Palingenesis

Mayhem Manuscripts Season Two: Cryptids

by Rae Stone

Blurb coming soon!Palingenesis is a full-length MM dark (ish) monster romance as part of the Mayhem Manuscripts Cryptids shared world collaboration.

Genres: M M Romance, LGBT

207 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication October 9, 2026

Reviews

[Ian]

I’m truly not even sure what I just read to be completely honest with you. Like genuinely I’m still confused. Like sure I got the general gist of the book but the execution really threw me for a loop. The time lapses didn’t really make sense to me and I didn’t really feel the connection between the two MMCs. I really tried to like this one but it honestly left me confused and slightly annoyed by the end. I received this arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Holly Deacon]

What did i just read... because wow...😂

PALINGENESIS HAD ME HOOKED. 🖤🔥

This is one of those books you really have to pay attention too every little detail!

Shannon desperately needs a fresh start, and when he finds Bearcreek, it seems like the perfect place to finally get one. A tiny town, a new place, a local legend, and the promise of the freedom he's been craving… except Shannon doesn't arrive alone.
He brings his abusive partner with him.

And honestly, that made Shannon's story hit SO much harder for me. He's looking for a way to rebuild his life while still being trapped in a relationship that has already taken so much from him, and watching him try to find even the smallest pieces of himself again had me rooting for him so hard.

Then we have Ilios, our monster MMC. There's something so damn intriguing about the mystery surrounding him and the connection he develops with Shannon. Ilios brings that supernatural element that makes the whole story feel darker and more dangerous, but there's also this fascinating contrast between the terrifying creature and the vulnerable human who desperately needs someone in his corner.

Those Epilogues though🥹 💕

And because this is part of the Mayhem Manuscripts: Cryptids world, I absolutely LOVE that we're getting another strange little corner of this monster-filled universe. 🖤

[Michaela Joyce]

Sooooooo I don’t really know what I just finished reading I kinda understand the idea of what was happening but I was pretty lost and just plain confused most of the book and I didn’t feel anything or connect with either MMcs I really struggled getting through this bc a lot of things just wasn’t making sense and I was just confused and kept feeling like things were missing there didn’t feel like there was much of a story here

[Eve]

3.7 ⭐️ I was very hooked at the start and then I got lost along the way. I would’ve loved just a little more at the end and a bit more depth. Overall, for the short read this was, it’s not bad at all. That’s my only qualm!

[VicReads]

𝙿𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚜

𝙰𝚁𝙲 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠

3.5⭐️

↓↓
Hmmmmmm

I’m gonna sit with this one.

This left me utterly confused at so many parts of the book much like Shannon lol

I didn’t know what was real and what wasn’t that I’m left feeling like I’m missing half of the book but also somehow all over the place at the same time🤔

Shannon seemed a bit naive for over half the book but I fell in love with his character.

Also Fuck Henry 🖕🏼

𝚆𝙷𝙰𝚃 𝚃𝙾 𝙴𝚇𝙿𝙴𝙲𝚃
🐦‍🔥 monster / human
🍪dark romance
🐦‍🔥 Hard of Hearing
🍪Somnophilia
🐦‍🔥 made for me
🍪fear play
🐦‍🔥 and more …

[anita]

Rtc

[Abigail Beckwith]

Here's Rae Stone's "Palingenesis." It's a novel in the multi-author series, Mayhem Manuscripts Season Two: Cryptids.

["New town. New place.

It’s small but it’s exactly what I was looking for when I scoured the map for inspiration.

Coming to Bearcreek felt like a taste of the freedom I’ve been so desperately waiting for.

A town painted in celebration with a local legend is just a bonus.

A fresh start that was supposed to rejuvenate me.

But it’s the past I brought along that might destroy me.

If I don’t go up in flames first."]

My very first thoughts about Henry: I hope someone tortures and murders him. Fuck Henry.

Then things got a little confusing (not about Henry--fuck Henry). Nightmares and dreams mixed with reality. Nonlinear timelines. Missing weeks/months. I was soo lost. Then again, so was Shannon.

I really liked the first epilogue, how fate can bring them back together after a death, how their story was shared and popularized.

And honestly, I totally get why the author's favorite line of this piece was "Hello, beloved."

Trigger Warnings: domestic abuse, verbal abuse, isolation, noncon/dubcon, mentions of fire/wildfire, gaslighting, manipulation, forced amnesia, pain and trauma surrounding hearing loss/hearing devices, isolation, and more.

#palingenesis #raestone #pareidolia #mortis #tenebrous #hollow #feral #tenebrous #golden #hush #leech #noctis #solivagant #solais #marked #mayhemmanuscripts #mayhemmanuscriptsseasontwo #mayhemmanuscriptscryptids #mayhemmanuscriptsseasontwocryptids #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

[Ashley Dead.inside_but_reads]

3.5 ⭐️ Rounded up to 4 for Goodreads

Please check the TWs before heading in this one is dark and has alot of heavy topics. Our MC Shannon starts off in an abusive relationship where there is verbal, physical, and sexual abuse on page.

🌶🌶🌶

If you love psychological Suspense books this one should be right up your ally.
It was a total mind bender. I absolutely know how Shannon felt after Ilios was shuffling around in his brain and I'm not going to lie to you I'm still not sure what was real, what was a hallucination and what was planted by Ilios. If that was the goal then holy smokes give Rae a medal because normally I'm great at these brain break books and this one just had me staring at the wall when it was done.
Shannon moves to Bearcreek for a fresh start with his trashbag of a boyfriend Henry. It's a cute small town that is home to a legend that might not actually be a legend at all....
What happens to Shannon after moving is similar to what happens to Alice when she falls down the rabbit hole. So really strap in, get ready to take notes and wheel out the white board and red string because this one is a ride!


Tropes/Tags

PNR
Monster/Human
Heard of Hearing Rep
Manipulation/Gaslighting
Forced Amnesia/Lapses in Time
Slow Burn 🔥
Noncon/Dubcon
Somno
Fear Play
Breath Play
Monster Peen 🍆
Made For Me

[Dalegendaryreader]

Idk wtf I read and that's saying something.

Shannon moved to a small town with his abus1ve boyfriend. The town had a local legend, Ilios, and he was obsessed with Shannon to the point of corrupting his mind.

I was having a hard time writing the summary, and putting my thoughts into words because I honestly did not know what I just read.

After Ilios 'corrupted' Shannon's mind, I too, got confused. Especially with the time jumps, hallucinations and memory lapses, which I think, the author intended. If she did, then kudos!

However, I was not happy with how this book goes. I finished the book in about 2 hours, and I was left with more questions than answers. And I was left confused, questioning what the hell is this, and if this was a waste of time. Which I realized, I don't like that feeling.

I did appreciate the uniqueness of the monster here, but then again we really didn't know him much. And I freaking hate Henry and wished we get to see his suffering!

[Mikaela (risqué.romance)]

✨May contain spoilers✨

I really loved this one. Shannon truly had my heart and I just wanted to hug him because let’s just say his boyfriend was a pretty awful human being.

I love that Shannon is hard at hearing and it makes this story even more special. I love how he immediately makes friends with Avery when he walks into a bakery. Their friendship was immediate and it was exactly what he needed.

The moment the two walk into the woods is when things get really interesting.

I loved the epilogue because it made me so happy for these two. I love how The Legend calls Shannon his Beloved because that’s exactly what he is.

I’m truly loving this series so much. Each book just gets more and more interesting and I’m only eager to see how each book will make me feel.

If you’ve been wanting to get into Rae’s book, this is perfect beginning.

I received a copy of this book and this is my honest review.

[Chasary Mendez]

Shannon oh sweet Shannon how I related to him with his succumb bag of a boyfriend! Shanon is so sweet he makes friends so easily. Moving to a new town he’s regretting his life choices. But he steps into this bakery and automatically makes friends with Avery! Yumm cookies lol.
Shannon and Avery go for a walk into the woods and he feels his hair stand. Oh boy things get really really interesting!

THE Legend (Iolis) is watching this human (Shannon) use his hands to communicate (ASL) so he starts mimicking it. He becomes so consumed with Shannon. He watches him but Shannon think it’s all a dream! Little did he expect those dreams were real.

Shannon & iolis are so meant for each other. Though the Legend is supposed to be scary he’s absolutely in love with Shannon vice versa. Their HEA was absolutely worth it!

Rae! Can write anything and I’m reading it!

[Lemonnyyy]

🔥🖤Palingenesis by Rae Stone🖤🔥

218 Pages

Book 4 of 13: Mayhem Manuscripts Season Two: Cryptids

This one truly burns bright in the best way! There is so much hurt in Shannon's life that you are gagging to dive on in and provide him with some comfort!

Ilios is that comfort... in the only way he knows how, not something that Shannon is used to, they are destined to find each other, in the hope that nothing gets burnt down.

I would highly recommend this book as well as the Mayhem Manuscripts Season One! And obviously anything and everything Rae writes, if you haven't read the As Above series... damn you are missing out! For fans of MM Romance, Monster Romance, Cryptids, Somnophilia, and more delicious Spicy Goodness.

[Jordan Fiest]

Palingenesis is book four of the Mayhem Manuscripts Season Two: Cryptids Series.

Shannon goes through a lot of psychological aspects with this story. Ilios seems to corrupt his mind and things kind of go all over the place. Not in a bad way, but in a way where it was no wonder Shannon was confused and wondering what was real and what was fake. By the end I was floored by what I had read and felt upset with how we were ending the story. However, we did get a satisfying epilogue which made me feel quite fulfilled with the story.

[K]

3.5 stars

1st person POV Dual
Plot 2.5/5
Spice 1.5/5


I had a hard time following what the heck was happening! There was time jumps and missing pieces but that was on purpose I believe. I enjoyed the story for the most part, mental hoops and all.

My biggest issue was that something horrific didn't happen to Henry, that guy was trash and I was really waiting for someone to take the trash out! I am a little upset that it didn't happen... I don't think I have ever wanted to jump through my phone and crub stomp someone more than I did with Henry... Complete human scum... Ugh!

[Aly]

Okay, this book had me HOOKED at first. But once I reached the end, it felt.. unfinished. Almost like it abruptly stopped and i’m STILL left with so many questions. I definitely wanted more. It could have been a five star for me if it would have continued and dove a bit deeper.

[ashlee ❤]

Shannon + Ilios

-mm dark romance
-monster x human
-made for me
-hard of hearing
-somno/fear play

i’m really enjoying this wack ass series haha its so out there yet also makes sense haha

[Anitaloves_her_books]

Mayhem Manuscript. Cryptids.

Rae Stone is in collaboration with many others in this 13 book series and I am absolutely obsessing with all if them.
Can't wait to get for physical copies.

[Ashlee B]

This was a very interesting read. I'm definitely going to have to re read it now that I understand what's going on because I was confused 😂 I loved the main characters. Absolutely HATED the ex. Loved the ending and really enjoyed that is was different from anything that I've read before.

[Stepphy]

Palingenesis left me feeling confused. I felt like Rae Stone was attempting to write a psychological enemies-to-lovers romance, but the story just didn’t make sense to me.

We meet Shannon, who has moved to the small town of Bearcreek in the hopes of starting a new life. He’s hard of hearing and is eventually going to be profoundly deaf. He is trying to leave an abusive relationship where he is the one expected to make use of any aids to help his partner, rather than his partner making small adjustments to make his life any easier.
His partner, Henry, is also a cheater, and Shannon hoped that he wouldn’t follow him to this small town, that it would be his easy way out. But life doesn’t happen like that. In town, Shannon meets Avery and his husband Morgan, and they quickly become his close friends. Henry gets insanely jealous of this and beats him up, drives him to the woods to get rid of his body? And then just goes back to their house? This is where Ilios, our Cryptid, finds Shannon and nurses him back to health? With bouts of psychological torture and non-consensual sex?

This is where the story lost me.

We have time jumps, but what happens in those time jumps for everyone else?

Henry turns nice? Was he trying to cover up his attempted murder?

WHO is Ilios and what were his motivations, or his backstory at all.
The second epilogue just made it even more confusing. What was his legend?

I didn’t feel the buy-in from Shannon either; he goes from hating Ilios to running into fire to rescue him? Because he can’t live without him? Why was Shannon Ilios’s chosen one? What was their connection?

I think the idea and premise of this story was very cool. I loved the inclusion of sign language and how Rae described the signs and how they are used differently to portray importance or urgency. This is not something I have come across before, and I LOVED to see it in this book.

I just think there’s a whole heap of missing information that would have made the story a lot better.

[Ash Charlotte]

Thank you so much for the digital ARC copy!

This book unfortunately didn’t land like I would have liked. This book could have used a little more depth and exploration. I absolutely loved Shannon and Ilios characters. However I didn’t feel like there was much chemistry between the two. Their connection felt rushed especially towards the ending. I had definitely anticipated getting to see them be together at the end but it just jumped to the epilogue 18 months later with really no explanation what happened during the fire. I wish we got to see Shannon in the throws of being worshiped and happy with a partner. Especially after what happened with Henry. I still really enjoyed these characters and it was a fun read. The concept that Ilios character could interweave with Shannon’s mind was really cool and would have been such a fun way to explore their intimate relationship together.

[Cara]

Palingenesis is part of the Mayhem Manuscripts Season Two: Cryptids series

Mason is a writer going through a rough patch, both professionally and in his love life. He moves to a small town with his boyfriend, (from whom he suffers physical and psychological abuse) . Mason more or less fits in with the town, making friends and discovering that they revere a local legend, to whom they make offerings to ward off greater evils. This legend is real, and it takes an interest in Mason.

After their encounter, dreams blend with reality, with moments of lost time, and Mason experiences moments of confusion.

I really liked it. The writing is excellent, and you’re immediately drawn into the story. The epilogue is perfect because it gives a sense of continuity.

I’d definitely like to read Avery’s story. I know it’s been published. I don’t have to wait.

[Tru Newbold]

Okay so I actually really did enjoy the book for the most part. I was really vibing with it when I first started it. Loved Shannon’s chapters and was Cruising. But then once Ilios came into the story officially, that’s when I started getting a little confused. And maybe that’s just a me thing and my brain wasn’t braining. The last like 30% of the book I was struggling to figure out exactly what was happening and how Shannon really felt about Ilios. And then the ending just really didn’t do it for me. I felt like it was still left open and I’m still confused. Like I said, I did like enjoy the book, just had some hang ups here and there.

[Sparks_thebookwurm]

I’m sorry but I don’t think this book was for me.

I have no idea what this book was supposed to be. It’s not a romance, there’s no HEA. There’s a maybe … if you squint really hard.

But over all this book is confusing. I mean I understand who the characters are and I understand the lore kinda. But the rest… not so much. It’s disjointed and I feel like I missed 2 thirds of the story because it’s just not there.

The idea behind it was great, the characters seemed like I could really love them if I knew more about them, but the story itself just didn’t allow for that to happen.

Thank you to the author for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

[Tired as a Muther]

ARC Review
Palingenesis
Part of the multi-author collaboration for Mayhem Manuscripts Season 2: Cryptids

I think there are two things that can be said that we can all agree on:
1. Fuck Henry!
2. What the hell did I just read?

From there, it's all about personal perspective. Was I confused some of the time? Yep. But the more it sat with me, the more I "got it"
After a little reading slump, Palingenesis took things to a completely different level for me and actually had me thinking about what I was reading instead of just following along with words.
I'm still trying to articulate how much I really did enjoy this book, so I will return to complete this review.

[Dani (Daniiireads)]

Well, this one was a bit of a mindfuck, and I’m not sure how I feel about it 🤣

I was hooked by the premise and really liked the whole creepy, small-town mystery surrounding Shannon and Bearcreek, but somewhere along the way, things got VERY confusing. Between the nightmares, missing chunks of time, and trying to figure out what was real and what wasn’t, I was just as lost as Shannon was.

Overall, this was a dark, twisty, and definitely memorable read, but not sure that it was for me.

[Karyssa Haase]

I feel like most peoples comments and review say the same thing: I was confused for most of it. The beginning it all made sense, then as the story progressed I just kept getting confused (not in a good way) because I felt like I opened up a whole new book. There wasn’t alot of chemistry between the two MMC’s and what the heck was that ending? Anyways, that’s about all I can say on it. I liked two of the side characters more than anything and would probably read their book!

[Jennifer Ervine]

I really don’t like doing this. I don’t. But alas, I’m one of the confused readers. I loved the story. I loved Ilios’s devotion and protection of Shannon. I loved Shannon’s growth. The spice was good. I was confused by the time jumps/loss of time. I struggled to keep up with what was going on. I didn’t like that the entire book was Shannon fighting feelings. The ending left me a little annoyed. I just don’t know how I feel.

[Kayla Allen]

When going into this book I didn’t know what to expect. I loved these characters! They were super unique and interesting. The plot of this book is a total mind f*ck. You feel for Shannon because of the things that happen to him and the whole time the things are happening you feel the total mind f*ck like it is happening to you! It is worth reading!

[Natalie]

Found myself a bit adrift with this one. I was heartbroken for Ilios. I wanted the best for him. I felt Shanno wasn’t kind enough to him. I know he was going through his own issues, I just wanted Shannon to understand Ilios more. The epilogues were good and a promise for happy endings.

[Sammy Standing]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I adored these characters so much and their journey. The ending of this for me left me feeling rather confused. It didn’t necessarily feel finished for these characters.