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Overcome Their Dark Sides
Dueling with Snakes is the last installment in The Phoenix Trilogy. Were you able to accomplish everything you wanted with this series?
Yes. My whole point/goal for this story was to show, through Leila, how anyone can discover their true identity and could overcome their dark sides—their demons—while dealing with grief.
Was there anything that surprised you about Leila’s character development over the series?
Yes. How self-centered, controlling, and dominating her dark side—the Phoenix—could become. Also, how she stood up against it with a simple ‘no’.
Where do you see the main characters in the story a year after the ending scene in the book?
A year after? Leila and Dragunov at least having 1 kid: a girl, and living in peace, carefree and happy in Russia.
Do you have more stories planned within this world or are you working on something new?
I have 2 companion short stories—already published—that go after the first two books. The last companion short story, that goes with Dueling with Snakes, is coming in October.
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Leila Wells couldn’t fight against the Phoenix any longer: Bryan Foster had to die. No more would perish by his hands. She returns to the Rulers of the Realms Fighting Tag Tournament with Dragunov by her side to kill him. The competition doesn’t matter, they just want his blood.
Panordom tests them—and their dark sides—physically, mentally, and emotionally, with Foster present on the sidelines and when the former fling strains Leila and Dragunov’s love. Discovering Xander’s intention by using her to unleash an unworldly evil shifts their focus on solely getting vengeance. For everything to end, Leila confronts her most difficult decision ever.
Winner of Literary Titan’s Gold Award
Dueling with Snakes
Leila Wells had not had a great few years, but she knew exactly who to blame for the trouble, Bryan Foster. Now that she and her dark side, the Phoenix had decided his life must end, there was nothing anyone else could do to dissuade her. Fortunately, Lelia was surrounded by people with the same objective, others who had been hurt and beaten down and taunted by Foster, namely Dragunov, the Russian military agent who had saved her life two years ago and shared a similar dark side. As the world’s best fighters made their way toward Panordom for the Rulers of the Realms Fighting Tournament, Lelia, Dragunov, and their friends would have to use every tool in their power to remain focused if they want to fulfill their goal.
Dueling with Snakes, by Jessica Piro, is the third installment in the action-packed Phoenix trilogy. The book follows Lelia on her path to finally getting revenge for the pain and suffering she has suffered at the hands of Foster. Her support group is with her every step of the way, putting themselves at risk for the greater good. Lelia, the Phoenix, and Dragunov, the Dragon, make an imposing team as they enter the fighting tournament, with Lelia having a good deal of notoriety as the winner of the first one. This made for an exciting cast of characters that I enjoyed following.
Author Jessica Piro surrounds Lelia with a wide variety of characters representing a plethora of cultures and personalities, placing them all perfectly within the narrative of the book and crafting a complete world for them to exist in. Since this is the third book in the series, in order to fully enjoy the story I think it is best to read books one and two prior to reading this book. I feel that this book is deserving of five stars due to the groundwork laid in previous novels. Seeing the story and character arcs over the series gives you a much better appreciation for the things that happen in Dueling with Snakes. Since I have read both books, I know there is a lot of history to Lelia that was necessary to the plot, from how she ended up in Russia to her relationships with the other characters, to Foster’s involvement in her life and it made the story supremely enjoyable.
The author provides the reader with just the right amount of backstory without bogging down the pace of the book. The premise is well crafted and exciting, with Piro creating a significant buildup of tension that saw a release in all the right spots. I highly recommend this amazing series to those who enjoy a fast-paced and hard-hitting action.
Pages: 361 | ASIN: B0B2QJ2PR1
