IT&amp;#8217;S HARD FOR Elissa to comprehend everything that has happened to her. In <i>Elissa&amp;#8217;s Quest</i>, she discovered the truth about her father, and she and her new friend, Maya, just barely escaped a madman&amp;#8217;s clutches. And Elissa&amp;#8217;s Gift is not only growing in power . . . it&amp;#8217;s changing. Elissa could always speak to animals, but now she&amp;#8217;s able to control other things in the natural world. But when Elissa becomes separated from her friend and her faithful donkey, she embarks on a perilous voyage that introduces her to others who have special Gifts, too. It&amp;#8217;s almost as if an unseen hand is guiding her to the pieces of the prophecy . . . the Prophecy of the Phoenix. The climax is building! In Book 2 of the Phoenix Rising trilogy, Erica Verrillo manages to make us laugh while falling even more deeply in love with a fabulous, strong, girl coming of age.<br /> <br /> <br /> <i>From the Hardcover edition.</i>