GODS & MONSTERSby SAFFRON A KENT
He was an artist. She was his muse.
To everyone in town, Abel Adams was the devil's spawn, a boy who never should have been born. A monster.
To twelve year-old Evie Hart, he was just a boy with golden hair, soft t-shirts and a camera. A boy who loved taking her picture and sneaking her chocolates before dinner. A boy who made her feel special.
Despite her family's warnings, she loved him in secret for six years. They met in empty classrooms and kissed in darkened church closets. Until they couldn't.
Until the time came to choose between love and family, and Evie chose Abel.
Because their love was worth the risk. Their love was the stuff of legend.
But the thing about legends is that they are cautionary tales. They are made of choices and mistakes. And for Abel and Evie, the artist and the muse, those mistakes come in the form of lights, camera, sex.
"I want him to purify me with his lust."
What an intense love these two had - WOW. I don't think anyone does intense love with a dark undertone to it like Saffron does. No one that I've read, at least. She just works really well for me. I love the little bit of CrAzY she puts into each character. There is no perfection in the eyes of any that read this, but there is such perfection in the way she portrays every character, flaws and all. I love the depth she gives to her characters, and her storylines are so unrefined and gritty. I just love the way she tells a story. Saffron is one of those authors that you feel while you read their words, their stories....their worlds they create. Abel and Evie's love poured off the pages and leeched it's way into my heart. I just wanted to hug them both so hard.
This book was written a little differently and is broken down into sections, so it's easy for me to break down my love affair with this book based on the sections. My very favorite section was the first one. The first section privied us to this newfound love born from absolute innocence. I got to fall in love with Abel and Evie, and not only find out how they started out, but also watch as their love blossomed from such a young age. Section two started out with conviction and carried me through until the end with a very dark underlying growing problem, but I saw my jaw drop and my mind race. This section was the catalyst, the push for the unfolding of the story, and I was turning the pages with fervor at that point. I wasn't entirely sure I could stand behind Abel here because I didn't know how healthy any of his actions truly were.....but I couldn't look the other way because, as detrimental as his deep need for Evie was, I couldn't put it down. I couldn't turn away. I was hooked and needed answers. By the time I got to section three, the first sentence broke.my.heart. OMGosh. I felt this intense emotional turmoil, this depression of sorts because of the palpable pain that was quite evident and it really tore me up. I loved this section as well, and it was the best at closing up the book. Their love was raw, their story was rough. My gosh it was so heavy and, at points, so unhealthy, but I could just feel Abel's desperation and need for Evie. This was SO twisted. This story was the definition of something so wrong, but oh so right. I could feel his need for her, and the lack of control he had over circumstances beyond his control. The erratic behavior. The crazy need. The lust. The devotion. The desire. It was all there, bold letters and all....but it was rough.
"No one should be made to hide their love. No one. It's too pure, too beautiful to ever keep hidden."
In an unhealthy way, I wanted to love him for every single one of his actions because he did it with a misguided, but loving heart. He loved her to no end - there was a beginning, yet no end, but he turned toxic and that was a scary part to read. His love was never-ending. I saw it. I felt it. I read it. But in other ways, red flags were flying real high. But you see, this is what Saffron does. She endears us to her characters' intensity as lovers. She draws us in with this pull that is unmistakable in every right. The untapped innocence, but the lack of maturity...it all plays a part in their story. But the underlying finality of their love is not to be mistaken. The determination of their love was not to be taken lightly, and I loved that conviction they had, but it was volatile at some points. BUT, their redemption was what made this story memorable for me. So while the story was hard to read in some spots, it was an excellent read throughout.
As with each book of Saffron's, there is a lesson to be learned in her characters life choices; in the fast paced world Abel and Evie are living in, slowing down and realizing there is nothing to sustain that life they are currently living is a hard lesson to learn. The drama, it was heart-wrenching. The drama between the two of them...it was hard to watch it unfold, to watch it materialize. It's young loves like this that feel like they can change the world, and even feel like they have the maturity that goes with that love to make all the right decisions. But they just don't and that's the lesson that Abel and Evie had to learn. That journey was harsh, riddled with the real world's anger, and it took a very dark turn. They knew they had an undying love, I felt the depth of that love...I read it and it was so pure and so intense, but so misguided in other attempts, but that was my favorite part about this whole story. Their unwavering love that never let anything stand in it's way.
One thing I could never doubt was their love for each other...but I could see how young it was, especially looking from the outside in. Not that young love isn't true....on the contrary. It's loves like Abel and Evie's that disprove every notion that you are are too young to fall in love. This is a story of two kids falling in love. Being friends. But it's mostly about growing....because they HAVE to.
This book may rub some folks the wrong way, and I can fully see this not being a popular thought with many, but I want to stress that regardless of the determination of Abel's love, I knew where the author was taking it and she was not sensationalizing his demeanor. I want to admit that at one point, this book lost a little of its lustre for me. I was really bummed to see it take a specific turn, however, after finishing the book, I realize that distraction was necessary because it was part of their story of growth. Don't get me wrong, I read through it because I wanted to see how this all worked out for them, but the little sojourn into that world was a little off-putting for me and is one of the reasons I couldn't give it a full five stars, but it was also one of the reasons I love Saffron's stories so much -- she takes chances and makes you fall in love with the seemingly unloveable. It was also a little wordy for me in some spot, but the story continued to move and I wasn't ever bored with it. Overall, I once again got an amazing love story with the not-so-typical jaunt through the pain and suffering of her characters. Redemption was Abel's to own, if he wanted to.
"Don't you get it, Pixie? There's no place for a boundary between us. I won't allow it."
~BEE
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~MEET SAFFRON A KENT~
Writer of bad romances. Coffee Addict. White Russian Drinker. Imaginary Ballet Dancer and poetess. Aspiring Lana Del Ray of the book world.
I'm a big believer in love (obviously). I believe in happily ever after, the butterflies and the tingling. But I also believe in edgy, rough and gutsy kind of love. I believe in pushing the boundaries, darker (sometimes morally ambiguous) emotions and imperfections.
The kind of love I write about is flawed just like my characters. And I hope by the end of it, you'll come to root for them just as much as me. Because love, no matter where it comes from, is always pure and beautiful.
If you ever get a hankering to talk about books or love, you can find me here:
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ARC REVIEW
BOOK PURCHASED AS A GIFT FOR A READER
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Great review
ReplyDeleteThanks, Zilpha!
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