Book Review for Call of the Sea by Chani Lynn Feener

I received this book for free. This does not impact my review in any shape or form.

Call of the Sea, by Chain Lynn Feener, is a dark, romantic thriller about a predator who falls in love with prey, and in doing so, finds himself ensnared. Sila Varun is the only twin brother of Rin Varun, fiancé of the Imperial Prince himself. After stumbling across a footage of his professor masturbating to his image, Sila finds himself intrigued and decides to pursue him with all the gleeful violence in the world. Bay Delmar, said professor, hides behind a mask, and wants nothing more than to feel alive again. After meeting Sila Varun, he inadvertently falls in love with him, only to realize the monster beneath. At once, the two strike a deal; Bay Delmar will allow himself to be controlled and toyed with by Sila, and in return, Sila will investigate the death of his grandmother, who supposedly gambled all her finances away. Thus begins the turbulent and bloody affair between a sadist and his lovely victim.

So hear me out; it’s not as creepy as it sounds. There’s a five year age gap, and if you’ve read Abandoned Things, you’d know why I’m talking shit about Sila. This guy is a bonfide menace and serial killer, willing to stop anyone or anything if it meant getting to Bay. On the good professor’s hand, Bay is willing to do the same things for Sila. Before he was even on Sila’s radar he’d been eyeing him, stalking him, making sure he knew his every move, and admittedly, that’s the only reason he was able to the upper hand. The two have a deadly relationship that’s, admittedly, even more enticing than Rin and Kelevra, mainly because they’ve given themselves to each other so freely. They both pursue one another under the guise of play, and even though they may think the other is in control, in actuality neither can let the other go. They’re addicted to one another in the best ways possible. 

That being said, I like how Sila and Bay treat their loved ones. Despite nearly being consumed by one another, I like how Sila has time to inform Rin of decisions he’s made, and how protective he is of him despite his feigned indifference. I enjoyed reading the memories Bay had of his grandmother, and how he did fight for her house, even though he couldn’t pursue the house any longer due to financial and emotional constraints. I’d like to think that it was something Sila can empathize with, even though he has all the makings of a psychopathic monster. The fact that Sila bought a house so Bay wouldn’t have to stay in his shit hole of a place makes the story even better. The two seem to find power in one another, even if it might appear fucked up to everyone else.

As such, I would give this book a 5 out of 5 stars.