Author: M.J. Jackson
Publication: July 14, 2026 by YSK Meridian Press
Genre: Fantasy, Mythology
Find it on: Amazon
Rating: 3/5★
I’ve fallen in love thousands of times, and in my hands I hold only ash…
Phoenix has walked beside humanity for thousands of years, treading the thin line between life and death. As a god bound to shepherd departing souls beyond this realm he bears witness to humanity’s endless cycle of beauty, violence, and loss. Love is his constant to fall for mortals, and to watch them fade.
Then he meets Amber.
She is mortal, brilliant, broken, burning with fierce desire, an artist and healer trying to survive a world unravelling under quiet catastrophes. With her, intimacy becomes rebellion, love becomes temptation.
As modern cities crumble under war, disease, and despair, Phoenix must choose between duty and desire, order and chaos, eternity and one impossible human connection. But gods who forget their limits have fallen before, and for the first time in eternity, the rules that hold reality together begin to fray.
Phoenix is a dark, sensual urban fantasy about love at the edge of time, the cost of immortality, and what happens when even a god wants more than he’s allowed.
Part 1 of the A Pantheon of Fire and Ash series. No part of this story was written or generated using AI.
I enjoyed the blend of mythology with the more urban setting. I liked the contrast between an ancient god who has seen humanity for thousands of years and the modern world he now finds himself in. I also liked that he was a god whose role was to guide deceased humans into the afterlife.
Aside from all these good aspects of the story I must admit I was quite confused by the story in general. There were moments when I struggled to follow what was happening and I sometimes felt like I was missing pieces of the bigger picture. At only 116 pages, it’s a very quick read which may have been part of the issue. I think the story could have used a bit more world-building and character development in general.
Overall, Phoenix by M.J. Jackson was an interesting and unique read. Despite some confusion, I enjoyed the mythology and the ideas behind the story.
About the author:M. J. Jackson is an Australian writer. His stories move across genres, from contemporary and literary fiction to fantasy, science fiction, and darker edges of the unreal. Grounded in the quiet choices people make when certainty falls away, each tale’s meaning is explored through connection and transformation rather than by design, and characters who insist on being followed where they lead.
