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.
Website | Facebook | Twitter

Review: Scalding Ice and Goldfire by Avie Adams

Title: Scalding Ice and Goldfire
Author: Avie Adams
Series: Lost Souls
Publication: December 30th 2016
Genre: Dark Fantasy Romance
Purchase: Amazon
Rating: 5/5

A girl of fire should never fall for a man of ice.
When Lyvie accepts a silly bet to kiss a random Reviver in the Tower of Whims, she doesn’t know the first thing about men. Then she chances upon one who becomes her obsession.

Only she couldn’t have chosen worse.

In hot pursuit of a man as handsome as he is cold, she abandons her best friend and ignores mounting perils in her new chapel, ultimately sacrificing her pride to secure his attention. Blinded by infatuation, she overlooks a Reviver who undertakes to mend her life before it unravels completely… whose unstinting aid goes far beyond friendship.

Navigating the twisted path of desire, Lyvie soon discovers that in the glamorous Tower of Whims, people obey only one law - that of attraction. And one rule.

That there are no rules.

"Scalding Ice and Goldfire" is a standalone dark fantasy romance set in the world of Malvaar, and is best enjoyed after "Incanta" and "Reviver Amond".

When I started writing this review I didn't expect it would end up this long. This book was just so good! ♥

The Lost Souls series by Avie Adams has turned into my new favorite series that I've read this year. It's the biggest surprise for me of the year as well. These books are true gems. And this one, Scalding Ice and Goldfire ended up being my favorite of them all. I absolutely loved it and could not put the book down. 

This book takes place around the same time as Incanta Soul-Catcher but revolves mainly about Lyvie, a new Incanta who got a place with a Reviver in a chapel where she doesn't have it easy at all being a second Incanta to the first Incanta loaths her and really has it out for Lyvie. In the meanwhile she gets hopelessly infatuated with the coldhearted Zeitlin (who we also know from Incanta)

As flawed as she was, I really liked Lyvie. She really goes through hell during this book, but we can also see a big change in her towards the end. It was such great character developement! Her obsession with Zeitlin was quite intense, slightly extreme and sometimes I wondered why she did this to herself but it all did serve a purpose in the end, which I was glad about.

I'm also glad this book delved more into the character of Zeitlin because it made me look at him in a whole different way than I did in Incanta. He has suffered so many awful things in his life so I understand him more now and his decisions. It totally changed my whole perspective of him.

There were so many new secondary characters that I just loved. Mari and Ree were my two favorites. As well as Kair, who I thought was pretty brilliant. Mari was such a good friend to Lyvie and I just really adored Ree and kept wishing he would end up with Lyvie (of course I won't say if they do end up together. No spoilers!)

And just like I said before in my reviews of the other books, the writing is absolutely gorgeous. My opinion on that will probably never change. It's a delight to read this book word for word, page after page, chapter after chapter. 

Overall, Scalding Ice and Goldfire by Avie Adams was yet another great addition to the Lost Souls series. The world the author has created is so very unique and addictive. I really can't get enough these dark fantasy books. I loved it! 

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

Reviver Amond - 4.5 stars

About Avie:
At school, Avie busied herself with drawing comics about escaping school. It wasn't an option, of course.
So she'd escape into reading. Her first reads were pure fantasy: fairy tales, preferably ambiguous, as well as myths from around the world and pretty much anything with a dark fantasy element in it.
She never thought she would write, but creating living and breathing dark worlds was too much of a temptation.
For artwork and updates visit www.avieadams.com

Review: Reviver Amond by Avie Adams

Title: Reviver Amond
Author: Avie Adams
Series: Lost Souls #0.5
Publication: May 16th 2016
Genre: Dark Fantasy
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
Rating: 4.5/5

Some women call me a cold bastard, but not to my face.

They are half wrong. Men like me are born in the twilight, live in the shadow, and die in darkness. I have no destiny, save for repaying the debt we owe to the Daemons. This is not to say I am cold – only principled...

Forced into a bitter dismissal of his debauched Incanta, Reviver Amond grudgingly sets out to find another, but his cynicism cracks as he chances upon an innocent girl with a pure voice.

His luck, however, is tinged with misfortune.

Reviver Grym, his corrupt, sworn enemy is also hell-bent on winning the girl called Cytriah. Amidst the fierce rivalry that breaks out between them, Amond’s orderly world disintegrates into an appalling revelation: Grym is hardly a threat to Cytriah.

The worst could happen if Cytriah ended up in his own hands…

Prequels can either be a hit or miss with me. Luckily I thought this book was very much a hit. Reviver Amond was exactly the prequel I needed after reading the first book, Incanta Soul-Catcher. Amond was one of my favorite characters so I loved reading more about him and having some questions answered.

I read this book in less than a day and even so I took my time with it. This wasn't a very long book but I thought it was really fleshed out and just excellent. Shorter books can often feel very rushed, but this definitely wasn't the case with this one, which made me really happy. 

The writing, again, was absolutely beautiful. I think I could read thousands of pages with the author's writing and still it wouldn't be enough. 

Overall, Reviver Amond was obviously a fantastic read and such a great prequel. I loved it just as much as Incanta. I simply can't get enough of this dark and unique world. It's so very intriguing and jumping into these books is just so enjoyable.  

At school, Avie busied herself with drawing comics about escaping school. It wasn't an option, of course.
So she'd escape into reading. Her first reads were pure fantasy: fairy tales, preferably ambiguous, as well as myths from around the world and pretty much anything with a dark fantasy element in it.
She never thought she would write, but creating living and breathing dark worlds was too much of a temptation.
For artwork and updates visit www.avieadams.com

Review: Incanta - Soul-Catcher by Avie Adams

Title: Incanta - Soul-Catcher
Author: Avie Adams
Series: Lost Souls #1
Publication: November 13th 2014
Genre: Dark Fantasy
Purchase (FREE): Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
Rating: 4.5/5

Darkness rules her life. A pitiless man wants her body. A Daemon craves her heart.
Cytriah is a talented soul-catcher – her songs can enslave souls in dead bodies.
It’s not a gift, or a curse.
It’s what’s expected of girls born on Daemon-controlled Malvaar Island, where failure is punishable with the worst any woman can fear.
Whilst Cytriah strives to join the elite of soul-catchers, a chilling secret from her past rips her life apart. Trapped between dangerous men, she’s left with one choice: to pact with a Daemon.
It is forbidden.
And it may bring her something far worse than death…

If you're looking for complex, character-driven dark fantasy with a strong heroine, twists, thorny romance, and black magic, download "Incanta" today.

When I started Incanta - Soul-Catcher I wasn't really sure what I was getting into. And I wasn't actually sure what was going on at first, either. It took me a few chapters to really grasp it all, which is why I gave it 4.5 stars instead of the full 5. But the more I read about the complex and intricate world of Daemon-controlled Malvaar Island, the more engaged and fascinated I became with it. This story was so unqiue, so special. It's a top favorite of mine now.

What struck me instantly, though, was the beautiful and lyrical writing. I practically devoured the pages because of this. Also, the world-building was very much on point for me. I loved it all!

As for the characters... I really like the main character, Cytriah. I really felt bad for everything that was happening to her and what had happened to her in the past. She wasn't perfect. She makes some bad decisions, though she means well, and is flawed but that's kind of why I liked her so much.  

I was also surprised by the character of Almond. At first I didn't expect him to be a major character in the story, for some odd reason. But I absolutely loved his relationship with Cytriah and how it slowly morphed into something more. 

Overall, Incanta - Soul-Catcher by Avia Adams has got to be one of the biggest surprises of the year for me. It took me a little while to really get into the story but once I did I barely could put the book down. It was such a captivating story and deliciously dark. I would very highly recommend it.

At school, Avie busied herself with drawing comics about escaping school. It wasn't an option, of course.
So she'd escape into reading. Her first reads were pure fantasy: fairy tales, preferably ambiguous, as well as myths from around the world and pretty much anything with a dark fantasy element in it.
She never thought she would write, but creating living and breathing dark worlds was too much of a temptation.
For artwork and updates visit www.avieadams.com