- Title: Azygos
- Author: JH White
- Series: Tiber, #1
- Genre: Vampire Thriller, Suspense
- Publishing Date: October 20th, 2021
- Publishing Co.: BookBaby
- Length: 168 pages
- Format: Kindle, Paperback, Audiobook
- Acquired: Given free print copy in exchange for an honest review
- Amazon Link: Azygos
With two distinct paths, “Azygos” follows Marlowe’s and Sloan’s interweaving stories. Sloan and his family have been tracking his mother’s killer for as long as he can remember. As time passes with no answers or closure, the resentment and hatred in his family grows to a breaking point.
Marlowe and her family must return home to Portland after she recklessly commits a grave mistake while hunting. Her guilt and their judgment only intensify, but upon a chance meeting between the two, things begin to change. Finding comfort and warmth within each other, they forge a connection. But as people are murdered and secrets are told, their bond agonizingly twists towards its final challenge.
With their lives colliding, the solace they find within each other may only be a disguise for their darkest nightmares.
Final Judgment: 4.5 Stars out of 5
What a ride. In this thrilling novella, we get to explore both the hunter and the prey… and the line between which character fits which role is quite blurred. You never know until the end! Marlowe is a decades’ old vampire living her life and feeding off of humans. But something has happened, and she’s no longer exactly the hunter everyone wants–nay, needs–her to be. Whereas Sloan, he’s never been the hunter his family needs him to be. Two peas in a pod but on opposite sides of a war that most don’t know exist, this twisty story takes you through both interweaving POVs as you struggle to figure out who you’re rooting for. Oh, and there’s a bit of spice, too. 😉
I admit that I read this entire novella in a single sitting. Now, take that with a grain of salt as it is only 168 pages long, but dang was I hooked. Vampires, murder, imposter syndrome, secrets, and romance? It got me. The character building was jam-packed in this little story and it was absolutely worth it. I was surprised by how attached I actually got to both Marlowe and Sloan, as well as some other side characters I can’t name without getting choked up.
The writing itself was also enticing–it was a mix of flowery, metaphorical reflection and graphic, brutal action. Quite the contrast, and it worked. I was never left wanting. It scratched both my need for gore and my lust for… well, lust.
The only issue I had with this story was that at some points, the characters felt a bit inconsistent. Now, again, this is only 168 pages, so perhaps I didn’t actually know them as well as I thought I did, but some actions they took just felt… off. Still lent to a great story and THE ENDING. God. Absolutely worth it. After reading, I immediately looked up other books by JH White and discovered that this is actually the first in a series. I really like that this could absolutely have been a standalone novel, and I wouldn’t have felt like anything was unfinished. BUT, I also really like that I can continue the story. And Basilic is even a little over 200 pages, so, EXTRA WIN.
Leave a comment