A Token’s Worth by S.A. Parker – A Second Look Book Review

Posted October 31, 2020 by Booksandblurbs in Dark, Fantasy, Reverse Harem, Reviews / 2 Comments

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A Token’s Worth

(Spawn of Darkness – Book 1)

by S.A. Parker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dark Fantasy, Slow Burn RH
Available on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited

With the fourth and final book recently released, this series dragged me in for a reread – and a new review.

Down & Dirty

A Token’s Worth is harsh, brutal, explicit…and oddly compelling. This read better to me on the second time around – perhaps because I knew what was coming? Brace yourself, it’s a story of survival – and it’s free on Kindle Unlimited.

What is it about?

(Blurb from GoodReads)

They like their women barren in more ways than one, void of the bits that make them anything other than an object of male desire. A woman doesn’t need her faculties, or her body in one piece to open her legs.

Dark, brutal, and punishing – this is the world Dell was brought up in. Nothing more than a Lesser Fae female, owned by a master who sells her body to the highest bidder and takes what’s left for himself. She’s been through it all. She’s witnessed it all. She’s survived it all … so far.

Dell unwittingly binds herself to the Sun Gods – four primal, territorial High Fae males who have a taste for power, pain, and pleasure. But they want more from her than she initially expected.

They can read, control and govern her body. They can see through her lies, sense the secrets she’s been cowering from for years. For Dell, the only thing worse than trying to survive the darkness, is the prospect of being dragged back into the light.

Trigger Warnings for A Token’s Worth

This is book one in the four-part Spawn of Darkness series – 38,500 words written from Dell’s perspective. It is a slow burn, reverse harem romance with sensitive and taboo subjects, offensive language, sex slavery, explicit sexual content and violence – particularly as the series progresses. It contains subjective content which some readers will find triggering. Intended for an audience aged eighteen years and over.

Thoughts on A Token’s Worth

Interesting

This was a dark read, but not nearly as dark as some and far from morbid. It borders on sadistic, but with none of those labels attributed to the main male characters, though Dell, our FMC, May mentally dub at least 2 of the quad as such. It’s the other men in her life, the ones that have control and use it, that earn that title…. and when the world becomes a little clearer, the circumstances in which they’ve earned it are horrific.

Update:

When I first read this book, I wrote a review that left much to be desired – as at the time I wasn’t really sure if I liked the series. Now, looking back from the perspective of a finished series and a reread, I have to confess that I rather liked this series a lot – perhaps even loved it. It’s uncomfortable though – almost every dang bit of it, and I am not ashamed to say I cried more than once. This first book is one of the more difficult offerings, as you don’t have a firm grasp on who Dell is, or who the Sun God’s are to her – yet. That will come. Take a deep breath, and give it a shot.

Please be aware there IS RAPE IN THIS BOOK! In fact, the opening scene features a group of men raping Dell… though the construct is utilized not as a way to glorify rape, but as a vessel to showcase how mundane and fucking normal such an event is on this twisted and screwed up world. None of the main male characters rape, or even allude to, raping her, so there is that… not that it makes it any better. Just be aware of what you are getting into before you dive in.

Pros:

Dell is amusing.
There is something compelling about the narrative, a feeling that you have to keep reading, even if you don’t want to.
No major transition issues.

Cons:

FMC rambles….. and it’s not pretty.
Dell’s lady bits basically talk…. a lot. Her vagina deserves her own name and character profile for the number of times she took over the narrative and tried to influence Dell.
World building is sorely lacking.
Still have no clue what is really going on.
Too short.

Perspective:

First Person, Single POV

Ending Type:

Cliffhanger

Rating:

NC-17 (18+ only)

Romantic Dynamic:

MMMMF – slow burn

My Final Verdict on A Token’s Worth

When I first reviewed this book, I had only read it once and the series was still stewing to completion. Now, I have been blessed with Dell’s full story, and I know how it ends… and I honestly encourage you to give this tale a shot. It deserves every trigger warning imaginable and a whole host of cringes, but it’s a worth while dive – and it’s free on Kindle Unlimited.

A Token’s Worth

Published May 10th, 2019
144 Pages

Please note, this is a Dark Slow Burn Reverse Harem Romance with sexual scenes and themes more suited to an older audience. 18+. You have been warned.