Loxley Savage

“In the face of pain there are no heroes.”

This book was banned by Amazon on release. The authors edited it to remove the most extreme content, re-titled it and commissioned new cover art, and it was again banned by Amazon upon release.

I don't usually start a series until it is complete, but under the circumstances I wanted to support the authors (who seem like nice people) and to see what all the fuss is about.

This is the first volume in a planned series of six. It is short and it ends show more with a bang in a "happy for now" scenario, setting up the story to come.

This is a "dark romance". It isn't the grimmest thing I've read this year but there is a lot of sex, much of it "non-consensual" and scenes of torture and public humiliation of the main character. She gets through it, and it felt "right" for the world the authors have created, but you should not read this book if such triggers are going to offend you.

I'm keen to see where the story goes, though I probably won't read any more of it until I have the complete series. I definitely feel that what hasn't killed Saphyre has made her stronger for what comes next.

I thought is was apt to open this review with a quote from George Orwell's "1984", given the undercurrent (well, over-current really) of torture in this story, and the interference of "Big Brother" Amazon in its publication. show less

On my sweet and unholy Dread Lord Cthulu. That's really about all I can say. This book left me breathless, excited, and turned on in a really, really disturbing way. There is so much wrong in here, and yet it is all so much right. I wish I could give this book at least 1000 stars, because that's how many it deserves.

Saphyre does everything she can to fight against the Emperians, so when she gets caught and hauled before the King of the Manticores, she knows that she's still going to fight, show more no matter what. And wow, what a ride she takes us on.

This isn't a book filled with sweetness, light, niceness, and rainbow glitter farts. This is a dark book filled with pain, torture, hatred, vengeance, and that's just in the first chapter. There is a lot of pain here, but there is also a lot of pleasure. There is a metric fuckton of hatred, and as much as I would like to say that there is love there too, I'm not quite sure that I can go that far. Addiction, yes, dependency, yeah, desire and lust, definitely. Affection? Yeah, I think so, just not quite love.

There are so many secrets and so many things that happen. I can't wait for the next books in the series to see how things play out. show less

The best way to introduce Seven Sins of Snow is with Loxley Savage's own words. "If you are a dirty, kinky shit like myself, then by all means, dive right in." It's a reverse harem paranormal romance dark retelling of the tale of Snow White. We all know the basics of her story, so I don't need to go over that. However, in this world, there are also legends of the "lurkers." Creatures in dark robes who only appear at night. The townspeople believe they're monsters. But these mysterious show more figures haunt Snow's dreams, beckoning her to find them. What is more terrifying? The devil you know, or the devils you don't?

Seven Sins of Snow is filthy fun. Unlike many reverse harems, this is more of a slow burn. Loxley manages to combine so many things into one book. Snow White, the seven deadly sins, vampires, spicy romance, and a gratifying revenge plot. One of the high points of the novel is that each king represents a different sin. Their sins influence how they act and what each king enjoys between the sheets. The only example I'll give doubles as a content warning. (M/M play) The king of greed needs it all, so he is happiest when he can give and receive. I won't spoil any other kinks because that would ruin the fun.

It can get a little repetitive, especially in the first 30-35%. Snow is tortured, sexually assaulted, beaten, starved, mutilated, humiliated, and chained for the first third of the book. When she's finally with her kings, even they degrade her at times. The torture she endures is so endless that the climax falls short of being satisfactory. Lastly, it can be incredibly self-indulgent to the point of being cringeworthy at times.

I rated it 3.5 out of 5 stars. Since that's not actually an option, I put four. Because I want people to read it, and I want her to keep writing. (Immediately, if possible, thanks.) I enjoyed reading it, but there are glaring issues with the plot, character arcs, and pacing. It's not for everyone. You have to be prepared to be uncomfortable and even disturbed at times. You have to go into it promising to leave all inhibitions and realistic ideals behind. It's the first of Loxley Savage's books that I've read, and after finishing it, I immediately downloaded another one.

For my last words, I'll say this. Would I recommend Seven Sins of Snow to my mother? No. But my filthy friends? Yes. show less

A bit of a slow burn but worth the wait

This one was a bit slower than the others in this series. But it end with a bang! And what an ending it was! Yikes! Caliente!!!

I love the narration. It was engaging and “broke the 4th” (so to speak) more than once.

I did have a bit of a problem with Sal… he made me scream in rage more than once (memo to self, reading at the office and screaming… not a good idea!)

Not fully 5 stars because it did start really slow but more like 4.75 stars. It show more really was a good story. show less