Reviewed by Nikyta
Title: The Sheltered City
Author: John Tristan
Heroes: Amon/Caedian
Genre: M/M Fantasy
Length: 231 Pages
Publisher: Carina Press
Release Date: July 7, 2014
Available at: Carina Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Kobo
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads
Blurb: Amon Vraja, last of the halfdead, tries to stay out of sight. His kind, twisted by the gift that grants them superhuman strength, are loathed and shunned. Under the enchanted leaves of the Last City, ruled by imperious elves whose love of beauty leaves little room for his ugliness, he’s not much more than the ghost of a dragon-haunted past.
When the young, headstrong elf-lord Caedian takes an interest in Amon, however, Amon’s days in the shadows may be over. Caedian needs Amon to find Caedian’s missing twin, and a halfdead brothel guard can’t just refuse an elf’s desires. Throughout the search, Caedian and Amon rely on each other’s strength and generosity, and Amon is struck by an impossible yearning for his elvish patron.
As they peel away layers of deceit and spiral closer to one another, they also near the horrifying truth of the elves’ protection. And when they discover it, they’ll face a choice: step outside the shelter of the world’s last city, or die where they stand.
Review:
Amon is the last of the halfdead, a human that resembles a barely living corpse with prominent black veins and created to withstand the poisonous air outside the Tree that shelters the Last City. Unfortunately, being a halfdead means he’s treated like the plague, destined to live a short but lonely life. But when Caedian, an elf-lord, comes to the brothel where Amon works, everything changes. Caedian wants to hire Amon to help find his missing brother. In the course of their search, they uncover a startlingly dangerous secret that threats their lives, forcing them to flee into the very world that is supposed to be uninhabitable.
Wow, this book was a MONSTER. I will admit that there is a lot to the book that can’t be described. It’s one of those stories that I firmly believe you need to read to fully understand it and really comprehend what awesomeness lies between the pages. I’ve said it many times and I’ll say it again, as a fantasy lover, I crave books that have a lot of depth to their world. I want to know everything that happens in gruesome detail. This book gave me that wish and really got into the mechanics of everything that made up this world without giving a ton of boringly unnecessary details. From the elves to the humans to the halfdeads, I felt like I really got to experience all of it. All that detail into the world really made me a happy reader LOL. There’s also the fact that the journey Caedian and Amon go on is both frightening and heart-breaking. To save Caedian, Amon has to do something that changes Caedian’s life forever and that drives a wedge between them that had me scared they couldn’t mend.
As for characters, I absolutely adored Amon. He was a sad but genuine character who followed his heart and not his head. He knew helping Caedian would change his life but he still did it because of his feelings for Caedian, even before he even realized what those feelings were. At the same time, Caedian broke my heart over and over. He’s confused and, at times, emotionally dead. He goes through a lot including being betrayed and losing his twin brother in one of the worst ways possible. He needs to avenge his twin to really get closure but he struggles with that revenge and being with Amon. Unfortunately, or fortunately, that revenge wins out and really puts not only Caedian but Amon in even more danger than usual to fulfill that need.
While the story is rich in detail with an intriguing storyline, its biggest downfall is the ending. After everything that happens (and for how long the book was), I expected a conclusion to the story in ALL aspects of it. Instead, it ends rather abruptly with resolution to Caedian and Amon’s revenge but the romance between Caedian and Amon is very open-ended to the point I’m left with so many questions. Where will they go next? What will happen to the Tree? Will Caedian and Amon be able to survive to where ever they are going? Will Caedian ever tell Amon he loves him out loud?? I sincerely think this story could have benefited a lot from an epilogue to at least let the reader know that Caedian and Amon won’t be wandering the world until they die, especially with everything they’ve been through.
Overall, I still really loved this book. It has an intriguing and invigorating world with so much depth to it. I was in heaven learning about the different settings and how vastly different they were and really enjoyed that this book was filled with deceit, betrayal, love and revenge. I loved the characters just as much as the world because of their stubborn and cruel natures. If you’re a lover of fantasy like me and love your epic stories, definitely give this one a try because it has a nice mix of a dangerous adventure and a soft romance.
Overall Impression: I loved it!
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in return for a fair and honest review.*
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