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Weapon of War #1
Igniting the Phoenix
For Lucius Gamerin, strength is only gained when facing his greatest fear -- a woman.
You're already involved. It's all around you. You feel it don't you? Sometimes there's thickness in the air, a lump with every swallow taken, a chill as you enter a room. You know they're there...
waiting...
watching.
In a war that captured his brothers, Lucius discovers a weapon can manifest in various forms. During his assignment -- hiding in Josephine's home with interdimensional camouflage -- he develops a crush for the general's daughter.
Without her knowledge, Josephine is calling the shots. Ignorance that once protected her, wanes in the balance of dimensional laws the more she perceives of him. And...
when the opened doorway is exposed, mind games of Lucius's enemies reach an entirely new level and forces him to make a decision about his secrecy. The shadows have finally found a key to their freedom and...
they will break through.
You're already involved. It's all around you. You feel it don't you? Sometimes there's thickness in the air, a lump with every swallow taken, a chill as you enter a room. You know they're there...
waiting...
watching.
In a war that captured his brothers, Lucius discovers a weapon can manifest in various forms. During his assignment -- hiding in Josephine's home with interdimensional camouflage -- he develops a crush for the general's daughter.
Without her knowledge, Josephine is calling the shots. Ignorance that once protected her, wanes in the balance of dimensional laws the more she perceives of him. And...
when the opened doorway is exposed, mind games of Lucius's enemies reach an entirely new level and forces him to make a decision about his secrecy. The shadows have finally found a key to their freedom and...
they will break through.
472 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 17, 2019
4 people are currently reading
33 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 15, 2020
I rarely dnf (do not finish) books. I planned on sticking around to the end, so that I might feel justified in rating it. However, I've read more than half (62%), it gives me no pleasure, so why keep at it? :(
I was drawn by the intriguing-sounding synopsis, and the story does hold potential. A solid, promising idea that unfortunately didn't deliver, in my opinion.
It read like an unedited first draft. It might have turned into a pretty good story under scrutiny of an experienced editor.
As it is, it drags and brims with rookie writer's "faults" I recognize in my own earlier, amateur writing. For instance, the need to "draw the reader in" by overfilling the narration with a-hundred-and-million superfluous details that are supposed to make the writing more realistic.
The male protagonist's inner monologue at times sounds as if belonging to a teenage girl.
The scenes between the protagonist and his love interest are obviously meant to read as tender and convincing (doling out "the feels"), but come across as insta-lovey and cloyingly sentimental. :(
I am sorry to say all this. I see the potential, and I think the writer needed to give herself and the story some more time, because the writing mostly suffers from inexperience.
I was drawn by the intriguing-sounding synopsis, and the story does hold potential. A solid, promising idea that unfortunately didn't deliver, in my opinion.
It read like an unedited first draft. It might have turned into a pretty good story under scrutiny of an experienced editor.
As it is, it drags and brims with rookie writer's "faults" I recognize in my own earlier, amateur writing. For instance, the need to "draw the reader in" by overfilling the narration with a-hundred-and-million superfluous details that are supposed to make the writing more realistic.
The male protagonist's inner monologue at times sounds as if belonging to a teenage girl.
The scenes between the protagonist and his love interest are obviously meant to read as tender and convincing (doling out "the feels"), but come across as insta-lovey and cloyingly sentimental. :(
I am sorry to say all this. I see the potential, and I think the writer needed to give herself and the story some more time, because the writing mostly suffers from inexperience.
March 27, 2019
OH MY GOODNESS,I LOVE THIS BOOK! THE CHARACTERS. AND STORIES DRAW YOU IN. FAST PACED,EXCITING AND ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS. CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT BOOK. A MUST READ!
December 26, 2025
I….. don’t even know what to say.
I feel bad because I’m a people pleaser and an aspiring author myself, but I could not understand what was happening or make a genuine connection to anyone or anything in this book at any point. I’ve never almost dnfed a book so bad in my life.
Unfortunately I was not a fan of the writing style, and this first book being 600 pages long and still having like six or seven more books after this makes me feel….. 😶, especially when I didn’t understand anything that was happening in this first book. Like what could possibly be happening (that I somehow didn’t manage to understand within 600 pages) that needs to continue for so many more books?!? I didn’t care for any of the characters, maybe Lucius just a tad but I was still confused with his lore and background, and just…. I don’t know. I skimmed the majority of this book, I’m sorry.
I still cannot tell you if this book is modern/contemporary or fantasy. Lol. I’m genuinely confused. I could not tell you who was supposed to do what and why or what the plot is, besides MAYBE that Josephine (main girl) needed to be protected (for some reason???) and Lucius (who seems to be from another planet… wtf is a Gamerin? but also speaks with a Texan accent???) is her bodyguard that her parents knew (somehow???) but no one else knew, and that Josephine couldn’t see (why?!1?!1!) and he just sometimes appeared in her dreams. I don’t know.
Back to the writing style really quick, it felt very character.ai lol😭😭. “Lucius exhales”, “he grunts”, “Lucius huffs”, if that makes sense.
No hate to the author just nothing clicked with me at all. Maybe it’s just a me thing because I see other good reviews, but I’m sad. I was interested in this book via the synopsis.
⋆｡ ﾟ☼ ｡ ⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡ ⋆
“He’s my weapon of war. My biggest secret. My phoenix.” (Josephine’s mom?)
I feel bad because I’m a people pleaser and an aspiring author myself, but I could not understand what was happening or make a genuine connection to anyone or anything in this book at any point. I’ve never almost dnfed a book so bad in my life.
Unfortunately I was not a fan of the writing style, and this first book being 600 pages long and still having like six or seven more books after this makes me feel….. 😶, especially when I didn’t understand anything that was happening in this first book. Like what could possibly be happening (that I somehow didn’t manage to understand within 600 pages) that needs to continue for so many more books?!? I didn’t care for any of the characters, maybe Lucius just a tad but I was still confused with his lore and background, and just…. I don’t know. I skimmed the majority of this book, I’m sorry.
I still cannot tell you if this book is modern/contemporary or fantasy. Lol. I’m genuinely confused. I could not tell you who was supposed to do what and why or what the plot is, besides MAYBE that Josephine (main girl) needed to be protected (for some reason???) and Lucius (who seems to be from another planet… wtf is a Gamerin? but also speaks with a Texan accent???) is her bodyguard that her parents knew (somehow???) but no one else knew, and that Josephine couldn’t see (why?!1?!1!) and he just sometimes appeared in her dreams. I don’t know.
Back to the writing style really quick, it felt very character.ai lol😭😭. “Lucius exhales”, “he grunts”, “Lucius huffs”, if that makes sense.
No hate to the author just nothing clicked with me at all. Maybe it’s just a me thing because I see other good reviews, but I’m sad. I was interested in this book via the synopsis.
⋆｡ ﾟ☼ ｡ ⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡ ⋆
“He’s my weapon of war. My biggest secret. My phoenix.” (Josephine’s mom?)
January 17, 2020
Igniting the Phoenix was for me a trying book to read. I did not understand the flow and it left me with more questions than answers.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews