The Mephisto Covenant

by Trinity Faegen

[Suz @ Bookish Revelations]

Sasha is Anabo, a daughter of Eve who possesses enough pure spirit to allow her to love a son of hell. Jax is the son of hell, that she gives herself over to love. The Mephisto Covenant is God's promise at redemption for Jax and after spending a thousand years of bringing people to Hell On Earth and trying to find another Anabo, he's finally found that redemption in Sasha, but it's more to him than just that. He wants her to love him, it means something to him. Of course, she isn't safe anywhere as long as she keeps holding out on joining the Ravens and if Eryx finds out that she's Anabo, he'll kill her. The question quickly becomes, can Jax keep her safe and can she love him despite the fact that he's a son of hell? Will she give up her mortality to become Mephisto, so that he can gain the peace and redemption through her love, which is pure, strong, and true?

What can I say about this novel that I haven't said already? It was a beautiful, compelling, and a very well developed story of love and sacrifice and redemption. I could not have asked for more and yet, I do want more. As soon as I turned the last page and closed the book, I found myself yearning for the next novel in the series, and realizing the first one isn't even out on the shelves yet. How very lucky was I, to receive an ARC of a book that was one of my top three most anticipated reads, this year.

Trinity Faegen did a marvelous job at marrying religious theology and romance with a mortal, in such a brilliant way that possessed a hint of underlying realism. The character's were engaging, the plot was well developed, the pacing never stagnated, and the imagery blended effortlessly into a seemingly fascinating story that involved Russian spies, religous theology, normal teenagers, cult-like behavior, and romance that will definitely keep the reader captivated throughout the entire read.

There was no mistaking who was good, bad, right, or wrong with this novel. You knew who all the players were and what their game was, their reason for being there. It was nice to see them play to their strengths or fall to their weaknesses, but still do it all with such realistic attributes accompanying them. It was easy to sympathize with the main protagonist of The Mephisto Covenant, Sasha, whose life seemed to be turned upside down the minute she found out her mother had lost her job at the State Department and was being deported back to Russia, then realizing she was going to be moving in with her Uncle Tim and a woman who hated her father as much as she hated her mother, if not more so.

The love story was probably one of my favorite things about The Mephisto Covenant, because it wasn't an instant relationship from the beginning. Sasha, knowing that she wanted to be with Jax, also struggled with that because of who she was and what he was. She was good and pure and he was a son of Hell, so the question became "how could she be with someone like him?" The irony is, that while being a son of hell, Jax was probably the most truthful and honest character that you could trust in the novel. He meant well and tried to respect Sasha's wishes as much as he could, even if it hurt him to do so.

I usually shy away from books with overly religious tones or theology, but with The Mephisto Covenant it was a bit different. It didn't feel all that preachy. It was more your basic good vs evil epic battle and not just another "fallen angel" fell in love with a mortal and now they're bonded through out all eternity. It was a quick, sharp-witted, new take on an old story with twists and turns that leave the reader wanting more. In my opinion, that is the mark of a truly fantastic novel, and I can easily give it five stars.