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The Executioner #1
Succubus
Christian is the Catholic Church’s best executioner. Dedicated. Devout. Deadly. Ever since the Church saved him from the decimated ruins of his hometown, his commitment to their cause has been unshakable.
Then he’s sent to execute Lilith, who lives in Seal Beach, California. He’s baffled. Lilith is afraid of men. The Church believes she’s a succubus, but he just can’t see it. Yet the way men—both human and monster alike—act as if they’ve been possessed whenever she’s near is disturbing.
With lustful men attacking Lilith and monsters attacking him for being near Lilith, Christian must uncover what’s really going on, and soon, or innocent blood will run through the streets—as will his own.
Love. It can kill a man.
Then he’s sent to execute Lilith, who lives in Seal Beach, California. He’s baffled. Lilith is afraid of men. The Church believes she’s a succubus, but he just can’t see it. Yet the way men—both human and monster alike—act as if they’ve been possessed whenever she’s near is disturbing.
With lustful men attacking Lilith and monsters attacking him for being near Lilith, Christian must uncover what’s really going on, and soon, or innocent blood will run through the streets—as will his own.
Love. It can kill a man.
401 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 1, 2016
31 people are currently reading
388 people want to read
About the author
Brandon Varnell
138 books372 followersBrandon Varnell is a writer. The end.
... Just kidding.
Brandon Varnell is the author of several book series, all of which involve anime-inspired fanservice. Having been an anime nerd for basically his whole life, his books tend to reflect that. He likes writing stories with loads of T&A, shonen-style battle scenes, and steamy romances that are both light-hearted and erotic. He is also a huge fan of harem anime, so most of his books feature harem romances. If that bothers you, you probably shouldn't read his books.
If you'd like to be constantly updated on anything that he is doing, you can sign up for his mailing list at www.varnell-brandon.com or you can follow him on Twitter (@BrandonBVarnell) or Facebook (@AmericanKitsune).
... Just kidding.
Brandon Varnell is the author of several book series, all of which involve anime-inspired fanservice. Having been an anime nerd for basically his whole life, his books tend to reflect that. He likes writing stories with loads of T&A, shonen-style battle scenes, and steamy romances that are both light-hearted and erotic. He is also a huge fan of harem anime, so most of his books feature harem romances. If that bothers you, you probably shouldn't read his books.
If you'd like to be constantly updated on anything that he is doing, you can sign up for his mailing list at www.varnell-brandon.com or you can follow him on Twitter (@BrandonBVarnell) or Facebook (@AmericanKitsune).
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
January 10, 2017
2 Stars
Full Review:
*I received an ecopy of this book via YA Bound Book Tours. This has in no way influenced my review.*
I was drawn to this book by the gorgeous cover, but unfortunately the writing inside the book didn’t live up to it for me. I’ll just make some lists.
Things I Disliked:
– The characters were kind of flat and extreme. Christian and Lilith were both super straight-laced and good without much personality other than that.
– There was too much description of minutiae, like every little step of the characters’ mornings (stepping out of the shower, wrapping a towel around their body, walking to the closet, putting on underwear, looking at their clothes, choosing this shirt and these pants, looking in the mirror), every article of clothing in every outfit that every character wore, the appearance of characters (which would’ve been great if only described once, but it kept being repeated)… I feel like most of the book consisted of those kinds of trivial things.
– There was a lot of repetition of ideas. Like, “She loved this store. This was her favorite store. She really enjoyed shopping in this store.” (That was not an actual quote, just me making up an example.)
– Dialogue was often stilted, unrealistic, and also repetitive. And the bad guy was supposed to sound old-timey, using words like thou and hath, but it just sounded like a few archaic words were thrown into otherwise modern speech.
– There were unnecessary POVs, and all the POVs sounded the same. They were in third person, but I subscribe to the belief that even third person POVs should sound a little different.
– The Science Division, the place where they develop the weapons/technology, was ridiculous. It didn’t impact the story, and maybe it was supposed to be ridiculous, but it still bothered me. Christian walked in there just to get some weapons, and one scientist exploded when whatever he was working went wrong, another injected himself with something and then his vein exploded while he screamed in agony, others were tied down with chains because of the side effect of rage from the drugs they were testing on themselves, and no one was phased by any of it because apparently violent death and agony are just your average day in the Science Division. That’s… that’s definitely not how scientists work.
– I didn’t like how women were portrayed. Almost every woman was so jealous of Lilith’s beauty that they were either flat-out mean, or they were polite but still disliked her. Even the cashier at the cafe couldn’t speak to her without a strained smile.
– Don’t even get me started on the complete lack of understanding (or maybe purposeful exaggeration) of the way women’s bodies work.
Things I Liked:
– Tristin was the most interesting thing, in a creepy, mentally unhinged sort of way, because of his “fascination” (I’d call it obsession and delusion) with Christian. Ok, mentally unhinged might be a bit harsh, but I wasn’t sure if I should be worried for Christian or just feel bad for Tristin that the person he thought was his best friend really didn’t like him.
– Despite Christian being kind of extreme, he was a little better written than Lilith at least. He was so used to being a loner and spending all his time killing monsters that sometimes he was just blunt or awkward or easily annoyed. I can’t say I blame Tristin for finding it fun to aggravate Christian on purpose. I’d probably do the same ;-)
– The story itself wasn’t bad, just bogged down by all the things I disliked.
Other Things Worth Mentioning:
– There were lots of fight scenes, and the descriptions of some of the violence and gore was pretty graphic.
– There was a bit of a cliffhanger in that the story for Book 1 felt complete, but certain questions were dangled in front of the reader and not yet answered.
A lot of other reviewers have said this book is kind of like manga/anime. And the characters in the book loved reading light novels (I had to look it up, it’s like a novel form of manga, from my understanding). And this author’s previous work is either manga or light novels, according to Goodreads. So maybe this book was supposed to be like that too, or maybe it was just a byproduct of that being the author’s usual, but anyone who does like those things might like this book more than I did since I’ve never read those types of books. As it was, I had too many issues, and it just wasn’t for me.
Recommended For:
Possibly fans of manga/anime/light novels and urban fantasy.
Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight
Full Review:
*I received an ecopy of this book via YA Bound Book Tours. This has in no way influenced my review.*
I was drawn to this book by the gorgeous cover, but unfortunately the writing inside the book didn’t live up to it for me. I’ll just make some lists.
Things I Disliked:
– The characters were kind of flat and extreme. Christian and Lilith were both super straight-laced and good without much personality other than that.
– There was too much description of minutiae, like every little step of the characters’ mornings (stepping out of the shower, wrapping a towel around their body, walking to the closet, putting on underwear, looking at their clothes, choosing this shirt and these pants, looking in the mirror), every article of clothing in every outfit that every character wore, the appearance of characters (which would’ve been great if only described once, but it kept being repeated)… I feel like most of the book consisted of those kinds of trivial things.
– There was a lot of repetition of ideas. Like, “She loved this store. This was her favorite store. She really enjoyed shopping in this store.” (That was not an actual quote, just me making up an example.)
– Dialogue was often stilted, unrealistic, and also repetitive. And the bad guy was supposed to sound old-timey, using words like thou and hath, but it just sounded like a few archaic words were thrown into otherwise modern speech.
– There were unnecessary POVs, and all the POVs sounded the same. They were in third person, but I subscribe to the belief that even third person POVs should sound a little different.
– The Science Division, the place where they develop the weapons/technology, was ridiculous. It didn’t impact the story, and maybe it was supposed to be ridiculous, but it still bothered me. Christian walked in there just to get some weapons, and one scientist exploded when whatever he was working went wrong, another injected himself with something and then his vein exploded while he screamed in agony, others were tied down with chains because of the side effect of rage from the drugs they were testing on themselves, and no one was phased by any of it because apparently violent death and agony are just your average day in the Science Division. That’s… that’s definitely not how scientists work.
– I didn’t like how women were portrayed. Almost every woman was so jealous of Lilith’s beauty that they were either flat-out mean, or they were polite but still disliked her. Even the cashier at the cafe couldn’t speak to her without a strained smile.
– Don’t even get me started on the complete lack of understanding (or maybe purposeful exaggeration) of the way women’s bodies work.
Things I Liked:
– Tristin was the most interesting thing, in a creepy, mentally unhinged sort of way, because of his “fascination” (I’d call it obsession and delusion) with Christian. Ok, mentally unhinged might be a bit harsh, but I wasn’t sure if I should be worried for Christian or just feel bad for Tristin that the person he thought was his best friend really didn’t like him.
– Despite Christian being kind of extreme, he was a little better written than Lilith at least. He was so used to being a loner and spending all his time killing monsters that sometimes he was just blunt or awkward or easily annoyed. I can’t say I blame Tristin for finding it fun to aggravate Christian on purpose. I’d probably do the same ;-)
– The story itself wasn’t bad, just bogged down by all the things I disliked.
Other Things Worth Mentioning:
– There were lots of fight scenes, and the descriptions of some of the violence and gore was pretty graphic.
– There was a bit of a cliffhanger in that the story for Book 1 felt complete, but certain questions were dangled in front of the reader and not yet answered.
A lot of other reviewers have said this book is kind of like manga/anime. And the characters in the book loved reading light novels (I had to look it up, it’s like a novel form of manga, from my understanding). And this author’s previous work is either manga or light novels, according to Goodreads. So maybe this book was supposed to be like that too, or maybe it was just a byproduct of that being the author’s usual, but anyone who does like those things might like this book more than I did since I’ve never read those types of books. As it was, I had too many issues, and it just wasn’t for me.
Recommended For:
Possibly fans of manga/anime/light novels and urban fantasy.
Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight
March 2, 2017
I loved this book. Personally, I'm not a religious person, but the religious aspects of the story were written in such a way that made it very enjoyable to read. It kind of reminded me of Supernatural! (Hint: I'm a huge SPN nerd). The action scenes in this book were fantastic and it had just the right amount of everything when it came to genres—horror, romance, action, you name it, Succubus probably had it. I absolutely loved Lillith's character and I think Christian is one of my most favorite fictional characters of ALL time! And all of the character quirks, like the two of them bonding over light novels, were really clever and cute.
I seriously could not put this book down—I read it every free moment I got even though it took a little longer than expected (I blame NaNo for that). I say it's a must-read!
I seriously could not put this book down—I read it every free moment I got even though it took a little longer than expected (I blame NaNo for that). I say it's a must-read!
December 23, 2016
If you follow me at all on ANY of my social media platforms you know that I’m a lover of anime & manga. So when I saw the gorgeous cover for Succubus and read the interesting blurb, I became super excited.
Lets take a moment to look at the cover again.
Beautiful.
Now. Back to my thoughts. The world in which we find Christian and Lilith is a unique twist on the age-old story of secret supernatural world hidden/ governed by the mysterious Catholic Church. I found the executioners and the many other branches within the Church that deals with the supernatural, as well as, the various paranormal creatures that were introduced in this first installment intriguing. The world itself was superbly built and it captivated me fully.
I’ll be honest, it was hard for me to get into the book at first. Christian is a dry character – which is not a bad thing, but it took me well past the 15% mark to start connecting with him. Honestly, it wasn’t until he and Lilith began interacting for me to really enjoy his narrative. His stoic, pure, and honorable character is VERY reminiscent of the anime hero archetype. It was refreshing to see that in an “American” novel.
“Math had never been her strongest subject. It would not be inaccurate to say that she royally sucked at math. In fact, she didn’t just suck at math; she was so splendidly horrible that mathematician’s everywhere cringed whenever she attempted to solve a mathematical equation.” – Succubus, Brandon Varnell
Typically, I enjoy characters like Christian, but I tend to connect with them more when their counterparts are more lively or mischievous. Lilith, although a great character in her own right, doesn’t shine next to Christian. Her shyness only exasperates Christians. In an anime or more visual medium like manga – two shy characters falling in love would be more interesting. Honestly, I would have liked it more if Tristan were more involved in the story. His presences would have added that quirkiness that was missing.
Varnell’s writing is engaging and descriptive (for me it was a little too descriptive at times – to where my eyes glazed over – , but that is my own personal quirk). He tends to overuse certain words. Specifically, “carnelian”. After the third time within a few pages, it stood out like a flashlight in a dark room. My biggest issue is the massive cliffhanger. Typically, I don’t mind them if they’re done right, but this one left me frustrated – and not in the good way.
“Or was she simply uncomfortable sending a man to do a woman’s job?” – Succubus, Brandon Varnell
If you’re a fan of anime, Japanese light novels, stoic heroes with pure hearts, damaged heroines who are not as weak as they seem, quirky supporting characters, the idea of secret supernatural creatures living among us, and a frustrating cliffhanger then Succubus is the book for you.
** I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review **
Lets take a moment to look at the cover again.
Beautiful.
Now. Back to my thoughts. The world in which we find Christian and Lilith is a unique twist on the age-old story of secret supernatural world hidden/ governed by the mysterious Catholic Church. I found the executioners and the many other branches within the Church that deals with the supernatural, as well as, the various paranormal creatures that were introduced in this first installment intriguing. The world itself was superbly built and it captivated me fully.
I’ll be honest, it was hard for me to get into the book at first. Christian is a dry character – which is not a bad thing, but it took me well past the 15% mark to start connecting with him. Honestly, it wasn’t until he and Lilith began interacting for me to really enjoy his narrative. His stoic, pure, and honorable character is VERY reminiscent of the anime hero archetype. It was refreshing to see that in an “American” novel.
“Math had never been her strongest subject. It would not be inaccurate to say that she royally sucked at math. In fact, she didn’t just suck at math; she was so splendidly horrible that mathematician’s everywhere cringed whenever she attempted to solve a mathematical equation.” – Succubus, Brandon Varnell
Typically, I enjoy characters like Christian, but I tend to connect with them more when their counterparts are more lively or mischievous. Lilith, although a great character in her own right, doesn’t shine next to Christian. Her shyness only exasperates Christians. In an anime or more visual medium like manga – two shy characters falling in love would be more interesting. Honestly, I would have liked it more if Tristan were more involved in the story. His presences would have added that quirkiness that was missing.
Varnell’s writing is engaging and descriptive (for me it was a little too descriptive at times – to where my eyes glazed over – , but that is my own personal quirk). He tends to overuse certain words. Specifically, “carnelian”. After the third time within a few pages, it stood out like a flashlight in a dark room. My biggest issue is the massive cliffhanger. Typically, I don’t mind them if they’re done right, but this one left me frustrated – and not in the good way.
“Or was she simply uncomfortable sending a man to do a woman’s job?” – Succubus, Brandon Varnell
If you’re a fan of anime, Japanese light novels, stoic heroes with pure hearts, damaged heroines who are not as weak as they seem, quirky supporting characters, the idea of secret supernatural creatures living among us, and a frustrating cliffhanger then Succubus is the book for you.
** I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review **
December 27, 2016
This is Van Helsing for the modern age.
Christian is an Executioner for a Church-like organisation that hunts the monsters of your nightmares. I found the irony of a succubus who was scared of men to be utter perfection and loved the imagery in this novel. I felt like I was experiencing what the two protagonists were experiencing. I enjoyed the mix of different supernatural characters in a modern setting. The character development was very enjoyable and the discovery of the nuances of the supernatural world.
With action, romance and adventure I recommend this book for lovers of supernatural drama.
Christian is an Executioner for a Church-like organisation that hunts the monsters of your nightmares. I found the irony of a succubus who was scared of men to be utter perfection and loved the imagery in this novel. I felt like I was experiencing what the two protagonists were experiencing. I enjoyed the mix of different supernatural characters in a modern setting. The character development was very enjoyable and the discovery of the nuances of the supernatural world.
With action, romance and adventure I recommend this book for lovers of supernatural drama.
January 6, 2017
*This book was provided by the publisher/author for an honest review.*
Succubus was such a great book and opening of a series. I was immediately drawn to the cover and couldn't wait to start reading and was not disappointed. Lilith was my favorite character, she was so sweet and innocent. She was so different than a lot of heroines I've read recently. I give Succubus my highest recommendations.
*This review was done in conjunction with Nerd Girl Official. For more information regarding our review process feel free to check out our fanpage www.Facebook.com/NerdGirl.NG
Succubus was such a great book and opening of a series. I was immediately drawn to the cover and couldn't wait to start reading and was not disappointed. Lilith was my favorite character, she was so sweet and innocent. She was so different than a lot of heroines I've read recently. I give Succubus my highest recommendations.
*This review was done in conjunction with Nerd Girl Official. For more information regarding our review process feel free to check out our fanpage www.Facebook.com/NerdGirl.NG
December 3, 2016
Action urban fantasy romance
Fun action American light novel! I can't call it groundbreaking, but I liked it alot, so who cares? Thank you Brandon! I look forward to more! You do a really good job of writing fight scenes of people with special powers. Also, this one wasn't illustrated. I did miss that. Where's Kirsten? Anyway, liked it a lot, thank you!
Fun action American light novel! I can't call it groundbreaking, but I liked it alot, so who cares? Thank you Brandon! I look forward to more! You do a really good job of writing fight scenes of people with special powers. Also, this one wasn't illustrated. I did miss that. Where's Kirsten? Anyway, liked it a lot, thank you!
December 16, 2016
Decent book
I enjoyed this book. It was simple but fun and reminded of an anime with how the characters acted. And unlike some of the other reviewers I think that the author did finish the main point of this book. It wasn't a cliff hanger.
I enjoyed this book. It was simple but fun and reminded of an anime with how the characters acted. And unlike some of the other reviewers I think that the author did finish the main point of this book. It wasn't a cliff hanger.
January 2, 2017
(will update review later)
July 23, 2017
Loved this entire series!
December 28, 2016
DISCLAIMER: I received a copy of this book as part of a blog tour.
This book is so interesting! Once I began, I could not stop reading. I really enjoyed Christian's character. His motivation and determination to complete his mission(s) was strongly prominent in the beginning. And as the story progresses, it just gets better. In general, I am not usually quick or eager to read vampire books. It's not usually what I go after. But this book totally got me enjoying it.
My Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars.
I'm glad to see that this is a stand-alone. There are so many series out there. At least, I am guessing this is not the start of a series. Either way, it is a great read.
My Blog
This book is so interesting! Once I began, I could not stop reading. I really enjoyed Christian's character. His motivation and determination to complete his mission(s) was strongly prominent in the beginning. And as the story progresses, it just gets better. In general, I am not usually quick or eager to read vampire books. It's not usually what I go after. But this book totally got me enjoying it.
My Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars.
I'm glad to see that this is a stand-alone. There are so many series out there. At least, I am guessing this is not the start of a series. Either way, it is a great read.
My Blog
November 23, 2018
Cute but Slow
This is a cute story, and a nice read. However, while being very similar to the American Kitsune series, there a certain something that series has that this is missing. Maybe it’s the humor, or maybe this is just a bit darker and more visceral. Added to that the plot here is very sluggish, only getting moving around the 80% complete mark. There is enough plot and questions to keep my interest though, so I plan on seeing how book two goes. If you like the author’s work (and I do) you check this series out.
This is a cute story, and a nice read. However, while being very similar to the American Kitsune series, there a certain something that series has that this is missing. Maybe it’s the humor, or maybe this is just a bit darker and more visceral. Added to that the plot here is very sluggish, only getting moving around the 80% complete mark. There is enough plot and questions to keep my interest though, so I plan on seeing how book two goes. If you like the author’s work (and I do) you check this series out.
December 3, 2016
A great read, that once started you have to finish. Even though almost would have expected one of the mentioned LN series to be American Kitsune, but the mains do have good tastes in LNs too! (Even with that oversight).
May 22, 2018
A bit too serious and intolerant for me compared to his American Kitsune series which is what lead me to read this one.
February 24, 2017
Okayish. A bit darker than previous works, and certainly setting up for a sequel. As far as the light novel genre goes, though, it is servicable.
January 22, 2017
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The mystery that drives this plot had me curious from the start and held me until the end. It’s nearly impossible to take a simple creature, like a succubus, turn it on it’s head, and not grab the reader’s attention. Varnell does a great job revealing this world’s secrets bit by bit, laying a trail of clues that you can’t help but follow and enjoy, at least a little bit.
.
Unfortunately, Varnell’s obsession with anime bleeds through the rest of the book, making anything outside the central plot awkward, annoying, or dull unless you share his passion.
From the very first chapter it was obvious that Varnell was trying to narrate a manga or anime rather than write a novel. The action is over-ornamented and drags on, which works well for a visual medium, but not so much for a written one, Christian is every bad-ass hero with a heart of gold and a tragic past, and Lilith is every cookie-cutter cutesy heroine from the last twenty-ish years of anime. She even yells, “Kya!” on occasion, which grated on my nerves a bit. These tropes have been overused enough in actual anime and manga. We really don’t need novel versions.
In conclusion, if you’re into anime or if you’re at all nostalgic for it, you might might enjoy this. If the phenomenon is foreign to you or you’ve had your fill of it, there are definitely better urban fantasy titles out there. Maybe check those out first.
As posted on Truth About Books and Cheap Reads on Jan 22, 2017
The mystery that drives this plot had me curious from the start and held me until the end. It’s nearly impossible to take a simple creature, like a succubus, turn it on it’s head, and not grab the reader’s attention. Varnell does a great job revealing this world’s secrets bit by bit, laying a trail of clues that you can’t help but follow and enjoy, at least a little bit.
.
Unfortunately, Varnell’s obsession with anime bleeds through the rest of the book, making anything outside the central plot awkward, annoying, or dull unless you share his passion.
From the very first chapter it was obvious that Varnell was trying to narrate a manga or anime rather than write a novel. The action is over-ornamented and drags on, which works well for a visual medium, but not so much for a written one, Christian is every bad-ass hero with a heart of gold and a tragic past, and Lilith is every cookie-cutter cutesy heroine from the last twenty-ish years of anime. She even yells, “Kya!” on occasion, which grated on my nerves a bit. These tropes have been overused enough in actual anime and manga. We really don’t need novel versions.
In conclusion, if you’re into anime or if you’re at all nostalgic for it, you might might enjoy this. If the phenomenon is foreign to you or you’ve had your fill of it, there are definitely better urban fantasy titles out there. Maybe check those out first.
As posted on Truth About Books and Cheap Reads on Jan 22, 2017
August 18, 2021
There are some over-the-top characteristics, but I am assuming that might be due to it being inspired by anime or manga? I really don't know for sure, as I don't read or watch them.
Like how Lilith reacted to men. I get she's afraid of them, but picturing how she acted in my mind sort of made me cringe. But whatever.
It was a bit different, but not bad.
Like how Lilith reacted to men. I get she's afraid of them, but picturing how she acted in my mind sort of made me cringe. But whatever.
It was a bit different, but not bad.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews