Book Review: Stealing Phoenix by Joss Stirling
- Paola Santana
- May 16
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 2
"The notion that there is a soulmate out there for every person with a paranormal gift is mere myth is Phoenix's world. Phoenix was raised within the Community - a gang of thieves with paranormal powers - under the control of a harsh master known as the Seer. Leaving the Community is unheard of. But when the Seer gives Phoenix details of her next target, Yves Benedict, she soon realises that he is much more than just her next victim. Yves is her destiny. To be with him, she must break away from the Community, but resistance against the Seer puts them both in mortal danger. Phoenix has never trusted anyone before, now it is time to trust Yves with her life."
BOOK SPECS:
Number of pages: 264
Format: Paperback
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance, Action
Tropes: Fated Mates, Humans with Superpowers, Enemy to Lovers, Good vs. Evil
SHORT REVIEW:
I really enjoyed Finding Sky, the first book in the series (see related posts below), so the bar was set quite high for Stealing Phoenix. Well... I wasn't disappointed. It's not as good as the first book, it's better!
HEART RATE:
SMUT SCORE:
FULL REVIEW:
Plot
The plot is interesting and solid. And even though it is fast-paced - all the events happen within a week, give or take - the story is still convincing and entertaining.
While Stirling ended the book with a lot of closure and no cliffhanger, she managed to do so without closing the door on the series. I know this is easier in her case, as she only has to pick another Benedict brother to talk about; nevertheless, she managed to do it well. I, for one, hope she talks about Victor next. Bless him! I think he deserves to find his woman. That, however, would present challenges of its own, since Victor is one of the older brothers and it might take the books on a different direction, bearing in mind it's originally a YA series.
Characters
One of the things I really like about this series is the fact that they are normal people. Ok, maybe not that normal. But after reading about vampires, werewolves, angels and what-nots, it is quite a refreshing change to read about humans who do not transform into something else. Please do not take this comment as me saying I don't like paranormal or mystical creatures. My other favourite novels are about angels, fairies and werewolves. What I am saying is that it is a nice change to read about characters that are 100% humans in a paranormal novel, as it makes it more believable. The very possibility that people with a sixth sense really exist gives this story a certain level of reality or probability.
Just a quick recap... The Benedicts are a family of savants and each of them processes a special ability. The books follow the family as each of its seven sons seeks to find their soulfinders love match - the person they are predestined to spend the rest of their lives with.
Saul - the father, can foresee danger
Karla - the mother and Saul's soulfinder, can tell the future
Trace - can see the past and tell where someone has been
Uriel - can read a person's memory
Victor - is a mind controller
Will - can tell what happened to an item by touching it
Xavier - is a healer
Yves - can control fire and make things set alight/explore
Phoenix - Yves' soulfinder, can control people's perception and make them feel she's stopping time
Zed - the youngest Benedict brother, can predict the future like his mother
Sky - Zed's soulfinder, can see people's feelings in the form of auras
In Stealing Phoenix, the original characters we already know and love remain true to the first book; the new ones are equally interesting; and there are plenty of scenes with entertainment value. The villains are also tougher.
Smut and Romance Score
There is no smut in this novel. But what I enjoyed the most about Stealing Phoenix, though, was the gentleness and innocence of the romance. I read a lot of YA books and sometimes there isn't enough romance. Other times, for my sadness, it verges on soft porn. Now, I am all for a good snogging scene (for any Americans out there - making out scene) and a nice dose of physical loving, but when that becomes the most important aspect of a YA novel, I find it quite disturbing.
So it was great to see, or rather - read, Stirling giving Stealing Phoenix a good amount of teen hormones and drama without making it sound cheesy or over the top. By default that highlighted the plot, the situation the characters found themselves in, and their feelings for one another. Just so we are clear and there is no doubt: while there is no smut, THERE IS plenty of kissing going on in this book.
Writing
True to Stirling's style, the prose is smooth and flows nicely. And I do love her writing. Perhaps that's not a surprise, bearing in mind she has read English at Cambridge and Literature at Oxford.
While it is better to read Finding Sky before you read Stealing Phoenix, just because it introduces you to all the seven brothers with a little more depth, it is not essential. You could still understand the story without having read the first novel in the series. They are not so much a series as they are companion books, if that makes sense.
OUT OF CURIOSITY:
Joss Stirling's real name is Julia Golding. She lives in Oxford with her family and also writes under Eve Edwards as well as her real name.
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