Phoenix Contract: Part One

by Melissa Thomas

PART ONE (of Five)
Centuries after the fallen angels left heaven to live among humans, their Nephilim descendants dwell in secret, hidden from the modern world. Once, a charismatic leader known as the Phoenix led their people, but he vanished centuries ago. The few surviving Great Houses are in decline, bickering over petty rivalries while a handful of faithful warriors battle to keep the forces of evil at bay.

Eighteen-year-old Aiden McLachlan devotes her life to her studies and pursues her lifelong goal to become a full-fledged Watcher. But everything she knows of her life is a lie and everyone a liar. Through a strange twist of fate, she finds herself caught up in an ancient prophecy.

The stars predict the rebirth of the Nephilim leader, but the mystery must be unraveled or the Phoenix cannot rise. With a soul-eating demon, a coven of ancient vampires, and a hardheaded Celtic warrior competing to subvert the Phoenix, Aiden doesn't know where to turn or who she can trust.

PG for violence / Cliffhanger ending. (Please read these installments in order.)

54 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 15, 2015

About the author

Melissa Thomas breathes life into her dreams, bringing imaginary characters and fantasy worlds into our reality. She loves her characters so much they become her alter-egos, enacting the exciting adventures she envisions for them. She is a resident of San Francisco, California and adores the picturesque city by the bay. Her hobbies include surfing and scuba diving.

Phoenix Contract is her début novel.

You can learn more about Melissa at http://thephoenixascending.blogspot.com/

Reviews

[Erth · Rating 4 out of 5]

now i am hooked. This was such a great, easy and creative book. i was hooked after the first page.

The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.

i would highly recommend this author and this book.

[Linda Levine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the complete book. This is a story with biblical origins about the Nephilim and prophesies about them. The Nephilim are the descendents of Fallen Angels and they have organized into Houses (families) who hide their origins from humans. The Phoenix was the leader of these houses but disappeared without a successor hundreds of years ago. There are representatives from these Houses that serve to protect others from evil and their Watchers who direct their efforts.

The reader is immediately dropped into the action with a death and introduction of a demon.that eats souls. The story itself and our introduction to the characters builds more slowly and takes time to develop and engage. You slowly meet the members of the team and their Watchers. Aiden McLachlan is finishing her graduate studies in languages. She has been raised by one of the Watchers. His health is deteriorating and he begins to reveal secrets he has kept from her. He also requests that his friend assist her when he passes. His friend is one of the most intriguing characters with a long history and many secrets of his own. The information her father shares with her, leads her to more questions than answers. She has to make difficult decisions about who she can and should trust. Her future is destined to be very different that she expected.

I found the author to be very original in her creation of this storyline and its characters. It did take me a little while to really feel immersed in the story. I think it is because the reader doesn't meet Aiden at the very beginning and is introduced to other major characters from several other characters' points of view. I felt somewhat distanced by the use several of the other characters in describing important elements of the plot. Each character does have their secrets, so I do understand why that technique was used. For me, I would have preferred being introduced to Aiden and then meeting the other characters and seeing their stories come to light. I think Aiden is the most approachable character. Once she became the main narrator of the story, I felt connected to the story.

I enjoyed reading the story and definitely recommend it to those interested in an original storyline with intriguing characters. The characters are not as clearly good and bad as seen in many stories. They are more ambiguous in terms of their character. It makes for an interesting read. I received a copy from the author in return for a honest review.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

JUst part of a book

Well-written story and interesting while the format the newest thing of a book being broken into five chunks or so and sold as separate books is one I am getting tired of . I will read on because it is a good story some new mythical characters or at least new to me are always nice.

[Alana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not realize this was a serial and all one story, I thought it was going to be short stand alone stories. Still good, though, but definitely not something you can read on its own and enjoy if you arent going to go ahead with the rest of them.

[Kathy Harrington · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok so

I'm a little lost with this story. It was short and I felt a little rushed. It seemed to be missing lots of background details. That being said, since I have KU I will try the next and see if I should continue.