Sinful Book Reviews

And here I though I would be reading a light, paranormal book for fun. Kelsey Ketch showed me different. I was completely surprised by what I found in the covers of this book, though it took me some time to get there. When it began, it felt a lot like Twilight. There was just too many similarities to ignore. Unfortunately, I still don’t love that about the book. The good news is that it really got into a groove of its own. That’s when things got interesting.

I’ll go ahead and admit that I know absolutely nothing about Egyptian mythology. I’ve read one book containing it, and that was years ago. I guess I can’t really be an authority on how well the mythology is represented, but it really works. It felt genuine, and I did cheat a little and check out some other reviews to see if other readers agree. The consensus seems to be that the mythology is perfectly incorporated. I guess I’ll have to brush up on my Egyptian mythology for the next one.

The characters were tough. While I liked Nattie, for the most part, she sometimes irritated me. Seth was awful throughout most of the book and she still found him attractive. I don’t know about everyone else, but there’s just a point where hot guys turn ugly, and he was definitely walking that line. Obviously, I wasn’t a big fan of Seth. He got a little better as I learned more, and I expect there’s more to learn in the coming book. I have to admit it irks me a little that there are so few characters to like. Sometimes having great evil characters is wonderful, but I also need someone to get invested in fully. Nattie was pretty much my option for that.

What I really liked about this book was what I would consider a kind of commentary on gender roles. The men is the book are held most of the power. It was sometimes hard to read, but I think it’s an important message. After all, in many parts of the world, that’s still true. Even in our society in the U.S. women are often objectified and seen as more of a sexual object than anything else. Just listen to the way some of your guy friends talk about them when they think you’re not listening. I think what makes this a really interesting and original book is that Ketch is dealing with the issue of gender roles and sex as a tool for power in a fantasy setting. It’s probably not the first time an author’s done that, but it’s the first time I’ve read a book like this.

There are some flaws, but it’s a worthwhile read. I recommend this to reading of fantasy and paranormal fiction. I also think this book is best suitable for ages 16 and up. While there’s nothing particularly explicit going on, there are what I would consider adult themes that are better dealt with by older teens or young adults.