A review by marimoose
Phoenix Rising by Pip Ballantine, Tee Morris
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.