Review: brilliantly written mindbending experience
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 6, 2013
Breathe in, breathe out...it is fiction...I am safe, well physically, but mentally I am so far from ok that a stiff drink and a long drag wouldn't calm the storm of my emotions. I am having internal struggle as I type. How can I give a read so dark, so heinous, so utterly wrong a 5 star rating? Then again, how can I not recognize this work for the true brilliance and literary gem that it is.Lilith Bresson is a famous artist, eclectic as they come, yet a true survivor and owner of her own fame. She has an uncanny ability to read people and then develop art based on human emotion. When the slime father of her past puts her into a situation she must travel to the hidden estate of Albermarle and into the evil realm of Lady Blaine Albermarle. Believing she is commissioned to paint this troll of a woman, Lilith quickly finds her presence in the estate is all but a pawn in Blaine's sadistic game of power and abuse, mostly directed toward a man that "beneath all the filth, was the face of Calvin Klein's next model...Finn Strachan.Finn and Lilith have a connection...one of the mind and one of respect. Both from shady backgrounds. Lilith has achieved success while Finn has fell under the rule of Blaine and whatever sick sexual fantasy and web of domination she felt appropriate, even from the hands of predatory men and sadists. For Finn this was the norm..."In my long illustrious career I had been f***** by a procession of evil bastards, but none ever quite matched the sublime cruelty of Blaine."Reading the intricacies of this book and how well played out the web of deceit reached, I felt trapped. I could not stop my need to read, yet I was scared and had true visceral reaction to many events. Every turn of the page was dominated by Blaine. Her power was suffocating, even for the reader, Yet in between the haze of darkness was a romance brewing that would warm the coldest of situations.For Lilith "now your 'it' Finn. My motivation? My raison de'etre'? My shiny new and improved grounds for staying put and keeping my mouth shut and doing whatever that twisted bitch wants me to do" but for Finn she has become more, his "chuisle"...she is "his pulse." How far will one go to protect those they love? How munch can one take before breaking? It is amazing how strong the mind and heart can become when you have something worth fighting for. No matter how many broken souls Albermarle collected, Lilith would not let Finn go...he mattered and for once, for him someone"found comfort in his flawed embrace."I had the book on my kindle for awhile...too scared to read, but I am glad I saw the reviews and had my curiosity peeked. I am rocked by this author and by this read. It is not for the faint of heart. This read is ugly at its worst. It is violent, disturbing, and challenging to highest degree. At the same time it is flawlessly written. It has superb characters with palpable qualities. I strongly recommend to those with open minds and to those readers who can recognize when an author shines brilliantly! Well done Tabitha McGowan.