Review: Women Breaker by Avie Adams

Title: Women Breaker
Author: Avie Adams
Series: Lost Souls (Standalone)
Publication: July 16, 2018
Genre: Dark Fantasy
Purchase Links: Amazon
Rating: 5/5★

She faces a dark future. He runs from his cruel past. Born without a singing voice on an island where incantations earn livelihood, Torril is no stranger to humiliation and abuse. Yet her future is even bleaker… As soon as she’s of age, she’ll be enslaved to Somer, the ruler of Malvaar, known for his wanton cruelty and a taste for violence.

Finding this out pushes Torril over the edge. She gets a blade and plots to murder Somer on their first encounter.

Up in the top echelons of Malvaarian society, Umaren is stuck in a downward spiral of darkness. He's powerful, widely feared... and tortured by his grim past. When he visits Somer, on the same day Torril is presented as Somer’s new slave, he's only looking for a servant, preferably a man.
But he's given Torril instead, and it's hardly a coincidence.

Could a damaged girl be the only hope for a destructive man? Or will the demons of his past rip apart their future?

Oh my, I didn't think this book could top my love for Scalding Ice and Goldfire, which was the previous book I read but as of right now Women Breaker is my third favorite book of the year. This is actually a really big deal because I haven't read that many books that I rated with five stars. I loved it!

This story is about Torril and Umaren. Torril is a broken promise, which means she doesn't have any talent for singing or writing incantations. Her only passion is drawing but the only thing she is deemed good for is to be a promise bearer and have children against her will. This, of course, is totally terrifying and awful for Torril and she sees no other way out than to kill the leader of Malvaar the 'High Bastard.' But through some unexpected events she ends up as the servan of Umaren who everyone knows him as 'Women Breaker.'

You can probably guess that this is a very dark book. I can tell you that Umaren has done some really despicable things but I also saw right away that there was hope for him and that hope came as Torril. And Torril has got to be my favorite female characters ever. She has a subtle deviance that I just adored. She wasn't afraid to show some backbone, especially where Umaren was concerned. As afraid for herself as she was, she really wanted to be useful so badly. I loved how she tried to help Umaren even when he would be rude and coarse to her. Eventually he did warm up to her and the chemistry between them was amazing to read about. 

Let's talk about the writing next. I think I've said it before in previous reviews but the writing in these books is one of the most beautiful I've ever read. I just love it so much. And I gotta say, the end of this book made me very excited to see what author comes up with next for Malvaar and its people in it. All the books set in this world are pure gems that I just think everyone needs to read.

Overall, Women Breaker was a powerful and intricate story about love, hope and redemption. Avie Adams has never dissapointed me with her dark, complex and unconventional love stories set in the world of Malvaar, which is equally dark, complex and unconventional. I'd highly recommend it for fans of Pepper Winters' dark romance books or Jay Kristoff's Nevernight series. 

Find my reviews of the other books here:
Incanta Soul-Catcher —  4.5★

Reviver Amond — 4.5★

Scalding Ice and Goldfire — 5/5★

About Avie:
Hazelnut latte addict. One sleep-starved mother. Ex-manga & anime fanatic and retired MMORPG player. Disorganized perfectionist. An accidental writer, spending more time in the dark corners of her mind than recommended by the doctor. I live on the south coast of England, several stone’s throws from Brighton.
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