Publication Date: October 25th, 2016
Pages: 320
Song I Played While Reading: Invitation by Yellow Glow
Rating: 3.5 stars
Goodreads
Athena Harrow is about to turn twenty-one, but there will be no celebration. What is there to celebrate when the world is ruled by demons?
She hates the darkness the demons brought with them and longs for the light to return to the world -- a world she only vaguely remembers. The people in her forest village blindly accept the life the demons forced upon them, even tolerating the yearly ascension ceremony where all the girls who have turned twenty-one are either sent away to serve the Master Demon or left in the village and forced to procreate.
But Paymon, the assigned village demon, selects a different role for Athena, a role that pits her against the village. While she adapts to her new life, Erebus, a younger, more powerful demon, arrives, and Athena must play a dangerous game with his emotions in return for information about the demon's reign of darkness.
As Athena's dreams of restoring the light begin to fade, her life with Erebus takes an unexpected turn, and this time it's her life being put to the test.
I was initially drawn to Iniquity because of the cover. The girl on the cover could be Kendall Jenner's twin, and it's haunting: you want to look closer, at the crow on her shoulder and the lanterns in the background. It's gritty and dark, which is exactly how the story reads. It took me a while to adjust to the writing, which I found at first to be a little quick. Things didn't feel very flushed out, so I was speeding by the scenes without really soaking up what I had read. But once I adjusted, I fell into this world, admiring how strong Athena was in such a dark and tumultuous time.
The world had reverted back because of mistreatment of the earth. Humans had grown gready, taking and taking from the earth and not replenishing it. Hurricanes and tornados and tsunamis ravaged the earth, and the demons though, "Hey, what better time to take over then now? The humans are making this too easy." So, they did just that, ripping up from the bowels of the earth and snatching the light.
I loved how Winter weaved the history of these demons and the earth together. It created an engrossing concept, one that was both frightening and awe-inspiring. It was simple in it's execution, because it could ~almost~ (oh my god, I can't believe I just did the squiggly line thing) be considered realistic. Vaguely realistic, but still. Realistic all the same.
Every time Paymon fed off of Athena's anger or fear, I 1. got creeped out because CREEPY, and 2. realized that, if I was in Athena's position, Paymon would probably explode from the amount of energy he would get from. I'm the type of girl who gets pissed off really easily, and can stay pissed off for a while (snarky men both infuriate and intrigue me). I enjoyed the occasional image of Paymon exploding in a giant ball of flames.
Iniquity, while a rocky start for me, really laid out a solid foundation for this series. It was dark, romantic, and ethereal, hooking you in with its strong characters and engaging narrative.
Amazon / B&N
Growing up, Melody showed a natural ability in art, a head for maths, and a tendency to write too long English essays. Difficult ti place in the world when she graduated, she pursued a career in teaching, but ended up working in finance. Melody is convinced the methodical times she spends working with numbers fuel her desire to drift into dream worlds and write about the illusory characters in her head.
Melody Winters lives in York, North Yorkshire, England, with her husband and two sons. When not dealing with football, rugby, and a whole plethora of "boy" activities, she will be found scribbling notes for her stories, or preparing for another trip to the nearby beaches at Scarborough and Whitby. With an obsession for anything mythical, Melody reveals in reading and writing about such creatures.
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Giveaway!
Win a shit ton bundle of books! US/CAN only.
- Signed paperback of Iniquity + Iniquity swag (handmade bracelet, book marks, and chocolate). eBook copies of:
- Sachael Dreams and Sachael Desires by Melody Winter
- Words Once Spoken and Curses Once Spoken by Carly Drake
- A box set of Love in London by Carrie Elks
- Faerie Blood by Emma L. Adams
- Gambit by C.L. Renault
- Running Home and Running Away by Julie Hutchings
- When Sorrow Comes by Katie M. John
- The Darkness of Light and The Embers of Light by Tammy Farrell
- The Rose Master by Valentina Cano
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