Celebrate PHOENIX by Elizabeth Richards!

Roll up your sleeves everyone, because we've still got more book releases by League members this month! This week, we're celebrating PHOENIX by Elizabeth Richards, the sequel to her debut, BLACK CITY.

First, let's get in the proper mood. I have to say, every time I hear Imagine Dragon's song, "Radioactive," I think about two things. The first is punching zombies. The second is BLACK CITY.



Side note: I had no idea the official music video featured puppets and stuffed animals, did you?

Anyway, there's an extraordinarily powerful scene in BLACK CITY that is just very visceral and really stands out to me. In the word of BLACK CITY, Darklings (think: vampire) have no heartbeats--unless they meet their true love. In the Imagine Dragons's song, there's that moment, early in the song, when they sing, "breathing in the chemicals," and then they take a very loud, long breath. That pause--a perfect beat for the song--reminds me irrevocably of a moment in BLACK CITY, when a Darkling's heart beats for the first time.

It's just--it's the kind of scene I'm jealous that another writer wrote, you know? It's such a powerful image. Seeing the one you love--before you even know you love him/her--and feeling your heart beat.

Wow.

So, this week, we celebrate the release of the sequel to BLACK CITY, PHOENIX. In PHOENIX, Ash, a Darkling, and the human girl he met in the first book, Natalie, must continue their adventures in a world that is falling apart.

And can we just take a moment to mention the amazing covers with these books? In the first book, we have a shattered rose--much like the dictator, Purian Rose, and the lost grip on the city. Here in the second novel we have a burning feather. Given Ash's name (Ash-->ash-->burning) as well as the state of the world at the end of BLACK CITY, I think this is the perfect title and imagery for the book!

Beyond the characters of Ash and Natalie, another thing that fascinated me about these books is the setting. When developing her books, Elizabeth researched and referenced World War II and the Holocaust. I find it fascinating just how much history was put into a world that takes place in the future--and how easily we can forget the lessons of the past. This touch adds a whole new depth to the novels, making them visceral in a way some dystopians miss.

PHOENIX releases tomorrow! so be sure to snag your copy now!

Fun Facts about Elizabeth!

• She's English! Like, from England! When we were on tour, all she had to do was speak, and everyone in the audience would instantly fall in love with her and sigh romantically.
• She eats very strange food from England (as is to be expected because, as I just pointed out, she's English...). One of these things is a snack "food" that tastes like burning. Maybe it has something to do with the name "Ash" and the phoenix/burning imagery in the second book? I don't know, but I can definitely give my warning: avoid eating burnt English snack foods that look and taste like sticks! 
• Her nickname is Bertie, and I adore it, and I want to call her "Bertie" constantly and all the time, kind of like that scene in FAMILY GUY where Stewie says "Mom" five hundred times, and she's probably sick of me doing it by now :)

Before we go, Bertie has a great giveaway going on now! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway