Wattpad Book Review: Hedoschism by Lindsey Clarke

Hiya everyone!

This is my first time reviewing a Wattpad book.

When I first joined Wattpad, almost all of my recommendations were filled with stories containing/involving billionaire, royals, bad boy, fan fictions, etc. I was flabbergasted. Were these the favourite books of Wattpadders? What about other genres? Were unique tales and stories completely alien to Wattpad? But slowly, I began filtering my recommendations through different genres according to my selections and ended up reading ‘oh! so amazing’ books on the way. Hedoschism was one of them.

I had known Lindsey Clarke through her WhiteChapel series which I had liked. But if WhiteChapel series had introduced me to her, Hedoschism made me love her writing even more. I was actually sad that it had taken me such a long time to come across it.(The book was started in 2017 and I came across it, only after it won the Wattys2018)

Book Details:

Author: Lindsey Clarke

Series: Stand-alone

Genres: Fantasy, Adventure, Thriller

Page Count: ___

Publisher: Not published traditionally

Originally Published: 18 September, 2017 (on Wattpad)

Blurb:

Casey Brogan is on a mission to self-destruct. Whether it's booze, drugs or men, she's spiralling out of control and stepping over the line, to destroy the demons of her past and herself in the process.

Ethan Drake isn't looking to be anyone's saviour. He has enough demons of his own and a legacy he'd do anything to avoid.

Following a near-fatal overdose, Casey discovers a world beyond the one she knows, one where dark creatures wage an age-old war and where nobody is who they appear to be. Now hunted by those who want their world to remain a secret, she must decide whether she can put her trust in Ethan, or whether he is just as much a threat as those that want her dead.

After a lifetime of trying to destroy herself, Casey is about to do just about anything to keep herself alive.

My Review:

~~Whoever hasn't read the book, please skip this review as it might contain spoilers, even after my best efforts of avoiding them.~~

* The Book Cover:-

The Wattpad book cover actually disappointed me. Seeing the cover, I had almost thought that it was another YA fiction or something like that. After I read the story and came back and saw the cover again, I disliked the cover even more. For me, the above cover of the book did not do required justice to this unique, gripping tale.

* The Opening:-

The description of the book was what drew me towards it. Even more compelling than the description. It was written such beautifully, it enticed you to hop on the reading wagon and continue on this roller-coaster reading ride.

* The Writing:-

The Writing is so engrossing and beautiful. The vocabulary used is well-rounded and details provided are plentiful and vivid. There were minor mistakes which can be excused as this is a first draft. One thing that bothered me about the writing was the amount of times swearing was used.

The reader is shown a scenic world whose life is woven intricately by the author through the use of her prose. There is just the right amount of drama and story unfolding in the chapters to keep the readers engaged without bogging the story down with unneeded information dump. Just enough to entice without confusing/boring.

Although, navigating through the first few chapters before Ethan, the story had a relatively slow pace but when Ethan came along, I was like-"The fun begins now!"

* The World-building:-

The author has done an excellent job of creating a gritty and real world. I am personally, one of those kind of readers, who loves gritty world building which is presented to the readers in a sort of raw form, without any exaggerated embellishments.

* The Characters:-

The personalities of the characters are what really brings the story alive, especially how the protagonist develop and unravel over the course of the book. The characters are purposefully flawed and I really enjoyed reading how their individual personalities were explored and developed through their interactions and confessions.

Usually novels, especially fantasy ones, open with characters who have a heroic feel but I didn’t feel any such thing with Casey. She had an utterly different vibe which was way off being heroic. I could truly empathize with her. Her whole world changed within a short span of time from a forgettable human to a maledicti to an Endorian, the girl certainly had quite a bumpy journey. She certainly deserves a happy ending with Ethan.

Ethan aka Helel is the best character of the book. He has everything that would make him one of the best protagonists in Wattpad fiction. He had a discreet but cool entry and he took a *supposed* exit with a bang. Ethan was a character who kept the story really going. In fact, sometimes I wished that he was the narrator of the whole book instead of Casey. A girl can dream!

I hated Davey from the start. I don’t know why there are just some characters that piss me off instantly. He was one of those characters. I couldn’t understand why I disliked him but the fact that I just disliked him. As the story progressed, he annoyed me even more instead of growing on me like other characters did.

Addi had the doomed lover boy vibe right from the start. When I was introduced to him, I instantly felt that he was one of those sidekicks who was in love with the main girl but the main girl didn’t like him that way.

The depiction of the celestial beings, angels, seraphims, demons, etc gave the story a huge boost. If their characterization/depiction would have been weak, then it would have utterly ruined this story since they too form an integral part of the story.

* Relationships:-

For all their differences, Casey and Ethan seemed like the two sides of the same coin, so made-for-each-other. It was a turbulent yet beautiful relationship. A relationship of a seemingly bad boy and bad girl. Like, two negatives coming together to form a positive. Somehow, their relationship was such that it always gave me vibes of being doomed and towards the penultimate chapter, I was almost proved right. Thank God, for the ending.

* Twisting the Tropes:-

I loved the way the author portrayed the angels and demons, especially Lucifer. It felt like a refreshing take on the usual tale that we all are familiar to. I have read books where sometimes angels are portrayed as too strict, cruel, etc, etc. But to read a book where the stereotypical roles and portrayals of demons and angels are exchanged was a completely new experience for me and I really liked it. Anyway, the story destroyed the visuals I had for cherubim as well as of the angels. Lol!

* The Ending:-

Oh! What an ending it was. It was completely unexpected. His sacrifice and his return. I was actually so confused that I had to ask the author for some clarification regarding the ending. Silly me!

* Standalone:-

Yes, another reason why I loved this story is that it is a standalone. I wasn't one of those egging the author to write a sequel or anything. For me, the ending was perfect. Many a times, authors have written a series and I have lost interest in them mid-way and I didn't want this to happen with it.

However, this doesn't mean that I would be unhappy if the author decides to continue this story, its her choice. In fact, I would kill for some bonus chapters!

My Final Thoughts:

I am so glad that I came across this story. I would certainly recommend it for fantasy fiction lovers as well as fantasy-adventure lovers. Its worth a try.

It is so well-deserving of the amount of votes, reads, shares it gets as well as the 2018 Wattys Awards. I, once again, congratulate the author on the win.

Read the story on Wattpad

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