Review: The Mephisto Covenant: The Redemption of Ajax by Trinity Faegen

Title: The Mephisto Covenant: The Redemption of Ajax
Series: The Mephisto Covenant #1
Author: Trinity Faegen
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Supernatural Fiction
Elements: Angels, Demons
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Format: Hardcover, 438 Pages
ISBN: 978-1-60684-170-9
Release Date: September 27, 2011
Source: Borrowed from Wentworth Library
Rating: 4.5/5

Tagline(s): ~NONE~

Summary: Only a daughter of Eve is pure enough of spirit to love a son of Hell. Only a son of Hell could be this hot.

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--she is an 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 always looming, Jax knows he has to keep Sasha safe and win her over. But can he? Will Sasha love him and give up her mortal life?

Review:

The Redemption of Ajax is rich in mythology; particularly in the mythology of Mephistopheles and the Faustian legend. In order to understand the book better, you need to know at least a little about the myth. In the legend, Mephistopheles is seen as a devil--a worker for Satan--who Faust wagered his soul against. In other stories he's portrayed as a fallen angel trapped in his own hell by serving the Devil, he regrets losing God and the joys of heaven, and is torn between pride and despair. The name Mephistopheles comes from the Hebrew mephitz which means "destroyer" and tophel which means "liar."

Not only does Trinity Faegen use the Faustian legend she also fills out the story with pieces of Greek myth, Russian history, Christian religion, and her own elements of myth with the creation of the Anabo and the Mephisto Covenant.

In The Redemption of Ajax, it's Eryx who takes on the role that is traditionally Mephistopheles' by sending his skia out to gain members to the Ravens by pledging their souls to Eryx. Eryx's goal is to build up his followers and take Hell from Lucifer.

The only ones who stand in his way are his brothers--the Mephisto. Kyros, Phoenix, Denys, Xenos, Titus, and Ajax, all work to capture the lost souls Eryx has gained and their skia and toss them into Hell on Earth. That means many less followers for Eryx, which limits his power.

Now, while the Mephisto try to save humanity, the only ones who can offer the Mephisto redemption are the Anabo--daughters of Eve. Because they are without the temptation to sin and are souls of light, Anabo can sense evil a lot easier than anyone else. This also makes them the only ones who have the ability or capacity to love the Mephisto. The only problem is that their numbers are few and far between.

The Mephisto Covenant itself is a deal Mephistopheles made with God when Ajax and his brothers became immortal. A way for them to earn a chance at heaven. If they can love selflessly, they would have peace and a fair shot at heaven. But the only girl who wouldn't run screaming from them is an Anabo. If she loves the one intended for her and he loves her back for real, not only will he get redemption, she will become Mephisto, become immortal, and join the fight against Eryx. Whats more, she will still be Anabo as well as never losing heaven. Their children will be like her--a mix of Mephisto and Anabo--and when they are grown they will join the fight.

Some may think that this book has too much information or attention to detail in the story, but if you're someone who really gets into the story when reading a book--likes knowing the details behind circumstances and events--you will barely notice, when others felt barraged with information.

I love how their name meanings match up with their personalities and characteristics. The Mephisto's names--Kyros means "leader" or "master," Phoenix means "rising bird," Xenos means "stranger," Titus means "giant," Denys means or comes from "servant of Dionysus," and Ajax means " powerful warrior"--help describe the brother's characteristics, circumstances, or positions. I thought that Sasha's name--her given name, Alexandra--was the perfect name for an Anabo. What better name for an Anabo than one that means "defender of men"?

As I've mentioned in many of my other reviews, I love a romance that's not instantaneous. I love when it builds and grows over a period of time. It makes it more real and believable. Sasha and Ajax's love definitely wasn't instant. The attraction was, but not the love. They both resist for as long as they can; weighing the consequences, and trying to decide what's best for the other and themselves. This brings about some very steamy and swoon-worthy moments when their restraint slips. When they finally allow themselves to give in to what they really feel for each other it's an emotionally powerful moment.

I've read in other reviews that people were disappointed in how the book ended, but I don't think it could have ended any other way than how Trinity wrote it. I really loved all the attention to myth, names, and details in the story. It has a depth that I couldn't help diving head-first into.

About this Author:

Trinity Faegen wasn’t always a writer. She had an illustrious career as a Campus Cop in college, led many children astray as a camp counselor, and decorated Christmas trees for sweet, and notsosweet, little old ladies. She loves metal and rock, the Rocky mountains, chocolate cake and college football. She hates sappy stuff and hypocrites. Mostly, though, she loves to write.

Trinity lives in the outback of Texas with her husband and a mean cat. If you’d like to share camp stories, or ask Trinity why she’s ruining her hearing by listening to metal on headphones, write to her at:  trinity@trintiyfaegen.com

The Mephisto Covenant was read during the Wicked Winter Read-A-Thon