J.A. Belfield

Well, where to start? Ordinarily, with a novella, my reviews consist of a handful words saying whether I enjoyed it or not. With Elixir, I just want to waffle on, and waffle on, and then waffle on some more. Unfortunately, I can’t do that without spewing a tonne of spoilers, so I’m going to try my best to refrain.

Firstly, let me just point out that it has been advised by Spencer Hill Press about the unwiseness of reading Elixir if you haven’t yet read Deity.

Dudes, I couldn’t agree more.

Why?

Well, 1), if you do, the shock that has blown readers away at the end of Deity will be COMPLETELY wrecked for you because Elixir contains a MAJOR spoiler for that; and 2), the opening of Elixir is quite a lot to follow for someone who actually knows what’s going on, so if you head into the tale without being up to speed? Trust me: You WILL be scratching your head.

So, other than that, what did I think of this coveted tale?

Well, I adored Aiden, as I knew I would. Though I didn’t quite feel him in the opening, but I think that was mostly because there was a lot to cover and it almost seemed to smother any opportunities for JLA to expose the full emotional impact the situation was having on Aiden. I also felt this wasn’t JLA’s strongest writing—it didn’t seem quite as organised as usual, and a couple of places seemed almost out of synch. BUT, once the scene setting had been dealt with and the slight (in my opinion) dodgy moments were dealt with … Dude, are we hit with a big ole dose of Aiden’s torment!

His opposition to suggestions made was to be expected and I loved that he stayed true to his character and fought the situation before relenting. I loved his passion toward any who dare speak/act out of turn. I loved his handling of a certain someone during such a delicate time. Not to mention those moments of connection. Because, dayam, those instances misted up my eyes.

And guess what? JLA has only gone and ended Elixir on another kind of cliffhanger. Yup. So, now I’m freaking chomping at the bit to read on.

Again.

(Was that spoiler-free enough for ya?)