A Simply Enchanted Life

Gift of the Phoenix by Donna Cook

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I wanted to like this book. Why? Well, I am in a Guild Wars guild and our emblem is the Phoenix—so, it’s natural that I’d love to read a book about a phoenix and sort of delve into some cool fantasy tale about them.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t get into this book. First, it was terribly long. It really should have been three separate books rather than one. It was broken up like three books already, anyway. Instead, every time I neared the end of a section, I would literally groan and realize that I wasn’t yet finished. The length was particularly frustrating because in addition to a few other issues—the kindle version wouldn’t save progress on this particular book. I had to try to find where I had left off.

Then there was the issue with poor sentence structure and odd descriptions. I’m paraphrasing it but something like, “Salerno taught Nicolai how to find Salerno on his own.” There was a lot of repetition and overall—it really could have just used an editor’s touch. I’m not saying that to bash the author—I think that the book had promise. It just needed some guidance to cut out the unnecessary and to fix the issues that bogged down the story.

Three young men find that their future, and their past, is intricately woven and their destiny is intertwined in a quest to save a phoenix as it is rebirthed. I will admit, I started skimming a large part of this book because I just couldn’t keep interest so; I’m not so sure why it would be so awful for the phoenix to die—other than that folks with magic would lose that.
That is pretty much the entire premise of the story but it had other elements that I really felt didn’t belong. Don’t get me wrong—I LOVE dolphins, they just didn’t seem to fit into a fantasy tale, despite the explanation given for them.

I wish I could elaborate more but I’ll just say that this book has promise, you may even like it. I personally just couldn’t get into it and felt it needed a bit of polishing up.
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Gift of the Phoenix

When three strangers are brought together by the discovery of a common enemy, they must fight to keep the magic of the Phoenix out of dangerous hands before their world is destroyed forever. The Three must learn to unite in spite of what separates them, and unlock the magic of three stones that seem to harm as much as they help. But uniting will not be easy for Nicolai, the simple peasant with a powerful secret; Marcellus, the warrior prince who’s no longer heir to the throne; and Corren, a gifted wizard whose ambitions threaten to ruin them all. Full of magic, mystery, and a touch of romance, Gift of the Phoenix is an epic fantasy that takes the reader deep into the heart of a wondrous world and the three men destined to defend it.


Praise for Gift of the Phoenix

“An incredibly impressive book that grips you from the very start. There is plenty of action in the story, some wonderful characters and magical, atmospheric settings. Donna has created a fascinating realm in this story which, even if you don’t consider yourself a fantasy fan, you’ll definitely enjoy.” – Excerpt of Stephanie Dagg’s review at Books Are Cool.

“As an avid reader of fantasy, I often encounter boring or overused plotlines—this was neither! With a fresh new take on fantasy adventure, Cook constructs an enchanting world of magic, kingdoms, rebirth, and death.” – Excerpt a review by Artemis at Fantasy Book Lovers Unite

“Gift of the Phoenix reminds me of a mix of Paolin’s Eragon and Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, but stands on its own as a unique fantasy-adventure. Cook creates a magic system that is intricate and unique, which can be hard to do in a genre littered with magic. The story is very complex, and yet very easy to follow… layers upon layers of intertwined plots that all culminate to a fantastic ending. I would recommend this book to anyone of any age.” – Excerpt of a review by Will Wortner at Zero2Fiction

Awards

Gift of the Phoenix has won several awards, including Semifinalist in the Kindle Book Review Book of the Year Awards, and Notable Read in the Shelf Unbound/Half Price Books Indie Book of the Year competition

Donna Cook is an Arizona native transplanted to Boise, Idaho, where she is delighting in the change of scenery. When she’s not writing she spends her time chasing the kids, exploring delicious eateries downtown, and dancing with her talented husband. Her fantasy adventure, Gift of the Phoenix has won several awards, including Semifinalist in the Kindle Book Review Book of the Year Awards, and Notable Read in the Shelf Unbound/Half Price Books Indie Book of the Year competition. It was also nominated for the Whitney Award, which recognizes LDS writers. She’s currently working on the sequel to Gift of the Phoenix.

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I received this book free from the publisher through a fantastic blog called I am a Reader. I was not required to write a positive review. The thoughts and opinions I have expressed are my own. To view other reviews and learn more about the blog tour for Gift of the Phoenix please visit the I am a Reader by clicking here