When Elsie Winters reached out to me and asked me to read her books I gave an enthusiastic yes...because her novella is about an orc and my followers know how obsessed I am with orcs.
I'm not going to be reviewing the orc book, Green-Eyed Monster, on this blog post but just know that it was amazingly adorable featuring an orc that suffers from insecurities related to his vitiligo and confidently sexy forest faerie. If you sign up for her newsletter you get it free! So think about doing that.
But, anyways, this blog post is about her brilliantly written full-length novel Leviathan's Song.
Blurb: Elara is well versed in creating beautiful things with the potential for great destruction, and the moment she meets Levi she knows that’s exactly what he is. Charmed and irritated by the seductive siren, Elara is drawn to him, but though his siren song pulls her in, his words push her away.
As a landlocked half-merman, rejected by his people, Levi is used to wanting things he can never have, and the soft-hearted and strong-willed Elara just hit the top of that list. She’s tempting, and that’s dangerous for him.
He should stay away.
But when an underwater city’s distant war comes to Elara’s doorstep, she’s suddenly in over her head, and Levi can no longer bear to keep his distance. Can she trust the mercurial siren that calls to her with more than his voice?
Review: Leviathan's Song is perfection on a page. Seriously. The world that Elsie Winters has created is so beautiful and so detailed that I found myself forgetting that it wasn't actually real. I wish it was real. The idea of humans and paranormal creatures living in harmony is such a fantastical image and I find myself wishing for the sort of problems associated with those circumstances: sirens swindling me out of my dollars as they sing on the streets, startled women who turn into birds, Grim reapers who make me uncomfortable with the sheer presence of their power.
Leviathan's Song is the story of a handsome and captivating male siren (who does not like to be referred to as a merman) and a dainty yet powerful female half-elf, half-human. From the moment they meet we're drawn in by their intense chemistry. I couldn't have stopped reading if I wanted to. I needed them to be together. This is a slow burn in terms of sex, but it's insta-connection between these two.
I loved, loved, loved that Elara was such a powerful, yet relatable heroine. She has the ability to create powerful weapons, but prefers to spend her time using her powers for good. And not only that, but when threatened Elara isn't the type of heroine who is too proud to accept help from her friends. No, she welcomes it. And there was something so refreshing about that. I admired her for her ability to see her weaknesses and not think herself less because of them.
Levi. Wow. I don't even know where to get started with him. He was...amazing and tragic. Winters did such an amazing job of creating such a complex and troubled character while still making him charming and kind and protective. As a reader I believed that I could have met Levi on the street and fallen in love with him. I wish I could fall in love with him. Sigh.
The secondary characters are honestly some of the best parts of this book and that's saying a lot because everything about this book is spectacular. But Elara's best friend Sid and Levi's best friends Grim and Jordan were hilarious. Only a couple chapters into the book I was messaging Elsie and asking her when I could get my hands on their books because I need them like I need air to breathe.
All in all, this book is a fantasy/paranormal romance readers dream. It hits all the sweet spots and draws you into a world unlike any other. It's the sort of book that you read over and over again and it's never enough.