REVIEW: Adel's Purr by Sui Lynn

Adel's Purr by Sui Lynn
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

CAUTION: Minor Spoilers, Long Review

Adel's Purr is set in a post-apocalyptic world where the Vatican Church is the only government around. Earth has regressed back to the Dark Age where all arts and technology and inventions of any kind must be sanctioned by the Vatican Church. Fans of Final Fantasy X will easily recognize the similarities between Spira and the world in Adel's Purr.

Friend or Foe?

I initially thought the Vatican Church was this evil organization our heroes must destroy eventually in the series.

"They [the Church] hunt gargoyles and destroy them, regardless of your centuries of service. They've named your kind as depictions of evil in sculpture, and therefore demonic. They've become so obsessed with their laws they're now fanatic and controlling. All we can do is try to save as much of human history and living stone as possible and hope our work carries through to the next generation, so they can learn from our mistakes."

Dystopian anyone?

One of the Church's members, Father Michael, was the the main antagonist for the story. Father Michael was a Sinister Minister. The Church was bad. The Father was bad. I thought it was a safe assumption that anyone involved with the Church was bad.

I assumed wrong. Excluding Father Michael, the Church was never the enemy (for book 1 anyway) because at the end the Church needed Evan to defeat evil with his uber rare Earth magic.

Otaku won't be bothered by the big role the Church plays because the Church Militant trope is prevalent in manga, e.g. Chrono Crusade, Trinity Blood, 07-Ghost, as it is here in this series.

The World-Building

Upon finishing the story, I was left with the impression that the Church was like a corporation that suffered a personnel problem... a personnel problem of unknowingly employing demon-corrupted priests. The world was post-apocalyptic so the Church was probably desperate for help, making background check not a top priority. But still...

Anyway, I was confused why everyone turned to the Church for help after the apocalypse because somehow I doubt the people who survived were all Catholic. I doubt even more than anyone who wasn't Catholic suddenly converted to Catholicism. It was a big plot hole, IMO.

I liked how the story set up the mythology of gargoyle to include more than those bat-like statues on European towers and castles. In Adel's Purr, gargoyles can be Chinese lion-dogs that guard the door of Asian homes and the crypt statues that decorate Western cemeteries. Any statue built with the purpose to protect something or guard against evil were considered gargoyles in Adel's Purr's world.

The Characters

Beside the awful dreadlocks hairstyle the stonemason wore, Evan Hallvard was smart and self-sufficient. Evan made his home far enough from other people to appear wanting solitude but not evoking suspicion. He grew his own foods so he doesn't have to depend on anyone. He had his own Batcave with a security system of CCTV and gargoyles. He acted well as the sexually naive innocent against Father Michael who gropes Evan alot. Not to say Evans was perfect, like having an impractical hairstyle, but in no way was he a dumb bottom.

Adel the crypt gargoyle was your typical alpha. Adel knew alot about the magic that Evan carried. All Evan knew was that he could vitalize gargoyle. The plot mostly focused on Evans discovering his magical heritage, destiny, blah blah all the while having a hard-on for Adel. It didn't help that Evan haven't had sex in a long time.

Fret not! Sensible Evan soon came to realize Adel was essentially another person. It was no surprise to see Adel reciprocating the feeling because Adel's Purr was a soulmate romance. Sexual frustration easily solved in 1-2-3-YAY!

Speculation of the Series

The next book is about Jude the Inquisitor. Yes, of that Inquisition from history. No, there wasn't any anti-gay sentiment the Church might have brought into the story because the Church in Adel's Purr was a modified version (at least not in book 1). An omission I was thankful for.

There's a very good chance that the priests in Adel's Purr's world do not take vow of chastity. Maybe. If so, I would not be surprised if one of the future books will be about a naïve priest stumbling upon his mentally tormented, supernatural soulmate.

Conclusion

I rate 3 stars Adel's Purr for I liked it.

I would not recommend the story for readers who best enjoy realistic mm-romance. This is the second book I have read by this author and I can plainly see the strong influence of yaoi. Thus, I would recommend it for readers who enjoy yaoi novels. I would also recommend for readers who enjoy all sort of mm-paranormal.

If you want more gargoyle mm-romance, I suggest the following: