Phoenix Rising (Storm's Quarry, #2) by Rebecca Harwell

Phoenix Rising
by Rebecca Harwell
Pages: 240
Date: April 18 2017
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Series: Storm's Quarry (2nd in series)

Review
Rating: 4.45
Read: February 27-28 2017

*I received this book from NetGalley, and Bold Strokes Books in return for a fair review.*

This book is a mix of a superhero prose book and a high fantasy book. A hero and villain cloud the night – wrapped up in one person – the Iron Phoenix. To some ‘he’ (as it is assumed it is a he) is a villain who did some bad things like slaughtered many, to others he is . . . well that but also the one who saved the city (and had had someone else controlling their body when those deaths occurred). All set in a non-earth world, a sort of ‘high fantasy’ world, though I’d need to actually look up ‘high fantasy’ to see if that could be used here (it’s not ‘epic fantasy’ – no one goes on an epic quest or journey).

This is the second book in this series. It follows directly upon the conclusion of the prior book – which makes writing a review somewhat difficult. Most things I could say would be spoiler-y for the prior book before I get to being almost spoiler-y for this book here. Hmms.

What I can say: This book has two points of view, though one, the main character in the prior book (Nadya Gabori – citizen of Storm’s Quarry, member of the Nomori (the nomads who, a generation ago, had entered and joined the Erevans of Storm’s Quarry in their city), and secretly a nivasi (a name given to those Nomori who display signs of ‘power’ and the like)) , has a lot more of the ‘page time’ than the other main character. The other main character is Shay, and she’s returning home to Storm’s Quarry after being away for about 10 years. Not because she desires to do so but because her forgemaster is going to Storm’s Quarry (she’s an apprentice).

The city of Storm’s Quarry was dealt several ‘set-backs’ in the last book that require ‘help’ now. Help comes in the form of food, water purification ‘stuff’, and workers from the Kingdom of Wintercress (well, the workers come from there and elsewhere). And, along with the caravans of help comes soldiers. You know, to guard the caravans, not for anything suspicious like (or maybe there is, eh?).

So that’s the main plot point of this book – a city attempting to rebuild, and a nearby kingdom ‘helping’, treaties attempted to be made between Wintercress & Storm’s Quarry; a young woman (Nadya) trying to gain control over herself, and deal with 1) estrangement from all but her father; 2) a certain ‘love triangle’ that continues from the prior book. And another young woman (Shay) attempting to deal with coming back to her homeland, a place she never thought she’d see again.

This is an interesting well written book. Quite enjoyable. One flaw though – it’s possible it’s something I missed and therefore not a flaw, but possible it isn’t something I missed. Around the 81% mark a bunch of things unfold that perplex me. Things like ‘x and y’ (x and y being unnamed characters) going off and attempting to ‘do something’ and x keeps thinking about how she might have to betray y, and hopes she doesn’t (without revealing what this ‘betrayal’ might be). Then it does get revealed, what this big betrayal might be. And . . . it completely confuses me. It’s a very important pivot point in the book – much unfolds from it and . . . I feel like I might have accidentally skipped a chapter or three, because it doesn’t make sense to me what occurred. in an effort to ‘safe the city’, two people head off to a neighboring ‘keep’ to find ‘the compound’ (the cure). They wish to get enough of it so that . . well, I can’t say. But it’s important that a bunch of it is found. There’s a backup plan. It involves a side character. And here’s where I’m perplexed. Why would this side-character, q, not help? I don’t mean they asked and were refused, I mean there’s an assumption that only one character, y, can get that person to help, and that character wants nothing to do with q. Everything unfolds from this pivot point. But . . . a) why would q not help?; b) if q is selfish or something, then they would help because helping helps themselves; c) my this is confusing my wording. Hehe. The plot runs from A to d. D is a very important point. Lots of character development because of plot point D. To get to d requires an excuse or reason to get there. The problem I’m having is that to get to D, we have to have C, and D really makes sense based on C, but C makes no sense (see, this is vague and confusing. Bah. a back up to getting ‘lots’ of the ‘compound’ medicine is to get someone who has the ‘power’ to ‘read stuff’ and know what the components are to read it. I have no idea why that someone, a citizen of Storm’s Quarry, and therefore ‘suffering’ with everyone else, would refuse to help. Nor why a specific character and only that character can approach ‘psychic reader of objects’ person. That’s the plot point I’m struggling with (it’s not even trying to figure out how any of this is a ‘betrayal’, it’s . . . why character y is the only character who can contact this ‘powerful’ person.

Well. I liked the book. It was good. Enjoyable. Barring that issue with that one plot point, at least.

Rating: 4.45

Publication Date: April 18 2017

February 28 2017