A review by inkerly
Malevolence by Smauggy

5.0

By the Gods…

I’ve never read anything like this. And that’s saying a lot. All the fantasy books in my time, I’ve never resonated and fawned for such *fist bump* a grande story.Everything about this just is sheer perfection and marvelousness.

Things I loved about this book:

- Shows men fawning over Black women
- Shows plus sized black women can be wanted and adored as much as any other size or creed without being fetishized
- EXQUISITE STORYTELLING
- Loved the mashup and innovation of the various fairytales: I read elements of Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, and Snow White all rolled into one! Brilliant!
- Character development skills ON POINT! I started liking characters that were only introduced mere minutes into the story. The author just has a way with words.
- The sex dialogue and foreplay is absolutely great
- I don’t have a single bad thing to say about the character arcs of the main characters



Things I could do without / didn’t love: *Spoilers ahead*


- There were literally SOOO many twists and turns. I couldn’t have predicted half of the plot twists that came up. Most of them were tied to a character that was only introduced in the last 1/3 of the book.
- A main character being introduced in the last third of the book 🙃 I’ll let it slide because they’re adorable.
- MC basically gets brutally raped by one of her captors/husbands who is literally TWICE her size and a bear in and out of bed and there’s no mention or any indication that she bled/had any tearing? Yes she cried but I imagine the physical toll would have been severe as well
- Malachi and Xander… have they always shared women together? No homoerotic ness in their lovemaking with Phaedra so how are they able to have sex with her and have no sexual intimacy themselves? Just a more curious thought. They are only hyper jealous of other men but not each other?? Bc of their trauma bonding?
- There was a plot line stating that Faerie blood/faeries could only stop the Faerie Magic that causes shifters to bleed out of their eyes, nose. Which is why Malachi and Xander wanted to breed Phaedra. But when we see an actual PRODUCT OF THAT — Cassiel who is half Elve (Elf?) half Shifter , he is not shown to be able to help ward off that dark magic on the others (because his repressed shifter side comes out). So does this disprove Malachi and Xanders theory that a “half-breed” would be immune to the faery/elve dark magic???
- Phaedra is a virgin but there are really no scenes of her developing her skill for them…they’re always the initiators… just felt a LITTLE unrealistic that they'd just have phenomenal sex despite her inexperience
- Dark Elves and their magic are still a mystery and it was a letdown that these subgroup of people didn’t have a bigger arc/revelation when it is clear that they are more powerful in some ways than even the Faeries!!
- How are people of different species (shifter, elves, faeries) able to procreate? Cassiel ?..Phaedras faery/elf nieces and nephews…. ??
- What is the extent of faerie Magic? Phaedra and her mother Farrah are the only two faeries shown to wield extraordinary powers. The other faeries mentioned - her sisters etc only have acute talents and skills (like learning multiple Languages but not literally Sustaining the Life of near dead people)
- So everyone in Phaedra's family knew about how her mother died and the truth about the faery vs shifter dispute … except Phaedra herself? How were they able to keep it from her this long???!
- It would’ve been nice if more on Phaedras coronation was explored. Like seeing the people actually attend and accept her coronation as Queen
- Pokuaa and Cassiel seem like such an unlikely pair — I’d have thought (and preferred) Pokuaa and Kolvar or Pokuaa and Daemon. Or maybe even a threesome😉
-THIS BOOK STOPS HERE AND DOESNT HAVE A SEQUEL!! What the heck?!?