C. Hall

Warning! This is detrimental to personal relationships. Once one picks it up to read, it is very likely nothing will interfere until the novel is completed. Really!
My sweet, patient husband became somewhat annoyed with me. I briefly fixed him a quick meal, then once again locked myself in my room
to continue reading this captivating, yet, quite violent story. Even for those who aren't Sci-Fi fans, this is still good. It doesn't slow in action at all. Hey, and all you westerners, it is mostly set in Idaho Falls as a main setting.

Along with action, there are the same ole' High School situations and emotions.

The Prologue didn't make sense, yet it stimulated one's curiosity. The story "took off" so fast after that, no more thought was given until the very end.

The beginning first chapters are very frustrating as Maggie constantly "acts out". It is hard at times to feel any empathy even after the reason for it is revealed. One wonders how her best friend, Lily, tolerates her.

There are Mark, Trent, & Kyle, all wanting to be more than friends with Maggie and Lily. Will Maggie succeed in driving them all away and perhaps ruining Lily's life, as well as her own?

The book is in two parts. In book two we have an additional main character join - Carter. Also, the question of, "Are super-powers real? What else can explain the strange happenings. The only real negative is the descriptive, intense violence in the second half of the book.

This book contains self-discovery, peer-pressure effects,
super-powers, bonds of friendship, romance, and violence.

I won this in a blog hop giveaway and totally thank the author for her donation. It is well-worth buying.… (meer)

I was asked by the author to take a look at her book in exchange for an honest review.

Phoenix Angel (Shardwell Series) by the sister duo A. Gerry and C. Hall follows four teenagers as they maneuver through high school, romance, friendship, and... new powers?

I was greatly entertained by this book from start to finish, which is hard to do with someone who has read as much as I have. I enjoyed the perspectives of the teenagers, and the plot never stalled. Many newbies spend too much time on backstory and ignore their characters. That is not the case with this book. Lily is by far my favorite of the bunch, a sweet girl who is full of sunshine, but has the potential (and does) develop the most over time. Her best friend, Maggie, much less likeable but has very dramatic powers, which I'll let the reader discover themselves. Kyle is not my favorite male character over time, but he's a nice kid and provides a nice romantic interest. As for the fourth, I'll let people figure that one out on their own.

A couple of issues I had with this novel. First, the viewpoints go from each of the main characters but for some reason we are stuck with Maggie for the first several chapters. As I alluded to before, she is not the most likeable character. I see why the authors started with her, but I think it might have been better for us to take a break from this angry character's perspective earlier rather than later. Second, I'm not sure why it's called Phoenix Angel? Cool title, but not sure how it pertains to the story.

Overall, a fun story with great characters. I'm excited to see what these sisters have up their sleeve next!… (meer)