Vale

by Mia Michele

Alexander Vale has lived for a thousand years. He has seen the human race fall prey to the immortals and now, as a member of the ruling Archon class, he is responsible for his own people- both the older and more powerful Archontes as well as the hunger-driven Subalterns- and the mortal Esnes. The Law is his safety; he helped create the ruling class hundreds of years ago to quell revolt and provide a measure of calm in a world that was ravaged by cruelty and harsh conditions. Once the Old Lands were made docile, he and those like him turned to the New Lands, and he eventually settled himself as the Commissioner of the North Eastern Dominion. The Law was established: the Esnes were forced into obedience, the Subalterns (for the most part) were subdued, and the Archontes were firmly in control. There have been minor rebellions, but, since the Great Rebellion (twenty-five years ago), there has been a relative peace. Stumbling upon an Esne after dark, his entire life is turned on end and he sees not only who he has been, but who he is at his core self. In a story that combines the dystopian and speculative worlds with romance, Vale crafts a psychological tale that pits ego against soul, with heartbreaking consequences.

677 pages, Paperback

Published September 30, 2020

About the author

Mia Michele is the pen name of a suburban housewife and stay-at-home mother. A Nashville native, her nonfiction work on yoga, religion, and alternative choices has been featured in the U.S. and Europe. An accomplished runner with several races under her belt including numerous 5Ks, a triathlon, a half-marathon, and 2 marathons, she trains other runners and coaches youth cross country.

In her spare time, she teaches yoga and enjoys nature walks with her children. She is a former librarian and lives in Southeastern Pennsylvania with her family.

https://www.instagram.com/miamichelea...
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http://www.miamichele.com

Reviews

[InD'tale Magazine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5/5.0

“Vale” by Mia Michele is a carefully formed tale involving a dystopian society made up of Archontes- the immortal ruling class, Subalterns- the dangerous immortal middle class, and Humans- the mortal servants, slaves, and untouchables.

Read full review in the 2021 February issue of InD'tale Magazine.

[Madalina · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Immortals have their drama as well.

This is my first dystopian romance book, so I didn't know exactly what to expect, but I must say that this book surprised me in a good way.

This is the story of Alexander Vale an immortal high ranking Commissioner and Maire an Esne, a mortal girl. The plot is centered around these two and the problems in their world. I will not give away anything on it, I'll let you discover it.
I liked how Maire tried to make Alex see the things in a different way, and this has lead to some changes in their household and society. Their love story was sweet.

The story, even though is quite long, it's a page turner, because it makes you curious on what is going to happen, the plot flows easily, the hard thing is to keep up with all the specific titles and how these work, but you get used to it. I even cried a little in some moments.

If you like dystopian romance or you want to try a new genre, I recommend this book.

*ARC received in exchange of a honest review. *

[JLynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dystopian Vampire Romance

I am a chain reader and read a variety of genres. I'm not usually a dystopian fan and I don't usually read vampire books. I saw an interview with Mia Michele about this and decided to give it a chance because it would be the perfect Halloween read.

I'm so glad I did. It's beautifully written with enough detail to make you feel like you're there as the story unfolds but not so much you're bogged down in backstory. I love the character development and storyline. The plot moves fast enough to keep the story going but not so fast you want more.

Vale is more than your stereotypical vampire book and it's more than a dystopian novel. It's an incredible combination of both those genres and overall a beautiful love story that seems unexpected at first.

[Bryckk Wilkes-DuBois · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my opinion, Dystopian/Paranormal Romance is a very difficult genre to write. It takes an author with an extraordinary imagination, a true gift for creating characters that evolve throughout the story, and they must be able to conjure a bold, new world outside of our own reality, whereas the standard norm no longer exists. There are not many authors that can excel at crafting stories with these key elements. However, Mia Michele is one of the few authors that I have read that managed to succeed. This story is flawless.

VALE is the story of immortal vampire named Alexander Vale. As an Archon, an elite class of vampire and Commissioner for the Dominion, Alex remembers a time when the territories were in virtual chaos. In light of this tumultuous history, he strives to maintain complete order amongst the current caste system in place to maintain order. He follows the new laws to the letter and having existed for one-thousand years, Alex believes he has pretty much seen and experienced in his entire existence. That is, until he becomes enraptured by the sound of a mellifluous songbird he hears singing in a church choir. Enter: An Esne named, Maire.

A free spirit, Maire has always wanted more aside from what her life was destined to be given her station in the Dominion. After catching the eye of the most powerful vampire in the Dominion, Maire is reluctant to engage given her illegal status but feels an instant connection to Alex. She throws caution to the wind and marries him after he proposes. Only to discover that her impulsive actions connect her to a stranger who does not share the same world views as he. Further, unbeknownst to her, has ties to her past that she may or may not be able to forgive.

This story sunk its hooks into me from page one. Alex has a commanding presence as soon as he comes on page and his need to maintain order and peace consumes him to the point of having tunnel vision where his subjects are concerned. Maire opens his eyes and shows him the other side of assumptions on the people he serves and has the gumption to challenge him and his thinking.

The power exchange is seen throughout this novel as Alex becomes more and more vulnerable and Maire becomes bolder and more assertive in her convictions. The conversations had between Alex and Maire are thought-provoking and vital to the development of both characters throughout the story. These two characters compliment and feed off one another, literally and figuratively for their survival; emotional and physical. As tragic as this may sound, the way it's written by the author, it's a thing of beauty to behold.

This book went so far as to challenge my own thoughts about society and the way I viewed my own reality. VALE gave me a lot to think about. This in itself makes VALE one of the best books I’ve read this year. Even though I finished it weeks ago, it’s still in my thoughts. Bravo, Ms. Michele! Mission Accomplished. I shall never, ever forget this book.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves creative, world building, emotionally charged dialogue between main characters, and an honest to goodness love story where love triumphs and endures over societal rules, its caste system, and everything in between. I loved it!

Happy reading!

[Danna González · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author sent me the book in exchange for an honest review. I started reading without knowing anything, I expected a dark romance, so imagine my surprise when the story opens up with a vampire. The term “Vampire” is not really used because there’s different classes of them, so the rulers of the government are known as Archonters which is what one of our main protagonists is, he’s minding his business until his path crosses with Maire, a human, after her, his life completely changed. My favorite thing about this book is reading from different points of view and seeing how an opinion one has, affects the way the other thinks. The more I read from the characters, the more I liked them. It talks about important and relevant topics such as the way you treat others and equality, it was just very well done and makes me question the world we live in today. It’s a standalone dystopian, give it a try.

[Bookish_pops · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow what a brillaint story!

I dont usually read dystopian/historical style books but i found this book an absaloute treasure to read, it took me a while to get used to the language, but once i understood the different terms i was sucked right in and didnt want to put it down.

The imagination and world building is phenomenal and the writing flows effortlessly, i am in awe of this writers talent!

Alex and Maire's story is beautiful and complex, she is a simple esne (human) and he is a powerful vampire. They have many challenges to overcome and a lot of prejudices and corruption in the world around them.

Simply put this book is a beautiful work of writing and i recommend highly!

[K. L. Laettner · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story relished like a fine wine

I didn’t know what to expect with Vale and was pleasantly surprised to find an in depth story reminiscent of a Romeo and Juliet style, two different people from opposite sides of life. Maire and Alex’s love story is painstakingly beautiful and speckled with twists and turns, and ending on a bittersweet, yet understandable ending. Kudos to Mia on this exquisite story of love and sacrifice.

[Leah Hallow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book last year at a workshop Mia ran and she warned me not to read it until I was in the mood for something dark. I’d wish she’d warned me not to read until I had three days free because I couldn’t put it down. The world building is incredible and the characters are interesting and bring up moral and ethical questions while still being real. I know it’s a stand alone and I would be the first to go out and get anything else involving the characters from this book!

[M L · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve never read any of this authors books but this one has left me with a book hangover! I absolutely could not put it down and when it ended I was mess of emotions. Loved it!!

[Addicted.2.reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Wow!
This is first book by this author and don't think it'll be my last!
I was pulled in right from the start and couldn't put it down.
Archonte(vampire) Commissioner Alexander Vale on leave the office one day is drawn in by the the singing voice of a woman esnes(human) Maire.
Their story is full of ups and downs and definitely worth taking the trip with them.