book, the format of the egalley left a lot to be desired. It actually made it very, very difficult to read the book and follow the story.

My son is turning 18 in a few months and I have found myself reflecting more and more on those special childhood memories, or sometimes catch myself staring at him wondering how that teeny tiny baby has grown into this tall, kind man-child. I think that is what resounded most with me in Fierce Kingdom - the little things like the softness of a child's skin or the unique turns of phrases that they come up with when trying to make sense of their world. This was what I enjoyed the most about the book.

I enjoyed the narrative, although at times I found it meandering. I thought there was too much of a lull between introducing the other "hostages" and weaving them into the main character's story line. I would have liked to see more character development in the shooters, but realize that the story was not theirs to tell, so gave the author a bit of a pass on this. The main character made a couple of (in my opinion) questionable decisions that unnecessarily put herself and her child at greater risk.

All that aside, I did enjoy this book and gave it a very sold three stars.

What a great start to the book, my heart was literally pounding and I couldn't fall asleep! This could really happen I kept saying to myself. Not only was the premise, having to hide from shooters but the location, in a zoo just before closing, made this realistic and what nightmares are made of.

I read the book in two days, which for me is really fast, but I found the second half less enjoyable. I felt like the first half, time was taken to write it and the second half it was a race to the finish.

Fast paced, heart pounding, heart wrenching and realistic. I can see this one going to the big screen.

Thanks NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy. A great summer read!

I feel conflicted on this review. The description caught my attention and i know this book is getting buzz. But i felt like it couldnt deliver at the end . Something was missing.

Elizabeth G Joan and her 4 year old son Lincoln have spent another pleasant afternoon at the zoo. Joan pays little attention to some popping sounds as they begin to head for home. However, as they near the exit she realizes that something is very wrong - she sees bodies on the ground and realizes that the pops are gunshots. Her survival instincts kick into gear and thus begins a couple of tense hours, written in real time, with Joan attempting to keep her son safe until help arrives.

The novel's examination of the deep bond between mother and child has drawn comparison's to Emma Donoghue's "Room". Personally I found myself getting a little impatient with this theme, and Joan's constant efforts to keep Lincoln quiet (entirely necessary under the circumstances) and fed (is this such a huge issue? We're talking about 2 hours. I know it's part and parcel of keeping him quiet, but still...). Perhaps I was simply too anxious to find out how events would progress. Consequently, I was happy when (mild spoiler) a couple of new characters were introduced. I found them more interesting than Joan and Lincoln.

Overall a quick suspenseful read.

Fierce Kingdom is a terrifying novel about the lengths a mother will go to in order to protect her child. Joan and her four-year-old son Lincoln are spending a fun and relaxing day at the zoo, when they hear what sounds like fireworks in the distance. At the end of the long day, they head toward the front gates and encounter a shocking scene – there are armed gunmen at the exit, standing over bloody bodies on the ground.

Thinking fast, Joan grabs Lincoln and runs back into the labyrinth of the zoo – and she keeps running for the next three hours, right up until the novel’s thrilling ending. Luckily, Joan has spent a lot of time at the zoo, and she remembers an empty exhibit where they can hide until the police arrive. She has her cell phone and is able to contact her husband, who tells her that the police are on their way – but soon after she is forced to throw her phone away to distract the gunmen, leaving her at the mercy of the dark zoo at night.

Staying just a step ahead of danger, Joan encounters another small group of people who are also on the run – but working together puts her and Lincoln in more danger. Joan quickly realizes the sacrifices she is willing to make to save her child, and she is shocked by her own actions. The novel questions our duty towards other people in contrast to our animal instinct to survive with our own loved ones. The zoo setting is important because it shows the humans that are trapped there as nothing more than animals in a cage, desperate to survive – suddenly life is pared down to the essentials of food, shelter and staying alive.

Most of the story is told from Joan’s perspective, but we do meet some other characters, including one of the gunmen. Learning about his motivations for the attack is intriguing, and the behaviour between the men becomes increasingly animalistic as well. Each narrator also has flashbacks describing their life before the zoo attack, which are emotional and compelling, fleshing out these characters into three-dimensional people. The background stories increase the stakes, as we become invested in the survival of Joan, Lincoln and the others.

The events at the zoo aren’t always realistic, but it’s certainly a believable situation that could happen to anyone at any time. The difficult decisions of motherhood become clear and concise, as Joan sacrifices everyone and everything – even herself – to protect Lincoln. Fierce Kingdom is a thrilling story, difficult to put down and exciting from start to finish. This is a great summer read that will likely be one of the most popular books of the season, and well worth reading.

I received this book from Random House Canada and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The novel opens with a mother (Joan) and her young son (Lincoln) enjoying an afternoon at the zoo. Lincoln is talking a mile a minute, Joan is making lists in her head and as they head out of the zoo for the evening, Joan hears a popping sound. Something is absolutely wrong and this is made clear when Joan sees the bodies. There is a shooter in the zoo and the shooter is not just hunting the animals. Scooping up Lincoln and running, Joan must try and protect him from the evil that lurks.

The general premise was absolutely gripping; I was hooked from the first pages of the book. What a different setting for a thriller! I felt like the zoo backdrop added an extra layer of unpredictability as our protagonist had to not only worry about the human danger but also the danger that comes from nature. Phillips also does an excellent job at making her characters realistic and relatable. I was genuinely concerned for their plights and found myself continuously asking myself what I would do in such a situation. I also felt like Phillips did an amazing job at developing her secondary characters.

Now, my struggle with the book is hard to discuss without giving any spoilers but I did have quite an issue with an aspect involving a baby. I felt like I didn’t get any resolution and I felt quite a bit of anxiety surrounding this small bit of plot. I also struggled a lot with the ending. Again, hard to explain without providing spoilers but it really didn’t leave me satisfied.

Overall, I felt like Fierce Kingdom was a stellar piece of fiction and would recommend it to anyone looking for something fast paced and engaging.

Every mother suffers from "worse scenario" musing; Fierce Kingdom brings those thoughts to life. Joan and her four year old son stop to have a quiet, late-day visit at the local zoo. Unbeknownst to them, three young men have a plan in place to go to the zoo and "hunt". What transpires next tests not only Joan, but every parent who reads this amazing book. Would I make the same decisions? I love novels that make me think, and Fierce Kingdom definitely fits the bill. The story picks up momentum as each page turns and as the characters become more and more complex, as well as unpredictable. A gripping thriller.

What would you do if you were trapped in a zoo with your child while there is armed men running around . This is the question Joan had to figure out with her son LIncoln one day in October. 
     I must say that I was intrigued when I started reading this book . I just had a little bit of a hard time at the beginning . I found that it just read a little slow and not much was happening .  As I read and got going into the book I was surprised how it picked up speed and the action took off . You kind of get sucked in and start worrying if they would get out and not get hurt . Will they be able to survive the ordeal . The book really came into its own towards the end of the book when Joan and Lincoln got to the others . They worked well together as a group. Then the ending just kind of went weird but it did kind of tie everything up 
   The characters grew stronger with each turn of the page . I liked Joan she was like a momma bear protecting her son . Lincoln was actually my all time favourite character  he was such a good kid and he loved super heroes . He did what his mom asked him with not much fuss. You never actually get to see the armed men you just hear the shots and the yelling .   They are phantoms while you read them . 
       Over all I did enjoy this book and the premise of the story is really good . I just had some issues with the lack of action at the beginning and never actually seeing the gun men .  This is the first book I have read by this author and actually I am looking forward to reading more of her work . So if you want a book that builds slowly and then take you to the edge of your seat . This is the book to add to your summer reading list 
 I was given this book by the publisher for an honest review

Just as I had expected, this novel was gripping from the start. Joan and her son are very believable characters and the situation they find themselves in is also, unfortunately, something I can realistically imagine happening. I had my heart in my throat the entire time I was reading because I could feel how dangerous the situation was and how desperate Joan was to keep her son safe. The danger is present for the entire span of the novel, which means that Joan was running for safety for that entire time.... and yet, there really wasn't a boring moment in the story. It was one of the more enjoyable features of this story. The novel is also told from the perspectives of other people in the zoo: fellow victims and even a perpetrator. I found that interesting but I wished the author had done it more often instead of just randomly including snippets from other perspectives; it would have helped me visualize and connect to the other characters in the same way that I did with Joan. I will admit that there were certain discrepancies in the plot that bothered me. Some I was willing to ignore because I understood that it was necessary for plot development, but there were others that seemed a tad bit ridiculous. The explanations for certain behaviors exhibited in the story also weren't the best at times. These were really the only flaws for me, and overall, I was quite satisfied with my experience with the novel. The author promised a book that would make your heart pound and she definitely delivered on that account! I would give this novel a 3.5/5 and would recommend it to anyone looking for a unique thriller.

Fierce Kingdom is a tense novel that crescendos from a quiet outing in the afternoon between a mother named Joan, and her young toddler, Lincoln, at the local Belleville Zoo—until she discovers just before closing time, a man with a rifle and many injured and dead bodies on the ground.

The tone of the book quickly heightens to a state of adrenaline panic as Joan tries to frantically plan a means of protection and safety for herself and her young son within the confines of a zoo that is both cloaked by the growing darkness of evening and a fearful awareness of the danger posed by a potential madman with a gun.
The setting is infused with accurate detail, which gives the reader a deeper insight into the main character’s psyche as she narrates her demise, as she decides solely based on sound, sometimes sight, the immediate needs of her son, and what kind of educated guesses she may strike at about their common enemy—what exactly her next best step may be.

But, she is not the only victim held captive in the dark unknown even though she may or may not be aware of the others: an unnamed mother with a screaming infant; Kailynn, a talkative teenager; and Mrs. Powell, a retired elementary school teacher, strangers hiding and waiting in the dark.

While the secondary characters add a little movement to the plot, the true voice and heart of the book is little Lincoln and his mother’s fierce love for him and her adamant instinct for survival. Interwoven in the narrative of cat-and-mouse, is the back story of a woman whose maternal instincts stem from her own survival from a hurting past.

But, the book is clear: Joan loves her son and she will do anything and everything she can to survive.
The book, too, demonstrates what can be behind the psyche of a madman (and his cohorts), how mental illness can and does sometime play a role in unnecessary acts of violence—in lieu of deeper pain and suffering.
And yet, the novel also does justice to the tenacity of a mother’s love, how desperation can pivot those in that position to do what is unexpected—and beyond.

Fierce Kingdom is a gripping love story and bond between mother and child, and the power of will and the shear random lottery of luck that sometimes means the fine line between imminent death and wholly relieved survival.

***
Characters: 3 stars
Plot: 2.5 stars
Language/Narrative: 3 stars
Dialogue: 3 stars
Pacing: 3.5 stars
Cover Design: 3 stars
***
Zara's Overall Rating: 3 stars
***
Note: Included in my review is the author's bio and where to connect with her on social media.

3/5 stars

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read and review this book.

I liked the overall concept of the book - 2 (or is it 3?) shooters in the zoo (vs a school etc), and people running to save their lives. I only wish the author had focused on multiple perspectives except for the mainly two (Joan and her son) and one of the shooters. I found the story of Joan could drag at times and be repetitive - I understand the love of a mother for her child and her need to protect him, but, I think there was a bigger opportunity here of exploring some of the other victim's and even shooter's perspectives.

Occasionally plodding story line, often over dwelling on autism, the finale seemed rushed, yet this tale compelled me evening after evening

This is a surprisingly breathless read that makes the reader feel like prey. Quite violent but given the plot, completely necessary.

ARC provided by NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review.

When an ordinary day at the zoo turns into a nightmare, Joan finds herself trapped with her 4 year old son, Lincoln, while a gunman has shot some people and is looking for more innocent victims. She must protect Lincoln at all costs.

I found the first part of the story pretty tense but then it slowed down a lot in the middle. It did pick up again at the end but there were many unanswered questions that left me thinking, That's it? I found Joan made some pretty strange decisions that were hard to get my head around. I also found some of the memories of the characters while they were hiding a little too detailed at times when I wanted to get back to the zoo and what was happening there.

The overall story was good and kept me interested especially when we hear about these types of shootings in public places and can't really imagine how scary it would be. I would have liked to know more about the motivations of the shooters and less about Lincoln's day to day life though.