Book Review: Incubus (The Incubus Saga Book 1) by Amanda Meuwissen

 
 
Brothers Nathan and Jim have spent their whole life on the run because of hunters who want to kill Jim for being born with fae blood. Then Nathan ends up with a dark fae bounty on his head, Jim's powers start emerging, and Nathan finds himself having feelings for the very male Sasha, the incubus the two brothers must turn to for help. But his newfound romance won't matter if the three of them can't get Nathan's mark removed before he's killed or taken.

*This review was originally posted on 7/9/15 and has been reposted to add an update. Fun Fact: My reviews for this series were actually the very first thing I posted when I first started this blog! Don't judge me too harshly for my original reviews!*


4 Star Book Review: Incubus (The Incubus Saga Book 1) by Amanda Meuwissen | books, book reviews, fantasy, paranormal romance, urban fantasy, LGBT, adult
Title: Incubus
Book Number: Book 1
Pages: 372
My Rating: 4.5 Stars
More Info: Goodreads, Amazon
 

Review:

This was one of those books that just called to me and seemed like something I would love, and I’m so glad I trusted my instincts because they were so right! I devoured this first book, then immediately devoured the next one, then waited an agonizing five months for the third one and re-read them all back to back, not wanting to miss a single detail.

The best thing about these books was the emotion. Every single scene, every single word, had more emotion behind it than I even thought possible. And although Nathan and Sasha’s romance was the crowning feature, the emotion wasn’t just about that or about them. It was also about sibling/family relationships, friendships, side characters’ relationships, each of the characters’ pasts, their worries for the future, inner demons, obstacles popping up along the way, and more.

Speaking of Nathan and Sasha’s relationship though… Sometimes it had me grinning like a fool. Other times it had me tearing up. But it was always adorable and always the kind of romance that will ruin you for all future relationships because you will never have one that perfect! (And you won’t find any alpha males here, just communication, balance, and two people who love each other).

As for the characters themselves, I don’t think I’ve ever loved so many characters in one book before. Especially Sasha, who I will totally take if Nathan doesn’t want him 😉 He was playful, fun, loving, and open. He had some angst and sadness from his past, but he wasn’t the typical tortured hero. Not to mention his incubus form sounded absolutely beautiful!

Anyway, I’m done gushing. This was a swoon-worthy M/M paranormal with lovable characters that I truly enjoyed reading!

*I’ve read this book multiple times. This review was written after my 2nd read.*

3rd Read Update:
I’ve contacted this author twice now to tell her that these books made me almost cry. And I’m not even a crier. It’s just these books that do this to me. They’re not even sad, they just fill me with so much emotion—sometimes I feel awful for the characters, but usually it’s good emotion—that I think my brain doesn’t even know what to do with it, and so it’s like, “Wha– What is this? Should we cry? That’s the protocol for good feelings, right?” I just love the relationships between the characters and how so very fucking cute and happy they are that it makes me want to cry.

Anyway, five years later, and my first review still holds, clearly. There are some things I didn’t mention though that I want to mention now, in case anyone is not yet convinced to try this series.

I feel like I didn’t do the romance justice in my first review. I loved the slow build of it. Nathan’s confusion, since he’d never been attracted to a man before. Sasha’s frustration because of Nathan’s denial and constant hot-and-cold behavior. The tension between them that even Jim could feel. The heat every time they touched or kissed. How ridiculously cute they were when together.

The sex scenes also deserve a mention because, yes, they’re hot, but also because this author writes about sex so beautifully.

I also never mentioned the writing, but it’s very good too. It flowed and pulled me in and made me forget I was even reading/listening to words.

Speaking of which, this author is so good at conveying such natural emotion. I know I have already talked about this, multiple times, but it still amazes me. I don’t know how she does it. But there’s just so much emotion in the book, always, without it ever feeling forced or overdone.

I forgot how flawed Nathan was, but I appreciated it. He was prejudiced against fae for illogical reasons, not good at being compassionate because he felt awkward comforting people, didn’t want to talk about things, lied to himself about things, and was kind of stubborn, confrontational, and unable to keep his mouth shut when he felt strongly about something. But he was also someone who would do anything for his brother, who gave Sasha a chance despite the fact that he was fae, and who cared about and wanted happiness for those he considered friends. He was likeable and a good person but realistic with flaws, insecurities, confusion, and room to grow. And he did grow, even just in this first book.

This was the first book I ever read about incubi, and I think it might still be my favorite portrayal of the creature. Their sexy true form. How they need to feed from sex but do so (usually) without harming the person they’re with. The way they can tap into other people’s sexual connections and feed from that.

This story does have similarities to Supernatural (which I didn’t realize the first time I read it because I hadn’t seen the show), but this is its own story with unique characters. I know this is practically blasphemy, but I didn’t care for the show, whereas I adored this series, so. Also, the plot is slightly episodic, but in a way that makes sense and didn’t bother me because all of it connects directly to the main plot and builds on the character development and relationships.

So yeah! That was more of a whole review than an update, but I couldn’t help myself. I just have so many thoughts and feelings about this book. I’ve loved it every time I’ve read it, I still think about it, and I definitely recommend it!

Reread Ratings:
4 Stars (1st read – 2015)
4 Stars (2nd read – 2015)
4.5 Stars (3rd read – 2020)

 
 
 
 
 

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12 thoughts on “Book Review: Incubus (The Incubus Saga Book 1) by Amanda Meuwissen

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  1. Amanda Kay Meuwissen

    I don’t think I can accurately express what a treat it was to see these reviews come through this weekend. I am beside myself with how you have humbled me with your thoughtful commentary and joy over this series, something I have already been near tears over now that it has come to a close. Thank you so much! I cannot wait to spread these reviews around and share them with others. I am so glad you enjoyed the books from start to finish.

  2. Kristen Burns

    Thank you for taking the time to comment! I’m so glad I could make your day. One of the reasons I started this blog is because I believe people deserve to know when something they’ve done has had a positive impact on others (especially something that takes as much work as writing). These books deserve to be read, just doing my part to make sure they are 🙂

  3. Lindsi

    I love books that elicit emotion! I don’t care what emotion… as long as it makes me FEEL something. I’m so happy these books are still meaningful even after all these years. 🙂

    You’ve also piqued my interest, since I’m a huge fan of books about incubi (did I say that right?). Have you read The Demon Lover by Juliet Dark? One of my favorites!

    Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear? 💬

    1. Kristen Burns

      Same!

      Lol yeah incubi is the plural form as far as I know. You should definitely keep this one in mind if you’re interested, you might like it! I haven’t, I’ll check that out!

  4. Heather Duff

    I love that this book has really had an import on you, thank you for bringing to my attention.

    I was looking at some of my older reviews from 2014 and I wondered about re-reading to see if they still have the same effect on me!

    1. Kristen Burns

      You should give those older books a try! I love rereading, it usually turns out well for me! And if it doesn’t, at least you know to stop recommending those books lol.

  5. Olivia-Savannah Roach

    So cool that you revisited the first books you ever talked about on your blog, and that even after rereading you could love them just as much. I kind of like the sound of the sex being written beautifully? I feel like sex scenes can be so hard to get right so when I find an author who does them well I never let go haha. And I love that these ones make you cry just because they’re just that… good ^.^

    1. Kristen Burns

      I’m just so glad they were still amazing! I do love finding those authors who write beautiful sex scenes. Ugh, seriously, if I’m gonna cry, might as well be for good reasons lol.

  6. Nikka Jay

    Hey there! Yes, I’ve actually have read Amanda’s work on fanfiction several years ago before I found out she rewrote it as an original fiction saga. So if you’re wondering about the similarities between this and Supernatural, that’s because this story was originally fanfiction. It’s one of the very few good fics that made for an interest read that soon gave birth to an original creative piece of writing. 🙂

    1. Kristen Burns

      Oh that’s interesting! I could see the similarities, but I didn’t realize it started as fanfic. It definitely did make for a wonderful original piece of writing in the end!