The Scales of Seduction

A story about reclaiming the bits and parts of yourself that society deems wrong and unforgivable. That it takes one person to rekindle the love you had for yourself even if you weren't ever ready for it. A single person to change who you are for the better, to love yourself, and willing for you to accept yourself even when you couldn't. Acceptance comes from a place least expected.

A really interesting retelling of Greek myth, following the last living Basilisk Petra, hiding in her human form to survive as the last of her kind. After being granted surgical intervention by followers of the goddess Cybele to make her body her own, she sets out on a quest to reclaim Perseus’ armaments from his grave in Medusa’s lair. Unlike Perseus’ however, she has no interest in harming Medusa to please the Gods.

I really liked both the journey to get to Medusa’s lair and the erotic parts that happened afterwards. The writing was poetic and lush and I felt transported into the world during Petra’s journey and I found it very interesting to read about the arduous path she traversed to finally encounter Medusa. The erotica afterwards was simply delicious, and with a big focus on reclaiming your body (both from past sexual violence in Medusa’s case and from the fear of being different and othered as a trans woman and a basilisk in Petra’s case). If you like your erotica dark, yet touching, brutal, yet tender and featuring some gorey body modifications as healing and reclamation of yourself I can just recommend this short novella to you! I also really liked how incredibly detailed Petra’s character and backstory was. If the author ever decides to write more with her as a main character, I would love to read it. I also really enjoyed getting to read Medusa's story interpreted as about a traumatized lesbian reclaiming her sexuality, that was beautiful.

The ending is a bit abrupt and I think if it had been a bit longer, it could have been more satisfying still, but all in all I really enjoyed reading this story and especially loved to see some trans butch rep in lesbian erotica!

TW: body horror, body modification (both willingly and for gender euphoria and self-inflicted but viewed as mutilation as a protective measure), dysphoria, gore, injury, lesbophobia (minor), self injury, past sexual assault, past suicide and suicidality, transmisogyny (minor), trauma around fertility and infertility

Gorgeous, beautifully crafted, and scorching hot, this sapphic romance between a trans butch basilisk and feral femme Medusa will stay with me.

The lush prose and historical specificity reminded me of reading Mary Renault's Alexander the Great series; I felt deeply, sensually grounded in the ancient Greek setting. But magic runs deep through this story, elevating its themes of transness and monstrosity to mythic heights.

Light spoilers below so I can talk about the themes I dug most, though I'll aim to avoid too many specifics.

I'm a sucker for ordeals, and this book is full of them. Petra, the basilisk who we accompany on this journey, has endured many past ordeals out of necessity, but the ordeals we see her navigate in this story are chosen, each bringing her closer to her truest self. The ordeal of surgical transition; the ordeal of reaching Medusa (via a delicious and thoughtfully designed series of trials that literally strip Petra of nearly everything, preparing her for the possibility of renewal); and finally, the ordeal of intimacy, which she and Medusa share.

Medusa has survived by removing herself from the world and guarding herself from those who cannot bear her existence; Petra has survived by physically and emotionally armoring and reshaping herself to fit into that same, hostile world. The way these two characters clash and connect is raw and deeply queer. It's also violent, in a way I found deeply life affirming and hot as hell. I adore kink as a tool to engage with, transform, and even heal trauma and the kinky sex in this story does this expertly. It feels deeply rooted in these serpentine women and the lives they've lived. Eroticizing our own traumas as a way of claiming them is also one of my Favorite Things, and I wanted to cheer every time our leads transformed a tragedy from their pasts into intensely specific, erotic and powerful sex. The dirty talk is top tier, the scenes are creative and varied, and it builds into a bond I found believable and beautiful.

I've read and enjoyed a few of Rien's works before, and this one really bowled me over. I've gotta get into more of their catalogue!

I loved this so much. I expected something extraordinarily well-written and hot, and this absolutely delivered - but I didn't expect a story whose tenderness and thoughtful examination of the costs of queer assimilation (during a kinky erotic scene!) would make me cry. Absolutely gorgeous.

Gray's ability to instantly put me in the time and place as the character with how they describe it never disappoints. And very specifically here, the way they play on the themes of pain, physical or emotional, and how it shapes people and then how in turn they can use it to shape themselves really just struck a chord with me.

Fantastic story from start to finish, worth every minute spent reading.

Amazing story! The author has a way where parts are almost poetic, lyrical in their beauty and description. A sapphic monster romance with lots of Greek mythology featuring two serpentine women, one born and one made. They come together in an explosive encounter that ends up meaning so very much more than either could have ever imagined. Beautiful. Highly recommend this as well as this author’s other stories!!!

Gray's books are auto-buys for me, and I dropped everything to buy and devour The Scales of Seduction. What a mouthwatering meal. While I was expecting to be wow-ed by Gray's third take on Medusa, Petra's journey slithered into my heart, making me wonder, "Am I into all types of snake lesbians now?" Yes. The theme of reclaiming and shaping the body made my heart thud, and of course, the intimate scenes re-wired my brain chemistry. The more Greek-based diction felt like little tasty morsels and enriched an already lively setting. I'd also like to give a shout-out to the gorgeous, sensual cover art! Hot damn. Why are you still reading this review? Go read The Scales of Seduction!