The author very kindly sent the copy of the book in return for an honest review.

In this world, as it is in its present state, the absence of pain doesn’t equate to happiness, rather it gives a mirror image, a corrupted version that has no essence because it is through pain that one knows the value of joy.

Cycles of the Phoenix written by CA Nicholas is divided into three parts. The short stories in this book offer you a little bit of everything from magical realism to romance. When I first started reading the book, I have to confess that I was slightly nervous. The summary didn’t give too much information, I was entering into a whole new world with zero knowledge of what was to come. Having said that, it was quite a journey from the first to the last page.

Charlie’s writing is deep; it constantly gave me a feeling that a lot is happening than what met the eye. While penning the stories, the author tackles various topics ranging from heartbreak to regret in its raw form. Absolutely loved it. There were places where I was slightly lost and writing felt slightly muddled. However, the positivity and strength in these stories made up for it. Something that personally stood out to me was the brief description of each story which the author gave at the beginning. It was a trailer which pumped me up for what was to come.