Book Review: Ascension of the Phoenix by Jessica Piro

Genre(s): Action / Thriller

Content warning: There are a number of fight scenes in this book, as well as a couple crime scenes/murders (though nothing too gory in terms of details).

Leila Wells and her partner/boyfriend David Neal are homicide detectives with a record for solving tough cases. On the trail of serial killer Bryan Foster, who has a history of targeting cops, they’re determined to bring him down. But when he lures them into a trap, Leila’s world is shattered when David loses his life.

Months later as she struggles to recover, Leila is encouraged by a friend and fellow martial artist to enter an elite fighting competition to help her work through her loss and find herself again. Sixty teams compete for the top spot and a hefty prize, but almost anything goes.

Ascension of the Phoenix is the first in series, and I want to mention this early in my review. There are a few threads in the story that aren’t resolved in book one, but it is a solid read on its own. After reading through the synopsis for the second book, at least one of those threads looks like it’ll be tied up there.

Anyway, I liked the premise of the competition and how each round was set in a unique location. Every set of opponents had a different fighting style, which added variety to the story. At times it almost had a Mortal Kombat sort of feel to it, which was fun! Needless to say, there was a ton of action—both before and during the competition.

Aside from the competition, there were a number of very emotional passages, particularly around the loss of David. I recommend keeping your tissues handy if you plan to read this one. The author was very good at conveying Leila’s heartbreak and pain.

I liked Leila’s character for the most part, but when she starts to change near the end of the book, she became a little unpredictable and standoffish. Without giving any spoilers away, I’ll say that while it was hard to see her change in that manner, it also felt necessary in some ways. It was just hard to watch her push so many people away.

It will be interesting to see where the story goes in the next book.

Author website: jessicapiro.com

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