Eric Van Allen’s The Phoenix is a novel that thrives on contrasts grief and hope, the mundane and the mystical, survival and transformation. At its core, it’s a story about family and resilience, but what sets it apart is its eerie yet comforting setting: a funeral home that becomes a sanctuary for lost souls, both literally and figuratively.

Callie Valentine is a protagonist readers will either admire or challenge. She’s guarded, sharp-witted, and often stubborn, but her flaws make her feel deeply human. Her younger siblings, Thomas and Jess, add emotional weight to her journey, reminding us that survival isn’t just about oneself but also about those we love. Victor Delamorte, the enigmatic mortician, is a character who lingers in the reader’s mind whether as a savior or something more ambiguous depends on how you interpret his presence.

The supernatural elements are subtle but effective. Lucy, with her chillingly beautiful dress that weaves the legend of the Phoenix, adds an almost gothic fantasy layer to the book. Unlike traditional paranormal stories, The Phoenix doesn’t lean on magic to solve its characters’ problems; instead, it uses mythology to mirror the internal battles they face.

While the novel’s pacing is steady, some moments could have been further developed particularly the emotional peaks. The writing is immersive, but at times, it feels like the story holds back just when it’s about to soar. That said, the themes of rebirth and second chances shine through, making it a novel that lingers after the last page.

For readers who enjoy atmospheric storytelling with a mix of raw emotion and quiet magic, The Phoenix is a compelling journey of loss, survival, and the hope that, like the legendary bird, we can rise again.

Sixteen-year-old Callie Valentine has lost a lot—her father died, and her mother abandoned her. She takes care of her younger siblings and trusts no one. When they’re evicted, a mysterious mortician named Victor Delamorte offers them a place to stay. Callie is suspicious but agrees. As she uncovers strange secrets about Delamorte and his assistant Lucy, she learns that Delamorte believes he can be brought back to life. Lucy, revealed as Death, warns Callie about a cursed device that ties Delamorte’s fate. Now, Callie must decide if she can trust him and help her family, or if she’ll be caught in something dangerous.

I absolutely loved this book!! I read it in one sitting, no breaks!! Callie is a very lovable character who will do absolutely anything to provide for her siblings. The way Eric wrote Callie, it makes you feel for her and truly feel like you’re the one experiencing all of this. Vic was just a sweetheart. I absolutely adored him and loved how he took the kids on as his own. This is my first time reading a book by Eric Van Allen, and I can 100% say this won’t be the last time. His writing style is really easy to read and very fast-paced. It’s easy to imagine the things going on as he explains them well. Beware to have your heart broken. I shed a few tears within the last 60 pages. The ending made up for those sad tears, as by the last page I was crying happy tears. This was such an amazing read. I’ve never read anything like this before. I’m itching for more. I can’t wait for the second book.

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In The Phoenix, sixteen-year-old Callie Valentine has spent her life distrusting others, especially after being abandoned and left to care for her siblings. When the enigmatic mortician Victor Delamorte offers them shelter in his funeral home, Callie is wary - especially of Lucy, the eerie beautician with a deadly touch. As Callie grows closer to Delamorte, she uncovers unsettling secrets, including a device that can supposedly bring back the dead. When it’s stolen, Callie must decide if she’s willing to risk everything to retrieve it.

This was a surprising read for me I have to say. I am not the biggest YA reader, so I went into this with lowered expectations, but was pleasantly surprised. Callie was a relatable main character and her love for her siblings and their reciprocal love back shone through. I liked how the supernatural elements in this unfolded and that it was a gradual sort of buildup until those were fully revealed at the end.

I did have to get used to the narration utilized in the book, but found that once I had, I didn’t have a problem immersing myself.

This is a fun read for YA fans that want something that’s atmospheric and not full-fledged complicated fantasy.

I just finished this book, and I have to say that I enjoyed it!

It was different than anything else I'd read lately, and it was a nice change of pace. I also found the main character relatable, even if she was frustrating at times, I understood her and why she acted the way she did.

"Were they somehow angry I'd been born? Honesty, there were times I felt the same way." - This is a quote that really stuck out to me, and part of why I find her relatable. There is a lot of honesty in this book when it comes to feelings of grief, loneliness and the struggles that the three children face.

There wasn't a lot that happened, but the book was still interesting and it was really about the characters and growth for me. I enjoyed all the characters for their own reasons (except for the money hungry assistant, but that's to be expected.). I enjoyed seeing the character growth. Callie learning to trust others and her journey was the main part of the book for me. The way she cared for her siblings, and the way they cared for her was very sweet. I also loved seeing the "found family" come into play. There were no romantic intersts for the main character and I love seeing that for a change. It was really just about her and her bonds with her family (found family included.)

The writing style was easy to read, and conversational in nature. It kept my interest.

There wasn't a lot of descriptions to picture things, but I am someone who has aphantasia and this was actually a nice break for me to not have to read a bunch of descriptions I wasn't able to picture. If you are someone who needs to vividly picture stuff, this might not be for you but if you're like me then I think you might really enjoy it!

Overall rating is 3.5, rounding it up to 4.

This book had a great plot with intriguing characters. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.

This YA book features a family of three children aged 16, 12, and 8, who wind up living with a very elderly gentleman in his funeral home. The narrator is 16 year old Callie Valentine who has been responsible for taking care of her siblings as her mother fell further into drugs. This young woman isn't a magically together, super-smart girl who has been a terrific provider while navigating around her mother; she attempts to steal (poorly) and has no idea what to do when the trio is evicted from their apartment.

Luck and magic come together in the form of Victor Delamorte, an elderly mortician, who offers the children temporary employment and eventual permanent shelter in his home above his mortuary. His gentle care and guidance finally give these children an adult to rely upon and teach them how to care for themselves as a family. The magic is in the form of funeral home beautician, Lucy, and the shadowy ghosts that Callie can see as well as the mystical burial casket hidden in a roomful of treasures. Magic, belief, and love intersect in the resolution of the book when the children care for Victor in his final days and then embark on a quest to fulfill his last wishes.

Victor's last days are a very realistic portrayal of someone dying at home with loved ones caring for them. It's a pretty big surprise for a YA title, yet that's one of the joys of a YA novel - exploring events that are terrible and beautiful and emotional before encountering them in adult life. There's just enough magic and mystery to help Callie make the leap into finally trusting first one adult, and then finally others.

Thank you Lurking Lucy Press for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The Phoenix by Eric Van Allen is a thrilling blend of mystery, supernatural intrigue, and heart. If you love creepy funeral homes, ancient magic, and a tough teenage heroine, this one's for you.

Sixteen-year-old Callie Valentine is no stranger to hardship. With her father gone and mother missing, she's raising her younger siblings alone. When they're evicted, mysterious mortician Victor Delamorte offers them a place to stay—but what does he really want?
The funeral home is packed with secrets: forbidden rooms, odd rules, and Lucy, the eerily elegant mortuary beautician. Callie senses something off, and she's right—especially when Lucy reveals she's the Grim Reaper and there's a cursed device capable of resurrection.
Eric Van Allen masterfully blends tension with heart. Callie is sarcastic, tough, and fiercely loyal, while Delamorte's hidden motives add layers to their bond. As his health fades, Callie faces an impossible task that could change everything.

If you want a YA novel with macabre vibes, dark humor, and a heroine who never quits, The Phoenix is a must-read. It's spooky, heartfelt, and impossible to put down—you'll never see funeral homes the same way again.

The Phoenix by Eric Van Allen is above all else a commentary on how easily children can fall between the cracks and be forgotten and severely neglected. It is a story about three children, Callie, Thomas and Jess who have lived in poverty most of their lives. Their father has passed, and their mother has slowly become a dysfunctional alcoholic.

Most of the story is told from the viewpoint of Callie, the sixteen-year-old, being the oldest of the three. She has become the primary caretaker of her mother, brother and sister. But like most teenagers, she has become very angry and negative about the cards she has been dealt with in life. Can you blame poor Callie? She is responsible for finding food for her brother and sister, getting them off to school, protecting them from her mother’s “Johns” and taking care of her mother.

Then one day, the kids return home to find an eviction lock on their apartment door. I can only wonder how many times this has happened before. Where is Mom? Nowhere to be found. Is she still in the apartment sleeping off her night of drinking? Or has something worse happened?

In walks Vic, he takes the kids in after realizing that they have been abandoned and have no clue what to do. He takes them to his mortuary, feeds them and provides them with shelter and his wisdom. Along with his companions Lucy and others, the children start to feel safe and loved. They fall into a routine of school, chores and church. What all children deserve.

Only Callie, being sixteen, angry and suspicious cannot follow the rules. She finds Vic’s secret device and must find out all his secrets. Callie also starts to have visions of the spirit world. Has she always had these or is it the new environment of living in a mortuary and taking daily walks in the cemetery? Or is Callie just in need of new glasses.

Sadly, Vic becomes ill, and the disease progresses more quickly than anticipated. The kids sadly must slowly watch him die. But considering their ages and maturity levels, I must say they deal with it better than most adults.

The real question remains, can the siblings honor Vic’s last dying wishes? Are they even real or as Cassie questions, the stories of a mad man with cancer who is out of his mind? You might not always like her, but she does make sense.

I compare Van Allen’s writing style to that of James Patterson. He fills poor Cassie with so much anger and confusion that the reader feels as if they are sixteen again.

While I felt the book was fast paced and action packed, I can see where especially young people may feel the story dragged on in some places.

I loved the spooky supernatural elements of the book, but I realize that may not be everyone’s cup of tea. The swearing may offend some people but I felt it showed the anger that Cassie felt.

I do not feel this book is for anyone who is sensitive to child abuse and neglect, it may stir some bad memories. The book graphically describes the smells of unsanitary living conditions and what it is like to go hungry, have lice, and live without air conditioning. This very much saddened me.

It should be said that not all foster homes are as bad as Cassie imagined. I wish all the kids could have been in much better living conditions.

My other criticism might be the timeline. In some parts of the book, the kids were with Vic for a year, but in other parts were with him for a month, I was never that sure. Or was that only Cassie’s confusion.

I look forward to future books about Vic and the device. Will they eventually all meet again? Can the device be shared? Or as Cassie says, just her imagination. Could this eventually be a sci-fi series?

Thank you to Netgalley and Lurking Lucy Press for the Advanced Readers Copy. All opinions are my own because I have freedom of speech.

Loved this book. The Phoenix tells the story of Callie Valentine as she faces loss and uncertainty after her mom "abandons" her and her two younger siblings. Callie shows resilience in the way she handles everything thrown at her. Callie experiences heartbreak and trauma while learning to trust and care for others. Death and dying are handled realistically enough and you care for the characters in this book. This is a story of rebirth that is rather unique in the telling, I haven't been able to think of another book I've read that would compare. There are parts that I struggled with, including how social services was handled. I understand the viewpoint of Callie in regard to social services, though, and it was interesting seeing it through the eyes of a child.

I will be recommending this book to others, including my grandchildren when they are old enough for the material within.

“The Phoenix” is the ground-breaking debut novel of Eric Van Allen. It narrates the story of a tough girl named Callie Valentine as she and her siblings edged their way through survival. She experiences a massive heartbreak as they were abandoned by their mother but showed incredible resilience to not give up. They come across a local mortician named Victor Delamorte who took them in and supported them as they change their lives for the better. But as the story goes on, Callie slowly unravels the mystical mysteries of Victor and his funeral home.

The way it was written was so engaging and the characters were very well written. The book is unlike anything I’ve read before and I loved it.

Thank you Net galley for this advanced copy. The opinions in this review are entirely my own.

I really liked this book not the usual book I go for but I’m so glad I did because it was a great read I would most definitely recommend it to my friends