There are light Phoenixes and dark Phoenixes born into this world. Phoenix’s are created to protect humanity from the things that go bump in the night (monsters). If you die as a Phoenix, you come back but without your memories (they seem to hit you sometime during puberty). You are not infinitely immortal though, as you lifeline can come to an end.

Ava starts to have glimpses into a previous life, which to be honest has her questioning her own sanity. That is until Nick and Cade show up. She has brothers and one of them is her twin! How does Wade fit into everything and why are things that go bump in the night after her? Sometimes a girl has to trust herself, to find the answers to the hard questions.

Ava is has a tough outer shell, a product of the foster system. She is wary of those that try to get to close and yet she can’t protect herself from liking her current foster family. She tries to keep people at a distance but that didn’t bother me too much.

The book is told by multiple points of view- Ava, Nick and Cade’s. It was a lot to take in as all three have different tones and personalities. Switching points of view so often did make me a little sea sick. Just when you got to the heart of the scene, puff it was gone. I almost wish that the author had just written the book in one point of view, the second one in another’s and so on. An added bonus to the sea sick feeling was that the book also jumped timelines. So I felt that these two combined were a bit too much.

Regardless of this, I did enjoy the book. The background and mystical aspect were enough to hold my interest and make me want to know more. I am anxiously waiting to find out how they respond to Gwen’s attempts to harm them.


My Rating 3 out of 5 stars

Favorite Quote “I see you’re still taken with your little pet.”

Other People
Gwen- mean girl
Yuki- Ava’s bestie
Kelsey- Wade’s sister

While I am excited to see phoenix get more air time in the genre, the premise of this book could have used a bit more fleshing out. The villain was a bit too evil for evil's sake.

However the characters were likable and this was a quick, fun read for me.

This YA fantasy/romance involving Phoenixes was a new concept to me. It was an interesting read and entertaining. I didn’t find myself invested in the characters and story arc enough to continue with the series. If this were a stand-alone and not set up for more books I may have enjoyed it more. With that said, I can see audiences that would love this book.

I enjoyed the book. I think young adults and teens will like it. It had too many viewpoints for me but that doesn't mean that someone else would not enjoy that type of writing. I have not read the author before so I wasn't too sure what to expect. I might try another book in the future just to measure one against the other. I do appreciate netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read the e Arc copy.

Told from multiple points of view, this new series is off to a good start. It's an interesting storyline centering around the mythology of the phoenix and rebirth, but with an added twist.

Ava is a strong and brave heroine, who has been stuck in foster care since she was four years old. She has trouble trusting anyone and her bouts of memory flashes (that may or may not be hers) add to the mess. She doesn't remember/know who she truly is and time is running out. At times her story was repetitive with her mention her trust issues over and over, but generally she was a decent main character.

Her brothers, Nick and Cade, remember or at least one remembers everything while the other is beginning to remember and they need her help. This family of Phoenix need to find each other and fight to save everything. There is a war between the Phoenix clans and it's almost over. Only they can stop the dark from coming. They are not only fighting a way, but they hunt the supernatural. That is all kinds of awesome. The first few chapters told from Nick and Cade's POVs were actually reminding me of the Winchester boys from Supernatural! Like a phoenix version of Dean and Sam... it hooked me. Their banter, their brotherly love and overall they were my favourite characters in the story.

There are also some quite interesting secondary characters that you'll either love or hate. Yuki, Ava's BFF; Wyatt, the guy Ava has the hots for, and Gwen, the main baddie! Of these secondary characters, I loved Yuki the most. She was such a great support for Ava and her romance story in the book was well written.

I enjoyed unraveling the back story, the mystery behind the Phoenix, and the supernatural elements. This is a very promising beginning to the Phoenix Cycle series and I cannot wait to read more. I enjoyed the idea of Light and Dark Phoenix and the many twists that were in the last third of the book. Definitely looking forward to the next book in the series.

Noteworthy experiences while reading this book: Nothing special with this one.

Check out author's other books? No
Recommend this book? No

Notes and Opinions: This one just didn't work out for me at all. I tried my best but it just didn't work out. I found the characters lacking and the story just not all that special. I wish it would have been out of this world with this cover but for me, it just wasn't. The characters were lacking in what they needed to shine and the story was kind of all over the place for me.

Go Into This One Knowing: Not really for me.

This story was awesome from beginning to end. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a strong female lead learning to come into her powers while finding out secrets she never knew existed.... Awesome read.

I like some of the aspects of this book but if I would have preferred the protagonist to be tougher if that what the writer was trying to imply.

This is an interesting start to a new series. Phoenix are people who when they die come back, they have powers and can heal people and in turn make them Phoenix. There are only certain phoenix who have the power to take the lives of other Phoenix thus rendering them truly dead. The catch to all this is that when Phoenix return they have no memory of their past lives until a certain point.

Ava is a Phoenix, she has spent her life floating from one foster home to the next but may have finally found a home when 2 boys show up in her life that she "remembers". Cade and Nick are her brothers, Cade, her twin. If there is anything that I can complain about in this book is the reaction of Ava to having actual blood family. A child who has been through the system after finding their biological family would not even consider being adopted by a family she barely knew. Funny I could believe in Phoenix, magic, werewolves, etc but I couldn't wrap my brain around Ava and her her new found family. There wasn't even talk of her coming to live with them. It just seemed odd.

Other than that I found this book to be entertaining and fast paced. Its an interesting premise, not one I've read before so I like the fresh take on the supernatural. The story is told from multiple viewpoints and is a little confusing in the beginning but you know something is going on just not what. I expect that the story and writing will only get better with time.

First thing I have to say is that I was pleasantly surprised to see this book was a split POV. I really enjoy seeing different sides of situations. Usually it is a huge hit or miss, but this one didn't bother me. I found it easy to keep track of what was going on.

Ava was one confusing character, though. It didn't seem like she really knew what she wanted and I couldn't relate to her much at times. Most of the time I was screaming into my Kindle asking her wtf she's doing. Her two brothers were less confusing. Nonetheless, I loved all of their perspectives.

The plot was different from anything I have ever read which is a sigh of relief in the YA book world. There were some points where I wanted to put the book down, but something kept me going. The writing was easy to read and even though i think it could do with some tightening, I really enjoyed it. I look forward to the second.

The potential for a great story is there, and the concepts are pretty interesting, but I personally struggled to connect with the characters.

After spending her life in foster care, Ava has finally found home. But all it takes is a chance encounter with hot nerd Wyatt Wilcox for it to unravel.

Now, things are starting to change. First, the flashes of memories slowly creeping in. Memories of other lives, lives that Wyatt is somehow in. Then, the healing. Any cut? Gone.

But when Cade and Nick show up, claiming to be her brothers, things get even weirder. They tell her she’s a Phoenix, sent to protect the world from monsters—monsters she never knew existed. It’s a little hard to accept. Especially when they tell her she has to end the life of a Phoenix turned rogue, or Cade will die.

With Wyatt’s increasingly suspicious behavior, Ava’s determined to figure out what he’s hiding. Unless she can discover Wyatt’s secret in time and complete her Phoenix training, she’ll lose the life, love, and family she never thought she could have.-Goodreads

Jumping right into this, I had an issue with Ava. For someone who has spent most of her life in foster care, she is a brat and that is the first impression you get from her. She claims to love her new family so much, that she throws a tantrum and throws it in their face that she is not blood. Its horrible really and for the rest of the book, it left a bad taste in my mouth and I generally did not like or care for her throughout the book. Ava proved to be a very judgmental and stereotypical character. But I kept going through the book. What was the saving grace was the fact that the story is told through different point of views.

But although the idea of the story drew me in, what kept me from fully enjoying the book was how narrow the storyline really was and how there wasn’t enough depth in characters. I wasn’t invested in them and that made me feel some type of way. The romance, cute but not enough for me to ship for them. I liked the build of the story but wished for more mythology. I felt that the author took too much time on little things as opposed giving the characters a deeper history and stronger voice. As for setting the author get points because I saw everything and felt that you know what maybe this could be a thing.

The pace of the novel wasn’t too bad. The author jumps right into the story and I appreciate that. It does stall and plot weakens after a few chapters. The book is just too long and not enough drive to want to finish it.

However, overall I was disappointed in this read because it didn’t provide enough history/mythology, the intensity wasn’t really there, the characters lack substance and the romance wasn’t exactly romantic. Do I think this was a decent start to a series? Kind of. There is a lot of promise and as I see a bunch of conflict in Ava and surround characters’ lives, if the author throws in more past trauma, more once a upon a time this happened, and more chemistry, this will be a great series to look after. I wanted to like this book but it was drawn out without enough passion.

2 Pickles

Ava has been living in foster homes for a long time. She goes from one to another as foster homes are places she doesn't trust. Why? At her latest home, she has been having flashbacks of events that she feels as if she was there but knows she couldn't have as the memories are of a different time. She worries that she is going insane. She discovers Wyatt at school one day and feels a connection. Why? Later she discovers that she has two brothers Nick and Cade. Why didn't she know about them before. Her brothers tell her that she is a Phoenix like they are. She doesn't know what to think. Gwen is a Phoenix but an evil one. She wants to destroy them and the humans. Ava is told that she must kill Gwen. Will Ava do it?

In this novel there are twists and turns that kept me focus on what was going to happen next. Even though the plot at times seem simple, it is complex. When the book ended, I wanted to read the next book now, not later! It is an excellent novel that I enjoyed immensedly and so will you!

3.5/5 stars
A start to a promising book series. I loved the idea of this book. It is relatively unique, which is nice to see in YA. The characters were interesting and the story kept me invested. My vices with this book is that is was slightly too long ( which isn't always a bad thing) and that there were a lot of things that would happen all at once and then the story would even out again and that cycle would just continue. I more than likely will pick up the next book because i am invested in these characters enough to want to know how it ends.

this was a well written, intriguing and imaginative story on Light and Dark Phoenix as people, and how werewolves, vampires and other creatures came about and the three Phoenixes in the story and their life.

We have a few plots happening that combine to give us one story. We have the history of Ava, Cade, and Nick and who they are and how they find one another again. We have Cade’s story and what is going on with him. Nick’s story and his love for his siblings Cade and Ava but also his sacrifices and how he is still trying to make his dad proud. Wyatt’s story and his romance with Ava. And the story of Gwen the dark Phoenix. It is this story that ties them all together.

Ava is not one to trust and she closes herself off to love. she is in a foster home that loves her but she is afraid. One night, she does something that changes her world and this is when her memories begin to come back in full force. Wyatt is there and he is par of her past but also the one that helps her to open up her heart and begin to let others in. She learns that in the end love is the most powerful force against dark and allows her to become who she is meant to be.

Cade is Ava’s twin brother. He is slowly losing his ability to come back due to Gwen. Now he is seeing more of what is going on and the optimistic one of all of them. He is funny, kind and scared. But also the one who helps others to see that there is good and to trust one another. His relationship with his brother Nick is sweet.

Nick is the protector and has lost so much. Now he is afraid of losing Cade and not being able to take care of those he loves. He is the strength and backbone of his family and has done so much to protect them and show them love.

Wyatt is smart, sweet and an overall good guy. When Ava hurts him he does shutdown and it’s sad to see but Ava does fix it. He is the one that intrigues me the most of them all because he fights his nature and is the one struggling and trying to make things right.

The story is fascinating and well thought out. We have Gwen who felt betrayed in the past so she does something horrible. Now she is the dark Phoenix who needs to be destroyed and only Ava can do that. Cade and Ava are still trying to remember everything and Cade’s life is fading fast. We see Cade embrace life and trust more readily that Ava. We see romance begin and trust for Ava start only to have her past botch it up and have her doubt everything until the final fight that shows her that it is love that makes her strong. Love helps Wyatt fight Gwen, love keeps Cade alive and love that helps Nick see things as well.

A fast paced, action packed, imaginative tale that is intriguing, engaging and endears you to the good guys while rooting them on and hoping their romances come to fruition and that they can beat evil and stay together as a family. A great beginning to the series with many mysteries to be unraveled and battles to endure but you know that these will be done with all of them together by each others side and that has you root even more for them.

I gave this book 4.25 stars. I decided to read this book on a whim. The synopsis really does not do the book justice. It’s so much more than just a book about a girl who is reunited with her brothers and has a crush.

I thought that Ava and Wyatt’s relationship was going to be really cheesy and I kinda expected instalove. Despite my expectations going in, there was actually a build towards their relationship instead of jumping right in. We slowly got to know them and were along with them as they fell in love. I loved how it didn’t just start at the beginning of this book, it went back even further than we thought.

There are a lot of secrets in this novel and not all of them get revealed in this book, so if you hate unanswered questions you might want to wait for the rest of the books in the series before starting this. However, even though not all the questions are answered the novel isn’t left on a cliffhanger which we should all be thankful for, I know I am.

The idea behind the book is so simple, yet I’ve never seen anything like it. Phoenix’s as humans. It’s something I’ve actually thought of before, but I’ve yet to see it translate onto paper before this novel. I always thought it would be a cool idea and I’m glad this author thought so too and decided to bring this captivating story to life.

This book had substance. I find that some YA urban fantasy books can get caught up in a romance or something and the plot is none existent and you pretty much spend the whole book wondering how their tricky relationship is going to work. This novel doesn’t rely heavily on the romance. It also deals with family and betrayal and badassery.

The world itself is so cool. I haven’t seen a lot of phoenixes in stories. The only time I can actually remember a phoenix being in a story was Fawkes from Harry Potter and we don’t really know much about him. I loved how flushed out the phoenixes are. We get so much information on how their cycles work and their magic. It’s fascinating.


Overall, I highly suggest giving this one a read. It’s exciting, has that hint of romance, and most importantly has an abundance of magic.

Grimm’s Phoenix Fire is first in the Phoenix Cycle. Ava Elderson lives with a foster family. She hopes to be adopted, but too many disappointments in life means she doesn't trust easy, and tends to push people away. One night, after an argument with her foster parents, she storms out of the house and heads down the street, only to witness her foster brother have a wreck. A classmate, Wyatt Wilcox, shields Ava from the flying debris. Later at home, Ava notices that the injuries she thinks Wyatt sustained are gone. Then her own injuries miraculously heal. Add to this the bizarre visions of different times and places that Ava keeps having, and she has a growing mystery on her hands. Who is she? What is she? And who is Wyatt, who shows up in these visions of the past? Is he truly friend, or foe in hiding?

I loved this book! It skips back and forth between several characters, as their threads grow tighter and tighter. They are all being drawn to one another, as they have countless times before. Alternating chapters are devoted to single characters, as each continues to grow and learn. Ava is a Phoenix, one of several, whose job is to protect humanity from the darker things out there. If they die, they resurrect and must grow to remember who and what they are. As the Elderson family is drawn back together, they face a singularly dangerous foe. And for one, the next death may be the final one.

I really enjoyed all of the major characters here. They each seem complex, with so much left for us to learn about them, as they learn about themselves. I really want to know more of Wyatt and Yuki. There are many different beasties that the Phoenixes hunt, and in this case I didn't mind that there were werewolves and vampires, because there were also shadow puppet creatures, and hybrid monsters that Gwen created herself, like some preternatural Dr Moreau. And beyond that are the most dangerous foes of all, the Dark Phoenixes, who forsook the oath to protect humanity, and instead do what they want, no matter who it harms.

The notion of living many lifetimes, and having to remember those past lives as you grow up was an interesting concept. How Ava handles it feels authentic. The proper reaction should indeed be 'What the hells?!’ I really enjoyed this book and look forward to the next in the series!

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

"Some of us embrace the light, even when it shines bright on the darkness inside of us."

This was honestly one of the hardest books I've ever had to rate. I considered giving it 3.5 stars, but ultimately gave it 4 because I really did like it anyway. The plot was just so cool and different. Imagine if Buffy had Sam and Dean as her brothers and you might just begin to grasp Ava, Nick, and Cade's family life. Then, you have to add on the fact that they're Phoenixes, a race of beings with supernatural powers reborn over and over again to hunt what goes bump in the night.

Ava has spent most of her life bouncing from foster home to foster home, never feeling quite like she belongs. Until, one dark night, Wyatt Wilcox comes crashing into her life. Suddenly, she starts getting flashes of memories from countless lives she has lived with only three constants: two brothers she doesn't know but feel like home and Wyatt and the deep, confusing feelings she has for him. She has questions, but the mysterious Wyatt tries to play things close to the vest; warning her to stay away while simultaneously pulling her closer. After her brothers, Nick and Cade, show up on the scene, she gets some answers and some training, but is still kept largely in the dark, which is the worst place to be. Because, not all Phoenixes are good and the Dark are out to get them.

This has the potential to be a 5 star series, but this first book did have some problems. The story appeared to jump a little sometimes and important was sometimes only half given/explained or missed altogether. This was partly because it was narrated by Nick, Cade, and Ava, who were all at different information stages and experiencing different kinds of flashbacks. I really enjoyed Cade's parts, but I think he should of just had his own book or novella because they just added to my confusion. The flashbacks themselves were also sometimes problematic because they tended to blend in too much to the rest of the text and I had trouble separating the past from the present off and on. However, issues aside, this was a good book. I just adore the Phoenix angle and complexities Grimm has going. Also, I absolutely love Wyatt and really liked that the author was able to keep his secret a surprise (at least from me). I can't wait to find out what happens next! The battle isn't over and if they want to win, they'll have to fight fire with fire...Phoenix Fire that is!

I love the idea behind the story, it very intriguing and I was hooked after reading the synopsis. I really liked Ava, I liked to slowly discovery what is going on with her and too see the way she sees the world.

The pacing and the flow is good, though I have to say I was confused at times.

It has it faults, but the story still pulled me in and kept me glued to the pages. I can't wait to read the next one. :)

Before anything else, let me say that the best thing about Phoenix Fire is that S.D. Grimm has created something solidly original here. In an otherwise saturated teen fantasy market, Phoenix Fire was like a big breath of fresh air. I loved the premise of the book. Adored the idea of multiple lives spent, all pursuing the same goal. Plus, I can't deny that I fell heavily for the idea that love and friendship trascend all time. How wonderful is that?

It was the execution of this premise that felt a little shaky, quite honestly. Grimm chooses to throw the reader directly into the fray, and allow them to uncover what's going on through the eyes of the multiple narrators. Normally I'm completely fine with this method of writing. If I can find even a small foothold in what's happening, I'll hang on tight and power through. The problem here, at least in my opinion, was that it takes quite a few chapters to really figure out who Ava really is, and how she's connected to the other voices that we're introduced to. That made it hard for me to determine why I needed to care about all these characters, and left me feeling lost.

I think this same reason is also why it took me so long to feel like I actually liked Ava as a character. At the beginning she simply felt like a disconnected, petulant teen who didn't really want a family. Not until I slowly uncovered her past, and realized what she'd been through, did I finally understand why she was so separate. My opinion of her did a quick about turn and, I can honestly say, I liked the book a lot more after that. I can stand a character who makes bad decisions, because we're all human. What I can't stand is a character who I don't understand enough to know why they made those decisions.

However, once I did have a better grasp on the narrators and who they were as people, I actually really enjoyed myself. As I mentioned above, this is a wholly original premise to me. There was plenty of action, some great monsters, and the kind of teamwork that makes my heart sing. I also thrilled as Ava began to remember herself and really come into her own. Her character grew so much in the second half of the book, and watching her handle things made me smile. I'm glad I stuck things out, because by the end I was more than ready to continue on for many more pages.

So, I'll give Phoenix Fire a solid three stars without a second thought. This first installment could have used a little bit of work but, quite truthfully, there's so much goodness wrapped up in here that it's hard not to love this story. I know that there is more coming down the line, and I can't wait to see what happens next!