Review Of 'Santiago's Conquest' By V.F Mason

This book was engaging right from the start to finish. Having read other V.F Mason from the same Universe as of this with other known characters as the main protagonist, I was a little worried if this book too would end up with a similar trope and storyline like the others and end up becoming very predictable but thankfully I was proven wrong.

Though even the Santiago's story and his past and how he blackmails Briseis into becoming his bride has a lot of similar elements to her other books it also includes certain new plot elements that makes it unique and also quite fascinating. For this review, I will highlight those parts.

Firstly, I loved all the four horsemen and dynamics between them and how they relate to Lachlan and his gang. It's a very good introduction to the characters and the kind of relationships they have amidst themselves. This story though focuses on Santiago it also has Lachlan, Arsen and Callum playing important roles, giving a good picture of their whole world. I especially can't wait to read Florian's book. It makes the entire series intriguing.

Also I loved the Greek mythology references.

Another new element that stood out the most to me in Santiago's relationship with his parents and how post his kidnapping and abuse, it changed, especially the feelings he had for his dad. It was something I could connect most with and thought it wasn't given too much of a focus, it worked beautifully especially towards the end when many secrets were revealed. Even Briseis, Especially her mom's through the diary entries were quite fascinating.

Coming to the characters, Santiago was interesting and quite charming. I loved his perseverance to survive no matter what and his friendship with 'Leo' was a nice touch. In fact, his whole family dynamics was quite interesting. I loved his mom, dad and sister.

Briseis was also likeable. I especially lied that she wasn't meek and naive and stood her own ground. The whole love story between the two though palpable didn't particularly stand out to me. It was quite predictable and she didn't do anything that made her character all that significant. It's mostly her bloodline that was more important for the story than her personality. In fact, I didn't buy the whole Andreas plan and I am still not convinced about what he was trying to gain and how he manages to escape Santiago all this whole. Even the ending fell kind of flat to me after how much the antagonist was feared. It had its plus points that I don't want to spoil, but over-all ending impact wasn't that great.

Overall I would go with 4.5 stars for this