Title: Iniquity (Ascent #1)
Author: Melody Winter
Publication Date: October 25th 2016
Genres: Fantasy, New Adult, Romance
Author: Melody Winter
Publication Date: October 25th 2016
Genres: Fantasy, New Adult, Romance
Rating: 5 out of 5 "I loved it!"
This book is rather sexually explicit and may not be suitable for some readers.
I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
Synopsis:
Athena Harrow is about to turn twenty-one, but there will be no celebration. What is there to celebrate when the world is ruled by demons?
She hates the darkness the demons brought with them and longs for the light to return to the world—a world she only vaguely remembers. The people in her forest village blindly accept the life the demons forced upon them, even tolerating the yearly ascension ceremony where all the girls who have turned twenty-one are either sent away to serve the Master Demon or left in the village and forced to procreate.
But Paymon, the assigned village demon, selects a different role for Athena, a role that pits her against the village. While she adapts to her new life, Erebus, a younger, more powerful demon, arrives, and Athena must play a dangerous game with his emotions in return for information about the demon’s reign of darkness.
As Athena’s dreams of restoring the light begin to fade, her life with Erebus takes an unexpected turn, and this time it’s her life being put to the test.
Set in the forest around Buttercrambe in North Yorkshire, England, Iniquity explores the frightening, darker side of romance and the uncontrolled emotions it can unleash.
She hates the darkness the demons brought with them and longs for the light to return to the world—a world she only vaguely remembers. The people in her forest village blindly accept the life the demons forced upon them, even tolerating the yearly ascension ceremony where all the girls who have turned twenty-one are either sent away to serve the Master Demon or left in the village and forced to procreate.
But Paymon, the assigned village demon, selects a different role for Athena, a role that pits her against the village. While she adapts to her new life, Erebus, a younger, more powerful demon, arrives, and Athena must play a dangerous game with his emotions in return for information about the demon’s reign of darkness.
As Athena’s dreams of restoring the light begin to fade, her life with Erebus takes an unexpected turn, and this time it’s her life being put to the test.
Set in the forest around Buttercrambe in North Yorkshire, England, Iniquity explores the frightening, darker side of romance and the uncontrolled emotions it can unleash.
My Thoughts
Wow. I have somehow managed to hit the jackpot of amazing books lately and Iniquity did not disappoint! I was sad at a few points during this book. I was devastated when it ended. Where is book two???
I liked that Athena was a very strong character. She had her own ideas and was definitely willing to stand up for her beliefs. I honestly loved that I have found a romance novel (which I RARELY read) with such a strong female character! Yes! I mean, I'm sorry, but I have a difficult time with purposefully weak women. As much as I liked Athena, Paymon was my favorite character. Winter hands us this beautifully written character who is meant to be a demon but is such a gentleman and is nothing short of a man of his word. Drool. And then Melody Winter happens to him, but that's way too much of a spoiler for me to give you.
Winter definitely has a talent for descriptions. I never misunderstood any descriptions in this novel and was blown away by how easily I knew the village and Paymon's home. This world seemed more real than my own at times! This was especially true in the battle scenes. I was never confused about how anyone attacked or who was attacked. All of the motions made sense for the characters involved and she stayed true to the demon's abilities. So believable!
Lastly, I want to comment on some of the sexual events in this book. Yes, they are quite explicit. She does all but draw us a diagram. However, I loved that these moments did not overpopulate the story and that the story was not based on the sexual moments. Yes, these characters have sex. They are husband and wife. Get over it. But I felt that Winter did a terrific job keeping these scenes within a loving and consensual tone. Typically, I don't like romance novels because they are so overly focused on the sex. Winter only uses it as necessary.
Author Bio
Growing up, Melody showed a natural ability in art, a head for maths, and a tendency to write too long English essays. Difficult to place in the world when she graduated, she pursued a career in teaching, but ended up working in finance. Melody is convinced the methodical times she spends working with numbers fuel her desire to drift into dream worlds and write about the illusory characters in her head.
Melody Winter lives in York, North Yorkshire, England with her husband and two sons. When not dealing with football, rugby, and a whole plethora of ‘boy’ activities, she will be found scribbling notes for her stories, or preparing for another trip to the nearby beaches at Scarborough and Whitby. With an obsession for anything mythical, Melody revels in reading and writing about such creatures.
Melody Winter lives in York, North Yorkshire, England with her husband and two sons. When not dealing with football, rugby, and a whole plethora of ‘boy’ activities, she will be found scribbling notes for her stories, or preparing for another trip to the nearby beaches at Scarborough and Whitby. With an obsession for anything mythical, Melody revels in reading and writing about such creatures.
Great review, Jessamine! This sounds like a fun read and very character driven, too! I also like that the sexual content actually seems like it belongs, and not just included for the sake of it. Glad you liked it! :)
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