The Pawn and The Puppet (The Pawn and The Puppet series) Paperback – April 1, 2022

loved it! Finished it in a day and I intend to devour the three that follow. I also plan to purchase the physical copies so I can proudly display them in book trophy form! Can't wait to learn more about Skylenna and meet more alters.

B O O K R E V I E W| swipe | share | save |Overall Opinion:I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The relationship between Skylenna and Dessin is very intriguing. Dessin is an individual with DID and Skylenna is a worker at the asylum where he resides. Their relationship unfolds with her time spent there. Dessin’s character is extremely intriguing to me. When he disassociates I find him more and more fascinating. By that… I mean that I just have so many more questions about his character and each identity he has. I also love the dystopian vibe that it gives the reader. The asylum had me on the edge of my seat! Every time we went back to it I couldn’t put the book down! This story is filled with empathy and emotions. I feel that the writer did a good job of research ahead of time. I definitely encourage any potential reader to read every trigger warning ahead of time as this book dives into many dark topics.Brief Storyline:The Emerald Lake Asylum is not a place most desire to go. Nineteen year old, Skylenna, however, made a promise that she must keep. Once hired, she only has one purpose—prove to the council that barbaric treatments, such as waterboarding, scalding baths, and beatings, are no longer the answer. But that all takes pause when she meets the source of terror in the asylum. A patient with a split personality—on one side, he’s the bloodthirsty genius, Dessin. On the other, a hidden persona that is buried deep in his subconscious.When Dessin is caught in an attempted cell break, he faces execution if Skylenna can’t bring out his core personality and reveal his humanity. She has ninety days to save his life, and the only way to do that is to let him consume her into his world of moves, counter-moves, and master puppeteering.With each passing day, their bond deepens, a forbidden attraction forming against her best judgments. Little by little, Skylenna uncovers the sinister secrets of his past that turned him into the monster everyone else fears. And Dessin proves to have one weakness despite the terrifying, indestructible persona he presents to the world: her. Please Note: This book contains explicit content and darker elements. Check trigger warnings before reading It is not intended for anyone under 18 years of age. This is book one in a series. Trigger Warnings (misrepresentation and some triggers will be corrected in the revised edition): gratuitous violence, depression, suicide, torture, domestic violence, eating disorders, hallucinations, misogyny, poisoning, sexual assault, pedophilia, romanticized mental illness, gore, death of a loved one, child abuse, decapitation, female oppression, hostage situation, body shaming, panic attacks, incest, rape, child sexual assault, emotional trauma, child sex traffickingCharacter Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5Spice level:.5/5Descriptive spice scenes:There were a few flirtatious scenes that gave a slow burn vibe.Closure:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5Overall Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5Audiobook Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5Audiobook Thoughts:This is a duet narration. The narrators portrayed the characters perfectly! The timing in between sentences flowed just right. The banter between the characters sounded natural. I really enjoyed the experience it gave to the listener.

Definitely a dark read but the story had me intrigued. Different than anything else I’ve ever read. Reason for 4 stars is it kinda lost me on the whole mythical creature thing. I didn’t really see how that fit into this at all. Could’ve done without.

What an unexpected read. There is currently a crusade against this author on TikTok for 'insensitivity' and lack of TWs, so naturally, I had to read it. These were my takeaways from the complaints:First, if you are someone who gets upset easily, has trauma, and is not okay with reading uncomfortable things, READ THE MULTI-PAGE TW. If any of those topics might upset you, don't read the book. It is not the author's job to prevent you from reading something that might upset you.Second, the author does a good job of describing DID in lay terms and explains that the majority of individuals in this book who suffer from mental illness ARE THE VICTIMS. The male MC actually reminds me of a Dexter-like character.Third, there is an issue with an incredibly minor side story for one of the side characters regarding SA by a trans woman... What people are failing to realize is that that character was SAed by hundreds of others but the last one was his breaking point for a VERY specific reason, and that reason was not the fact that the person was trans. People upset with this are grasping at straws.Last, this is a book, that takes place in a fantasy setting. It is a DARK FANTASY book. There are actual fantasy animals in it. No one fantasy world is going to fit everyone's wants and needs. Just because something is offensive to you doesn't mean it is offensive to others. Just because you might be offended doesn't mean anyone else has to be. If you don't like it don't read it.Now onto my review:I thoroughly liked this book. It was a little slow-moving at first, but it did keep me engaged in questioning the female MC's reality. It is a brutal, raw, uncensored book about the poor treatment of not only civilians but those who are mentally ill. It kind of reminded me a bit of 'One Flew Over the CooKoo's Nest' (a novel that brought to light the atrocities that occurred in mental hospitals 60 years ago). There are brutal and grossly abusive 'treatments' and the main female MC is on a mission to change the practices of this 'asylum' (there was an issue with that word being used but I believe the author used it to show the parallels between what we have seen in society in the past). The relationship between the male and female MC reminds me initially of Clarice and Hannibal in 'Silence of the lambs' but then kind of morphs into Christine and the Phantom in 'Phantom of the Opera' (needless to say the author was able to braid a lot of influence beautifully).The relationship and character building were fantastic in this book, but I wish there was a little more world-building as the governments and everything were a little confusing. I also wish there was a little more spice but I understood why the author didn't. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and cannot wait for the second one (which I HOPE she releases).