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Infaust
A witch with a dead familiar is an outlier and an ill-omen to every village they pass through. Rehan Nadir is one such witch. The only jobs available to him are terrible ones, and vagrancy is his only recourse… At least, it was until he heard tell of the town of Hamelin’s plight. Stories of a malicious entity, a chaos god, have tormented the village for hundreds of years, and like clockwork tragedy has struck once more: while the adults gathered elsewhere, the children were spirited away. No trace of them has been seen since. The town is desperate to bring them back. Very desperate.
Finding and returning the lost children would be just the thing to give Rehan a new chance at the life he lost after the death of his familiar, and if all it takes is killing a god of chaos, then he’s more than ready to take the plunge and open that door.
Unfortunately, he just didn’t anticipate opening a few more in the midst of dealing the finishing blow.
Infaust is a dark romance recounting the tale of the witch Rehan Nadir and the elusive chaos god known only as the Piper. Trapped in a world where even the very dirt wants them dead, the two must depend on one another to escape—and along the way realize that perhaps the definition of a happily ever after really is a subjective one.
Finding and returning the lost children would be just the thing to give Rehan a new chance at the life he lost after the death of his familiar, and if all it takes is killing a god of chaos, then he’s more than ready to take the plunge and open that door.
Unfortunately, he just didn’t anticipate opening a few more in the midst of dealing the finishing blow.
Infaust is a dark romance recounting the tale of the witch Rehan Nadir and the elusive chaos god known only as the Piper. Trapped in a world where even the very dirt wants them dead, the two must depend on one another to escape—and along the way realize that perhaps the definition of a happily ever after really is a subjective one.
341 pages, Paperback
Published May 1, 2024
43 people are currently reading
336 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
March 5, 2024
A delicious, queer, and folkloric dark romance from beginning to end, T.D. Cloud’s INFAUST is a must-read for fans of magic and prickly banter. The tense and electrifying relationship between Rehan, a witch bereft of a familiar, and Piper, a snarky and twisted chaos god, is a devilish delight to read for people who just really wished Faust and Mephistopheles would kiss already.
March 18, 2024
INFAUST is a fairy tale as dark as the woods during a solar eclipse and just as magical. Layered with rot and aberration, this story of a bereft witch's quest to save a village's children from an irredeemable chaos god proves that a protagonist isn't necessarily a hero, and what fails to kill him, in fact, makes him so much worse.
A treat for readers of dark fantasy that fucks, INFAUST is a dark romance in which survival means relying on the very being that started the danger in the first place. A psychological horror where neither cunning nor magic can save either protagonist, INFAUST weaves a tight yarn of gray morality that grows darker and darker with each twist.
A treat for readers of dark fantasy that fucks, INFAUST is a dark romance in which survival means relying on the very being that started the danger in the first place. A psychological horror where neither cunning nor magic can save either protagonist, INFAUST weaves a tight yarn of gray morality that grows darker and darker with each twist.
August 13, 2024
More spoilers below, because I have a lot to say, but I wanted to cover two main things because they are what I wish I had known before picking this book up.
I bought a copy of this book at a convention, where it was advertised with a list of relevant tropes and warnings, etc. It gave me a few misconceptions about this book that I want to bring up in case anyone else has them.
Firstly, I assumed there would be a major power balance in play (the main reason I picked it up, honestly). This is not the case for a majority of the book. It is towards the end, but for the first 3/4ths, the two main characters are at a sort of parity with one another.
Secondly, based on my understanding of a Faustian bargain (which is subjective, of course), I was really let down by the one in this book. It’s sort of a necessary evil for BOTH parties (see my above comment about the lack of power imbalance), and is driven more by the situation they find themselves in rather than any strong interior character motivation. I know that can be the case in Faustian bargains sometimes, but I personally was hoping for something a little more character-driven.
Now, for my slightly more spoilery thoughts.
I won’t lie, I think the first 3/4ths of this book are boring. Rehan’s goal of saving the children is immediately forgotten in favor of wandering around aimlessly, accomplishing nothing. Rehan never has ANY idea how to get out of the bad situation he and the love interest (called Piper) are in. Like, he doesn’t even speculate or try to explain it. It means that the first half+ of the book feels like it has no momentum and is going nowhere, because Rehan doesn’t even pretend to have a plan. He just wanders around and occasionally has really mid banter with Piper.
I assume that the boring setup, for lack of a better word, is included for the sake of characterization. But honestly, I feel like I know almost nothing about the characters because I know almost nothing about the world they inhabit. There is some general backstory for each of the two main characters, but it means little to me because all of the world building is extremely vague. And don’t get me started on the magic, because I have no idea how it works, and aspects of it are only brought up when immediately relevant so plot points based on them felt like they came out of nowhere. Some of the details about magic even change later on, with no explanation as to why!
All that said, I would actually be interested in a sequel to this book. The last 4th was mostly what I wanted and now that the setup is done, I think the two characters have a fun dynamic. But by itself, I couldn’t really recommend this book to anyone.
I bought a copy of this book at a convention, where it was advertised with a list of relevant tropes and warnings, etc. It gave me a few misconceptions about this book that I want to bring up in case anyone else has them.
Firstly, I assumed there would be a major power balance in play (the main reason I picked it up, honestly). This is not the case for a majority of the book. It is towards the end, but for the first 3/4ths, the two main characters are at a sort of parity with one another.
Secondly, based on my understanding of a Faustian bargain (which is subjective, of course), I was really let down by the one in this book. It’s sort of a necessary evil for BOTH parties (see my above comment about the lack of power imbalance), and is driven more by the situation they find themselves in rather than any strong interior character motivation. I know that can be the case in Faustian bargains sometimes, but I personally was hoping for something a little more character-driven.
Now, for my slightly more spoilery thoughts.
I won’t lie, I think the first 3/4ths of this book are boring. Rehan’s goal of saving the children is immediately forgotten in favor of wandering around aimlessly, accomplishing nothing. Rehan never has ANY idea how to get out of the bad situation he and the love interest (called Piper) are in. Like, he doesn’t even speculate or try to explain it. It means that the first half+ of the book feels like it has no momentum and is going nowhere, because Rehan doesn’t even pretend to have a plan. He just wanders around and occasionally has really mid banter with Piper.
I assume that the boring setup, for lack of a better word, is included for the sake of characterization. But honestly, I feel like I know almost nothing about the characters because I know almost nothing about the world they inhabit. There is some general backstory for each of the two main characters, but it means little to me because all of the world building is extremely vague. And don’t get me started on the magic, because I have no idea how it works, and aspects of it are only brought up when immediately relevant so plot points based on them felt like they came out of nowhere. Some of the details about magic even change later on, with no explanation as to why!
All that said, I would actually be interested in a sequel to this book. The last 4th was mostly what I wanted and now that the setup is done, I think the two characters have a fun dynamic. But by itself, I couldn’t really recommend this book to anyone.
May 19, 2024
I received an eARC for an honest review of this book.
Cripes where do I BEGIN??? First off, I've been chomping at the bit for this book since I heard of it, and the tropes only intrigued me further.
Something about the world that T.D. Cloud crafts pulled me in entirely, twisting me up in the narrative to the point where I started to wonder just how much I could unravel myself. I was guessing all through this book and I was NOT disappointed by what unfolded in front of me. The first line grabbed me in an instant and it kept me turning pages and hoping for the next tug of emotions to com cascading over me.
Rehan is a delight in that he's a precious pile of whump tied off with a bow of discontent. Piper is a delight in that I want to lock him in a closet after throwing in a smoke bomb so he can think about what he's done. This is like putting a poorly socialized cat with a feral cat who wants nothing more than to play with its food before attacking the next prey it finds.
I know I will have a fun time reading this again and again when I need a moment of emotional and psychological turmoil tied off with the most heinous of bows, and if that seems like I'm upset with how it turned out, I'm not. Solid narrative and so very fun.
MIND THE TAGS.
Cripes where do I BEGIN??? First off, I've been chomping at the bit for this book since I heard of it, and the tropes only intrigued me further.
Something about the world that T.D. Cloud crafts pulled me in entirely, twisting me up in the narrative to the point where I started to wonder just how much I could unravel myself. I was guessing all through this book and I was NOT disappointed by what unfolded in front of me. The first line grabbed me in an instant and it kept me turning pages and hoping for the next tug of emotions to com cascading over me.
Rehan is a delight in that he's a precious pile of whump tied off with a bow of discontent. Piper is a delight in that I want to lock him in a closet after throwing in a smoke bomb so he can think about what he's done. This is like putting a poorly socialized cat with a feral cat who wants nothing more than to play with its food before attacking the next prey it finds.
I know I will have a fun time reading this again and again when I need a moment of emotional and psychological turmoil tied off with the most heinous of bows, and if that seems like I'm upset with how it turned out, I'm not. Solid narrative and so very fun.
MIND THE TAGS.
August 5, 2025
Initially I was intrigued by the plight of the main character and interested to learn more about his past. It then became a slow burn to get to a Faustian bargain, but resorts to nothing more than SA. I know the whole “no means yes” vibe is a thing for some people, but this scenario is more no means no and it keeps going regardless. Not my jam, and I wished TWs were listed in the book (although I’ve since seen they’re on the website, not everyone does a background check on a book or author, so if it’s enough to put on the site, it should be in the book IMO).
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March 29, 2024**Thank you to the author for the e-ARC**
'Infaust' is a dark fantasy, sombre fairy tale with a twisted relationship at its center. I can't qualify it as a dark romance, because the relationship isn't on the romance side for me, there is no "love", but it's a great psychological horror, the tale of a corruption arc for the protagonist, who, despite trying to to the right thing, can only morphe into something new, darker, intermingled with the antagonist.
I enjoyed the tale of Rehan quest to save a village's children, the forced proximity and psychological play and slow but inexorable "downfall".
I might have enjoy it more if there was a bit more intern conflict in Rehan regarding the Piper. It's there, but it could have been more impactful. Same goes for the dubious consent, I would have enjoyed that part more if it was more twisty, powerplay between the two than straight up "non-con". But I knew what I was getting in and appreciated it !
Lover of dark fairy tale vibes and twisty relationship should enjoy 'Infaust'.
'Infaust' is a dark fantasy, sombre fairy tale with a twisted relationship at its center. I can't qualify it as a dark romance, because the relationship isn't on the romance side for me, there is no "love", but it's a great psychological horror, the tale of a corruption arc for the protagonist, who, despite trying to to the right thing, can only morphe into something new, darker, intermingled with the antagonist.
I enjoyed the tale of Rehan quest to save a village's children, the forced proximity and psychological play and slow but inexorable "downfall".
I might have enjoy it more if there was a bit more intern conflict in Rehan regarding the Piper. It's there, but it could have been more impactful. Same goes for the dubious consent, I would have enjoyed that part more if it was more twisty, powerplay between the two than straight up "non-con". But I knew what I was getting in and appreciated it !
Lover of dark fairy tale vibes and twisty relationship should enjoy 'Infaust'.
November 16, 2024
I dunno. The 30 minute r*pe chapter kinda turned me off this book. TWings are on the author's website, but damn. Didn't expect it to be THAT much.
April 29, 2024
Sinister and utterly spellbinding, the grim fairy tale crafted within T.D. Cloud's INFAUST makes for a horrifically splendid novel. With an enticing dark fantasy premise, woven with an ensnaringly cruel twist that never lets go, what follows in Rehan and Piper's story will have readers captured long before they realize it, and rendered prey to all the unfolding truths and wickedness lying in wait.
September 16, 2024
What a gem this book is. Dark and twisted and perfect for autumn. Don't go into it expecting a romance though, I'd even hesitate to call it a dark romance. There's nothing romantic about the relationship between these two characters but oh my god is it fun to read.
Mind the trigger warnings, they're not there for decoration!
Mind the trigger warnings, they're not there for decoration!
April 17, 2024
4.5/5 ohhhh now that was just positively delicious :)))) like the last 150 pages were just YUMMMYYY!!! rehan was so sneaky with that feather at the end!!! im OBSESSED with how he's gonna live life out here as a chaos god with piper as his family
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 2, 2024
This book is f***ing fantastic! I’d highly recommend it to anyone who likes high-heat, and if degradation (or humiliation) is something that interests you… Wow, you’ll be in for a sick little treat with this one.
Fair warning, you’ll have to wait (like a good little reader) for the really batsh*t twists and turns, but I also really enjoyed the setup and getting to know Rehan + Piper.
OKAY LET ME TALK ABOUT PIPER FOR A SEC—
That’s. My. Man. What an awful little self-centered queen? He’s entirely too much, has no regard for the value of others, and should be locked up indefinitely for the crimes of his behavior alone… I need him. Desperately.
Fair warning, you’ll have to wait (like a good little reader) for the really batsh*t twists and turns, but I also really enjoyed the setup and getting to know Rehan + Piper.
OKAY LET ME TALK ABOUT PIPER FOR A SEC—
That’s. My. Man. What an awful little self-centered queen? He’s entirely too much, has no regard for the value of others, and should be locked up indefinitely for the crimes of his behavior alone… I need him. Desperately.
February 5, 2025
Confusing and disjointed honestly. Lots of telling instead of showing. I thought it was really strange to use Piper’s perspective for only three chapters? And in those we see that he can be human and scared and vulnerable and then the ending completely disregards that. Honestly they both lack nuance beyond Rehan being paranoid and angry and Piper being mirthful and obnoxious.
March 10, 2025
The first few chapters of this are great; mysterious, compelling, well-written. Thrn it drags for a while and then it completely jumps the tracks and I only finished it because I had to see how it could possibly end (in the worst way possible tbh).
Minus one star for the MC wishy washy nonsense personality. Minus one for an atrocious sudden noncon sex scene that didn't feel like it had a point or purpose. Minus one for an ending so miserable that even I, queen of unhappy endings, hated it.
Rehan should have offed himself in the unexplained murder plane and solved all his problems at once tbh.
Minus one star for the MC wishy washy nonsense personality. Minus one for an atrocious sudden noncon sex scene that didn't feel like it had a point or purpose. Minus one for an ending so miserable that even I, queen of unhappy endings, hated it.
Rehan should have offed himself in the unexplained murder plane and solved all his problems at once tbh.
July 7, 2025
Terrible pacing, light on spice, and heavy on confusion. The book is fine for the most part, but it was sold to me as a problematic relationship/romance book. The scenes that were written were done beautifully, but the payoff at the end of it all felt very unsatisfying. Half the book is some of the most droll exposition and fumbling about I've ever read. The first half of the book is a horribly uninteresting slog. The latter half at least was more interesting. It's clear the author has the talent to write well, they just haven't mastered structure yet. They can paint a beautiful picture in your mind, but can't do much else.
September 24, 2025
I loved every single page. Until the last 50 when the book went from absolute perfection into abusive rape. We went from a morally grey Piper and a budding relationship that I was delighted to watch bloom into forced sex and a lack of any sort of redemption for anyone, going from rape and abuse of Rehan into rape and abuse of Piper.
And I will die mad about it because literally everything else was perfect. The writing was immaculate, the story until those pages was So Good. I was hooked. Sat. It pulled me from a summer long reading slump.
And ended in a way that puts it in the top 3 worst book endings I’ve ever read.
And I will die mad about it because literally everything else was perfect. The writing was immaculate, the story until those pages was So Good. I was hooked. Sat. It pulled me from a summer long reading slump.
And ended in a way that puts it in the top 3 worst book endings I’ve ever read.
April 29, 2025
The Good: I really liked the magic system that the author used with the talismans. I also liked the setting of the village and the lore that came with it.
The Bad: I found the story dragged on in the middle section and could have a couple of chapters either cut or blend together with other chapters. I also personally didn't enjoy that there was a sexual assault scene with no real warning. I also felt as if this story was missing lore pieces that would make me care more about the previous relationship the main character had with his familiar.
The Bad: I found the story dragged on in the middle section and could have a couple of chapters either cut or blend together with other chapters. I also personally didn't enjoy that there was a sexual assault scene with no real warning. I also felt as if this story was missing lore pieces that would make me care more about the previous relationship the main character had with his familiar.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 4, 2025
A deliciously dark slow burn enemies-to-rivals/lovers romantasy. The characters are tortured and the imagery dramatic. It’s exactly what you’re looking for to shake up your standard romantasy reads and tropes.
Book is for 18+ readers. Take note of the Trigger Warnings before reading (from tdcloudofficial.com): Contains psychological horror, violence, dubious/non-consent, protag corruption, villain "love interest", blood, descriptions of being burnt alive, and other gruesome acts. Viewer discretion is advised.
Book is for 18+ readers. Take note of the Trigger Warnings before reading (from tdcloudofficial.com): Contains psychological horror, violence, dubious/non-consent, protag corruption, villain "love interest", blood, descriptions of being burnt alive, and other gruesome acts. Viewer discretion is advised.
January 2, 2025
3.5
EDIT: There are TWs on the author's site that I did not know about before reading.
I wish I would gave gone into this knowing there was SA. I do not care for it, nor do I care for it being pushed on the victim as "I know what you want more than you know you want." 🙄 That's not a relationship and I am not treating it as such. thankfully it had a decent ending. Still, be mindful of explicit SA.
The writing was beautiful, though.
EDIT: There are TWs on the author's site that I did not know about before reading.
I wish I would gave gone into this knowing there was SA. I do not care for it, nor do I care for it being pushed on the victim as "I know what you want more than you know you want." 🙄 That's not a relationship and I am not treating it as such. thankfully it had a decent ending. Still, be mindful of explicit SA.
The writing was beautiful, though.
January 9, 2025
3.5?
The summary for this book is a little misleading: it is by no means a romance. Also, the "dubcon" is definitely just noncon.
The story is super interesting and I adore Rehan. I wish we got a little more of the world building, but what we got was neat. It's definitely a rather bleak story, and a good reminder to never, ever, trust the fey.
Without spoiling anything too badly, the ending is very satisfying; the bastard got exactly what he deserved.
The summary for this book is a little misleading: it is by no means a romance. Also, the "dubcon" is definitely just noncon.
The story is super interesting and I adore Rehan. I wish we got a little more of the world building, but what we got was neat. It's definitely a rather bleak story, and a good reminder to never, ever, trust the fey.
Without spoiling anything too badly, the ending is very satisfying; the bastard got exactly what he deserved.
February 7, 2025
the horror aspects of this book truly set me on edge, and the world-building and characters made me long to continue reading it even when i had to go to work or do something else. all i could think about while not reading this book was how badly i wished to be reading it. the characters were written deliciously and i loved all the descriptions and prose in this book. it was a very quick read but i am definitely recommending it to every fantasy horror fan i know!
March 18, 2025
For me, dark romance doesn't equal sexual assult. Honestly, whole chapter that was dedicated to Rehan's SA was incredibly difficult to get through. And then, having him become the abuser just rubbed me the wrong way, even though it does fit within the story.
That being said, I did enjoy most of this book. The lore was interesting, and the pacing was spot on. This would have been a 4 or even 5 star read for me if it wasn't for Rehan's rape being passed off as dark romance.
That being said, I did enjoy most of this book. The lore was interesting, and the pacing was spot on. This would have been a 4 or even 5 star read for me if it wasn't for Rehan's rape being passed off as dark romance.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 3, 2024
unique
This is another interesting and unique book by the author. I felt a bit like I was on a roller coaster ride on drugs reading it. I got pulled into the world from the first page. The thing I find about TD cloud’s books is that you never guess what’s going to happen next. To me this makes a really good book.
This is another interesting and unique book by the author. I felt a bit like I was on a roller coaster ride on drugs reading it. I got pulled into the world from the first page. The thing I find about TD cloud’s books is that you never guess what’s going to happen next. To me this makes a really good book.
December 20, 2024
TD Cloud delivering a smol, stabby, witchy, Sad Boy TM? Sign me up.
While I can’t say retellings are my fav, I did like the dark twist on this. Rehan was a really interesting character, and I love the water and oil relationship with Piper.
It was a little slow for me in the middle, I think maybe it could have been 50 pages less and it would have been the perfect pacing.
While I can’t say retellings are my fav, I did like the dark twist on this. Rehan was a really interesting character, and I love the water and oil relationship with Piper.
It was a little slow for me in the middle, I think maybe it could have been 50 pages less and it would have been the perfect pacing.
January 29, 2025
3.5 stars rounded up for GR
I would have enjoyed this more if it either was just a fantasy with no romance subplot, or the romance had more pining and tension. The two characters just didn't have chemistry at all IMO. Magic system and setting were great though. I quite enjoy this author's writing even though they keep describing the "prone" position wrong which I find jarring each time lol
I would have enjoyed this more if it either was just a fantasy with no romance subplot, or the romance had more pining and tension. The two characters just didn't have chemistry at all IMO. Magic system and setting were great though. I quite enjoy this author's writing even though they keep describing the "prone" position wrong which I find jarring each time lol
June 17, 2025
Very toxic yaoi. Rape warning? Is that 2025 of me tk ask for? Because what happened to Rehan in Chapter 12 is 100% rape. Anyway the way this world works is cool, I enjoyed the personalities of both characters and the overall dynamic they created. I’m glad Rehan got his get-back. I was glued because it was a fucking rollercoaster toward the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 9, 2024
This was a lot of fun. I'm glad I finally bought a book from this author after seeing her at cons for years. The settings are interesting, there's a carnivorous cloud, and the toxic relationship between the two MCs is infuriating. I devoured it so fast. XD
January 30, 2025
I love witchy stories and even the darker ones, but I wish there was a trigger warning at the beginning. The long part of non-consensual sex/rape really corrupted it for me, I almost didn't read the end...
January 31, 2025
Dark, DARK take on the Pied Piper of Hamelin. Intense and fascinating. Kinda reminded me of a classic twilight zone episode?! What happens when you get stuck in another dimension with your enemy, and you have to work together to survive? Is there redemption for centuries for evil?
September 4, 2024
IT'S BEEN ONE OF THOSE WEEKS, PASS THE TOXIC YAOI!!!
January 27, 2025
Rounding up to four from 3 and a half. Rather unique and fun adventure, with some rather interesting witchy worldbuilding.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews