Amazon/Goodreads/Author Website
Release date: August 4, 2016
Publisher: Oftomes
Genre: Dystopian, YA, Science Fiction
Goodreads blurb:
Since witnessing her parents’ murders at the age of eleven, Phoenix’s only purpose in life has been to uphold her mother’s dying words- to be strong and survive. But surviving outside of The Walls- outside of The Sanctuary- is more like a drawn-out death sentence. A cruel and ruthless city, Tartarus is run by the Tribes whose motto is simple, “Join or die.”
Refusing to join and determined to live, Phoenix fights to survive in this savage world. But who can she trust, when no one can be trusted? Not even herself.
Review:
Like some of you, I went through a huge dystopian phase a few years back. They were all the rage, and there were some really good ones at the time! I’m talking about The Hunger Games, Divergent, and The Maze Runner, etc.I really enjoyed all of these. Then, any dystopians I read after seemed to pale in comparison. It was disappointing and I pretty much steer clear of them for the most part. I am so excited to say that my spell of reading lackluster dystopians is officially broke!
Phoenix is an orphan who has one goal; survive. Her parents were brutally murdered in front of her when she was just eleven years old and obviously her life hasn’t been the same since. She is such a broken girl, she struggles immensely with some of the hard choices she’s had to make in order to survive. Can she still be a good person even after the horrible things she’s done? Is she worthy or capable of loving another human being?
One fateful night Phoenix strays from her own script and decides to actually help someone else, at her own risk. Everything changes after she saves the life of a young girl, Mouse. A hidden “tribe” is revealed and nothing is as it once seemed. How is Phoenix’s past related to this mysterious organization, the Subversive? And how will her connection to Mouse impact her own wellbeing?
Wilson created a stunning world, one that is dark, savage and bitter. The world building in this book is excellent, showcasing a world that is full of pain, torture, vulnerability and secrets. This cover is stunning and set a perfect atmosphere for what’s inside the book.
The characters are also fantastic and Phoenix’s development was outstanding and I can’t wait to see her growth in book two. There is a bit of romance here, but nothing that overshadows the main storyline. Speaking of book two, I need it NOW! This book ended with a huge cliffhanger, which is awesome but I need to know what happens next.
Huge thanks to the author, Jennifer Wilson for my copy in exchange for an honest review!
Overall rating: 4.5/5
Novelgossip 
Adding to my TBR! Great review. I’ve felt the same way as you when it comes to dystopians. I was on this kick and then one day, I was randomly DNFing.
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Exactly! This one was definitely better than a lot of dystopians I’ve read in the past few years. Thank you!
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You’re welcome =) I completely get you!
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I’ve never really could get into dystopians but another good review by novelgossip.
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Thanks so much! They are definitely not for everyone.
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I have a rather unusual question for you, but Ms.Novelgossip you have been my mentor with my blog so it’s fitting I ask you. All following me are young enough to be my kids (I’m 60.) Now that’s great cause it helps keep me young but do you know how I can attract seniors ? (Gosh is that really me?;-) thx for your help. I hope to emulate your blog one of these days.
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You are so sweet! You can call me Amy. So I’m not really sure how to go about attracting an older crowd but I’ll see what I can find. There may be a goodreads group, are you on there!
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I’ve been on goodreads for years and I noticed, through people’s pix, that i get likes & comments from all ages..it’s just on my rather new book review blog that I’m the old one. LOL thanks Amy…pls call me Martie…(as we once did in our email exhange)
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I didn’t really see anything on Goodreads. If I think of anything I’ll let you know though.
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I love Greek mythology and all the legends behind Tartarus. Bonus points for that name. 🤗 That alone intrigues me. I haven’t read a good dystopian in ages. Nice review! I’m adding this Goodreads right now. 🙂
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Great review, the book sounds really good! I actually have to say that I really like dystopian books and never really get sick of them! 😊 But sometimes hype kinda destroys them for me *cough* The Hunger Games *cough*
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Haha hype kills stuff sometimes! There are so many books that I’m sure are just great that I avoid solely because they’re hyped so much!
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So glad that you’re enjoying dystopians again! I only tried a few after THG and didn’t like them… “But who can she trust, when no one can be trusted? Not even herself” haha So cliché 😁
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Haha so true! This one does have elements of that cliche but it really works plus I enjoyed the world so much I didn’t mind.
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