This was a good novella, and I was surprised to find that it really changed my outlook on Sam. In the first two books of the series, I was viewing him as this wise, steady musical genius who had a fierce love for Ana and was kind of her solid rock through a lot of what's been going on. In this novella, which takes place before the reincarnations begin, Sam is a young child, hated by his father and grieving over the loss of his mother. In their survival-first society, there's no room for a dreamy kid obsessed with music and good at little else. Sam is scared, and because I'm expecting him to act like the preternaturally mature reincarnated version of himself, the (dare I call it?) cowardice and uncertainty were at odds with his characterization as we know it.And yet, going into Infinite and reading about Sam's struggles and seeing some of that same fear reappear, it just made him more human. Some of these characters have been so perfect, so wise, so skilled that they just didn't seem real. Sam's fear in this novella enhanced his characterization in Infinite, and made me like him even more. I don't think I've ever had a novella that I finished that actually stirred my emotions like this one did. I'm a huge fan of Sam so seeing his first life and how everything became with Janan was so intriguing and I enjoyed going on that journey. I have never gotten attached to a new character or cared so much what happens to them in a Novella before either until now, but Fayden creeped into my hurt and his impact of Sam's life is one that will definitely stay with me. Definitely a novella you do NOT want to miss out on if you are a fan of the Newsouls trilogy!
What do You think about Phoenix Overture (2013)?
This cover is absolutely stunning; I'm absolutely speechless!
—Tizziegh
An absolutely engrossing look at the world before Ana. Yes.
—flasker
