They took everything from him. Even his name.Elex is a slave even though his father is King of Alexandria. Disinherited once his elemental magic developed, he was banished to the Alexandrian Legion to "learn his place" at the non-existent mercies of his new masters. Humiliated and abused, he learns the hard way that he can't always protect the ones he loves.
Now the time of the Machi Thanatos approaches, a deadly competition where Legionnaires must battle their foes and each other for the dubious honor of a lifetime of slavery at the hands of Elusians, Alexandrians with the ability to control Elex and his fellow Mageians by Suppressing their ability to use magic.
Elex will fight to the death to protect himself and those he loves, but during the Machi he meets Helios, a shapeshifting Soma from the rebel country of Illyria. Helios will fight for what he loves, too, and this savagely fierce little Mageian is quickly adding his name to that list.
Separately they are two victims of the whims of Alexandrian Elusians. Together, they may discover a secret that could topple an empire.
This gay romance/urban fantasy novel features sexy shifters, a fiercely loyal and protective MC, interfering deities, and found family.
This was a brilliant series opener. This first step in Elex and Hel's journey already has me hooked. They were wonderful characters trapped in a horrible world, but they are coming into their own, and I can't wait to see what they do next.
To be honest, I’m not even sure how to rate this one. 4.5 stars for the first 60% and 1 star for the last 40%?
I began this story a little confused, got into it and was really truly enjoying it, and then as soon as the love interests met, the whole story tipped off the side and left me reeling. By the time I finished this, I truly couldn’t decide how I wanted to feel about it. Excited, disappointed, confused?
The story has magic, Hunger Games elements, chosen ones, fated mates, and a really neat world (even if I truly had no sense of timing and therefore what they were even wearing until about 60% of the way through). And then when Elex and Helios finally meet… the whole plot and characters I’d come to know were flipped into something completely different. It felt as though I read a completely different story from the beginning.
Would I go back in time and still read this book, knowing what I know now? I’m honestly not sure. Probably not.
See below for the four criteria I use to decide whether and when to read a book
CHARACTERS: I truly enjoyed Elex and Luke. I loved their bond and reading what they went through throughout their childhood and then once they became mage slaves? It’s a lot. It’s not an easy read (think C.S. Pacat style of writing). It’s honestly something I enjoy reading, because I love intense. But the moment the Elex and Helios met, Elex’s character just… felt like a completely different character. It truly made no sense to me. And the way Helios was treating this formidable warrior and survivor and powerful mage was so odd: belittling and reductive. He went from a really powerful force on the page to this like… angry squirrel. I despised that Helios kept reducing him to a kitten and wouldn’t stop going on about his height. It just… it made no sense. Even Helios didn’t make much sense after they met based on how he’d been portrayed in his scenes until that moment. There was no chemistry between them which was so sad because I’d been waiting so long for them to meet. And after the deeply intense moments (very triggering and graphic), it felt like the whole story and how profound and intense it was just took a back seat. So for the last 40% of the book I was…. Wildly confused and disappointed. Similarly, Luke suddenly took a back seat and became this invisible side character which… no. I was too invested in his relationship with his brother and missed him.
PLOT: The idea that Elex and Helios need to meet because they have the power to overthrow the evil overlord that is Elex’s father is a great set up. The idea of somas being a match to mages is also fun. The world is very harsh and the story starts out in a weird place: slowly with far too much ‘prologue’. I couldn’t actually figure out why one section was considered prologue because it just went into the rest of the story and felt too early for the story itself. And then everything begins to ramp up as we see Elex and Luke go through their trials and Helios end up in the same place as them to finally meet. And then… it just… stops? It’s a quick ‘this is how we’re all going to escape’ and for the most part it happens too easily while Helios and Elex become completely different characters. At one point, Helios even says something to Elex about two characters that we don’t meet until a couple of chapters later, which left me super confused.
EMOTIONAL INTENSITY: There is no good/bad here. Sometimes I just want a low-investment entertainment read whereas other times a high-stakes 'I need a therapist to recover' is what I need.
5 of 5/high. Unfortunately this is the source of my disappointment. It felt like two different books in one. The first 60% is an incredible nod to Captive Prince by CS Pacat with Hunger Games elements, it’s dark and gritty and emotionally intense. And then the last 40% felt like the whole story got thrown out to fall back on turning the two main characters into caricatures to fit popular tropes. So I was super sad.
CATHARTIC FULFILLMENT: Is the emotional journey worth it? Do I finish this book feeling that I've crested the wave of the climactic moment and everything has been settled, leaving me settled and fulfilled?
0%. I never got to see the characters we first meet finish their quest together. Nothing really got wrapped up at all. I was incredibly disappointed and frustrated at the end of this book.
Reviewed for Love Bytes – 4 hearts. The Alexandria King is a brutal, vengeful man. After several tragedies, Elex – one of many illegitimate sons of the King, finds himself in the Legion, subjected to the whims of his Elusian masters. Meanwhile, Helios works to restore the balance between good and evil. Elex and Hel barely survive individually, but together they could make the forces of evil regret their actions. Elex is the first book in the Sons of Hecate series. The remainder are billed to be published in 2024 – so the wait shouldn’t be long. Within the information received for a review, the author also suggests that Elex is a rags-to-riches standalone tale that does not end on a cliffhanger, with the tagline - Alone, they are victims. Together, they may topple an empire. Umm, yeah. The devil is in the detail here, and the statement blurs a few lines. The series may be rags-to-riches, but this installment is primarily rags. Other characters get the riches. Then again, that is also dependent on one’s interpretation of riches. There’s a battle to be won, but toppling an empire is a more significant arc over the series. As for this story being a standalone that doesn’t end on a cliffhanger – elements of the tale are completed, and yeah, I suppose one could read this story and be happy. However, not all the loose ends are tied up; characters carry over, and there are hints for what will come. In short, the tags are like the Barbosa lines of a contract. Anyhoo, this was a tale that I enjoyed. The story is told in the first person from the viewpoints of Hel and Elex. Technically, it is in good order, although, towards the end, I think there is a mix-up of similar names because I had a WTF moment where I believed one man was dead, and then he appeared in the next paragraph, breathing. Then again, the manuscript I read may not be the final and I could have misinterpreted it. As this story is the first of the series, there is a lot of worldbuilding and backstory for individual characters. Some added little to the current book, so I can only assume they are used in future installments. NOTE: - Many scenes are graphic. While actual torture and rape are fade-out behind closed doors, there’s enough in there to make me feel uncomfortable – as it should be. However, be warned, if you are the slightest bit squeamish and can’t stand descriptions of skin being peeled and flayed, you may wish to skim-read those sections. Hel and Elex are awesome characters. Elex is a survivor. Hel has survived, and both have been through hell. While much of the narrative is spent on their journey towards each other – their potential is only demonstrated briefly – which left me disappointed. Nevertheless, I can’t wait to read future novels to see the full force of their union come into play. The extended cast contains a mix of personalities from the good, scared, downtrodden, and survivors to the sadistic who deserve to rot in a sewer. In conclusion, Elex is a good start to a promising series that has the potential to be great. This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes.
ELEX is the first book in the Sons of Hecate series and it's going to be a good one!
Elex is the son of a king and a slave woman, so doesn't have many (if any) rights. Helios is an Illyrian, fighting against Elex's king. Just how are these two supposed to meet?
It's a long story and most of it is with the two of them being in separate places. They both go through hell, getting scars on the inside and out. You spend more time with Elex as he grows up and enters his training than you do with Helios, but the time with Helios is well spent. It is dark, dealing with torture and rape, as well as other sensitive subjects, so please be warned.
This book had the potential to be a 5-star read, even with the amount of world-building and setting up it had to do. What stopped it for me was a problem with the timeline, specifically in chapters 16 and 17. It jumps back and forth in a way that it shouldn't, dropping characters' names before they've even been introduced, caring for 60 Magoians before they've been found, and going out to recon the city and ending right back in the tunnels before going out. It all made sense, it just needed to be in the right order.
Even with that, it was still a great story that I enjoyed and have no hesitation in recommending. I can't wait to read the second book.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books! Jun 13, 2024
This book is … well, I guess you’d call it grimdark. There is a whole lot of rape, torture, abuse, incest, slavery, and murder. Mageia, such as Elex, are slaves. They are either sent to brothels to be raped and abused or given to ‘masters,’ private citizens who own them and may do as they please with them or, if they’re lucky, they are given to the Legion. There, they are abused, raped, beaten, starved, rented out to brothels, and trained to use their magic to kill — usually one another. The Legion is designed to break their spirits, to destroy their pride, and instill in them obedience and fear. It’s not a pleasant place, and many horrible things happen to the characters, on page and off.
As someone who does enjoy grimdark and darker stories, I enjoyed a lot of this book, except for the lack of world building, which still bothers me. The romance shows up late in the book and is a given thanks to the interference of the gods, which means there isn’t much buildup between the first meeting and the first fucking. It’s instant attraction and then down to business. Still, this is a solid book, very readable, with strong and sympathetic characters. It won’t be for everyone, but if you give it a try, I hope you enjoy it.
If you can make it past the absolutely gut-wrenching and depressing first half, this book will blow your fucking mind.
Please don't judge this book by it's mid cover or the vague blurb. I loved how everything in Rourke's world had clearly been conceptualized and established - that she gradually eased her readers into its society throughought the story rather than shoving everything down their throats in the prologue. I feel like anything I say might spoil something, so I'll just say that it's best to go in blind & with an open mind for this one. This is technically a dark romance novel, but I was honestly more invested in the plot and learning about the different Mageia.
Everytime you think you know where it's going, it does go there, but not in the way you'd expect.
Special shoutout to KU for recommending me something decent (lets be honest, excellent) for once🙏🏽
Shifters, royalty, semi-modern, people with elemental power, magic, found family, dystopian, GAY
What a struggle bus. For me, the reader, and the characters both! I was ok with the trigger warnings and don’t consider myself sensitive but man….. the main character was r*ped and tortured by his half brother in the book. It doesn’t go into explicit detail but it’s enough that it’s there. But what bothers me almost as much is that I’m at 54% and the two main characters haven’t even met yet. The main character Kat/Elex is just nonstop crapped on. It’s wearing. This book doesn’t feel like romance, it feels like torture p*rn. And it’s not just him, it feels like the whole world is filled with either evil guys or the unlucky ones who just have constantly terrible things happen to them.
I will say the author is obviously talented and it’s well edited. It’s just not what I wanted or expect when I started it.
The author has created an interesting world here, ruled by a vicious and capriciously violent King who enjoys his power over others even his own concubines and offspring. One son Maalik, takes after his father and his rule promises to be just as cruel, if not worse. Unfortunately, he has underestimated another son, Elex. Elex has been sent away to become a sort of slave/gladiator, destined to die. A meeting with Helios, his soulmate, however, awakens powers in both of them that will make the King and Maalik feel the wrath and power of those they have oppressed. This is a dark, brutal world with very intruguing characters and the snippet of book two at the end makes me very excited to read it.
When I read the blurb hurt this one, I was intrigued. Elex by Mellanie Rourke was a fantasy story that had me hooked from the beginning. There was quite a bit of world building which can sometimes drag the story down. I didn’t feel that until around 70%. Some of the events seemed a little out of order which was slightly confusing. Plus, Elex and Helios did not meet until more than halfway through the book which rushed the romance.
However, the story is very interesting and I’m looking forward to reading book 2. I think that the story may be even better as the world building is set. I am hoping to learn a little more about Illyria and the Soma/mageia connection. I’m really looking forward to Luke’s story.
I rarely leave reviews because I don’t want to harm authors ratings in this system with my pickiness. I don’t think 5 is a broad enough rating system. But I really enjoyed this books and wanted to encourage others to read it.
It’s not for the faint of heart because it has lots of triggers. But that is what makes the characters so relatable and well formed. The romance is secondary to the character development but still fulfilling. I really enjoyed this slow burn MM sort of apocalyptic fantasy. My only critique is you got a mixed sense of time period. But since it is a fictional world, it is still relatable.
This is the first book that I have read by Melanie Rourke and I must say that I am impressed by the writing. The blurb doesn’t do Justice to the complexity of the world building or the plot. Very smooth and readable story that follows Elex from a quite young age as he slowly becomes more aware of the world around him and the lies that he has been told. This book has a very interesting take on magic and I really am looking forward to where this tale goes.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I don’t usually write reviews but this book was too good not to get the praise it deserves. Seriously, I just finished it and can’t wait for the next one to come out. Elex (Kat) and Helios were wonderful characters, you couldn’t help but love and root for them. They both had such loyalty for the ones they cared for. Kat especially had it rough and a few times it was hard to read what he went through. Although I honestly wouldn’t change a thing about this story. The world building and side characters were done top notch. I can assure you that you will absolutely love this book if you give it a try.
There’s some serious epic potential here, and I mean that in all kinds of ways— memorable personalities, intriguing world building that puts forth a dark, twisted, ruthless world with plenty of sharp edges, and Elex and Helios— characters who just might change everything. All in all, this is an easy narrative to get caught up in and I look forward to seeing where things go in the next book. 4.5 stars.
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
This book was so good. It created a new world and everything was developed really well and at a great pace. Heed the T/W because it definitely gets heavy.
Some of the vocab did get a little confusing at times but there is a glossary in the back.
I love a good in depth story that really pulls you in and wondering what is happening! This did that so well. I’m excited to dive into the next book to see what happens next and how this war continues.
A new to me author and I was really impressed with this brilliant series starter. Elex and Helios are wonderful characters. Set in a past world that the author has made unique in their own way. The plot is an interesting roller coaster of a journey and I can't wait for the next in series.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is a new to me author and the first book of a series and I really enjoyed it, I thought the world building was good and I really loved the two MCs in this story. Elex and Helios are definitely stronger together, looking forward to book two next, but also this book definitely has dark elements so please check out the trigger warnings for it.
His father may be king but he has been enslaved by a cruel master, his father sent himself away. He believes he cannot keep those he loves safe and his life is so very hard. He believes he will never be safe again. Can he be? What if his father dies? Will he then become king? Will he find someone who will save him? See how he gets on
Elex, the first book in the Sons of Hecate series, is also my first book of the author, Mellanie Rourke. And it's quite a depressing journey for the unfortunate souls who are not Eulysians. Mellanie Rourke certainly created a very detailed and unique world and a story that was engaging and a page-turner.
The world building, the characters, the writing- all of it was perfect. Heed the trigger warnings. There is SA on page, from a position of power and familial. But there is no way I'm going to be kept from the rest of this series.
It felt like two different authors and the switch happened shortly after the Calling. It was tragic and a lot of death and torture, then suddenly it was cutesy and the characters acted as if they didn’t go through anything traumatic. Not my fav for that reason.
A wonderful kick-start to this angst-dark world. the characters bring out the strength within each other. you see what he will do to stop the abuse from his family. looking forward to next one