This is one of my book club’s choices for October. We had this book as a cosy, autumn read and Revival by Stephen King as our scary read. Unfortunately, this book disappointed the hell out of me and could have been 100 pages and I still wouldn’t have been impressed. 

This book is based on Aila, and she is a little obsessed with phoenixes. She is the head phoenix keeper at the world-renowned zoo for magical creatures, her childhood dream of conserving critically endangered firebirds seems closer than ever. There’s just one massive problem: her zoo’s breeding program hasn’t functioned for a decade. When a tragic phoenix-nabbing cripples the flagship program at a neighbouring zoo, Aila must prove her derelict facilities are free to take the reins. But saving a species takes more than stellar animal handling skills. Aila has wrangled carnivorous water horses, tempestuous thunderhawks, but inspiring zoo patrons? That's another story. Finding the courage to ask for help from the hot dragon keeper at a neighbouring exhibit? Virtually impossible. And don’t get Aila started on her arch-rival from the glamorous leader of the zoo’s wildly popular griffin show, who’s convinced that Aila’s beloved phoenix would serve better as a performer rather than a conservation exhibit. Aided by both friends and enemies, Aila must conquer her social anxiety if she is to restore her breeding programme. With the world watching and the threat of poachers looming, Aila’s success isn’t only a matter of keeping her the future of a species depends on her.  

I'll start with what I liked about this book – Tanya. Tanya was the only one who annoying me, who had her head on straight, who acted like an adult and who solved the whole book. She is the reason this book was not 1 star. 

Aila was so boring and immature, she couldn’t make her mind up and then was annoyed when things didn’t go her way. She didn’t care about the zoo or her career, just the birds, which I can get behind, but the birds are her career and a part of the zoo, and she was just so selfish. Also, Aila finally likes the girl she hates and decides to ask her out on a date when their lives are at risk and they are hiding from people who have a gun, she just had no sense of danger or surroundings, and she was annoying me from page 1. This book is under as an adult fiction and romantasy on Goodreads. But it had such YA vibes. Everyone arguing and fighting and thinking there was no consequences to the things they are doing. I would love to have known how Aila got to be head keeper, besides looking after the birds and be paranoid, she doesn’t do anything for the zoo, a head keeper would be doing the shows and the press and wanting to get involved. She would have been a level 1 keeper, bottom of the food chain, that would have made more sense. This book is also labelled as a queer romance and there was maybe 2/3 chapters as a queer romance, this was Aila being obsessed with a white man and then when his true colours started showing, she ended up falling for her enemies. Then it turns out the white man was the bad guy (I'll pretend to be shocked). The “mystery” was obvious and was wrapped up quickly. What happened to Connor? Did he get arrested? How much time is he going to be in prison for? Did they find the other creatures his friends stole? This book was 450+ pages but there was not a lot going on with the plot besides Aila going back and forth and never being happy.  

I would have loved for this book to be about the smugglers and the mystery there and her trying to find the animal that got stolen at the beginning of the book, that would have been more interesting and more adult fantasy. I would have read a 450+ book if that was the plot, but this could have been 100 pages and should be advised as a young adult book.