Review: The Mephisto Mark by Trinity Faegan

Published: September 24th 2013 by Pink Publishing
FYI BTW: E-Book • 333 pages • Series Goodreads Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2

Orphaned at six and sent to live with abusive relatives in Bucharest, Mariah learned early in life to box up violent, agonizing memories and put them in permanent mental storage. Now almost nineteen, she has a paying job, a tiny apartment, and a plan to attend university. She loves her independence and is steadily overcoming her past, but when an enigmatic stranger walks into the pub where she works and the trajectory of her life changes yet again, she begins to wonder if she’ll run out of mental shelf space.

(Read more on Goodreads.)

Now you may remember me mentioning The Mephisto Covenant series before. In fact, one of my favorites of 2013 turned out to be The Mephisto Kiss, the sequel to The Mephisto Covenant. Now just a little disclaimer about me—I'm all about giving books a second chance, specifically books in a series where the potential to grow is always there. That's how it was with my first taste of Faegan's world; it definitely could've been much better, but I saw the possibilities it could pull off should Faegan improve on what I deemed to be flaws. So when I read The Mephisto Kiss, I was incredibly glad that I sat down one random evening to give it a chance and was dazzled by how much more depth Faegan created, and the attachments developed for these agonized sons of the dark angel Mephistopheles.

I just love saying his name. Mephistopheles.



The Good, The Bad, and The Non-Spoilery: If you've never read The Mephisto Covenant, it's about the six remaining sons of Mephistopheles (^^) who, due to questionable parentage to say the least, in order to earn passage into Heaven and gain God's favor must find love in a specific kind of a woman—known as Anabo, these women are descended from the first daughter of Adam and Eve and carry with them the purest of souls despite the darkness of the world around them, and so will be unafraid of being among the enigmatic, dangerous, arguably demonic Mephisto brothers. Should they love they will also know a peace that has eluded them for the thousand years they've already lived.

Now what I've loved about this series to this point is that the love lives of the six brothers are both at the center of the books and not all at once. Despite the fact that each of them have been unknowingly waiting for these promised soulmates, they've got other things going on as the hit squad working for both sides to stop the world from ending. But more than that, they're all carrying around a lot of emotional damage and pressure and old resentments that these could almost be very much character-driven stories, which huzzah!

I love that their romances are as equally hard as the lives they already lead. While the attraction is very much instant, the love takes a while to bloom, and when it comes to the point where they can love beyond themselves, it's cleansing for each brother and pretty damn beautiful. This particular installment focuses on Phoenix and the Anabo he definitely doesn't want to meet called Mariah, whom I loved so very much. You see, Phoenix harbors a horde of guilt for a tragic past where selfishness and many mistakes were at play. His tragic flaw is that selfishness so that even his guilt stems from self-pity no matter how much he thinks otherwise, and so it's no wonder it takes he and Mariah so long to work up to where I was dying to lead them my own self. He has so much growing to do at the beginning and because it's real, because it's true it takes a while for him to get there.

These books are about redemption, forgiveness, and self-growth, and therein lay the beauty, the glimpse of which I caught a couple years ago. And at the core of all those things is a driving need to maintain a family, and each of the brothers, the women they bring in, and the ones who watch over them—see: most BAMF butler, housekeeper, and cook ever—are very much a part of and committed to the family they've managed to salvage in spite of all the tragedies that have befallen them.

It's impossible to remain unaffected by these brothers, each their own person with their own quirks and flaws and jokes and badassery. (I'm sorry but BROMANCE makes the top of my must-have-in-reading list.) And while I was extremely sad that Faegan had a setback with her publisher, she's managed to come through and deliver a fairly phenomenal follow-up to the game-changing Mephisto Kiss and so I'm ANYTHING BUT sad now. I'm actually refreshing the goodreads page for The Mephisto Code and waiting for more info to miraculously appear. Yeah, I expect no judgement.

M came close and bent to gently stroke her hair. I watched in stunned disbelief. Not since our mother died had I seen my father express anything close to affection.
Her soul must have recognized who he was because she looked up at him with relief and whispered, "I'm ready to go."
"It's not your time," he murmured.
She leaned her head into his hand and closed her eyes. "He came back."
"No, he's never coming back."
"Promise?"
"I promise." He moved his hand across her face and she instantly went to sleep, her head falling against my shoulder.

*dies* *sobs* THIS SCENE. Mariah is so wounded that she inspires a shred of warmth in even the most damned of souls. *sobs again*

And there are tons of others but this is the least spoilery, I think, and one of the most moving.

I bought my e-book copy off of Amazon for $3.99. Prices may vary over time.

Reaction to... The Mephisto Kiss by Trinity Faegan

TO UNCOVER OR BE COVERED:
Okay, I HATE this cover. Something about the cover of THE MEPHISTO KISS makes me think of a bad photoshop job and I’m clearly unimpressed. But that is the ONLY thing I fail to love about this sequel to THE MEPHISTO COVENANT.

SUMMARY: The eyes never lie. No one’s eyes are darker than Eryx. Not even the Devil’s.

When Jax and Sasha first see Jordan Ellis, they know she is no ordinary teenager. She’s the daughter of the President after all, but she’s also Anabo – a descendant of Eve.

What they don’t know is that Eryx plans to kidnap Jordan and force President Ellis to pledge his soul. If Eryx’s plot succeeds, the consequences would be catastrophic.

But the Mephisto brothers do know about Jordan’s secret identity. And for one of them, she could be the match that leads to their soul’s salvation.

Now it’s a desperate race against time to save Jordan and prevent Eryx’s haunting eyes from discovering her true identity.

I honestly don’t know why it took me so long to read this book. Well, yes I do. After THE MEPHISTO COVENANT, I wasn’t burning with anxiety and need-to-know feels for the sequel and so it didn’t cut it to my Actual Priorities list. But I requested it. And don’t give me that look. Yes, I’ve requested a lot, but usually because I’ve SOME kind of invested interest. In this case, I knew I’d be reading THE MEPHISTO KISS I just wasn’t sure when. Picking it up after months of having it was an impulsive decision, I now realize, BUT I’M SO HAPPY that I did it. Because it’s as if Trinity Faegan took all my small though many gripes about the first book and made a phenomenal book that I just want squeeze to my chest and serenade it whilst it remains in my arms. YEAH.

WHAT HAD HAPPENED WAS:
All together there are seven sons of Hell. A long, long time ago, the eldest of those sons did something unforgiveable and cast himself out of the Mephisto—sons of the dark angel Mephistopheles and the Anabo Mana who were neither acknowledged by God or Lucifer—and has since become the enemy of the rest of his family. Because of their origins the Mephisto are earth-bound, immortal, and, if killed, headed straight to Hell with absolutely no passage into Heaven. Unless they’ve fulfilled the Mephisto Covenant—a promise from God that says each of the Mephisto will find peace and love with an Anabo—an infallibly pure soul resistant against temptation and the wickedness of man. But as Ajax, or Jax, has so proven in THE MEPHISTO COVENANT, that proves to be as difficult as can be, and will be even more difficult when Kyros, or Key, is given his own chance for redemption.

WHERE WE GO:
Yes, Trinity Faegan has made so many improvements to this second book in the Mephisto series. You have to understand, the first book wasn’t a bad book. It was a little weird at times—a lot of people still seem to question the sexism (would that be the word?) that seems to be embedded within certain aspects of the story—and the plot had been a little too choppy. The villain took FOREVER to show up, if my review is any judge, and the pacing needed work too. Not the case at all in THE MEPHISTO KISS.

We are given a brief introductory step into the minds of Kyros and Jordan before we are thrust into the fast-paced kidnapping that changes everything. Jordan is the president’s daughter, and was never any interest of the Mephisto or their sworn-enemy Eryx, until she becomes an essential piece to the chess game the President is unknowingly losing against Eryx and his plot to overtake the American government. With Jordan taken, it is revealed that Jordan is suspected to be one of whom the Mephisto are always looking for, and before he can prepare himself for what is about to happen, Kyros is assaulted with the scent of bluebells coming from an item of Jordan’s, changing everything.

What I loved so much about THE MEPHISTO KISS is the constant adventures, all the terrible outcomes, risk-taking, and fighting against evil whereas in THE MEPHISTO COVENANT all that didn’t seem so important. I had been too busy wishing Jax and Sasha together, just because, but with this book Faegan figured out if we are invested in the characters as much as humanly possible so will we be in their mission. It’s now imperative to stop Eryx, to keep him from tempting more souls and from taking the only happiness that really counts among the Mephisto after a thousand years of their own individual loneliness. From the Carpathian Mountains to Bucharest to Washington to the Mephisto stronghold, all that we learn and everywhere we go is thrilling, exciting, and compelled a range of emotions from me with every turn of the scene.

WHO WE ARE WITH:
True to my tastes, even more than I loved the plot, I loved this deeper development and better presentation of characters I liked in this first book. I saw the potential in the bromance between the Mephistos and how it might touch me deeply but it didn’t go that far in the first book whereas now I can’t imagine ever not reading a book with them in it. They are more of a presence, grounded in emotions and pasts and personalities that didn’t feel this close in THE MEPHISTO COVENANT. I finally feel like I know them, like I can sense family and feel home, their home, and enjoy all the struggles, arguments, and joyous occasions that come with that family.

Kyros was especially distant in THE MEPHISTO COVENANT, as the leader of the Mephisto, but that is no longer a problem. To protect himself from too deep of emotional investment, to hide all the emotional scarring and pain that comes with it, and to keep himself rigidly in check, his distance, or the cause thereof, is one of the saddest things I’ve ever known in a book. For the sake of his father, his brothers, all of them, and his long-dead mother, Kyros is an unbearably sad character though there is no outward sorrow to show. I couldn’t help but be relieved and happy at the promise of Jordan, or life with her. Seeing them stumble their way through love was so much more gratifying than what I found in the last book. It’s real and raw, full of mistakes and misunderstandings of each other’s characters while they figure out what those characters really are, and ultimately full of hope and acceptance and I am TOTES behind that. Yes, Jordan, like Sasha, battled with what was right for her, whether Kyros was wrong for her or not, but unlike Sasha, seemed strong and perfectly scared and somehow more real about her indecision. But there is a realization of the balance they have together that keeps them in check as much as happy.

THE LITTLE THINGS:

1. Kyros Begs Jordan To Stay Alive
2. Phoenix Tells Kyros About Jane
3. Jax Gives Jordan Advice
4. Kyros Wants Jordan For Jordan
5. Kyros Decides Jordan, Every Time

I’ve done the best that I could, putting my love of this book into words. And only now after finishing early this morning (I’m talking around five am people!), and after I try to make myself guilty for sleeping in and not studying for my final tomorrow because I stayed up late reading THE MEPHISTO KISS, do I realize how unequivocally excited I am for the rest of the books in the series! It makes me so sad that Faegan’s publisher decided against another book, like BEYOND sad.





But, I’m not bedridden with ragefever or pulling my own hair out because Trinity Faegan made the brave decision to continue the series on her own. And I can’t truly, deeply thank her enough for it because I genuinely love these characters she’s brought into the fictional world and who knows how much blacker my soul would’ve gotten if she hadn’t decided? Because she spared me a fate of long-lasting anger and took pity on all of us desperately waiting for the next part of the story, I think she is even more amazing. Really, people, you are missing so much by skipping this book.

I can’t tell you how much my blood sings at the thought of reading Phoenix’s story, which is the next book in the series called THE MEPHISTO MARK. Even though I must wait until September, in this book especially, Phoenix, the first brother to find an Anabo and lose her, has gotten to me and I’ve decided to be patient. I trust you, Trinity, to make me love Phoenix, Mariah, and their story so very much. And oddly enough it’s a scene with the guy in question that I find even more oddly compelled to share with you.

After a while, Phoenix said, "Jane wasn't what I expected."
Jerking his attention away from the dust motes, he saw Phoenix staring at the clock. "You never said so."
"I thought I'd find a girl who was strong and independent, who liked to ride as much as I did, who had a spirit of adventure and would go with me to places like the Himalayas, or the pyramids in Egypt. Instead, I got Jane, who couldn't walk and was afraid of horses. She was shy, reserved, and a homebody." Phoenix shifted in his chair and rubbed an invisible spot from the brown leather armrest. "Looking at it from her side, she thought she'd marry an aristocrat who would be as passionate about social change in England as she was, who could take her to church. Instead, she got me."
"Who healed her so she could walk. That had to rank higher than social change."
"Not to Jane."
Key was floored. "I thought you and Jane were crazy about each other."
"We were."
"But you just said--"
"All that was in the beginning, Key. Once I really knew her, I didn't care so much about the pyramids. She could be funny, which isn't something I ever considered important. She had quirks, like hiding dime novels inside her hat so she could sneak away from parties and read. You don't think about things like that while you're waiting. You build up this perfect girl in your head, but she doesn't exist. What you get instead is a real human being, and if you're lucky like me, she'll be a million times better than what you imagined and expected."
"In her hat? Really?"
Phoenix nodded and reached for his book. "She loved scary stories."
Key got to his feet and walked to the doorway into the front hall, then stopped and said over his shoulder, "Do you ever imagine another girl?"
"All the time, but now, instead of a girl who's into pyramids, she's always Jane."

Now, maybe, you know what I mean.

Hardback / 448 pgs / Sept 25th 2012 / Egmont USA / Goodreads / $17.99

I received a copy from Egmont via Netgalley back in October.

Author Chat: Trinity Faegan

• Visit Trinity Faegan's Website
• Visit Trinity's Blog
• Read My Review for The Mephisto Covenant

Sasha is desperate to find out who murdered her father. When getting the answer means pledging her soul to Eryx, she unlocks a secret that puts her in grave danger—Sasha is Anabo, a daughter of Eve, and Eryx’s biggest threat.

A son of Hell, immortal, and bound to Earth forever, Jax looks for redemption in the Mephisto Covenant—God’s promise he will find peace in the love of an Anabo. After a thousand years, he’s finally found the girl he’s been searching for: Sasha.

With the threat of Eryx looming, Jax has to keep Sasha safe and win her over. But can he? Will Sasha love him and give up her mortal life?

An eerie, entrancing story, The Mephisto Covenant has it all: gorgeous, bad-ass hunters (the Mephisto), a bright, caring MC (the Anabo), and a devilish, sinister villain that pulls the strings throughout (that would be Eryx)! The book is full of love, loss, sacrifice, and temptation. And when Sasha gets involved with these enigmatic Mephisto, will she decide to stay or will Jax lose her forever?


Trinity Faegan agreed to stop by the blog and and run through a few questions with me, giving answers I know I'm dying to know.

Thank you, Trinity, for helping me piece together the following interview...

The Mephisto Covenant was a totally engaging and fascinating read, and I think the first thing I would like to know is if there are plans for a sequel?

First, thank you! And yes, the second book in the series will be out in Fall 2012. I turned it in to my editor about a week ago. It was the hardest book I’ve ever written.

How did this story even come about? What inspired The Mephisto Covenant? What drew you to writing about angels and, I guess, demons?

Several years ago, someone very close to me was the victim of sexual assault. I thought a lot about evil – why it exists, what it means, and why good people are touched by it, changing their lives forever. I had a really difficult time coming to terms with what happened, and one night, I dreamed about these amazing guys who had the power to find evil and get rid of it. Kind of loosey-goosey for a whole book, but it stuck with me and over time, the Mephisto formed in my imagination. I didn’t want them to be angelic, or demonic, but real guys, with supernatural abilities, and conflicted souls.

Is everything in your novel Greek-based? Why?

In the first draft of this story, the Mephisto were born during the time of Greek gods, so the names, the background, everything I researched was Greek. I later changed the story so that they were born during the Dark Ages, but the Greek elements stuck.

How would you describe Sasha?

She’s fiercely loyal, smart, and confident, but resistant to change. She likes stability, and once her world begins to change, there’s nothing she can count on, which is why she grows over the course of the story. She either has to bend, or break.

I love the Mephisto brothers! Do you have a favorite among them?

He didn’t get a lot of page time, but Zee is my favorite. He’s very complicated, and so deep. I’d love to write his story. I already know his Anabo, and she’s perfect for him.

Which character was the most fun to write for?

Hands down, Phoenix. He’s solemn and sad, but also snarky and funny, sometimes unintentionally. I think his story will be the most fun for me to write.

Could you share one best-loved line or scene from the book?

The shopping scene was originally my favorite, but a huge chunk of it was cut in edits. Now my favorite scene is when Sasha goes to the Ghost House to find Amanda. It’s a turning point for her. Favorite line is Phoenix to Jax, telling him Lucifer will be angry if he doesn’t win Sasha, but there’s nothing he can do about it: “Women don’t always do what you want, even if you’re Lord of the Underworld.”

Of all the aspects of the book, I have to say that I love the romance probably the most. Jax and Sasha are such a sweet pair and watching their relationship blossom, slowly, was incredibly touching. How would you describe their relationship, how they complement each other?

For all that he’s a son of Hell, there’s a sentimental side to Jax, and for all that Sasha is without original sin, she has a backbone of steel. As much as Jax admires her for the obvious reasons – she’s hot and she’s Anabo – he appreciates her courage. And as much as Sasha admires Jax because he’s good looking and fights evil, she’s drawn to his affection for his family. She was so close to her dad, and grief over his death has made her hyper aware of how important it is to cherish family.

I'm definitely yearning for what's to come, and I think I speak for many when I say that I want to know what to expect. What can you unveil about the ensuing books to come? Any sneak peeks you care to share?

As of now, there’s only one more book – this was a two book contract. I’m hopeful there’ll be more, but the jury’s still out, so we’ll see. In Book 2, another brother – we’re not saying which one just yet – will find an Anabo, and she’s very different from Sasha. She’s the First Daughter, and her path to Mephisto is littered with all kinds of obstacles, including a boyfriend. This was such a difficult book to write because my editor wanted it to stand alone, so no one has to have read the first to know what’s going on in the second. Rebuilding the world without info-dumping all over the place was challenging. As for hints: Eryx is in this book in a way he wasn’t in the first. He’s a main character. There are also more allusions to the overall story arc to the series.

After The Mephisto Covenant, can we expect to see anything from you in the future? Any projects currently underway?

I’m writing a contemporary realistic YA about a Manhattan girl whose mom marries a ranch foreman and she has to move to the outback of west Texas. It’s a lot like moving to another planet, and her only goal is to win a writing scholarship to boarding school so she can go back to New York. Her plan to remain invisible and anonymous fails when a guy at school begins stalking her, and her stepdad won’t see that he’s a creeper. She befriends the guy that the rancher’s daughter is in love with, and much drama ensues. This is a scary story, but also a romance. I can’t wait to finish writing it, and I hope it finds a home.

Have you read anything particularly awesome so far this summer? Are there any books you're looking forward to getting your hands on before the year fades out?

I actually spent the entire summer writing, so haven’t gotten to read in forever. It’s like I gave up water, or something. I’m so excited to dive into my teetering stacks of to-be-read books. First up is Simone Elkeles’s Chain Reaction. I’ve been dying to read it since I read the last page of Rules of Attraction. I’m also looking forward to Heather Brewer’s first book in her Slayer Chronicles. I loved the Vlad books!

It was lovely to have you on the blog, Trinity! Thank you for stopping by!

Thank you, Asher! How lovely of you to invite me!

---

Oh, Trinity, I'm soooo excited for that book two you've got coming out, especially if Eryx's way more involved! I wonder what you mean by that, though.

I hope to have you back on the blog soon!

Review: The Mephisto Covenant by Trinity Faegan

The Mephisto Covenant

by Trinity Faegan

Get the Deets: Goodreads»»  
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Release Date: September 27, 2011
Publisher: Egmont
Source: NetGalley + Egmont
Purchase: Book Depo. | Amazon | Kindle
About the Book:

Sasha is desperate to find out who murdered her father. When getting the answer means pledging her soul to Eryx, she unlocks a secret that puts her in grave danger—Sasha is Anabo, a daughter of Eve, and Eryx’s biggest threat.

A son of Hell, immortal, and bound to Earth forever, Jax looks for redemption in the Mephisto Covenant—God’s promise he will find peace in the love of an Anabo. After a thousand years, he’s finally found the girl he’s been searching for: Sasha.

With the threat of Eryx looming, Jax has to keep Sasha safe and win her over. But can he? Will Sasha love him and give up her mortal life?

The Mephisto Covenant, while it's not one of My Favorites of the Year, it's definitely a solid read, including great mythology, a strong plot, and sweet, devilish characters that make me hope there will be more books for the rest of the Mephisto boys! Are there a few aspects that seemed slightly derivative? I guess. Too many issues that dogged me because they hampered the pacing of the plot? Yes. Did the romance feel rushed? At times, yes. But, it's the overall package that appealed to me and basically led me to finishing the book. It's entertaining, at points scary and eerie, and insanely engrossing! I blanked out all throughout my morning classes (kindles make it easier to sneak a few reads in, believe it or not)!

Despite the fact that Sasha is Anabo--in other words, totally pure of soul, not drawn into temptation--I did not ONCE see her as bland. I enjoyed her narration. She may not feel the darker emotions that we ordinary people do, but that never made her uninteresting. In fact, she struck me as oddly intriguing and admirable because of her inclination to always do good, it being in her relative makeup not being an issue. She's gorgeous, liked by most people, generally content, and a basically good kid. And she's humble about it, so she didn't annoy me to that extent. Being a goody-goody actually made her endearing to me. Surprisingly, what grated my nerves is her struggle over Jax. Probably because there is such a huge portion of the book devoted to her back-and-forth, indecisive thoughts aimed at Jax. I can't stand when it takes the MC FOREVER to decide. I might not give her that long because the book will end up back in my TBR, and might not get picked back up again. It's realistic, I suppose, because I could understand her logic, but I have no patience for that constant inner-turmoil crap.

The romance could've been set up as the ULTIMATE FORBIDDEN kind. Son of hell meets the daughter of Eve--or the human equivalent of an angel. But that's actually one of the focal points of the book. Jax NEEDS (and is allowed) to fall in love with an Anabo, like the other Mephisto, in order to... Well, I won't say, since that would be spoilery :P. But the pacing suffers because of Sasha's unwillingness to fall into it with Jax. Frankly, instead of reading about Sasha worrying over her choices, I'd rather have witnessed hot kissing, people falling victim to Eryx's tricks, meeting Eryx himself sooner, hanging with the Mephisto bros, etc. Anything but that agonizing internal monologuing going on. The plus side comes when Jax and Sasha really do starting gravitating toward a relationship; the chemistry between them is awesome. (Younger YA readers should be aware that there's a very sensual scene toward the end of the book...)

I think the plot is unique and imaginative, however at times choppy. I struggled through some of the descriptions and the inconsistent flips between Jax and Sasha's POVs, as it tended to get confusing. There's a lot of tension, an ominous threat looming close, but I do wish there were more fighting scenes. It would've been nice to have met the villain in person sooner, just because when I finally did, I thought he was wickedly bad-ass and deliciously evil. The sadness is there, too, what with everything that happened with Sasha's father before the book started, that happens with Sasha's mother and remaining family, some friends. It's sad to see how easily some of the characters get tempted to the dark side... and watching them pay the consequences.

Faegan's wording and pacing suffered some, but the writing as a whole is vivid and humorous. The characters popped and are easily accessible; it was easy to make a connection with most of them, thereby easy to feel sympathy or pain for them. And while I was happy with the book's ending, I did feel like it was a little too abrupt. I needed better transition and a bit more filling in.

The entirety of the The Mephisto Covenant acts as a striking, consuming read and, in spite of the bumpy ride, I ate up this book and read it fairly quickly, and enjoyed all that I found inside it's pages!

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He was bad news, she was sure of it. 

Why, then, did she stay right here, staring at him and thinking he was absolutely irresistible? Why did her mind keep replaying lying in the snow, his warm body against hers? Maybe because it had been her first kiss. Watching him turn to look at her again, she wondered if it really had been as amazing as she remembered.

Only one way to find out. Closing the distance between them, she bent her neck to look up at him. "Will you kiss me again?"

"If you'll let me."

She reached up, slid his shades from his face, and dropped them to the snowy ground.

He rested his hands against her shoulders and looked as though he was at war with himself before he pulled her toward him, bending his head until his mouth was close to hers. "Remember, you asked," he whispered...