At the beginning I was very attracted to the plot: this guy avenging the death of so many female units, saving them from being raped and sacrificied by the priests whom he killed... and Kaitliu, a princess born from two monsters, forced to procreate so her vampire mother could be fed from her newborns... But then the story somehow did lose its grip on me. It tries to be SO dark and SO full of murder and mayhem than rape and torture begins to be the normal on this story; the "if you touch me I'll kill you" of the female character goes from understandable to irritating; the heroe complex of the male begans to be predictable and their actions so black and white in a world SO dark and cruel and full of rape... that it seems madr so in purpose to shock the reader more than to fit the story.

The idea was good: a world with vampires preying over humanity, which turns to priests and religion to get something called a Renewal Drink so they don't need to feed or sleep so they can be more productive and be better protected. But the culling on female units to obtain the beverage is affecting humanity numbers and making it more vulnerable to the predators out there. So it looks like accepting the offer of vengeancr that Kaitliu is offering may be the last resort to humanity... but then, as I've said... too much darkness just per se, too much heroe complex and I have ended up losing touch with the plot or caring for the non evolving characters.

Trelloran Seduction is the first book in The Making of a Goddess series. It deals with a harsh environment that not all readers will enjoy. Not only are vampires involved, but women are 'sacrificed' on their 30th birthday, and their brain fluid taken from their bodies. Not only that, but a rape culture by Church is in full swing, only they call it 'Cleansing'. Add into the mix a nymph who can shapechange at will, who has been held captive for hundreds of years, and brainwashed into doing her duty to the priests who rape her, impregnate her, and then, once she gives birth, her babies are given to the vampires as food. Like I say, this is NOT suited to all readers!

However, the very things that make this book quite a dark one to read, also offer the hope of light. Two characters come together, both hurt and traumatised by their pasts. You see them slowly start to trust each other, to understand each other. Now, of course, it's not all love and light. This is a dark book, after all, and betrayal comes when you least expect it and from a direction that although known, you think is a red herring. It's not, and it hurts all the more because of that!

This is very well written, with no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt the reading flow. This part of the story is nicely concluded, whilst leaving you with an opening to the next book. With plenty of action and suspense, this is a brilliant book that certainly kept my attention throughout. Definitely recommended by me.

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!

This was a tough read. I found myself rereading the first few chapters over and over to try an understand what the author was trying to show.
This would be perfect for fans of Orson Scott Card and other complex fantasy authors.

Trelloran Seduction (The Making of a Goddess Book 1) Kindle Edition
by Georgia Carter Mathers (Author),
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review
A great new take on Vampires! Mathers is a great new talent to watch!
Kaitlau is a Princess. The daughter of a King Ganin, the vampire king of Trellora, has been held captive and repeatedly tortured. She manages to escape her prison to the world of Volren, the planet that Trellora is holding captive to drain of blood. She meets with a rebel, Pietah, who joins with her to stop the evil subjugation of his planet by the evil vampires.
Ms. Mathers has created a character in Kaitlau that shows us that we can overcome even the most horrible of abuse and come out on top. She, Kaitlau, is handled deftly and carefully. Much like Sara's King's To The Princess Bound, we have a heroine all women can look up to. My only complaint is how quickly that Kaitlau is able to overcome the 600 years of abuse.
Pietah is a wonderful hero, flawed and damaged. Forever stuck with the memory of the deaths of his mate and child, he is rebelling against the system he served. Again, deftly and fully created but overcomes his issues rather quickly.
Both characters overcome challenges that take most people years of therapy and mass amounts of psychiatric pharmacology to overcome. It is interesting that the first time we see Pietah, he is killing a Priest of the Vampire religion who happens to be his father – sort of a Oedipus thing going on there. The first time we see Kaitlau she is a butterfly – the symbol of transformation.
All in all the writing is excellent, the plot tight and the story dark, yet hopeful. There are some holes, which judging by the immense talent of Ms. Mathers, I am sure will be filled in the future books, which I will certainly buy.
4 out of 5 stars.
https://www.amazon.com/Trelloran-Seduction-Making-Goddess-Book-ebook/dp/B06XMQTZJH/