Book Review: Dueling with Snakes by Jessica Piro
Genre(s): Action / Thriller
Content warning: There are fight/combat scenes and threats/allusions to murder in this book.
After another confrontation with the serial killer and her nemesis, Brian Foster, Leila Wells is certain she knows how to find him. When she’s asked to return for the second Rulers of the Realms fighting tournament, she accepts, knowing the tournament’s sponsor, Xander, and Foster are working together—somehow. The man she met in Russia, Dragunov, agrees to enter the tournament as her new fighting partner. Between them, they plan to learn what they can of Foster and Xander before seeking their revenge.
During her return to the tournament, Leila is reunited with a number of old friends, first introduced in Ascension of the Phoenix. Luke and Shamus are back, as are Rin and Maso, and the Spaniards. Apart from them, there are a few new characters/competitors involved, some friendly, others not. (I was really happy to see a return of Luke and Shamus; Luke’s unbridled enthusiasm is hilarious at times, and a much-needed break from some of the darker and more serious personalities in the book.) That being said, there are a lot of characters to keep track of in this book. The author did a nice job of keeping track of everyone during dialogue passages, even when a large group was together.
Dueling with Snakes goes back to the Mortal Kombat-esque feel of the first book, which was a lot fun. This time, however, there’s the added intrigue and danger involved as Leila and Dragunov seek to uncover Xander’s intent—and Foster’s role in his plans. Leila’s character oscillates between the raging Phoenix, who is hellbent on revenge, and her other half, who urges caution and patience. Her internal struggle makes for more difficult fights, and there are a few close calls. The tournament was much more intense this time around.
While I was glad to see Leila finally get closure for events that occurred in book one, and I loved the ending of the book, I felt that of the three, this story was the most predictable. It was still action-packed and exciting, and made for a fun read. And it was so nice to see the main characters get a happy ending.
Dueling with Snakes was a great conclusion to the series.
Author website: jessicapiro.com
If you’d like to read my thoughts on the previous books in The Phoenix Trilogy, you can do so here:
- Book Review: Ascension of the Phoenix by Jessica Piro
- Book Review: The Dragon of Russia by Jessica Piro
Have a book you’d like me to read and review? Contact me here! (I’m a fan of science fiction, fantasy, paranormal, thrillers, horror, suspense, and the like.)