The Phoenix Embryo (Seasons of the Phoenix #1) by Jeanne Marcella

SPFBO6

A dark fantasy for mature readers. Twelve-year-old goddess devotees seek redemption during a seven year exile. Twelve-and-a-half-year-old Acanthus Breese and his yellow-robed peers have survived without an adult presence for seven years. They’ve scavenged. Endured madness, starvation, and murder after the adults imprisoned and abandoned them without a backward glance. They’ve clawed their way to civilization and questionable sanity at the guidance of one of their own. Thirteen-year-old Edward Dasheel is a direct descendant of the goddess Staritti and the red phoenix god, Dasheel. Because of Edward’s love and leadership, Acanthus and the other boys know that despite their regretful crime of harming Staritti and driving her away, hope for redemption remains. Acanthus knows Edward better than anyone; he knows Edward hides dark secrets about their exile, the adults, and specifically about him. So it is terrifying when suddenly the adults return, pushing themselves back into their lives. What do they want after all these years? And why? The Phoenix Embryo is a gritty dark fantasy for mature readers who enjoy mystery, suspense, tragedy, warrior priests and phoenix gods. It is a coming of age story filled with betrayal, grief, and hope. This is book 1 of the Seasons of the Phoenix saga, an LGBTQ fantasy fiction.

Adult • Fantasy/Dark