29 September 2011

(ARC) YA Book Review: The Mephisto Covenant by Trinity Faegan










Release Date:27 September 2011
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Source: Publisher via NetGalley

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Goodreads description:
Sasha is desperate to find out who murdered her father. When getting the answer means pledging her soul to Eryx, she unlocks a secret that puts her in grave danger—Sasha is Anabo, a daughter of Eve, and Eryx’s biggest threat.

A son of Hell, immortal, and bound to Earth forever, Jax looks for redemption in the Mephisto Covenant—God’s promise he will find peace in the love of an Anabo. After a thousand years, he’s finally found the girl he’s been searching for: Sasha.

With the threat of Eryx looming, Jax has to keep Sasha safe and win her over. But can he? Will Sasha love him and give up her mortal life?
My Thoughts...

I may be in the minority on this one, but I honestly enjoyed this book.  It really seems to be a love it or hate it kind of a book and luckily for me I fell into the former category.  For me, this felt like the great beginning to what has the potential to turn into a great series of books.  There was sexy romance and action--and I really enjoyed it. It wasn't perfect by any means, but I felt pulled into the pages and flew through the story. I also really enjoyed Ms. Faegan's unique spin on the heaven/hell angel/demon mythology that has been prevalent as of late. She definitely brought something new to the table!

The book starts off with a bang as Ms. Faegan takes us right into the action. We're instantly thrust into a dark world of deception, intrigue, and darkness. Sasha's deceased father was an international insurance agent--or so Sasha believed.  She's desperate to find out who killed him and why, which brings her into the circle of The Ravens, an exclusive group of teenagers led by her mother's now ex-boyfriend.  What Sasha learns as a result of her chance encounter with the group shocks her--and isn't as much of a "chance encounter" as she believed it to be.  They were looking for her. As Sasha is thrust into the dark world of the Mephisto, she must learn to cope with many firsts--anger, darkness, and even, maybe, love.

I'm a sucker for a romance story so maybe that's what captured my attention with this one. I enjoyed reading about Jax and Sasha and watching each of them grow and change.  I didn't connect with them as individuals on an overly deep level like I do with some characters, but I liked following their story and watching their relationship grow.  There was a good amount of growth in each character as they learned to love and embrace the good and bad aspects of each other. Sasha, the paragon of beauty and goodness, must learn to cope with dark emotions and emerging strength.  At the same time, Jax must learn what it really means to fall in love with someone--not just  want to be with someone because that person is "meant for you."

There is definitely a lot going on in The Mephisto Covenant, so if you're going to dive in, be prepared to clear some time to take this story in.  Ms. Faegan will keep you on your toes with ongoing action. There are definitely times when she is throwing a lot of information at you that's important for understanding the story, and I'll admit that it can seem a bit cumbersome. Also note--this is definitely a novel for older YA readers (16+) as it includes violence and detailed sexual encounters.  Ms. Faegan is not a "fade to black" writer when it comes to these things.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story.  I think that it marks the beginning to what has the potential become an engaging series.

3 comments:

Beth said...

This is the first review I have read on it. Sounds good. I like things that are a little deeper though, because most YA feel like they only skim the surface.

Beth ^_^
http://sweetbooksnstuff.blogspot.com/

Krazzyme said...

This book is literally sitting on my shelf.I started reading it but the writing style turned me off.Also,it seems very predictable and I stopped as soon as the main character realised that she was in love with the guy after meeting him for the second time.If you say it's good I'll try giving it another shot.


Krazyyme @ Young Readers

Kristi Book Faery said...

Great review, Jessi! I did mine yesterday! You'll have to come by and check it out.

I liked your take on Sasha learning to cope with darker emotions. What do you think of Mephistoles? All I could really find was that in German folklore he is considered the gatekeeper of hell. Kind of a fairytale type thing. I noticed a lot of people are writing about him as a mythological character but  I couldn't find anything on him.

I enjoyed your review although I liked it a lot more, LOL!

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