The Scales of Seduction

by Rien Gray

Seeking to change her body, Petra Kruos, a mercenary and the last living Basilisk, strikes a deal with the goddess Cybele in exchange for recovering Perseus’ divine armaments from his grave.

The hero’s corpse rests within the lair of the legendary Medusa, who lives in exile surrounded by a vicious and deadly gauntlet. Surviving to reach the gorgon is perilous enough, but the potent lure of a fellow serpent threatens to undo everything Petra holds dear.

The Scales of Seduction is a F/F erotic romance novella between a butch trans woman and a feral cis femme, focused on lesbian desire and reclaiming the flesh from those who would destroy it.

Genres: Fantasy, Lesbian, Queer, LGBT, Adult, Romance, Fantasy Romance

266 pages, Paperback

First published August 15, 2024

About the author

Rien is a queer, nonbinary author of LGBTQ+ romance, erotica, and horror. They love writing charged sex scenes, consent-informed kink, and hot criminal love interests who revel in the above.

When not writing, Rien spends their time at the gym, making tea, or angling for yet another platinum trophy in a video game.

Newsletter: Free Novella Here!

Website: riengray.com

BSky: @RienGray

Reviews

[Cloud · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars
A fight for self autonomy & identity when the gods and society have done everything to strip it from you? This balanced body horror, lesbian eroticism, & lyrical prose beautifully.

I was confused during some parts but it had everything to do with my lack of knowledgeable on the myth and it thankfully didn’t hinder my enjoyment. The tension between Petra (a lonely butch basilisk) and Medusa (our distrustful "monster") was insane and seeing how their journeys paralleled one another left me thinking about them for days. Ah yes I do love some angst mixed in with rage-filled lesbians using a strap!

[Morgan Dante · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this story! A very interesting, erotic, and transgressive look at Medusa and Greek myths. Anyone who wants more sapphic Greek myth stories should check this one out. While I am not against retellings, I really love stories that take characters from mythology and think of possibilities outside of different versions of their myths—while still drawing from them as a foundation.

[Sophia Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's fascinating to see what something like Valerin the Fair scaled up to novella length would be like. This story slithers its way like serotonin as the plot coils through its trapped corridors. Fanged by both exquisite prose and lithe spice, one might be struck prematurely with the thought this is but smut. It, however, is far from cold-blooded erotica. Its long tail winds around you, your mind a mere womb for a clutch of both story and myth.

Of particular note is the sentence-craft, at once lush and facile, that constricts all attempts at category. Go and drink deep; such a venom is rare indeed.

[Margherita · Rating 5 out of 5]

​Everything I could have ever asked for and more.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing story! The author has a way where parts are almost poetic, lyrical in their beauty and description. A sapphic monster romance with lots of Greek mythology featuring two serpentine women, one born and one made. They come together in an explosive encounter that ends up meaning so very much more than either could have ever imagined. Beautiful. Highly recommend this as well as this author’s other stories!!!

[Caia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gimme all the sapphic serpents!
I loved this one, will definitely re-read

[Erika · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing quick read to start your sapphic September off! I loved being challenged by Gray’s writing—it’s poetic and multifaceted in almost every sentence. Absolutely worth buying!

[J Kuria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moto kama pasi. 🔥

[пташатко · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Hatred—at the world for what it had done, urged her to inflict upon herself—and a bitter yearning, made even more potent each time she caught her reflection and cast her true desires away. To be who she was in full, a woman of contradictions and triumphs both, ill-fitting in any mold except her own.”

пам'ятаю, як в якийсь момент мене особливо глибоко засмутила — і досі засмучує — відсутність трансжінок у сапфічній літературі. це особливо помітно на тлі значної кількості млм-книжок з транс героями (no shade, всі голоси важливі — просто спостереження). тому я вирішила ШУКАТИ і коли натрапила на історію з цим божевільно чудовим концептом — лесбійка медуза та трансфем бутч василіск — здалося, що я знайшла справжню золоту жилу (і з часом я переконалася, що це справді так).

це було направду потужно!

не скажу, що мітологія чи її ретелінги займають якесь особливе місце в моєму серці, але тут це було справді класним й доладним елементом. гарно змальоване тло та чудовезний (!) доданий лор з храмом богині кібели та послугами, які там зокрема надає агнодіка, зробили цю історію ще більш живою та барвистою. недарма всі цю книжку називають transgressive — вона просякнута цим духом до самих кісток.

новий погляд на давно відомі образи, переосмислення уламків міфів та історії — зі знайомих, виснажених форм вона витягла щось нове, жорстке, ніжне та живе. зображення ідентичностей та й власне долі обох героїнь в самій своїй суті? вони гнані світом та прокляті небом, покарані за саме своє існування і приречені на, здавалося б, самітне й сиротливе буття. усе це докупи додало їхній зустрічі та подальшій долі такої пекучої ніжності й відчаю---

їхнє порозуміння було глибоко зворушливим й справді монументальним. те, як вони в процесі всього того *gestures vaguely* мали змогу повернути собі власну автономію, знову стали володарками себе в очах пережитих травм ну й просто відвоювали право на простір, де вони можуть бути known and loved? гннгґнґггхнх

мене також дуже потішило, однак, що не все було так аж безпросвітно у контексті їхніх життів до зустрічі одної з одним. медуза налагодила який-не-який зв'язок з поселенням поблизу і в обмін на коштовності, яких вона на своєму острові мала сповна, селяни їй доправляли харчі й продукти для повсякденного вжитку та банально поважали і по-своєму захищали її від людей з недобрими намірами. вона була самотня, а втім, знайшла себе у мистецтві. так само й петра — зокрема її досвід в храмі кібели, супутня афірмативна підтримка та відпочинок з дівчатами був дуже гарним доповненням! не певна, чи був для неї попередній досвід як найманки повністю достатнім й ствердним, але з натяків знаємо, що й приємні encounters в тому контексті стрічались. тобто в принципі вони обидві, може, й не були на сто відсотків щасливими, але для себе були самодостатніми? не знаю, мені здалося це доволі влучним і життєвим — it was a nice touch.

honorable mentions: вишукана проза й насичена атмосфера; пастки з тіла персея а-ля "пила"; саморобні секс-іграшки медузи; трошки hatefucking; допомога медузи у поверненні справжнього тіла петри; лусочки й креативна анатомія (треба срочно більше смату з василісками, для мене це нова тєма); с л ь о з и

p.s. де-не-де мені було важко зрозуміти, що відбувається, але це виключно через моє тотальне невігластво стосовно мітології. утім, з подальшого контексту (та й швидкого гугління, коли хотілось повнішої картини) все ставало достатньо очевидним.



“Culling away her true form again was no longer an option; she didn't want to hide, she wanted to be known, but that was the most dangerous endeavor of them all.”

[Poppy || Monster Lover · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Lovely story of reclaiming one’s body when society’s norms for one to change. Petra was strong and bold to the eye, but hid an abundance of well earned caution. I liked the symbolism behind her wearing a human skin. She and Medusa had a happy for now ending, but I wanted more of their getting to know each other.

Spice: 2/5

Triggers: Descriptions of violence (including blood, gore, and injury), body horror, societal transmisogyny and lesbophobia, brief references to past sexual assault and suicidality, dysphoria, trauma around fertility and infertility, past acts of self-mutiliation, and death of a family member by suicide (off-page)

[kami (ig: arcturuslibrary) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This reading took me by surprise! Love it!

[kelisliveshere˚₊⋆ ʚɞ ⋆₊˚ · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh! ok hell yeah!

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really interesting retelling of Greek myth, following the last living Basilisk Petra, hiding in her human form to survive as the last of her kind. After being granted surgical intervention by followers of the goddess Cybele to make her body her own, she sets out on a quest to reclaim Perseus’ armaments from his grave in Medusa’s lair. Unlike Perseus however, she has no interest in harming Medusa to please the Gods.
I really liked both the journey to get to Medusa’s lair and the erotic parts that happened afterwards. The writing was poetic and lush and I felt transported into the world during Petra’s journey and I found it very interesting to read about the arduous path she traversed to finally encounter Medusa. The erotica afterwards was simply delicious, and with a big focus on reclaiming your body (both from past sexual violence in Medusa’s case and from the fear of being different and othered as a trans woman and a basilisk in Petra’s case). If you like your erotica dark, yet touching, brutal, yet tender and featuring some gorey body modifications as healing and reclamation of yourself I can just recommend this short novella to you! I also really liked how incredibly detailed Petra’s character and backstory was. If the author ever decides to write more with her as a main character, I would love to read it. I also really enjoyed getting to read Medusa's story interpreted as about a traumatized lesbian reclaiming her sexuality, that was beautiful.
The ending is a bit abrupt and I think if it had been a bit longer, it could have been more satisfying still, but all in all I really enjoyed reading this story and especially loved to see some trans butch rep in lesbian erotica!

TW: body horror, body modification (both willingly and for gender euphoria and self-inflicted but viewed as mutilation as a protective measure), dysphoria, gore, injury, lesbophobia (minor), self injury, past sexual assault, past suicide and suicidality, transmisogyny (minor), trauma around fertility and infertility

[нявчик (❁´◡`❁) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Коли тобі рекомендують smut, то гріх відмовлятися.
Я, власне, і не відмовилась >.<

#бінго_іншого_культу

[Kitty]

I'm not giving this a rating because I think the author has chosen the wrong genre to market this as. If you read it in the framework of a romance, it fails pretty badly. It works better in the framework of erotica (tho even then, I have my gripes). I don't know how to rate that, so I choose to abstain from rating altogether.

If this is a romance, it doesn't work because the romantic mains do not meet until the 40% mark of the book. Simple as. I may have some issues with the lack of a true romantic conflict and the fact typical romance beats do not map well onto this. But that's all besides the point, because at the end of the day, 40% of the way through a book is not the time to introduce your romantic lead if you are writing a romance. Especially if the rest of the book takes place over the course of about three hours, of which only maybe 10 minutes are spent on all the romantic buildup. It's akin to a John Wick movie where there are no fights until halfway through the film.

And this is a pity because the book is not without merit! The sex was hot! The line about hanging up a bloody sheet as a metaphor for showing a bride being deflowered was obscene in the best way! The characters are interesting, and I saw decent hints of chemistry. The prose got slightly too purple at times, but mostly had beautiful evocative imagery. And the themes of bodily autonomy and not fitting in with society were compelling. And Medusa's scales make a little heart around her butt, which is perhaps not as important as everything else I listed here, but I liked it. Despite it all, I do think a lot of readers will get a lot out of this.

Even then, that first 40% of the book just doesn't quite mesh with the rest. It's too long to be a lead in, but not long enough to be the core of the story. The very symbolic shedding of layers would have worked a lot better if it had been integrated more into the sex and the relationship somehow. But as it stands, it feels like book doesn't know what it wants to be. I'm not really convinced it wants to be romance though, and I can't recommend it as such.

[zenzeromante · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished this yesterday, and still thinking about the scene when Petra comes back into her true body—her basilisk body, the one she’s been forced to hide, change and mutilate in order to be allowed to live among humans. To live with them, but not be part of them, not even after having (literally) cut off everything that didn’t “fit in”.

It feels important to me that the novella opens with Petra’s reassignment surgery, but the most impactful moment is when she asks Medusa to help her bring her fangs and her tail back. It also feels important that there is pain in this transformation, and still it’s clear that this pain is different from past shame and hurt. It is painful being yourself after having hidden for so long, and it is painful being fully seen as yourself when you’re not used to people actually seeing you. And still, it is worth it to go through that pain, especially with someone who’s willing to go through the same transformation with you.

A lot of trans fiction either focuses so much on the importance of The Surgery or creates fantasy metaphors for what it’s like to feel “unwelcome” in your own body. I love that The Scales of Seduction (great title, also) goes deeper into both tropes and makes them something anew, using the body both in its corporeal and symbolic form.

Also this was fucking hot. Eggpregged Medusa was a miracle brain idea. 11/10, would recommend

[Jamie (TheRebelliousReader) · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars. This was fucking fantastic! The writing is stunning and the imagery is vivid as hell. I love what Gray did with the character of Medusa and the plot itself was intriguing. Petra and Medusa are two women wanting to take their bodies back and the chemistry between them borders on unhealthy and dangerous but it absolutely works for them. The sex scenes in this are brutal and grimy feeling and again it fucking worked. I loved everything about this novella and I think Rien Gray knocked it out of the park with this one. Fantastic read with a great and relatable message and well fleshed out characters.

[Senka Heksum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both highly erotic and beautifully written, though that is to be expected from Rien Gray. The world building in The Scales of Seduction is so casually perfect, much care went into telling this story.

"She was inclined to dominance, to offering protection, yet even a shield was meant to be held close; a shield should be rightfully cared for after the battle was done."

I love to see a stone butch so thoughtfully written, and her vulnerability so well articulated. The kinks in this one wouldn't usually catch my attention but they are just right for the characters and artfully paired with emotional intimacy. If you are on the fence for this reason, you should really give it a read!

[Nia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A somewhat unusual story set in Greek mythology with mythical creatures!
Interesting but also erotic and a slightly different Medusa and the Basilisk.
Not a classic romance, but mixed with rough violence, blood and also gentleness and affection appropriate to the situation.
At least the kind of affection that is appropriate for these creatures.
Still extraordinary. You should be open-minded for the different erotic acts. It is fantasy and Greek mythology mixed.
I really liked it! Something fresh and different.
Thanks to the Author for the ARC!

[Ladz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A salacious tale of self-determination as two mythological women reclaim the meaning of monstrosity and femininity in an encounter as tense and blood-splattered as an arena duel.

This is so much fun to read, Gray clearly has a ton of fun with language and the ways monstrosity serves as both lens and mirror. Also it is brutally hot.

[Dani Finn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gorgeous, romantic, and very explicit story of the coming together of Medusa and an intersex basilisk, with hella kink and beautiful prose.

To be clear: this is erotica. To be even clearer: this is art.

There's not much story to this novella, but there's a steady layering of background and character in the part leading up to the initial fuck-fight (you heard me) and continuing on through several extended intimate scenes that are as beautiful as they are inventive. The sex scenes are really the main thing here, and everything that leads up to them informs them. They have meaning. In fact, they're not even really my speed as erotica goes, but they are so perfectly crafted, so revealing of character and (budding) relationship between these two outcasts that they are spellbinding nonetheless.

Read this if you like emotionally intense sex scenes with unique kink written in prose like the most lyrical litfic novel.

[v0id_93 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating and dripping in beautiful sensuality, Rien weaved a gorgeous sapphic story between Petra and Medusa. As the story progressed and lush, erotic writing greets you, so does an incredible amount of emotion. Incredibly well done!🖤🐍

[Theo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love Rien Gray's prose and The Scales of Seduction was such a masterfully crafted story! The themes of identity and belonging had me yearning so much and I lovee the way that Rien Gray writes about desire!

[DigitalSymbiote · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy crap this book is so good. The combination of unlearning comptop while simultaneously reclaiming parts of yourself that you literally carved away to fit the world's expectation of you is INCREDIBLE and extremely powerful. I loved it.

[Elias White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Snesbiabs


10/10

[clarissa. · Rating 3 out of 5]

though written so beautifully, i can’t tell if i liked it or not.

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly hot. Every time I thought "That's it. They outdid themselves" another kink got brought to the table. The kind of erotica with feelings and inner monologue that suits me. Loved it.

[Lillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exquisite in every way!

[Mae · Rating 5 out of 5]

how am I supposed to form a coherent thought after that?! judge this book by the cover and read it now.

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exquisitely written!