Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: Elex
SERIES: Sons of Hecate #1
AUTHOR: Mellanie Rourke
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
LENGTH: 320 pages
RELEASE DATE: December 26, 2023
BLURB:
Elex is a slave even though his father is King of Alexandria. Disinherited once his elemental magic developed, he was banished to the Alexandrian Legion to “learn his place” at the non-existent mercies of his new masters. Humiliated and abused, he learns the hard way that he can’t always protect the ones he loves.
Now the time of the Machi Thanatos approaches, a deadly competition where Legionnaires must battle their foes and each other for the dubious honor of a lifetime of slavery at the hands of Elusians, Alexandrians with the ability to control Elex and his fellow Mageians by Suppressing their ability to use magic.
Elex will fight to the death to protect himself and those he loves, but during the Machi he meets Helios, a shapeshifting Soma from the rebel country of Illyria. Helios will fight for what he loves, too, and this savagely fierce little Mageian is quickly adding his name to that list.
Separately they are two victims of the whims of Alexandrian Elusians. Together, they may discover a secret that could topple an empire.
REVIEW:
The Alexandria King is a brutal, vengeful man. After several tragedies, Elex – one of many illegitimate sons of the King, finds himself in the Legion, subjected to the whims of his Elusian masters. Meanwhile, Helios works to restore the balance between good and evil. Elex and Hel barely survive individually, but together they could make the forces of evil regret their actions.
Elex is the first book in the Sons of Hecate series. The remainder are billed to be published in 2024 – so the wait shouldn’t be long. Within the information received for a review, the author also suggests that Elex is a rags-to-riches standalone tale that does not end on a cliffhanger, with the tagline – Alone, they are victims. Together, they may topple an empire.
Umm, yeah. The devil is in the detail here, and the statement blurs a few lines. The series may be rags-to-riches, but this installment is primarily rags. Other characters get the riches. Then again, that is also dependent on one’s interpretation of riches. There’s a battle to be won, but toppling an empire is a more significant arc over the series. As for this story being a standalone that doesn’t end on a cliffhanger – elements of the tale are completed, and yeah, I suppose one could read this story and be happy. However, not all the loose ends are tied up; characters carry over, and there are hints for what will come. In short, the tags are like the Barbosa lines of a contract.
Anyhoo, this was a tale that I enjoyed.
The story is told in the first person from the viewpoints of Hel and Elex. Technically, it is in good order, although, towards the end, I think there is a mix-up of similar names because I had a WTF moment where I believed one man was dead, and then he appeared in the next paragraph, breathing. Then again, the manuscript I read may not be the final and I could have misinterpreted.
As this story is the first of the series, there is a lot of worldbuilding and backstory for individual characters. Some added little to the current book, so I can only assume they are used in future installments. NOTE: – Many scenes are graphic. While actual torture and rape are fade-out behind closed doors, there’s enough in there to make me feel uncomfortable – as it should be. However, be warned, if you are the slightest bit squeamish and can’t stand descriptions of skin being peeled and flayed, you may wish to skim-read those sections.
Hel and Elex are awesome characters. Elex is a survivor. Hel has survived, and both have been through hell. While much of the narrative is spent on their journey towards each other – their potential is only demonstrated briefly – which left me disappointed. Nevertheless, I can’t wait to read future novels to see the full force of their union come into play. The extended cast contains a mix of personalities from the good, scared, downtrodden, and survivors to the sadistic who deserve to rot in a sewer.
In conclusion, Elex is a good start to a promising series that has the potential to be great.
RATING: 
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