The Cobbler's Soleless Son

Pandemonium #1

by Meredith Katz

Everyone expects Renart Walker to follow in his mother's footsteps and become the cobbler for their little demon-ruled town. That'd be the proper thing to keep his head down, live his quiet human life, and try not to get too involved with demons. But Renart has never been terribly concerned with proper, and he isn't interested in a quiet life. His interests are a little more he's aiming to catch himself a demon prince.

As a human, he'd never be allowed to even get close to Prince Hrahez. The only solution is to make a bargain with a demon, and everyone knows what they want. Still, nothing ventured, nothing gained, and he's got a plan—but it involves tricking a demon. If it doesn't work, nobody in town would want to be in his shoes.

Genres: Fantasy, Queer, M M Romance, Romance, Short Stories, Demons, LGBT

52 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 22, 2016

About the author

Author of LGBT+ romance and speculative fiction! Likes humans, monsters, and the hazy places between the two.
* Personal Website
* Amazon Author Page
* Book Updates Twitter

Reviews

[SheReadsALot · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Hearts--Renart is nineteen, human and fascinated with demons.

(*whispers*Horns, am I right?)

In the high fantasy world created by Meredith Katz in The Cobbler's Soleless Son, Renart is focused on one thing no matter how aimless he seems to his cobbler mother. Human/ demon relations are frowned upon in their world. Humans are treated more like cattle and slaves in most of their world and Renart's little family has it sweet. Humans are allowed to live in peace (mostly). Demons like using humans as playthings sexually, especially cubants (like incubus and succubus). They are gender-fluid shapeshifters that feed off their sexual partners life force during sex.

Renart has bigger dreams than being a future cobbler, though he has talent. He's been a demon's plaything and he wants to maintain that lifestyle once he makes the eyes with demon prince of his town, prince Hrahez. Thus begins a different kind of tale with magic curses and painful tests for the human to complete.

The story's unwinding fairy tale-esque format worked, in a sense, for the information the author introduced about demon vs. human society, It was interesting especially cubants. But the execution worked against The Cobbler's Soleless Son for me. Renart is fascinated with the Prince, makes crazy bargains on an off chance he'll be picked up to be a plaything.

All over one glance? Eh...

Granted, the last 10% answers a majority of the questions I had. But I have to rate the story on a whole. The first half read more like it was trying to make a statement then tell a story. By the time, the story got into a decent enough groove, it was too late for any character investment. I could care less for either main character.

And the final "test" was unnecessary for me but I guess it adds more interest and shock value. Meh.

Too little too late. I think I'd had liked to read more relationship development aka a clever cat and mouse kind of courting instead. Reflecting on the entire thing, there's moments of cleverness but too little too late for me.

Book's strongest point? The demons, the sex and the openness on gender. *coughs*foot sex*coughs*
I don't think it needs to be a warning but I know there are readers who'd like to know there is a MF on page sex scene. It was HOT! (As was the MM scenes) If this was just PWP, I'd have rated it higher.

Overall, not bad. I think the length was a good fit, I just wished for more. I don't think the author's writing style is a fit for me, but I think readers who enjoy interesting, quirkier high fantasy reads that gives a little eroticism and fairy tale might enjoy.

Gorgeous cover, BTW.





A copy provided by Netgalley for an honest review.

[Daesy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a disappointment. Renart is a petulant,annoying and horny 19 years old boy, that likes to have sex with demons and I forgot to say, he is also a bit of a slut.
The blurb deceived me, I was expecting a fun and sweet story, with a nice young boy and a smart and handsome demon prince, but I was wrong.
The book starts with an heterosexual scene, and also if I already knew who the "Lady Demon" was, bcs only an idiot wouldnt understand it, I still was pissed. If I want to see an M/F scene I dont go and read an M/M book.
Renart asks to the demon, after they have sex on page, to make a deal with him in exchange of an invitation to the prince's ball. Now at this point I had lost almost all hope to save this book, but I still wanted to believe that the boy wanted to see the prince bcs he had fallen in love with him when their eyes had met during the parade, but I was wrong, again. Renart wants to meet Hrahez and he wants to become his lover, not bcs he is in love, but bcs he thinks that being the prince's lover will make him able to meet a lot of other demons and have sex with them. For this I told you he is a slut.
In the end he is able to meet the prince,actually he meets him 3 times, one time he is the lady demon, the other time he is a footman and in the end the real prince. This book doesnt have an happy end, yes they have sex and the prince is thinking of keeping him as a lover, but we already know that the prince is an incubus and he will never be monogamous, but who cares right? for sure not Renart, since on the start while talking with the lady demon, he told her that he doesnt care if the prince has other lovers, since he too will do the same.

This book wasnt a romance, didnt have a plot, was a waste of my time, and I gave it 2 stars only bcs there wasnt rape and I cant call that cheat since they agree on this part.

[Ami · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not bad -- but at the same time, I also felt like I didn't understand Hrahez enough. This relationship seemed based on lust only because there wasn't enough interaction between the two except for sex. The twist in the end was nice though.

[Chris, the Dalek King · Rating 3 out of 5]

Renart Walker, reluctant cobbler’s apprentice by trade, is a tad bit obsessed with demons. Which anyone will tell you–-demons included–-is a very bad idea. But he can’t deny that there is something about the beings that rule humanity that draws him in like none other. When he catches the eye of Prince Hrahez, the demon ruling his city, Renart is totally smitten. Lustfully. Lustfully smitten. The demon doesn’t socialize with humans so Renart is gonna have to get crafty if he wants an invitation to the Prince’s next ball. He will go, though, no matter how many soles he has to sell to get there.

I found this to be a rather interesting fairy-tale story. I liked the plot twists, and Renart was certainly interesting enough. But this story wasn’t very long, and as a consequence we never really get a chance to know Hrahez. I think that makes it a bit harder to understand the attraction the demon might have for Renart. Renart’s attraction to demons of all kinds is pretty obvious from the beginning, but we don’t ever really get to know what Hrahez thinks about all this.

I do really liked the demon aspect of this book, though. They have a really nice edge to them and that is something I can appreciate. I also liked the fairy-tale feel to this story. I’m not exactly sure if it was based on any one fairy-tale, but it certainly has all the classic elements.

I am just a bit uneasy about some of the things Renart went thru at the end of the story. On one had, hell-ya, these ain’t no fluffy demons and if you want them you better be prepared to pay up. It also ties in nicely with the fairy-tale requirement of tests and earning HEAs. On the other hand…not exactly sure I’m all that comfortable with the whole “you must grievously injure yourself in order to be worthy of my love” idea. I get that fairy-tales and such rarely are as fluffy as we want children to believe…but it still make me a bit uncomfortable


This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.

[Elaine White · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book – The Cobbler's Soleless Son
Author – Meredith Katz
Star rating - ★★★☆☆
Word Length – 15K

Cover – Nice.
POV – 3rd person, 1 character POV
Would I read it again – Yes.

Genre – LGBT, Demon, Supernatural, Paranormal, Fantasy


** COPY RECEIVED THROUGH NETGALLEY **


So, when I first read the blurb for this, I was super excited. Demons out in the open, making deals with humans, all to get close to the Demon Prince. It sounded fantastic.

In the end, there was something missing for me. The premise was great, the main character Renart and even Prince Hrahez were good characters, and the execution was fine. But, there was something I can't pinpoint missing from the story. Maybe it was because everything went so smoothly, from the minute they met. Maybe it was because the big plot twist at the end was predictable. It's hard to say. I also wasn't overly keen on the explicit MF sex slipped in there, either.

What I can say is that there's this lingering sense of disappointment, even though I enjoyed it, which is very confusing. I liked the journey, the Demon aspect and the deal that was made, but I think maybe if it had been a full novel – with proper exploration of the world, with some struggles, with some tension or angst somewhere – it might have been more exciting. Because, in the end, that's what I think was missing. That sense of unexpected thrill, the excitement of things happening that I didn't expect to happen. Even just for Renart to have to fight a little harder to get what he wanted.

For me, the 15K this story was just wasn't enough to explore this plot to its full potential.

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun fairytale-like dark story of deceive and and lust.

Renart is the cobbler's son, and everyone expects him to follow his mother's footsteps becoming the new cobber. But he had his eyes on a different life; he is looking to meet a demon prince and become his lover. But it is not an easy task and, in order to achieve his objectives, Renart has to take a risk making a deal with a demon in hopes it'll work as he has planned it.

The story was very entertaining. It felt sort of like a fairy tale but with some dark touch in it. I like how creepy the demons look like, it was fun trying to imagine them. The plot was very good, I was surprised by how everything went, so unexpected and it also had some humorous moments I really enjoyed.

The characters were a bit of an issue for me though. I didn't feel like Renart was likable, he just acted without thinking of the consequences and that was very annoying. He seemed to be moved only by lust and I didn't felt like there was any real emotion coming from him. Prince Hrahez was a nice character, fun and enigmatic. I don't think I got to know him too well, but it worked fine in the storyline. The relationship they had was a little too short to get too much involved in it, but the time they had together was very nice.

Overall it was very fun to read, I think it can be enjoyed by any reader.

[Lily · Rating 2 out of 5]

A promising short story, but I would have liked a more developed plot.

[Trefoil · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was a pleasant surprise! great too, if you have a foot fetish lmao

[TransBookReviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you’re looking for a short, sexy read that niggling worries aside is still pretty enjoyable, I’d give it a shot. - Matt

I always have a hard time empathizing with characters that seem to be focused only in sex, just like this was. - Laura

You can read our full review here

[Seregil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute. I couldn't empathize too much with Renart as I would never have been so careless and wild with my own safety just for the sake of adventure and sex. But it's an interesting world and plot :)

[Nerdycorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was unexpectedly horny and then unexpectedly sweet. Sad to see that even sex demons are better at consent than some people though :'D

[Eleftheria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming little story.

[Solly · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This series is the last of the short works by Meredith Katz I haven't read. It is, also, one of the horniest short stories by this author I've read. Not that I'm complaining, this was a lot of fun. I liked the worldbuilding we get glimpses of, and what I'm really excited about is reading the other two books in the series. From what I understand, they're all set in different places which all have different global human/demons relationships and I'm really interested to see how Meredith Katz plays with this idea that demons aren't seen the same way depending on the people/the place.

*However*, do you see how aroace I am if this is what I'm the most excited about?

I liked Renart, but in this "oh god I do not understand the species that are allos" kind of way. So I didn't relate much to him but he was a lot of fun to follow, even if I kind of wanted to bang my head against a wall at his decisions. All because of lust? Can't relate, bro. Though at least it's lust for a demon and I marginally understand, which might make me an aroace sex-averse monsterfucker and what does that even say about me?

There's a good amount of foot fetish and it was actually pretty cool? I liked the sex scenes and the *plot twist* that I somehow didn't see coming. It was all super horny and a lot of fun and I liked it, even if it's far from my fave Meredith Katz work.

TW: explicit sex, foot fetish, voluntary injuries/blood (not self-harm tho), mentions of humans as food/meat.

[J1B · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the book that led me to make a 'heterosexual-elements' shelf, and that's literally all that can be said for it. The author puts the 'h' in 'lgbt,' or should I say 'mm,' since that's what this book pretends to be (it's not).

[Diana in SC · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pleasant and clever adult fairy tale, with demons instead of fairies.

I would classify this long short story or short novella as either an adult fairy tale or an erotic magical fantasy. It is clever and well written. Renart, the main character, is surprisingly likeable in spite of being an 18-year-old young man whose only aim in life is to have somewhat dangerous sex with succubus/incubus demons. FYI, Renart is bisexual, and there are a few brief but graphic sexual encounters (M/M and M/F). He lives in a medieval world where demons instead of humans are the feudal overlords. There is little or no reference to Christianity in this work of fiction, which I prefer. The demons in this world take some of the life force or soul from humans when they have sex together, but Renart thinks it is thrillingly dangerous. [I roll my eyes.] Across a crowd, Renart meets eyes with the attractive demon prince, and Renart starts planning how to meet him. What kind of deal with a demon will it take?

The story as pleasant and clever. I like how dealing with the demons had the same sorts of rules as dealing with elves/fairies in a traditional German fairy tale. The only thing I can slightly complain about in the story is that the sex scenes were somehow not hot, even though the author clearly meant them to be. I can't put my finger on what was wrong with the sex scenes; the word choice and mechanics were good, but the scenes felt rather flat. For the author, I recommend studying two other authors who write really hot sex scenes involving demons and/or fairy tales: Emma Holly ("The Prince with No Heart" or "The Assassins' Lover") and Kresley Cole ("Kiss of a Demon King" or "MacRieve").

I think that paranormal romance or urban fantasy readers who are looking for demon stories might like this one. Also, I think that people who like adult fairy tales will like this one, and they should try it.

I received a free copy from the publisher via Netgalley in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and I was not paid for my review.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was fairly amused as I was reading this because it said "some explicit content." However upon realizing that most of the focus on demons was on 'cubants' -- aka incubi and succubi, know sex demons -- I learned quickly that this was going to actually be fairly heavy on the sex. It was not an issue,. In fact I found that there was far more plot involved in this than typical erotica, so I couldn't give it that label. but it's very sexy, and has more detailed sex scenes than most full length books I've read. I did skim some of that because the plot really drew me in.

The main character could have used a bit more development for me, but that's very hard to do in only 15,000 words. But I enjoyed him, his clever mind, and the way he came up with a sneaky way to make a deal with a demon.

I also really appreciated the twist ending. I'd like to read more by Meredith Katz. I was very pleased with this one.

[Nicole Field · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first book by Meredith Katz, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The world was separate enough to our own that it took me a couple of tries reading the first pages just to make sure I was getting it. Renart is the Cobbler's son and the main character of the book. He seems to be a bit of a thrill seeker, often sleeping with the incubi and succubi that share the world with him and other humans. Apparently there is no rush like it.

But then he sets his sights on the demon Prince Hrahez and suddenly nothing else is good enough. Knowing what I know now, re-reading this book again is going to be even more enjoyable. Renart then goes through the effort of making sure he has an introduction to Prince Hrahez.

This short story is everything you want from an original fairy tale. It honestly isn't like any of the already existing fairy tales out there except for the formula it follows. The presence of demons makes this story original and memorable.

Other than it being too quick to finish and the very modern-style dialogue at times that felt completely at odds with the rest of the world building, I thought this was a fantastic piece of writing.

[Kaa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won an ebook of The Cobbler's Soleless Son in the Joyfully Jay Opposites Attract Week Giveaway.

This is an interesting concept and an entertaining, quick read, but I would have liked more character development for both of the central characters. Hrahez gets only a little time on-screen, so it's hard to know anything about him other than that he's attractive and playful. Even though Renart was the POV character, it seemed as though his only interest was hooking up with demons, making him pretty one-dimensional. On the other hand, that one dimension was really hot - there are a couple fantastic sex scenes to enjoy, and even outside of those scenes there's a lot of well-written sexual tension. The setting was attention-grabbing, although unfortunately it sometimes had to struggle against slightly tedious exposition. Overall, this is a sexy little fairy tale, and I'm looking forward to picking up the next book in the series!

[Anita Bianchi · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://bianchianita1971.blogspot.it/2...

Anche se ormai non lo leggo spessissimo, il genere Fantasy mi piace molto perchè mi permette di "evadere" completamente dalla quotidianità. Questo simpatico racconto è stato una bella sorpresa! Renart è un ragazzo giovanissimo ma ha già le idee chiare: vuole il principe dei demoni della città in cui abita. È testardo, furbo e coraggioso e non esita di fronte a nulla pur di raggiungere il suo scopo. Hrahez è potente e spaventoso ma...
È impossibile non innamorarsi di Renart e della sua sfrontatezza ed è impossibile non fare il tifo per lui.
Questo racconto si legge tutto d'un fiato e mi ha lasciato con il sorriso sulle labbra! Bella e credibile l'ambientazione, ben delineati i personaggi (soprattutto Reinart) e trama scorrevole e con qualche sorpresa... si capisce che mi è piaciuto?

[Notthatcatwoman · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 out of 5 stars.

This was a cute little book. Only 41 pages and that affected my scoring. A lot of things that would have been terrible in a longer book, worked in a short story.

It had an interesting plot that was well spread out. Nothing over the top or complicated, but nothing rushed either.

Demon's are supposedly bad, but they are also oh-so-good to sleep with. I would have liked to have seen a bit more world building/explanation, but like I said, it fit for the length of the book.

I would like to see this story, or one similar/same world, as a full length novel with lots of world building, multiple complex characters and more sneaky demon deals.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great enjoyable read. I received this from Net Galley for an honest review.
This is a short story of a young man in love with the demon prince who runs the town our MC lives in. He has a kink about demons and loves to play with them.
He trades his soles!! He wants to spend time with the prince after a 'moment' during the yearly festival.
This is entertaining and light hearted with a good bit of heat!

[Magnolia · Rating 1 out of 5]

From Magnolia Reviews: One Petal

If you like sex without much plot, you'll probably enjoy this story. I prefer plot, world-building, and some depth, all of which this book lacked, and I therefore cannot recommend it.

Read the full review on Maggie's website: http://magnoliareviews.weebly.com/rev...

[GoldFish · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a nice book a little short but for the bit of plot and sex and it had it was fairly and evenly paced. I enjoyed it.
I wish it was longer or used more information from the initial, and quick, world building. It was nice to get the information but ultimately it was information not needed or even used in the story after it was explained.

[Tenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, this was soooo sweet and cute? (and hot)
The main hero has fetish on demons (lmao) and really wants to have sex with demon prince, but that's difficult. So he makes an elaborate scheme on how to achieve this... Especially the way he cheated the demon made me laugh so hard.

[Pépin Pomme · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fun! I love incubus stories, and the main character was... something else, really. Stuborn little shit. It really felt like a fairy tale of some sort