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Action-packed and complex, this book has two immensely
likeable MCs and a gripping storyline. Set in the future, this is a kind of a Black
Mirroresque look at the world if it succumbs to bigotry and turns a blind
eye to the environmental crisis that looms large.
The prologue sets the stage by explaining the Phoenix
Project, a plan to save the world if it has completely gone to the dogs in some
sort of a dystopian future. Four people, or Phoenixes, have been selected to be
cryogenically frozen until an unknown time when they will be returned to the
world to set into motion a new, cleaner beginning.
Phoenix One is Kaelyn Trapp, a master of history and
strategy. She is selected to be the leader and the face of the new world, if
and when time comes.
While the Phoenixes lie frozen, there is a whole lot of
people called The Resistance who do not subscribe to the family-fueled
bigotry that has overtaken America and are responsible for safeguarding each
Phoenix in their frozen state and when they return.
Arrow Steele, the daughter of the President of the Resistance,
is the chosen guardian for Kaelyn. When Kaelyn is brought out of her frozen state,
Arrow is her guide, guardian and shadow. The two women have an attraction
towards each other and a connection that goes beyond the attraction. However, the pressures of their respective roles and the fast unraveling of the world as they know it makes their love something of a Greek tragedy.
The book is gripping from the very first page. In fact, the
author manages to even blindside the reader with a twist delivered by the villain,
Nora. The link between the two MCs is palpable but not enough. We would have
liked more of them together and building their relationship. The end, especially
the part with Kaelyn and Arrow getting back together, was a little abrupt.
Despite the protests of our distinctly romantic side, this book is definitely recommended as a fast paced read with a dash of
romance.
