nakedsushi's review
3.0
An ok diversion into the world of steampunk. The plot was predictable, but the chemistry between the two characters was interesting for a while. I guess I just got tired of their banter. Book was missing something though...
adularia25's review
5.0
This book was great! Non-stop action, lots of laughter, and just a touch of romance. It is almost like a light version of the Glass Books of the Dream Eaters (which is a great book, but very serious.) This is just what I would want from a light Steampunk action. The interaction between the two main characters is priceless – a lot of great one-liners are flung around. I love how on the team, the woman is the fighter and the man is, most of the time, not. I'm very much looking forward to continuing with this series.
lizzy_22's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 enthusiastic stars. fantastic fun, with a sweet partnership between two unlikely people!
Set in 19th century Victorian England, Phoenix Rising is an adventurous (sometimes sinister) romp through secret brotherhoods, hair raising hansom cab shootout chases and exploding laboratories!
Agent Eliza Braun has been remanded to the Ministry of Peculiar Occurances’ (MPO) Archives after her fondness for pushing the limits of her assigned mission boundaries and *ahem* blowing things up have finally landed her in hot water. Paired with a new partner by the mysterious Director of MPO, Eliza believes her illustrious and exciting career in the field might be permanently cut short.
Brilliant archivist Wellington Books is quite happy in his quiet underground kingdom nestled alongside the river Thames, thoroughly convinced of the incalculable value he provides to solving the cases of the Ministry. But what happens when the brash, enlightened, and attractive Agent Braun is assigned to partner with him surprises even him!
Drawn into an unresolved case that involved Eliza’s former partner (Agent Harrison Thorne, now resident of Bedlam asylum) her investigations force Wellington to follow Eliza down some very dark paths indeed. Along the way we are treated to dry, witty commentary and almost comic confrontations as the two leads snipe and poke at each other, all the while chasing down and foiling more than one set of villainous forces on their tails! Now Welly and Eliza’s mutual attraction is quite obvious, but I wouldn’t characterize the story as a romance, more as a fledgling relationship nurtured by respect and admiration that could quite possibly grow into something more down the road. It’s got ‘the will they or won’t they’ flavor perfectly balanced and I was very pleased by the ‘just enough’ that the authors give us.
At the end we are left off quite satisfactorily if open ended, with book two, The Janus Affair, hinting at much more treachery and explosive adventure to come!
Set in 19th century Victorian England, Phoenix Rising is an adventurous (sometimes sinister) romp through secret brotherhoods, hair raising hansom cab shootout chases and exploding laboratories!
Agent Eliza Braun has been remanded to the Ministry of Peculiar Occurances’ (MPO) Archives after her fondness for pushing the limits of her assigned mission boundaries and *ahem* blowing things up have finally landed her in hot water. Paired with a new partner by the mysterious Director of MPO, Eliza believes her illustrious and exciting career in the field might be permanently cut short.
Brilliant archivist Wellington Books is quite happy in his quiet underground kingdom nestled alongside the river Thames, thoroughly convinced of the incalculable value he provides to solving the cases of the Ministry. But what happens when the brash, enlightened, and attractive Agent Braun is assigned to partner with him surprises even him!
Drawn into an unresolved case that involved Eliza’s former partner (Agent Harrison Thorne, now resident of Bedlam asylum) her investigations force Wellington to follow Eliza down some very dark paths indeed. Along the way we are treated to dry, witty commentary and almost comic confrontations as the two leads snipe and poke at each other, all the while chasing down and foiling more than one set of villainous forces on their tails! Now Welly and Eliza’s mutual attraction is quite obvious, but I wouldn’t characterize the story as a romance, more as a fledgling relationship nurtured by respect and admiration that could quite possibly grow into something more down the road. It’s got ‘the will they or won’t they’ flavor perfectly balanced and I was very pleased by the ‘just enough’ that the authors give us.
At the end we are left off quite satisfactorily if open ended, with book two, The Janus Affair, hinting at much more treachery and explosive adventure to come!
aedwing's review
4.0
A very good Book!
It takes time to get into action, but when the action starts, it is very enjoyable. Sometime sexual, but the plot was very clever-the daredevil Eliza Braun teams up with cautious but intelligent Wellington Books to take down a secret conspiracy group dating back to the roman times. sometimes hard to follow and can get boring sometimes, but overall a very interesting books to read.
It takes time to get into action, but when the action starts, it is very enjoyable. Sometime sexual, but the plot was very clever-the daredevil Eliza Braun teams up with cautious but intelligent Wellington Books to take down a secret conspiracy group dating back to the roman times. sometimes hard to follow and can get boring sometimes, but overall a very interesting books to read.
litartist's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
astudyinpanic's review against another edition
4.0
nothing impressive or especially innovative, but a really fun read! it kept me reading for hours in a row, so that's always a good thing. =)
marimoose's review
5.0
This was so sassy and sexy and steampunk. And I don't care if some whine about the sub-genre going into the mainstream world, because if books like Phoenix Rising keeps on getting made, then all the better!
Wellington Books and Eliza Braun (yes, I kid you not, Agents Books and Braun...) are not exactly what you would call ideal partners, especially when it comes to field missions from the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences. Wellington likes the comfort of his Archives and his inventions, while Eliza would rather have two guns in her hands and sticks of dynamite hidden away in her bullet-proof corset. But alas, clearly the Ministry has something else cooked up for these two, because they do wind up working together to solve a mystery thought to have been a cold case.
There were obviously a lot of things I liked about this book, chief of all the dynamic between the two characters (often they're referred to as the "dyanmic duo" in the chapter titles, and I'm actually inclined to agree!). Though it does remind me of a more outstanding version of a Rick Castle-Kate Beckett type of relationship, which is probably why I was attracted to it (then again, this particular Castle seems to have a much more interesting background than he lets on).
I loved where the story was going, and it was tied nicely up at the end, though there were definitely more sprinkles of mystery sown in. The fact that I still have numerous questions I want answered may be a problem, though, especially if Ms. Ballantine and Mr. Morris are using Phoenix Rising as a springboard for an ongoing series...
Obviously I need to get my hands on book 2.
Wellington Books and Eliza Braun (yes, I kid you not, Agents Books and Braun...) are not exactly what you would call ideal partners, especially when it comes to field missions from the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences. Wellington likes the comfort of his Archives and his inventions, while Eliza would rather have two guns in her hands and sticks of dynamite hidden away in her bullet-proof corset. But alas, clearly the Ministry has something else cooked up for these two, because they do wind up working together to solve a mystery thought to have been a cold case.
There were obviously a lot of things I liked about this book, chief of all the dynamic between the two characters (often they're referred to as the "dyanmic duo" in the chapter titles, and I'm actually inclined to agree!). Though it does remind me of a more outstanding version of a Rick Castle-Kate Beckett type of relationship, which is probably why I was attracted to it (then again, this particular Castle seems to have a much more interesting background than he lets on).
I loved where the story was going, and it was tied nicely up at the end, though there were definitely more sprinkles of mystery sown in. The fact that I still have numerous questions I want answered may be a problem, though, especially if Ms. Ballantine and Mr. Morris are using Phoenix Rising as a springboard for an ongoing series...
Obviously I need to get my hands on book 2.
tehani's review
4.0
Probably a 3.5, rounded up for the NZ co-authorship :) I did enjoy this, but it dragged a little in places. The characters were fabulous, but there were some problematic elements that bothered me. I'll read the next one though and see how I go!