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Alternate cover edition of ASIN B01L7BVZ6S


Sapphira is a ticking time bomb.
Two years ago, she lost control of the unstable energies within her and caused a horrific supernatural incident. Since then, she and her family have lived in constant fear of another—and her freedom seems only a distant memory.
In Huskers Grove, Iowa, a darkness looms. A great and faceless evil. An evil that wants Sapphira. Can she master her abilities to save the ones she loves or will she fall victim to the enemy that seeks to take what is rightfully hers?

204 pages, ebook

First published August 28, 2016

197 people are currently reading
413 people want to read

About the author

Amber Lynn Natusch

49 books1,548 followers
AMBER LYNN NATUSCH is the author of the bestselling Caged series for adults. She was born and raised in Winnipeg, and is still deeply attached to her Canadian roots. She loves to dance and practice Muay Thai―but spends most of her time running a chiropractic practice with her husband, raising two young children, and attempting to write when she can lock herself in the bathroom for ten minutes of peace. Dare You to Lie is her debut YA novel with Tor Teen.

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5 stars
313 (44%)
4 stars
236 (33%)
3 stars
116 (16%)
2 stars
33 (4%)
1 star
11 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
Profile Image for Dr. Andy.
2,537 reviews259 followers
February 11, 2019
3.5/5

I read this on a whim and because I needed something short and sweet. This turned out to be pretty good! I was hit with a little deja vu as the character develops amnesia and I just read Box of Frogs which also has an amnesiac character. Sapphira is a girl with fantastical powers, she's essentially a nuclear bomb and she's had a hard time dealing with her power and the aftermath of a catastrophe that she unintentionally caused. She manages to convince her brothers to bring her on their newest work mission and that's where things go wrong.

Sapphira ends up trapped on a farm with no memories of who she is or how she got there. Luckily, there's a sexy farm boy to the rescue. The middle of this book was interesting since Phira goes around trying to remember things and helping around the farm. There's also several mysterious near death experiences for her. I did enjoy seeing Phira regain her memories and skills over this time period. What I was not fond of was the out of context and blatant sex shaming Phira did to herself. There's nothing wrong with having sex even as a woman. And she just had a complete meltdown about it and kept going on about how she wasn't "pure" or some ridiculous shit. That part definitely bothered me.

I am curious to see what will happen next though.
Profile Image for Cheyenne.
73 reviews1 follower
May 7, 2018
I am dnf'ing this. I'm sorry. A lot of people seemed to enjoy this book but if I have to read one other page where Sapphira is talking about how she's allowed to be a slut and a bitch because her life is "oh so hard", I am putting my head down the toilet and flush until my brain is cleansed.
Profile Image for Amy.
354 reviews6 followers
August 21, 2018
There are a lot of things that I want to like about this book but they're not quite enough to overpower some of the things I really did not like. I almost gave up after the first chapter but I wasn't quite put off enough to stop reading.

So the good things—the main character, Sapphira, is really intriguing. When we meet her, she's having sex with a stranger to help take the edge off her powers, which seem to be even a mystery to her. I love when authors "remix" established stories—in this case it's Greek and Roman mythology mixed with some additional supernatural beings—and I wish there'd been more of that world in the story. But there were a lot of things that just bothered me.

The not so great things.
Profile Image for Angela.
325 reviews26 followers
August 30, 2016
I wasn't sure what to expect with this series, as it is a spin-off of the Caged series. I absolutely love the Caged series: Ruby, Sean, Scarlet, and the boys. It's hard for me to read a spin-off to a series I love because what if I don't love the new one? What if I don't like the characters or the way the story lines are used? It's a lot of what ifs and unknowns and sometimes it can be scary.

So, Sapphira is the daughter of two very powerful supernaturals, and when you find out who they are, wow! The pressure that this woman has on her shoulders is huge! She can't control her powers and her family can't trust her. She hates her life and lashes out at anyone and everyone to show her frustration.

This is a supernatural, fantasy story but has a romantic element to it. During some of the story in Iowa, I was wondering why Amber Lynn Natusch doesn't have many contemporary romances in her repertoire. She has some amazing skill at writing these characters that have attraction but have such complicated issues going on that it almost makes it impossible to have a relationship. She doesn't write "love at first sight" type stories; they have depth, complexity, ups, downs, attraction, and steam. I am someone who doesn't like to read many romance novels, however I love the romantic aspects of her stories, especially this one.

Bottom line, if you love the Caged series (how could you not?), then get this book. If you love romance with a little supernatural bad-a$$ery thrown in, then get this book. You might want to read the Caged series first, but you don't have to. But!! Don't read this first and then read the Caged series. Huge spoilers abound in here!!
Profile Image for Kelly.
252 reviews16 followers
August 30, 2016
Sapphira, or Phira, is having some anger issues to say the least. She is under constant monitoring since a supernatural incident that left a town destroyed. The constant babysitting doesn’t help her rage issues either. While she always has her twin brothers, Nico and Alek, or The Specialist, TS, with her at all times she feels lonely. Everyone around her feels her wrath because she has no choice in what she can do with her life and she can’t soothe the anger she feels. Circumstances are set in motion for Phira to find her true self.

Live Wire grabs your imagination and holds it to the very end. It is the perfect blend of action, mystery, and suspense to keep you glued to the story. There is even a little romance throw in there that is perfectly done. My heart ached for Phira during this story as she found true self.

This book is part of the Caged World. You DO NOT have to read Caged to understand this book. This series stands on its own. If you liked or loved Live Wire like I did, check out the check out the completed Caged Series.

I need the next book, Kill Switch, like now.
Profile Image for Desdemona Dreadless.
366 reviews12 followers
September 14, 2018
wow.... Having sex with with many men makes you "a dirty whore" "disgusting" and a "Bad Person"
Slut shaming much?
She "Had" to have sex with many men though, so that makes it a bit forgivable
Seriously?
Having sex with many guys not make you a "Whore" there is nothing wrong with fucking a lot of people. It doesn't make you bad, impure or disgusting.
Trying to Finish the book, but already now halfway through I'm tired of this misogynistic shaming bullshit.
It's too bad, cause the story seems like it could be somewhat interesting, but this shit is distracting as fuck
Profile Image for Rosanna.
804 reviews15 followers
February 27, 2017
Spoiler Alert!!

She's done it again!!
Where to begin??
This woman is Midas when she writes!!
This book has all kinds of kick ass action, love and the right amount of magic!
It was fun to get to see Sean again. Missed that guy
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Tracy Books_Beers_Brews.
1,076 reviews54 followers
March 23, 2023
𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀: Urban Fantasy
𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹: 🌶️
𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: 💜💜💜💜
𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗟𝗼𝘀𝘁: 💧
𝗣𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: 🖊️🖊️🖊️
𝗣𝗢𝗩: FMC
𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁: Audiobook

This series is another one of my favorite and a go to series to read when I am in a slump. Sapphira is amazing at kicking my ass back into gear!

Two years ago Sapphira made a grave mistake that resulted in wiping an entire town from existence. Since then she has struggled with maintaining control over the power that is inside of her. Guarded constantly by her babysitter TS, all she wants is her freedom. Finally allowed a taste of freedom results in Sapphira having no clue who she is. Found by Gabe, a struggling farmer in Iowa who also cares for his addling mother. The pair discover that everything is not as it seems, and their lives might be more entwined then either could have imagined.

This is a story about discovering exactly what you are and coming to terms with it. Sapphira’s story is the first book I read of Amber’s and I am so glad that I discovered her stories. This book absolutely blew me away and the books in the series keep on getting better!

This book is a part of the Caged World, there is some character crossover but you do not need to read the Caged Series first.
Profile Image for Sabrina.
92 reviews4 followers
September 5, 2016
Mind blowing!

What a great start to what I'm sure will be an amazing series! I was so happy to jump into The Caged world again! I was sad to see Ruby's series end, but thankfully we get to catch up with her children in this heart stopping Urban Fantasy! I can't wait to see what happens next
Profile Image for JoeK.
452 reviews5 followers
September 5, 2018
The strong points of this story out-weight the week ones, but only just. Saphira, as introduced at the start of the novel is a most unlikable character. Profane, promiscuous and combative, there is no reason for the reader to like her. Very quickly she loses her memory and we are left with a new, much more likeable protagonist who spends most of the story trying to get her memory back. By the end of the book we end up with a third character (and sort of a fourth that coexists with her.
There were editing problems where the story seems to skip, almost as though a few connecting paragraphs were missing. The author seems to have a hard time visualizing the scene she describes at times. In one instance, Phira is halfway up the stairs when she notices Gabe's mother watching her. This seems improbable as I would think that her back would be to the room and using crutches to navigate would make twisting in the middle of a staircase difficult if not dangerous.
The story did bog down during Phira's stay at the farm. I was almost ready to put the book down when the pace finally began to pick up again. Phira's defeat of the Anemoi was so quick and perfunctory that it was almost anticlimactic. Not sure if I'd read any more of the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Blake.
1,354 reviews44 followers
November 12, 2025
(FYI I tend to only review one book per series, unless I want to change my scoring by 0.50 or more of a star. -- I tend not to read reviews until after I read a book, so I go in with an open mind.)

DNF*

I didn't like the MC, so no point continuing to waste my time.





First time read the author's work?: Yes

Will you be reading more?: No

Would you recommend?: No


------------
How I rate Stars: 5* = I loved (must read all I can find by the author)
4* = I really enjoyed (got to read all the series and try other books by the author).
3* = I enjoyed (I will continue to read the series)
or
3* = Good book just not my thing (I realised I don't like the genre or picked up a kids book to review in error.)

All of the above scores means I would recommend them!
-
2* = it was okay (I might give the next book in the series a try, to see if that was better IMHO.)
1* = Disliked

Note: adding these basic 'reviews' after finding out that some people see the stars differently than I do - hoping this clarifies how I feel about the book. :-)
Profile Image for Megan Lewis.
160 reviews
October 14, 2019
I enjoyed this.
It was short and sweet, but still enjoyed it.
It did read like a romance novel for the majority of the book, but I guess I like that sort of thing.
I guess the only thing I didn't like was the possible? love triangle. Because the last love triangle in the Caged series had me on the wrong team. Not that I didn't enjoy the ride.
Anyways. All I can say is team TS.
Gabe was nice and all, but I'm not loving him. I don't know, something was missing and that could be the point.
I hope the next one goes somewhere good. I would hate it to be a repeat of the Caged arc. I want Phira to be differentiated from Ruby. Her inner monologues are almost the same voice though.
Still looking forward to the next one.
Profile Image for Krystal M.
619 reviews4 followers
July 5, 2021
It’s been a while since I first read this series. I will say that I started with this first instead of the Caged series and that is where the problem was.

I understand this book so much more after reading about Phira’s parents and how they came to be.

This book is more like a precursor to what will happen and can seem kind of slow and unnecessary in some areas but it is quite the opposite.

Phira is easily my favorite character in this series because of how much she grows. It’s slow going in this book because she didn’t know who she was for a small amount of it but she understands who she is and who she wants to be.

I missed the world and I will definitely always come back to it!
440 reviews1 follower
November 9, 2017
Set in the world of Caged series

Meet Sapphira, the daughter of Sean and Ruby from the caged series. I loved the caged series and I'm so happy this is sort of a continuation of that series. Don't think this book is about characters from the caged series, because it is all about Sapphira and what powers she has and how they impact her life along with the people in her life.Some characters from caged make small appearances, but that's it and I happy to get to know other characters set in this world. Get set for an interesting read full of action, adventure , and mystery.
Profile Image for Dapper.
586 reviews7 followers
June 11, 2023
This book was a flop:( cool cover though. The story just wasn’t engaging and by the end of it I didn’t care about anybody involved. The main antagonist was beaten, her new powers came out of left field and there’s nothing to pique further curiosity for the series

I think the main issue was that we were introduced to one character and then had to endure her amnesia on a very boring farm, then when she’s back, she’s got a another person in her head (super random) SO I was never able to connect with the mc.. and after 200+ pages I’d expect to at least on a base level
Profile Image for Alison.
412 reviews10 followers
May 26, 2018
A complex story of humanity and the supernatural

This was an author I had heard good things about but hadn't had a chance to explore yet. I can't say I'm disappointed.

The building of characters and the intricate weave of the story was brilliant. We were able to see how a shattered life can be put back together with a little self belief.

Profile Image for Cate.
34 reviews
June 18, 2018
It's a miss for me on this book...

I felt like this was just a rambling narrative. It's like the author didn't know where she was going with this story or what type of story line she really wanted, but kept typing to meet an end.

I've read her books in the past and enjoyed them. This one...not so much.
17 reviews
October 21, 2018
Awesome Character Development!!!

For one I am SO Happy that the Caged series continued with the children and the development of each character and their super natural power. So far it has just added to the overall experience for me and I am in Live with Gabe and Phire she is totally kick ass and I can’t wait to see what happens next with her!
Profile Image for Katt.
325 reviews
February 1, 2021
This book doesn't start well, and the ending is just as eyebrow arching. The greater part of the dialogue is "I'm a whore, I'm a whore, what a whore, I'm a bitch". It becomes a bit more interesting somewhere in the middle, but that's about it. The cover was promising, but the actual book, not so much. Perhaps she develops some maturity and insight in the next book.
Profile Image for Amy.
68 reviews
December 4, 2024
What did I just read

I spent 85 percent of the book having no idea what was going on. Who's the PC? What happened in CO? What brand of supernatural are we dealing with?

Yes, this was intentional, but it was overwhelming. Too many mysteries to solve right off the bat. Decent story otherwise.
Profile Image for Katy Rose.
Author 13 books127 followers
December 29, 2017
Good read

I took a chance on a different genera and different subject with the end result being meh. I didn't love this book but I didn't hate it. It's VERY well written, just not my preference!
Profile Image for Belinda Thompson.
86 reviews
March 16, 2018
I really needed a Shaun and Ruby fix and their daughter's story did not disappoint. A riveting story that pulled me in from the first word to the last. I will be binge reading every book in this series....I recommend you follow my lead.
91 reviews1 follower
February 8, 2023
Interesting story line

conversation were not believable. Neither was the time line. Gabe was supposedly caring for his parilized mother while running a farm full time with no help? Nope. That doesn't make sense. But a good story nonetheless.
71 reviews
April 19, 2023
Great book!

A very interesting twist on a PNR story with hints of hot romance and a snarky heroine who grows through her unpredictable circumstances to become a (slightly) better person.
1,242 reviews2 followers
July 21, 2023
live wire

Wow what a absolute beauty of a start to this sensational series.

Incredibly written and absolutely beautiful inside and out. A story that is one of a kind truly. Only book 1 in and I’m already inlove with the story. The cover doesn’t even do it’s justice.

Profile Image for April Pawless.
316 reviews
May 10, 2017
Great Read

I really enjoyed reading this book. The characters are really well written and engaging. I can't wait to read the next book in this series.
Profile Image for Mary Murlin.
142 reviews1 follower
May 17, 2017
Great

I really enjoyed reading this book. It has such a unique storyline and wonderful characters. I can't wait to read the next one.
Profile Image for Tamara Tabor.
52 reviews
May 31, 2017
superb! I couldn't get enough of Phira! just overall really good and fun read! I didn't want this book (or the second one) to end! i can not wait for the third book!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews

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