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A review by ashleystory
Alpha of Mortal Flesh by Ben Alderson
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
5.0
This is by far my favorite Ben Alderson book. I don't even know if I can formulate a proper review because I'm still emotionally hungover with how amazing this book is.
The Darkmourn Universe is wonderful and it gets better and better. Alderson is BRILLIANT at fairy tale reimagining, picking certain familiar elements and tropes and then creating something new with different stakes, all the queerness, and so much emotional damage.
Rhory deserves all the love, let's just get that out of the way now. His brand of magic is a special kind of hurt and I just really love how deeply we as the reader can connect with him. I just want to hug him and kiss his forehead all the time. He deserves that. My heart cannot contain the lvoe I have for him.
Calix, oh my dear Calix. My heart broke so many different ways for him. In other reviews, I have seen people say they don't really care of him because he seems flat. But I could not disagree more. His character developed for the readers at the exact pace that Rhory witnessed/discovered more about Calix. AND there is a reason for that which I will not spoil. I loved seeing more and more layers to him as the book went on, and it just made me love him more.
Also, just have to say, Eamon's character is so damn well done. Both Rhory and Eamon suffered trauma due to the death of a parent and Alderson does an amazing job and showing how people can respond to it differently. Also! Loved that there was no romanticizing of this which I appreciated and no romanticizing of the domestic abuse. Please read the content warning in the beginning of the book or the author's website.
My only only only slight gripe is the flashback chapters. I've gotten very used to authors actually titling the chapters with the character POV's or it being more noticable due to the 3rd person POV being named in teh first sentence. Because it takes a few sentences, sometimes paragraphs to realize who is actually narrating that flashback POV as the rest of the book is in Rhory's POV. BUT! I still loved the different insight into the different characters.
Overall, I loved loved loved this book and will be rereading it and buying it in every format so that I have it always.
The Darkmourn Universe is wonderful and it gets better and better. Alderson is BRILLIANT at fairy tale reimagining, picking certain familiar elements and tropes and then creating something new with different stakes, all the queerness, and so much emotional damage.
Rhory deserves all the love, let's just get that out of the way now. His brand of magic is a special kind of hurt and I just really love how deeply we as the reader can connect with him. I just want to hug him and kiss his forehead all the time. He deserves that. My heart cannot contain the lvoe I have for him.
Calix, oh my dear Calix. My heart broke so many different ways for him. In other reviews, I have seen people say they don't really care of him because he seems flat. But I could not disagree more. His character developed for the readers at the exact pace that Rhory witnessed/discovered more about Calix. AND there is a reason for that which I will not spoil. I loved seeing more and more layers to him as the book went on, and it just made me love him more.
Also, just have to say, Eamon's character is so damn well done. Both Rhory and Eamon suffered trauma due to the death of a parent and Alderson does an amazing job and showing how people can respond to it differently. Also! Loved that there was no romanticizing of this which I appreciated and no romanticizing of the domestic abuse. Please read the content warning in the beginning of the book or the author's website.
My only only only slight gripe is the flashback chapters. I've gotten very used to authors actually titling the chapters with the character POV's or it being more noticable due to the 3rd person POV being named in teh first sentence. Because it takes a few sentences, sometimes paragraphs to realize who is actually narrating that flashback POV as the rest of the book is in Rhory's POV. BUT! I still loved the different insight into the different characters.
Overall, I loved loved loved this book and will be rereading it and buying it in every format so that I have it always.