A review by ellelainey
Phoenix Found by TJ Nichols

4.0

 

** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Reviewed for Divine Magazine

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Phoenix Found, by T.J. Nichols
Brothers of Fire, 05
★★★★★

3rd person, dual character POV with brief alternative character POV's
Themes: LGBTQIA+, Romance, Royalty, Shifters, age gap
Triggers: mild violence, betrayal, mentions of off-page imprisonment and abuse, homophobia
Genre: MM, Romance, Shifter, PNR, Crime 

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Phoenix Found is the fifth and final book in the Brothers of Fire series, which focuses on Oliver – previously known in the series as Olier. Having been missing for centuries, the Oliver they've found isn't quite the Olier they expected, and while Everest is devastated and reeling from the events of Oliver's rescue, everyone else tries to be okay with the new version of the brother they'd lost. 

Oliver, meanwhile, is struggling in a world he doesn't understand. He had a good life before being rescued; lonely, but he was well cared for, and whenever he felt overwhelmed by the magic beneath his skin, a witch would come to give him some relief, in a way that means he doesn't think of his past as painful or abusive. In fact, he'd rather return to the simpler world of captivity than face what's ahead. But, he tries to do what he can to assimilate into his new life, learning French without butchering the language and easing into the life that is supposedly his. 

On the flip side, Perrin is something the paranormal world have almost forgotten existed: a ghoul. As a ghoul, it's usually his job to scavenge the dead and clean up the Coven's messes, but his family work in the castle and there aren't many messes to clean up anymore. He works as a general handyman in the castle, hiding his nature and trying to avoid his family's attempts to matchmake him with another ghoul 'for the sake of their kind'. All while dealing with a homophobic family and other ghouls in general. 

Individually, they're both a mess, but together Oliver and Perrin are adorable and the cutest couple. Perrin is experienced in the physical but not so much emotional connections, whereas Oliver is a blank slate about most things. When they come together, it's got a hint of teacher/student about it, as Perrin helps Oliver find who he is and what he enjoys, but it's really quite minimal. The secondary characters really step up to help Oliver learn about life and the world, and sex, so that it doesn't feel like Perrin is somehow manipulating or having power over that part of Oliver's learning, which I appreciated. It meant that they got to explore things together without it feeling preachy or like a lesson. 

I loved the way that Nichols wrote ghouls. You don't often see a book with a ghoul in it, especially as a love interest. The lore behind them, the description of their physical appearance and overall nature, was really interesting and fed to us little by little throughout the book. I really liked the addition of the ghoul in the series, though it would be interesting to see more of them in one of the Familiar Mates series, since this series is now complete. 

I don't normally like multi-character POV's but Nichols always does them so well, and only when they're needed. Here, we get an occasional chapter of POV from Dalmon, Kaine, Quentin and Everest, when it's deemed necessary to show us something outside the main plot. 

While I'm sad to see the end of the series, it feels like the right thing for these brothers. They've tied up most of their storyline and history throughout the series and each brother has been featured. I do feel like a lot of phoenix lore has been left undiscovered – which is part of the reason it's a 4* and not a 5* rating – but with the next Familiar Mates series featuring a phoenix egg, I do feel like they'll make appearances throughout the connected series. The Shadow Board are (mostly?) dealt with, which was pretty much the overarching plot of this series, so it would feel right to end things here. 

I'll also add that I thought the bonus epilogue really set up the transition from this series back to Familiar Mates pretty well. It gave an indication of what we'll see in the next book and how the two tie together. 

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Favourite Quote 

 “Oliver was a shooting star, drawing gasps of amazement, and he was the scavenger stuffing his face with carrion and drawing shrieks of fear.” 

 “Watching Oliver become more confident, like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon where it had slept too long, made his heart ache with joy and sadness. Because it wouldn’t be long before his beautiful phoenix took flight.”