Thursday, September 15, 2011

Review: The Mephisto Covenant

THE MEPHISTO COVENANT
(Mephisto Covenant #1)
Trinity Faegen
Paranormal Young Adult
448 pages
Egmont USA
Available September 27th
Received via NetGalley for review

THE STORY
Sasha is determined to know who killed her father, and when an acquaintance from school tells her to come to a meeting of a cult-like group known as the Ravens because the leader can help her figure out what she most wants to know, she decides it's worth a try. What she finds however, is a group of her peers who have no interest in helping her, only in causing her pain.

Saved by a young man about her age dressed all in black, she's quickly informed that she is Anabo, a descendant of the daughter of Eve with the ability to redeem the seven sons of hell, known as Mephisto, with the purity of their love. Jax and his Mephisto brothers have been told all their long lives that their only chance at heaven lies in an Anabo, and in thousands of years of life they've only found one other than Sasha.

Jax knows Sasha is in danger should Eryx, the evil behind the Ravens bent on stealing the souls of easily tempted humans in order to build an army with whom he hopes to overthrow Lucifer and gain control of hell itself, find out about her. Despite knowing he needs to approach her slowly, allowing her to choose to be with him or not, he finds it difficult to leave her be. As the followers of Eryx grow in numbers greater than the Mephisto can keep track of, Sasha realizes she has to make a decision to either be a part of the world for which she was intended or to return to the life of normalcy she wants so badly.

MY THOUGHTS
A story of damnation and redemption, The Mephisto Covenant illustrates the susceptibility of humanity as a whole to temptation, and explores the murky depths of free will in terms of how it affects the soul when it allows for some to secure their place in heaven while other use that same freedom to fall prey to darkness. The world Ms. Faegen creates is inherently fascinating, the line her characters walk not so clearly delineated as paths of righteousness or sin, but rather one where there are degrees to the labels "good" and "evil" and we can decide for ourselves whether certain individuals are deserving of our understanding or our condemnation. There is a bit of complexity to the different groupings in this tale though, causing some confusion here and there as to what the purpose of each group is and how their choices relate to God, Lucifer, Eryx or the Mephisto. Eventually, the defining characteristics of each faction become a little clearer and the battle to prevent the coup on Lucifer captures our attention.

Though the plot is enjoyable and raises some questions that would make for an interesting debate, the characterization makes fully connecting to this story a bit difficult at times. We find ourselves trying to get involved–fully seeing, hearing, and experiencing this tale until we run into a solid set of bars in the form of Sasha and Jax. We are given enough details about them to grant us the ability to reach through the openings between steel rods and brush our fingers against the connection we long to grab a sure hold of, but we soon find we can extend no further than arms length, our bodies and hearts remaining firmly on the wrong side of the barrier. Sasha is a supposed paragon of virtue, light, and purity of soul, and while she accepts the changes in her life as real–not boring us with her denial–her continual rejection of Jax becomes a tad bothersome. She spurns him, swearing to herself that she'll stay detached only to wind up in his arms a few pages later, giving Jax a sense of hope for his redemption before she again snatches it away. She is also bluntly honest with Jax's brother Phoenix, calling his martyr-like behavior and brooding as she sees it, yet she refuses to turn that critical eye inward and evaluate her own actions.

Jax has the potential to be a strong leading hero, a desirable combination of both light and dark making him dangerously appealing, however we have to question the sincerity of his affection for Sasha. Given that she and she alone is the key to his chance at heaven after centuries of hopelessness, his desire to have her causes us to wonder, as Sasha herself does, if she's simply a means to an end. Her attitude toward him also makes it challenging to comprehend his interest in her outside of his spiritual need for what she represents, and he tolerates more from her than we wish him to as he endures her struggle between what her body and heart want and what her mind is trying to convince her is best.

Overall, The Mephisto Covenant is a grittier young adult story, some more detailed descriptions of both violence and sex making this one much more suited to older readers, but through it all is the promise of hope and true happiness. More plot-driven than character-driven due to the need on our part to gloss over some of their individual actions in order to try and wiggle our way beneath the surface of this tale, The Mephisto Covenant will work for those who can be more forgiving of character flaws and read simply to be entertained. A critical reader will most likely have trouble navigating this story, but those who seek a more superficial but interesting reading experience will probably find themselves intrigued.

Rating: 3/5

33 comments:

  1. Yeah, I felt similarly. I did like the mythology, and how the author was willing to toe the line in terms of content. But the characters...I wasn't the biggest fan of them. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Jenny! :)

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  2. I started this, but ended up not getting very far because something else caught my eye! The concept of this book sounds amazing - really amazing. The Eve factor and all that. It makes me really want to read it. I need to pick this back up sometime!

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  3. First off, that cover is gorgeous....absolutely beautiful. I love the sound of this one though the romance seems a bit cloying. I'll have to add it to my TBR,,domain registration india

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  4. Unfortunately, this one turned out to be a DNF for me. I found the mythology confusing and the characters unsympathetic. But I could have been having a cranky reading day! :)
    Mary @ BookSwarm

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  5. Great honest review Jenny. Sounds like a good story line but the characters are lacking depth. Don't think it is for me.

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  6. I'm not sure this sounds like one I'd enjoy. I love the pretty cover though! Thanks for the great review! :)

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  7. Characters are more important to me than anything else in the story.

    I've seen many so-so and not so good reviews of this one...those along with yours have made me not want to read it. That makes me sad! The cover had me really wanting to read this one!

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  8. I really can't wait to read this. After watching the book trailer I am excited to read the book and I just love the idea.

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  9. Well you did much better than me on this one...I actually had to stop reading it...I was bored out of my mind!!!!!

    Butgood review there Jenny...;)

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  10. Good review and but I think I was one of the critical reviewers of this book. all the insta love and his powers. I also didn't like the info dump ;(

    Pretty Cover

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  11. Most plot-driven books I enjoy seem to be mysteries, because the mystery is [usually] strong enough to carry the book. Not sure this one would be for me.

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  12. "A story of damnation and redemption..." You summed it up perfectly! I really enjoyed this book, but like you I questioned Jax's true intentions. I was really confused as to whether or not he really wanted to find love with Sasha. Another insightful review, Jenny. =D

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  13. This is such an informative review! I really have an idea about what to expect now. I'm still not sure if the book is for me or not though. I don't like the sound of that MC at all, but the rest sounds interesting. I have it, so maybe I'll give it a shot sometime. Thanks!

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  14. Lauren - I really enjoyed the mythology though it was a little confusing for a while, but Sasha and Jax were a bit problematic for me.

    Liza - I loved the premise, it felt different to me and that made me a bit more forgiving of Sasha and Jax's flaws.

    Register - Isn't it? LOVE The cover:)

    Mary - I had trouble with the characters too, and all the different factions were a bit off putting at first, but once I got them figured out I could focus on the story and keep going.

    Nic - I think maybe if you went in not expecting much other than to read for fun, it wouldn't be a problem. If you go in wanting amazingly deep characters you'll probably be disappointed:)

    Leanna - Thanks! And I love the cover as well, the colors are gorgeous.

    Jacinda - Me too. And Sasha and Jax tested my ability to put plot/premise over characterization, but I was able to for the most part:)

    DGSA - Can't wait to see how your thoughts compare!

    Tina - Hahaha maybe I was having a good patient day:)

    Julie - The love didn't work for me at all, I couldn't believe in it on either side, but I enjoyed the mythology of it.

    Amanda - I'm going to go out on a limb and say this one won't impress you:) There's not so much a mystery as the unveiling of a paranormal mythology.

    Bailey - Once I got over the love situation and understood things a bit more with regard to the Mephisto, I actually found myself cruising right along and then I was at the end:)

    Small - Thanks! I would guess based on some of your past DNFs that you probably won't finish this one. Sasha and Jax's back and forth is a lot to deal with, but in the end I was pretty entertained.

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  15. I haven't read too many good things about this one but it's up next for me so we'll see.

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  16. I liked this book too! My gosh, it seems like we are reading the same books lately! I really love the way the story weaved with Adam/Eve. Nice review!

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  17. I have this book to start on soon. Sorry to hear you had a hard time connecting with the characters. I really hate it when that happens. :/ Thanks for sharing your review on the book, Jenny! I'm trying to decide if I want to read it now, or not. lol! :)

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  18. Why do I have the urge to throttle Sasha? She just seems like the type that purposely tries to make her life as dramatic as possible. Can't say I'm down with that.

    Thanks for the honest review Jenny. I think I've gleaned all I need to know about this book from your review. :)

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  19. Oh.
    I never bothered to read any reviews for this one. Looks like I should have. I'm not so sure if I'm still excited for it. Thanks for thorough and honest review, Jenny!

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  20. Thanks for such a great, honest review, Jenny. While the plot and mythology seem great, I don't think I handle weak character developments. I'm definitely a critical reader and don't think I can surpass the superficiality of the book.

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  21. I'm incredibly tired of "I'm not going to ever see him again, EVER!" then we're thrust right back into their love/hate story on the next page... Hmmm... I really need to read this before the 27th!

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  22. Now that I know that I would have to read it superficially, I think I could do it and it wouldn't bother me, but I think I want more in my books. Thanks for the honest review!

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  23. I haven't read this one, but it's siting on my shelf. I hate that the characters weren't what you wanted. If I can't connect with the characters, it's hard for me to connect with the story.

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  24. Now the question is whether I am the critical reader or the other one ;)

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  25. Hmm, the characters sound mega annoying. Which is unfortunate because I think the concept and world is really great! Bummer, but thanks for the review!

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  26. In all honesty, the synopsis didn't really grab my attention. Me thinks it's because I'm slightly worn out, LOL! Still, I don't think this one is making the top of my TBR anytime soon. Still, even for only a book you like you managed to make your review fabulous! Seriously, your skills in this department are mad brilliant...but, I digress...

    Jen
    In the Closet With a Bibliophile

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  27. Thank you for the great review. I wasn't sure about this one, but I think I may skip it. I need a break from gritty YA reads. I also get frustrated when the characterization isn't up to par like you mentioned. I do love that cover though!

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  28. I can definitely see where you're coming from, but I was a fan of this one. I found the plot so intriguing that it carried me through the Sasha-throttling moments (as Missie so eloquently put it). Awesome review!

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  29. I started this one a couple of days ago but haven't been able to get back to it since school began. Sasha seems wishy-washy from your review so I might have to get started on another book while reading this one so I don't get annoyed by the characters.

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  30. Hmm, you have me questioning this one. I was going to get it, but now, I'm not sure. You're threes usually mean I could take it or leave it. Think I might wait for the library. It's a gorgeous cover. And I love the title!

    Heather

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  31. This sounded pretty cool, but your list of negatives are things that would bother me - possibly a lot. Still, I'm tempted. Maybe I'll look into this one at the library.

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  32. I like your honest review of what works for this story and what doesn't. It sounds interesting. Though, it seems like a book that I might have trouble with since I tend to gravitate toward more character-driven stories. However, I might pick it up eventually just for the entertainment factor.

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  33. As much as I love your reviews (and I really, really do), every once in a while there is one like this that makes me wonder if I'd love the book or hate it. But as almost always, it makes me want to give it a try just to find out.

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