Oct 6, 2008

Any Given Doomsday - Review


Any Given Doomsday (Phoenix Chronicles) by Lori Handeland.
St.Martins, November 2008

Elizabeth Phoenix thought of her psychic gift as more like a curse. She could touch someone and know information she had no desire to know. Liz came from a difficult background. She had no memory of her parents and grew up in the foster care system. She developed a hardness that wouldn't let anyone into her heart until Ruthie opened her home and her heart to Liz and many other throwaway kids. Jimmy was another of Ruthie's foster children. As teens and adults Liz and Jimmy became intimate and lived as lovers until the day of Jimmy's betrayal. After that she was on her own.

Says Liz, "On the day my old life died, the air smelled of springtime - budding trees, and just born flowers, fresh grass and hope. I should have known right then that something was coming." And it came. With a sudden awareness of danger, Liz rushes to Ruthie's house arriving only moments before her foster mother dies. Severely wounded Ruthie uses her last breath to give Liz her gift. Jimmy finds Liz and explains that Ruthie had been a seer and leader of a war against monsters of the Apocalypse. It will be Liz's job to expand her powers and lead the demon killer, of which Jimmy is one, to keep the world from Satan's minions.

Liz has a lot to learn about fallen angels and their demon offspring. To help her with this is Sawyer, a handsome hunk who's knowledge of the supernatural world is unsurpassed. He drives home some very important lessons.

For human life to continue its existence Liz and her supporters must be ready to fight to the death against enemies who never show mercy. The riveting plot and high suspense level leave the reader hungry for more, and a lustful attraction between Liz and Sawyer, not to mention her and Jimmy, adds a lot of spice to the action. The characters are genuine and so is the plot. This is one must read book!




Watch the video for Any Given Doomsday.

Book 2 Doomsday Can Wait will be on the shelves in May 2009.

5 comments:

Kathleen Gilligan said...

I got this through Librarything but haven't had a chance to read it yet. Glad you enjoyed :)

Ladytink_534 said...

I've heard good and bad reviews for this but I still think it sounds interesting.

Patricia Altner said...

Kathleen and Ladytink

I just went back to look at the LibraryThing reviews and there is quite a range of opinions. The story does remind me a bit of early L K Hamilton with a mixture of action, supernatural creatures, and hot sex. It isn't great literature. It's more like a guilty pleasure. (I'm agreeing here with another reviewer.)

Vickie said...

I liked this one and can't wait to read the rest of the series.

Patricia Altner said...

Hi Vickie

Glad you liked it as well! Too bad we have to wait until May of next year for the sequel.