The Saturnalia Effect by Heidi Belleau and Violetta Vane

The Saturnalia Effect by Heidi Belleau and Violetta Vane
Stars: 4/5

Length: 23,000 words
Blurb
Troy Khoury is serving a life sentence in Westgate prison for a robbery gone wrong. He just wants to keep his head down and do his time, but he runs afoul of an old-timer named Franchetti. Franchetti offers Troy a simple choice: kill fellow inmate Daniel Amato by Christmas in exchange for protection, or be tortured and raped to death by Franchetti's heavy, Pliers. Troy's no killer, though, and Daniel is as gentle and calm as can be. But a prison is a small place, and time is running out. Troy must decide how much he's willing to sacrifice before the choice is taken from him.

Overall
The dark halls of prison are no place to celebrate Christmas, especially when you're a pretty boy without much desire to hurt anyone. This is the case for Troy, who is stuck between a rock and a hard place. While "The Saturnalia Effect" is a dark, fairly heavy story, there is still a struggle to keep hope and love in one's life, a theme that weaves throughout and keeps the novella from becoming too bleak, especially for it's holiday theme. In multiple instances, I was emotionally moved and nearly rejoiced at the end. Although the story won't fit everyone's tastes, it's definitely worth checking out.

Strengths
I was on the edge of my seat as the events unfolded, as Troy debates killing Amato, tries to get out of it, and faces the many consequences of his actions. A dark story, it illustrates the worst sort of prison where the strong rule supreme and the weak are either taken under wing or abused. While I cannot vouch for the veracity of the environment, in the world the authors built, it felt real and worked to supply the events that make this story so gripping. The rawness and darkness are what make the tale so enthralling and beautiful in its bleakness.

While I was never in love with any of the characters, I certainly felt empathy for Troy. In addition, there are a wide variety of character types that Troy has to face, and because this takes place in a prison, all the main characters are inmates, and thus not generally "good guys." But in line with the movie Shawshank Redemption, not all bad guys are that bad and not all good guys (aka, the guards) are that good. I felt, considering the space restriction, that a good amount of depth was given to the significant characters in addition to the two leads.

Two other strengths of note: While I had some issue with the ending (see below), I also really liked it because of its resolution, but also because of how it played out from the beginning of the story. In addition, the use of submission and dominance between the two leads was well applied, although some of the roughness may be of concern to sensitive readers. It doesn't cross into a formal BDSM experience, although the authors were definitely flirting with the concepts.

Weaknesses
While I enjoyed the ending, it was a very surprising turn of events, even with hints littered through the story. The ending didn't ruin the novella, but it did catch me off guard.

Additionally, certain elements of the prison and prison life felt a touch cliche and stereotyped, but because it was built so well, I didn't mind the potential fallacy.

Received this book for review.

Outcast Mine by Jamie Craig

Outcast Mine by Jamie Craig
Stars: 5/5

Overall
The romance in this novel almost seems secondary to the politics and plot, but this doesn't weaken the story or the romance. The relationship of the two lead males grows slowly over time, starting as a forced bond and evolving as they face dangers together and begin to come to terms with how they feel and how it relates to the prison they are in both literally and emotionally. A strong world creation, good characters and interesting plot all work to make this an enjoyable novel.

Strengths
Characters. Strong characters with a good dynamic. Jasak and Aleron are very different: To Jasak, honor (and the rights all sentient creatures have) is the most important thing, while Aleron just wants to survive and has gone through life with that mindset. Together, they help one another learn there is more beyond what they've known. Their give and take relationship worked well, and they constantly didn't know where they stood with each other, which was fitting since one was a prisoner and the other his guard. Also amused that the token female was very useful!

Writing. The writing was excellent, from the descriptions of their conditions and appearances to the dialogue, I could easily imagine being there. The creativity in the residents of the world and the politics helped form a world that was completely believable.

Plot. Good, strong plot that takes some hills and valleys to reach the final mountain. Because of the length it takes to build up to the climax, some may find that the story drags for them, but persistence will pay off.

Weaknesses
PoV. Another case of the author(s) suddenly deciding to sneak into the minds of others. This is a pet peeve of mine, I know, and while it was handled well here, it still annoyed me a tad. For the majority of the novel we skip between Aleron and Jasak, but at some point we begin seeing another inmate's, another guard's, and the medic's view. It was handled well, and it did explain a good portion of those character's motivations, but I think the book could have been written without those jumps.

Not a weakness, but some may find ethical/moral fault in the ending.