The Mark of Amulii cover art

The Mark of Amulii

Path of Segolia

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The Mark of Amulii

By: Aeron Dusk
Narrated by: Creighton Bristy
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About this listen

Alexander Hunt holds onto two secrets. Both could ruin his life, but one could end it.

The sudden move from Calgary, Alberta to the outskirts of Jasper during his senior year leaves Alex isolated in a cabin with bickering parents. He copes by taking daily hikes along the shores of Maligne Lake, until he meets a young man named Amulii. He’s huge, unkempt, and speaks broken English, but there’s something else uncanny about him Alex can’t quite place.

What starts as a frightening first encounter escalates the moment Amulii gives Alex a strange gift, revealing there’s something much wilder about him than meets the eye. Unbeknownst to Alex, this sets off a series of devastating events that sends both of them fleeing from an aggressive, well-armed militia in the forest.

As Amulii and Alex escape into the mountains, their bond strengthens as they learn from one another, and what was once distrust evolves into something much deeper. Despite that, there are only two questions burning Alex’s waking thoughts as they traverse the harsh wilds of western Alberta, waiting for salvation: will he be caught and killed, or will he lose the rest of his humanity to Amulii’s mistake?

Content warning: This book is intended for those over the age of 17 and contains explicit sex and graphic violence. While those themes are not prominent in the story, they pop up from time to time. In case this isn’t clear from the blurb or the website, this is a gay-centric paranormal romance with real biped werewolves. This is not A/B/O.

©2021 Aeron Dusk (P)2023 Aeron Dusk
Paranormal Paranormal Romance Romance Fantasy Werewolf Shifter Wolf
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Listener received this title free

Honestly, this story was pretty disturbing to me. Not because of gore or odd content, but because the main characters relationship with his family was often far too similar to my own, without the benefits of a wonderful werewolf boyfriend. There is a realism to it that I hope not many people would have experienced first hand, and I hope the author is just talented enough to write from creativity instead of personal experience. But the way he writes could easily inspire empathy from anyone, no matter their background.

This story is seriously amazing. While it has some flaws indicative of an early writer, it also makes me feel like they have plenty of potential to be a master of the art. While gay monster romance may never make it out of the niche market, it's wonderful to see that fans don't just have to settle for bargain bin, sappy nonsense and can actually read something truly nuanced and engaging.

The characters are sometimes irritatingly flawed, but in a way you can easily feel is realistic. The lore is fascinating and deep, and one of my main disappointments of this book was that there was so much I wanted expanded on, especially the Maw'cha social dynamics (even though it seems pretty obvious it was being saved for the sequel). It could easily have benefitted from being a 1000 page book. But wanting more of a story can hardly be called a criticism.

I had read the entire book the day before the author had graciously sent me a free promotional copy of the audio book, and I was so enthralled I was happy to go through the story again immediately. The narrators voice took a few chapters to adapt to after the images I had imagined, but he does a fantastic job of bringing the characters to life. There were a couple of times their inflections didn't quite match what was described, and a single, very short line where they seemed to forget which character they were voicing, making an admittedly funny moment of a werewolf with a thick Texan accent. Though honestly it just made me want to hear an entire story based around that alone. The narrator manages to provide just enough variety to make every character instantly distinct and endearing.

Alex comes off as bratty, sometimes irritatingly naive and occasionally stupid. However it perfectly lines up with a desperate guy wishing for a better life and replaces what could have easily been cringe with a deep hope to see them find joy in life. Amulii is often similar, feeling like the know-it-all teenager who isn't as smart as they think. But when mixed with the deep lore of this home, it is pretty easy to see from their fish out of water view. There are plenty of moments where you both want to punch and hug the both of them, call them idiots or tell them it will be alright. You can even sort of understand the side characters warped points of views, especially one in particular who starts as an abusive monster, but you later learn is the product of a complete failure in upbringing and perspective
(while also not excusing them from their cruelty).

A few flaws in the story are the occasional rushed scenes, mainly at the very start and a few times later on. Personal and relationship dynamics could be expanded more, sometimes relegating what should be a full chapter to just a couple pages, and now and again characters seem to adapt too quickly to huge revelations. However, even the worst of these do little to take away from a truly wonderful and rich story, and I highly recommend taking the time to read the story or listen to the audio book. The worst part you will feel is not knowing what to do once you finish the story and have to go back to reality.

5/5, I hope Aeron Dusk provides stories for years to come.

Hit close to home

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Listener received this title free

Just finished this and it was a slow burner for me.
The story and character development were smooth and I went from being annoyed at the teenage Alex's outbursts and toxic Amulii to really loving both the nuances of their characters and the humour dotted throughout.
Throw in some magic and a werewolve and I was hooked.
The epilogue was giving me, I need the sequel now!

Brilliant debut

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Listener received this title free

A different story I’ve never personally read anything like this. I really thought it was quite interesting and the characters are different and intriguing seems to have problem with his temper.

Good

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