Book Review: The Mephisto Covenant

The Mephisto Covenant

By: Trinity Faegen

Published By: EgmontUSA

Publication Date: September 27, 2011

Page Count: 439

Buy it at Amazon or IndieBound

Source: Provided by Publisher via NetGalley

Audience: Young Adult

I have been wanting to read this one since I saw its gorgeous cover, but I have to admit that I was disappointed when I finally started to read this. Angel stories are a dime dozen in the YA market at the moment so when I read one I am looking for strong characters, a unique spin on the mythology, and a plot that keeps me riveted. While The Mephisto Covenant has some interesting characters and I liked that the book focused more on Hell's angels than the typical goody two shoes types, the plot didn't keep me intrigued. I feel like there is a lot of potential for this series and I will be reading the further books because of the elements I did enjoy, but this one fell short of the mark for me. 

The beginning of the novel was really frustrating because instead of learning about the Mephisto and their plight, Jax dumps a ton of information in one conversation. I would have liked to see the lore come to light throughout the book instead of it being thrown at me all at once. Furthermore, I felt like this tended to happen at other points in the novel. Long drawn out conversations tend to cause my attention to wonder. I want action and conflict to drive the plot forward and I felt like this was lacking. The lore Faegen creates for the Mephisto and Anabo was fascinating, but I just wish she had made me work for it a bit more instead of dumping it in my lap. The last third of the book is really where I got invested, but wading through the beginning and middle of this book was somewhat tedious. However, I did love the purgatory aspect. I thought that was very well done and the information was released in a gradual way that made sense.

As far as the characters are concerned, I had a really hard time liking Sasha at first, which made the beginning of this read difficult for me. I struggle with books if I don't like the main characters. I did get to a point where I did like Sasha, but it wasn't until she stopped being so stupid about accepting Jax's help. As she grew more confident, I grew to like her more. On the other hand, other than his lengthy information sessions, I liked Jax from the beginning. His character was interesting - the bad boy who so wants to be good, but doesn't quite know how to accomplish that goal on his own. He's what most female readers love in their YA; he was attractive, smitten, and protective.

One of my biggest struggles with this book is that I felt like I was reading a YA version of the Black Dagger Brotherhood - just replace the fangs with spawns of an angel from Hell. Jax has several brothers and they all live in this huge mansion with tricked out cars and everything their little black hearts could desire. The Mephisto boys wear lots of black, are HUGE, and often wear sunglasses to hide their ebony demon like eyes. In addition, they all have odd names - Jax, Phoenix, Key, Zee, etc. Faegen thankfully spells all of her names correctly and didn't throw in any random H's for dramatic effect. Furthermore, they will find redemption in a woman who can see past their flaws and truly love them in spite of their lost souls. Any of this sound familiar to the readers out there who have spent time with BDB? I finally had to roll my eyes when Sasha explores Jax's closet to find a whole section of leathers.

Lastly, I do think readers (especially younger YA readers) need to approach this with one caution. There are some pretty hot and heavy intimate scenes that definitely made me blush. I was honestly pretty shocked by it. I don't know whether to applaud Faegen for being true to her vision of the novel or to feel odd that something that detailed was in a teen book. There was a span of a few pages that truly felt like I had accidentally picked up a romance novel during the middle of this. While this will appeal to many readers, I also think it will cause others to turn away from reading this one. 

All in all, I ended up liking this book, but I did have to work to get to that point. I wish the same amount of intensity from the ending had been present throughout the whole book. I am interested to see where book #2 will begin and where it will lead Sasha and Jax. There relationship is something I want more of and I wouldn't mind if the other Mephisto got more time in the plot as well. I'd like to get to know some of the other brothers a bit better.

One Last Gripe: I didn't agree with everything that happened to Chris. I get why, but I was frustrated.

My Favorite Thing About This Book: I really enjoyed the story of how the Mephisto Covenant came to exist

First Sentence: "Your father's ring is gone!"

Favorite Character: Jax

Least Favorite Character: Melanie - ugh, that's all I'm sayin'

Summary:

Sasha is desperate to find out who murdered her father. When getting the answer means pledging her soul to Eryx, she unlocks a secret that puts her in grave danger—Sasha is Anabo, a daughter of Eve, and Eryx’s biggest threat.

A son of Hell, immortal, and bound to Earth forever, Jax looks for redemption in the Mephisto Covenant—God’s promise he will find peace in the love of an Anabo. After a thousand years, he’s finally found the girl he’s been searching for: Sasha.

With the threat of Eryx looming, Jax has to keep Sasha safe and win her over. But can he? Will Sasha love him and give up her mortal life?