Malum by Amo Jones [Review] – Spellbound Stories Book Blog

Malum: Part 1 by Amo Jones

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I wasn’t raised with a silver spoon, I was raised by blood sodden knives, and girls like me, we learn to use them as weapons.

Without a doubt, I am completely blow away with Malum AND have the book hangover to prove it. One that I don’t think there will be a cure for until the release of part two. The story was gripping and fast paced and sucked me in so quickly I lost complete track of time reading this one. The more I read by Amo Jones, the more obsessed I become with her writing. I am definitely a fan of dark romance and the Elite Kings books were some of my favorite reads recently. I literally agonized over whether I would be in that lucky group of bloggers that received the early review copy of Malum. You see, my blog schedule is packed for months on end and the thought of waiting to read Malum was seriously hell. But when I got that beautiful email telling me to check my kindle? Yah, no joke, I literally dropped everything and started reading.

“He’s something made from witchcraft. Everything alluring and evil, his magic and charisma like a stubborn magnetism that ultimately brings you to your death.”
“I’m not one of your preppy princesses. You can’t break what you didn’t build.”

I seriously didn’t expect to love Malum more than I did Bishop and Madison’s story (the Elite Kings books 1-3) but holy shit, this book knocked me on my ass. Amo Jones is incredibly talented. As the fourth book in the Elite Kings series, Amo takes readers on one hell of a rollercoaster that was in no way predicable. Malum is crazy, seductive, dark, sexy as hell and utterly delicious. This story is not for someone who loves cookie cutter romance or easy reads because as quickly as you get lost in it, your mind is consumed with each and every element of this original romance. Elements of the book can be shocking for some, but the suspense and mind-games this book possessed held me enthralled and I devoured Nate and Tillie’s story.

Boys like Nate are lethal, because you fall for their charm, their jokes, and their beautiful faces. By the time you find yourself lost in their darkness with their demons lurking around you, it’s too late. They suck you in with charisma and spit you out with sin.

When I say this book is an emotional rollercoaster, I mean it. While I don’t think I can ever claim such in the past, this is one dark romance that literally had me in tears at one point. The emotional investment I experienced while reading Tillie and Nate’s story was at an all-time high and I attribute that entirely to the skill with which the story was plotted and delivered—and there is undeniably true brilliance in Amo Jones writing. I don’t think the story is for everyone, and that’s perfectly fine. But I love something that is as twisted and dark as Malum was.

The devil furnishes his darkest souls with the prettiest smiles.

Its mportant to know that while Malum revolves around a new couple—Tillie and Nate–the story takes you through a series of events that are heavily intertwined with The Silver Swan, The Broken Puppet and Tacet a Mortuis (The Elite Kinds books 1-3) and therefore should not be read as a standalone. Nate is the second King… second to Bishop in the group. And the juxtapose of his character, the sweet, soft, and sexy side verse his dark, mindgame loving, alpha, manwhore ways won me over in the first three books. All the boys are extremely charismatic and just plain sexy, the way any good book boyfriend should be. Yet, something about Nate left me utterly intrigued with unraveling his character and I was excited to see it was in the works after I completed Tacet A Mortuis. And Tillie? She’s just badass! This girl has survived it all. She’s sassy, ballsy, and not about to put up with Nate’s shit for one minute… this is one strong heroine and it’s impossible not to love her. She’s the poster child for girl power!!! If you love characters that work their way into your soul? Then Malum is one book you shouldn’t miss. I am even dying to see some of the Kings get their own stories—umm, read Brandly—and that’s saying something since that would ensure additional cliffhangers following Amo’s current pattern. Did I mention I hate cliffhangers?! After the way Tacet A Mortuis ended, I was ready to throw my kindle. I especially hate cliffies when I have to wait to read the next book, so I try to avoid them all together. Regardless, there is just something about the way Amo Jones writes them that is so addictive, I wouldn’t pass them up to save my life. Dramatic? Absolutely, but it’s a fact once you’ve fallen down the rabbit hole that is an Amo Jones book you’re straight up helpless to resist their lure. Moreover, f you’re a dark romance junkie like myself, and you come across someone with the skills to surprise you time after time, you just go with it. I often find that it feels like I’ve read every story… after all, I read a book a day as a rule for nearly 30 years, yet I can honestly say I have never felt that way with this particular author. For me, that fact alone makes Amo’s work solid gold. But the plot progression, character development and prose of Amo Jones’ books are second to none and that is what draws me in again and again. I cannot recommend this story enough. These books are simply incredible and if you’re reading reviews, you’re wasting precious reading time, so just buy the books now and get started!

QUOTES:

“If Nate wants a challenge, I’ll give him war.”

…He’s made a mistake because I’m not his property. Sex is something I can’t live without—I use it as a way to mask a lot of my issues.