Reviewed by Carissa
TITLE: Twin Flames
SERIES: Sumeria’s Sons #1
AUTHOR: Lexi Ander
PUBLISHER: Less Than Three Press
LENGTH: 116 pages
BLURB:
A Lycan descendant of Gilgamesh and Enkidu, Tristan is not as extraordinary as his ancestors. He is an average warrior, unremarkable throughout. But this fact does not trouble him because he has found his Twin Flame, the one person destined to be his, who will love him unconditionally, life after life.
Then his Flame betrays him, leaving him shattered and dying. Brokenhearted, Tristan dissolves the sacred bond and leaves. His best friend, Ushna, accompanies him, vowing to guard and protect him, and Tristan slowly comes to realize that love does not require a sacred bond.
But if he hopes to keep the love he chooses, they will first have to survive ancient secrets, lies, mythical creatures, and the return of absent gods…
REVIEW:
The legend of Gilgamesh is not a mythos that I know all that much about so I have to admit that the beginning of this book was both confusing and fascinating. I’m not sure how close to the original legend that part of the book sticks, but I liked the way it played out in this book. When we move into current history things start to straighten out and I was able to follow a lot better. I still really loved the mythology in this though.
It goes a bit like this:
The Lycan descendants of Enkidu (consort and lover to Gilgamesh) were all blessed with a Twin Flame–essentially a person that is the other half of their soul. It is not guaranteed that you will meet your Twin Flame in every reincarnation of your soul, but when found they are a precious and wonderful thing. Which makes Tristan’s Twin Flame’s betrayal all the more horrifying. Unable to continue living bound to a man who betrayed their bond and their vow, Tristan asks the elders to sever their bond. Unfortunately this is not a simply task, and could very well end up killing Tristain, as their souls are already very entwined. After the deed is done, Tristan will have to leave the clan, along with his best friend and guardian, Ushna, who agreed to leave and take care of Tristan–at least whatever part of Tristan remains after his soul is cut from his Twin Flame.
Neither Tristan nor Ushna knew what fate and the gods had in store for them though. And while one vow was broken, another, given in love and trust, might just change both their worlds, forever.
I kinda want to start this off by demanding the second book in this series right now! You see this one ends on a bit (ha!) of a cliffhanger, and I really really want to know what happens.
My feeling of this book was it is very much a beginning of a larger story, where all the pieces were being laid out and organized. Don’t get me wrong, it is a story unto itself, but the overall picture is only just beginning to form and I am quite anxious to know what happens.
I really do love the unique use of mythology in this book. And I love how the various parts and people played out here. Since I don’t know a lot (hardly anything, really) about Gilgamesh I was a bit confused as to the various players and/or gods here, but I was able to pick it up enough that it didn’t ruin the overall story for me.
And I do love a good friends-to-lovers story. I liked how Tristan went from lost from the severing of his soul-bond, to finding himself again. We don’t get to see much of Tristan while he was struggling from this, but from his various family/friends, it is clear that what his Twin Flame did hurt him deeply. And watching him waking up to the idea of life again–and trying to seduce Ushna–was fun.
I also totally didn’t see that whole twist there in the middle happening. Which was cool.
I really enjoyed this book and am eagerly awaiting the release of the second one in January, so I can finally know what happens. I am quite glad that I decided to pick this up for review, because I have been going back and forth on whether to read this book for ages, and am very pleased with what I got. Even with the bloody cliffhanger.
RATING: 
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