The Wicked and the Willing

By: Lianyu Tan

Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller

Length: 15 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

Love demands sacrifice. Her blood. Her body. Even her life....

Singapore, 1927. Verity Edevane needs blood. And not just anyone's blood. She craves the sweet, salty rush from a young woman's veins, the heady swirl of desire mixed with fealty—such a rarity in this foreign colony. It’s a lot to ask, but doesn't she deserve the best?

Gean Choo needs money. Mrs. Edevane makes her an offer Gean Choo can't refuse. But who is her strange, alluring new mistress? What is she? And what will Gean Choo sacrifice to earn her love?

Po Lam needs absolution. After decades of faithfully serving Mrs. Edevane, Po Lam can no longer excuse a life of bondage and murder. She needs a fresh start. A clean conscience. More than anything, she needs to save Gean Choo from a love that will destroy them all.

***A destitute maidservant must choose whom to love: her vampire mistress, or the woman trying to save her life in The Wicked and the Willing, a standalone, F/F steamy historical gothic horror vampire novel with a love triangle, a choice of endings and no cliffhangers. This novel contains two mutually exclusive endings, although most of the story is not interactive. Due to the mature content and dark themes, it is intended for adult listeners only. It contains potentially disturbing scenes and an abusive romantic relationship between two women. Further content information is available from the author’s website.This audiobook is performed by Emily Woo Zeller, an AudioFile Golden Voice and an Audie, Earphones, and SOVAS award-winning narrator.***

©2022 Lianyu Tan (P)2022 Shattered Scepter Press

Dark and amazing

Could not stop listening. Simple yet complex at the same time. Loved the duel endings. Narration was excellent.

Seriously excellent

Know what you’re getting yourself into; read the content warnings on the author’s website before purchasing. The writing is excellent, the plot is the most interesting I’ve come across in a while, and the narrator’s wide range and ability to pronounce non-Western words/names correctly really bring the book to life.

Not for the faint of heart, but so, so good.

Not for the faint of heart (check out the author's warnings on her website), but so, so good. I've never read another sapphic horror like this, that completely delivers on atmosphere, terror and really captivating characters. The "choose your own ending" style is so unique. Emily Woo Zeller excels as always, and she made this a terrifying, heartrending, but also sensual listen. Absolutely recommended.

#TeamPoLam

Vampire Horror AND a Non-Binary Love Story?

This book had all I was looking for and more. Seductive manipulative vampire; non-binary libe interest, and story themes around classism, racism, horror, gore, power dynamics and a double ending! I am so glad there are books like this that are fun and terrifying while also representing people like me and cultures silenced in main stream media by colonialism.

A generally interesting read

A generally interesting read/listen
Spoilers!
Despite my irritation with some plot lines, this was an interesting book.
The names were unfamiliar to me and troubling. Especially when I shifted from audible to kindle.
The choose ending feature was too little too late. I didn’t like any of them.
The characters were interesting, but there was too much angst, maybe. They were in constrained societies. While personal guilt may be present, they had other problems.
The climax seemed to feature out of character actions by all.
Plot points may have depended on unreliable expectations on the magic. But the response to killing the regional boss was not present in anyone’s calculations.
It seems to me that just the MC vampire’s flight would trigger the death of all her servants.