This is my first Elena Monroe book. She thought up an extremely unique plot for this story. I loved the idea of it. The initiation was a story that was mind numbingly twisted with so many turns and unpredictable moments that will have you saying WOW!
This book is based in Los Angeles and centers around a cult with an Illuminati feel. It has 4 horsemen, chaos, war, famine, and death. Each of the founding families has a son they have in their business doing their dirty work for them. This book (book 1 of 4) is based on Jason Rothschild. Jason or as he is known as Grimm is a monster. He is a trained killer. Having such a dark past Grimm does not let many in besides his three brothers. The complexity of Grimms character throughout the book is extraordinary. He is such an in-depth character and you learn so much about his personality and why he does things the way he does and functions certain ways. The growth and rawness you experience with him is some of my favorite for any character.
Abi is a LA transplant coming from Chicago with her own dark past. She works at Clave where the four horsemen run the business. She is abruptly removed from Victory’s desk as his assistant and moved to Grimms. The way these two start is almost like water and oil. Their love story is as warped as they are. But it has some incredibly adorable moments. They have to go through so many hurdles and hoops. This stirs up their past and peels layers upon layers of doubt, grief, and horrors to the surface. Bringing them closer causes risks especially when the family does not want impure blood in their cult. Do they have to accept their ultimate fate of always being alone due to the skeletons in their closet or can they find a way to make their love work? This was one heck of a rollercoaster.
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![THE INITIATION: Secret Society Dark Romance (4Horsemen Series Book 1) by [Elena Monroe]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/5174NAopULL._SY346_.jpg)
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Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2020
“ We all build walls around our trauma. That trauma turns into little monsters.”Grimm is a monster, raised to be a killer for an elite cult/secret society, the Clave. The 4 Horsemen from the four bloodlines play a unique role, and Grimm’s? Death. Each of the 4H cope with their dark responsibilities in different ways, but unlike the others, Grimm hates this life. He doesn’t want to be the compliant Clave version of himself, but he also can’t stomach becoming the full monster, either. So he’s complacent, miserably trapped in his own existence, begrudgingly completing his Clave duties. Weighed down by a bevy of mental healthy challenges, he resorts to his only weapon- CONTROL. A chance encounter with Clave employed Abigail, however, sets Grimm down a path of self-actualization and revitalization- because Abigail not only challenges his control but also catalyzes something Grimm already knew deep down- he truly as no choice. Abigail somehow sees and accepts all the versions of Grimm- she’s not scared, or repulsed, because she too is a product of trauma, she too has experienced atrocious things in her past that have scarred her soul, absorbing a bit of monster within her. They are drawn to each other’s likeness, but Abigail wants transparency, and Grimm is not only bound by ancient Clave rules but is also fearful to fully unleash his darkness and instability upon her. So, Grimm battles himself- his needs and desires- while pushing away everyone around him- Abigail, the Clave, the other Horsemen.This relationship is really fascinating, and surprisingly pure and sweet. Both of these characters are encased in layers of trauma and hurt, both feel trapped in aspects of their love, and both are actually mostly alone with their damage. They live in this world of dark dark, privileged depravity - including the normalized killing of others and a Hounds of Zaroff style ritualistic hunt. We see Grimm have dark sexual instincts. But somehow, even though Elena creates these dark, jagged edges all around this couple, their connection is intimate, tender- KIND even. And SUPER vulnerable. The juxtaposition of their histories, hell even parts of their personalities, with the sweet and gentle tenor of their relationship made me even more captivated by it. Their connection is frenetic, but inevitable. Abigail helps Grimm see his humanity, she catalyzes him to find a way to start to liberate himself from his surroundings and his own mind. And ironically, the monster gives her safety- even by putting her in a dangerous world. Much like Dante’s Inferno that Grimm references, their relationship puts a lens on the exploration of morality - the evolution of a human soul, here Grimm’s, as it is shaped by its experiences.. Elena explores some interesting themes here- what truly makes you a monster- where you’ve been? who you are? Or what do you? Or, are they one and the same?Narratively, I think this is Elena’s best writing yet. If you’ve read her before, you know to expect to be bewildered as the narrative unfolds- she keeps the cards close in hand. She’s a real pro at intentional disorientation- we feel slightly confused, on the outside of our story, just slightly off kilter- really creates a suspenseful and unpredictable tone that has you riveted trying to figure out what you’ve not understood yet. But, in this book, I found characters to be more open, more empathetic- Grimm in particular, due in a large part to just how emotionally meta she allows the prose to get. We GET inside their heads, and it is intriguing. Like many first books in a series, the beginning of the story feels a bit slow, as Elena is working to establish this world, building the canon infrastructure for the Clave- the rules, the ancestry, the traditions, and most importantly, the key players. That takes page real estate- we need to understand this world before Elena throws it off kilter, and so we can understand the stakes of Abigail and Grimm’s choices. But, that does mean these two don’t kick into high gear right away, and we’re left wondering just where all this is going for a good chunk of the book. This certainly builds anticipation- trying to figure out just what the conflict was going to be- but I also wanted to ramp up the pace, and wanted more of Abigail and Grimm together. The second half really kicks into high gear, these two go from zero to 100 really fast, while Clave challenges become elevated really quickly. I was flying through the back half.At the end of this story, the other three horsemen and the inner workings of the Clave are still pretty much a mystery. We get thoughtful foreshadowing for each horseman, though- brief snippets inside their heads, and enough context and clues to know that their vices are going to be entirely different, and that Grimm’s perception of them is going to be shallow at best. These Horsemen are brothers, but they often aren’t on the same page, at least not as we see them for much of this book. I have a feeling each is going to be darker and more complicated. As for the Clave, I’m not even sure what questions I should be asking about the Clave. This book was about setting them up to be an antiquated, controlling and mysterious entity that both gives purpose to our characters and unravels them- we get that here, even if I’m not yet sure where we may go with the Clave next. Regardless, this series has a whole lot of promise, and I’m curious to see which 4H man is up next.. Definitely Elena’s best book to date!
Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2020
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Catherine Leigh
Wow, I loved this book - totally not what I usually read
Reviewed in Australia 🇦🇺 on September 7, 2020
