By Myra Gabor
Corvus stood on the roof of his house, debating whether to jump. His wife had died in a car accident, and he wanted to be reunited with her. He decided not to jump because he was sure it would send him to hell, where he would never see her again. Instead, he returned to his apartment, took a shower, and went to bed. Semi-conscious, he felt a figure riding on him. It was a porcelain doll with a painted skull, a sugar skull painted white with a grotesque face and feathers on its head, and she was riding on him. Although she was made of cold and brittle porcelain, she felt warm wherever he touched her. She explained that she had an offer for him, beyond sex. If he gave her what she wanted, she would arrange for him to see his wife again.
Kvos wakes up and finds himself on another rooftop in a strange city, with the sky a dirty red silk color. In order to see the calavera, known as the Lady of Midnight, again, he must go through a maze, which can only be done with the help of a goat woman. She will only help him if he pleases her.
These two encounters set the tone for the book. Corvus is in Disturbia, and the ritual he must perform is to have sex with every woman Lady Midnight introduces to him, no matter how weird they may seem. Each woman has her own chapter describing sex. This isn’t pornography cloaked in a murky fantasy world. The ending shouldn’t come as a surprise.
This is a novella that can be read quickly or slowly, depending on how obsessed you are with the sex scenes in each chapter.
The storyline is dark, and not even all the sexual plotting these authors’ rich imaginations have conjured up can alleviate that darkness. It’s really not to my taste, but it’s well written, which is why I gave it a higher rating than I otherwise would have given it.
Order yours here.
score:4/5
