The cover doesn’t really do it justice. It’s dark. It’s got depth. It takes its time building the plot so when things really get moving you care what happens to the characters.
It really is dark. It’s got violence, references to rape. People get attacked and assaulted. It’s not fluff, but it’s so good.
This book was so intense, it literally gutted me and I LOVED IT! It was also recommended by @fuck-yeah-monsters-and-villains and I’m so glad I’ve read it.
But seriously, this book is really dark, it had me crying a few times so be prepared to suffer!
Hey guys, they’ve also wrote a book called The Last Hour of Gann. It’s one of my favorite books of all time! It’s about a plus size woman on a pilgrimage with a badass religious lizard man and a bunch of incompetent human assholes. She writes some of the best character you will Fuckingloathe. The main character Amber is my spirit animal and her lizardman Meoraq does not put up with human’s bullshit. Plus, it’s HELLA long. You have time to get super invested in all the characters. I love it.
However, I need to warn that if anyone has suffered from sexual abuse they may want to skip this read. It’s well written, but there is an entire chapter that will trigger some people. Smith’s books are always VERY dark and not for the faint of heart. That chapter is very uncomfortable, but if you can get past it then please give this book a chance.
I was kind of looking at The Last Hour of Gann(Which is over 1,000 pages) and also Heat* (about 600 pages). Both are by R. Lee Smith. All the books by this author look somewhat heavy, and like they deal with darker themes; the shittier sides of humanity, rape, torture, and brutal deaths, so honestly if you want happy fluff please steer clear.
As one person described it in their reviews; “If you’re used to reading romance, it’s going to be really dark. If you’re used to reading horror, it’s about average.”
*Heat gets its own disclaimer as being extra dark even on the scale of this author. One of the main characters is an evil sadist. Tread carefully.
I can absolutely confirm everthing that’s been said about this author. I’ve read three books by R. Lee Smith so far and I have to say that there are hardly any writers out there that got me invested that much in their characters. The plot, the descriptions, the world building, actually everything is unbelievably good.
Imagine my surprise when I started The Last Hour of Gann for the space lizard-man alien erotica but got so much more. But yeah, it left me emotionally drained. The themes and descriptions are VERY intense.
Cottonwood was a light fun read in comparison. Although this still might not be the the book for you if you are easily triggered.
Unfortunately this one fell a bit flat for me in comparison to the two other books. The writing is still top notch, I simply wasn’t overly invested in the main characters. The male main character has a harem (yes, yes he’s lonely and tortured and a man’s gotta cope…) and the heroine is a mix between a “sacrifice everything for the cause” and a “stand by your man” type. I’m into neither of those things. Still, great writing, far above the average fare within this genre (or any genre, actually). Don’t let my personal taste deter you from reading! 😉
For centuries, there has been a legend of a hidden school where magic is taught by the demons who dwell there to anyone who seeks them out, but they ask a terrible price: Anyone who reaches the door of the Scholomance may enter, but the Devil takes every tenth student who tries to leave.
A hidden school. Demonic masters. An inescapable fate for one out of every ten graduates. But Connie would do anything to have the magic her best friend was born with.
And Mara would do anything to get Connie back.
X-rated Harry Potter but with a female protagonist and demon sex? Yes, please!!!
As far as I could glean from the reviews on Goodreads this might feature a love triangle, a trope which I normally loathe (unless it ends in a three-way, then it’s fine). But if there’s one author I’d trust with the execution of a love triangle it’s R. Lee Smith.
You’ll probably never get used to the sound of orc cries after a
won battle. Every time after their victory, a group of orc warriors
would come to the tavern to celebrate, while whooping and giving out
long roars filled with joy. You felt he sound echoing deep in your
chest as you walked pass them, carrying a tray with beer mugs
to the next table.
You worked at the tavern since a few years, earning good coin from
the regular patrons, often very drunk ones. It wasn’t unusual that
after a fat tip, you’d get offers from drunk man, who either wanted
to bed, or marry you, or just couldn’t stop staring at your
cleavage, exposed by the ridiculous dress you were required to wear
at work. You always rebuffed them and seen that they get home before
turning more insistent. You didn’t care much for them but you knew
other working girls sometimes didn’t mind disappearing in the back
with the more handsome patrons. But short, drunken squeezes behind a
curtain, between barrels of beer wasn’t what you were after, so
mostly you just answered their offers with a smile, while shaking
your head.
On that evening the orc horde who came in to celebrate was one of
the most regular ones around here. They were mercenary warriors, who
were often hired by nobility that were at war with someone. No one
who hired orcs for their armies, ever lost a battle. They were fierce
warriors, strong as four men in one, hard to kill, fast, skilled,
with weapons that could split the skull of a dragon.
One of the greatest of them was Gunnar. You knew he was in more
battles than others, judging by all the scars that covered his
muscular arms and shoulders you once saw bare after they stumbled
into the tavern right after battle, where he lost his armor, and by
the respect the other orcs showed him. He also had an impressive
amount of beads in his hair, that you once overheard were like
insignia for orcs. He wasn’t taller or broader that others in his
group, but he was more composed, stoic, at least when he was in the
village. While his companions celebrated and shouted, he only laughed
and drank, and never failed to leave some more coins for you at the
table when they left.
Pain mingled with dizziness as you slowly rose from the depths of
unconsciousness. You heard voices, but couldn’t make out any words
at first. It was all a confusing mixture of sounds and smells – like
fire and ash. Your head was still spinning as you opened your eyes
and tried to remember what happened. The last thing you saw was a
dark hole opening in mid-air right before you, that started pulling
you into it, as you desperately tried to stay on the ground, or hold
onto anything, with not much success.
With a grunt you lifted your head and the voices around you fell
silent. There were trees, bushes, so you were in a forest, and… At
first you thought you were dreaming, as your eyes felt on the
creatures above you. They seemed to be quite shocked, and all of them
took a step back when they noticed you were awake and trying to get
up. There was a tall creature with pointy ears and dark gray skin,
black hair and black eyes, a smaller one that resembled a goblin,
with a hooked nose. Two men that you could swear were dwarves, with
long, braided beards and in armors, and in front of them, with a book
in his hands, was the biggest of them – all muscles and green skin,
not to mention the impressive tusks.
They didn’t move as you tried to stand up on shaking legs.
“W-where am I…?” it was the only thing you could think of to
say.
My first try to draw an orc. This is how I imagine Riyu from The Sorceress’s Orc looked like. He had a mane of long black hair with many little braids and lots of golden earrings. It was never mentioned if he had any facial hair but I decided to give him some because why not…
Monsters and Villains 