Review: "First Creation" by mars adler

 

"'Let me remake you in my image. Let me give you the only gift I have.'"

The Breakdown:

✦✦✦✦✦ 5/5

Pacing: medium

Mood(s): emotional, dark, sad, tense

Genre(s): horror, erotica, paranormal, romance

TL;DR:

👼 angels in a contemporary setting

😈 the real evil was within

🍑 you'll never see peaches the same way again

Review:

First Creation is mars adler's newest work, an M/M erotic horror novella. This was one of Monster Manor's August books of the month, and I loved reading it. Hovering at just under 100 pages, this is a quicker read, but every word in this is worth your time (if you are an adult, do not read this if you're under 18 🔫). In this, adler creates a fascinating world that has been stuck in every little crevice of my brain; I mentioned in my DEVOUT review that I like the concept of cannibalism as a form of love and adoration, so this story was something I was so excited to see, even if the loving cannibalism isn't quite there … yet. First Creation follows Amitiel, an angel, and Stolas, one of the fallen, during two timeframes: the present on Earth, somewhere in America, and the past. We also see both characters perspectives, letting us fall in love with each character. Here, Amitiel grapples with a now-familiar hunger he mourns having while alongside a supportive Stolas as they turn into fugitives from Heaven.

Adler is so masterful with their imagery, creating such vivid scenes and feelings that the reader feels like they're with the characters. If you've seen anything about this novella, it's likely that there's a peach motif, which is simply immaculate. When dealing with a strange hunger, almost-too-ripe peaches are perfect to use; almost sickly sweet at times, juice flowing with every bite, a fuzzy skin that may or may not be a little close to a different kind of skin … it's perfect. Peaches, in this story, are made almost divine — or at least as close as possible when divinity has left Heaven and the angels within to corruption.

Aside from the sheer craftmanship of the prose, the characterization is stunning. This has a friends-to-enemies-to-friends-to-lovers storyline, and I have no choice but to love adler's characters. Amitiel is haunted by the actions of his fellow angels, shamed of his unwilling complacency in their duplicity. Further exacerbating his feelings, he is the angel of truth, forced into a lie. Luckily, he is accompanied by his friend/enemy/lover, Stolas, the demon who has been falling in love with Amitiel despite being tasked with killing him. Stolas is in love beyond reason, and it is tender and painful and bloody. He is there for Amitiel no matter what he becomes, even as he evolves past holiness. Despite some of the lines in this, Stolas isn't quite the maker of the "new" Amitiel; he is instead a guide, walking down the same path with full acceptance. It feels like Amitiel needs Stolas to have an active role in this, and so he accepts that part. This is a kind of doomed love (but not quite), with their need to run from the forces of both Heaven and Hell, and with a couple lines indicative of a character's end being nearly predestined. This is a love found in stolen moments, so it is lucky that a moment for eternal creatures can last an infinity.

I want to keep this story with me for more than a stolen infinity-moment, but am unfortunately mortal. First Creation is a story that lingers, inviting you back to it when you have some time to spare. And in that time, you are given an eternity with Amitiel and Stolas, and it is enough.

Content notes:

Adler includes a list of CWs, which are:

• Death
• Murder
• Blood and graphic gore
• Graphic cannibalism
• War
• Food rationing and mentions of hunger and starvation
• Manipulation (mentioned, off page)
• Blood drinking (in a sexual situation)
• Explicit sexual content