C J Merwild

The Gods smiled upon their offsprings from the skies, loving, generous. But that was before. For the sky is now tainted, and the people deprived of their creators overnight have been orphans for nearly two centuries. Since that fateful day, the Corruption has reigned over the world. It defiled the clouds, covered the lands with a veil of darkness. The first conflicts arose in the east of the Coroman continent, some under the impulse of beliefs calling for blood and flames. As hatred continues to spread, the vanished Gods no longer answering any prayers, some fight for a peaceful life. In the midst of this madness, two children meet each other. One of them is human. The other is nichan. The boys are two opposite minds and fates, yet connected irrevocably. The days, then the passing years bring them together. But life reminds them of their differences and works to crush the remnants of their innocence. Between joys and sorrows, friendship and savagery, a smile is sometimes enough to change everything...

The Nichan Smile

Aishling

** spoiler alert **
           Update: Aug 13

2/5 stars 

I’m downgrading my review cause even tho it’s been two months since I read it, the stuff I rant about below still bothers me and from the hints I’ve seen on the authors IG I feel like things won’t change. I more than likely won’t be reading any more of this series. 


Original review: 
Warning: this is more of a rant than a review, but tldr I loved it all except one scene that I absolutely hated and one future promise.

Trigger warnings for this book (and my rant):
Sexual assault (to a minor)
Violence
Am... zoo-necrophilia? I saw someone else use this word and it fits, just use your imagination 
Sexual acts with underage characters (the whole thing is set in a world where there’s no age of consent and people basically have sex as soon as they start thinking about it so age is never considered an issue in the book)
I’m so bad at listing trigger warnings but I tried 

I really wanted to give this book 5 stars. As soon as I started reading it I fell in love with the characters and everything about the book. 

But then something happened that really annoyed me and soured the mood of the book for me. Domino had to go through his “seasons” which is basically like some sort of heat where he has to go fuck one or more women non-stop for several hours to satisfy his needs. Apparently it’s a sign of nichan’s growing up and their bodies urges to breed. 

I hated it. I dislike books where we have to read in explicit detail about mc’s sleeping with other people, especially mlm books and having the men sleep with woman for story progression . I really dislike books where the people aren’t fully human and have deep seated animal instincts to fuck and breed with woman especially when they don’t want to but can’t help it cause it’s “part of them”, even when they are men who love men but the instinct in them is to fuck women. 

It just annoys me so much cause it’s not even that they have the urge to have sex, it’s the urge to breed because Domino was never offered a man to “help” him. And the thing is that there is no homophobia in the book, there are queer couples and no one says anything negative, so again the whole thing is literally just a once off time for men (it doesn’t mention if it happens to women) to have the crazy urge to sleep with women to breed and then that’s it.

I’m also not a fan of sexual scenes that, although they are consensual, the participants don’t particularly want to be doing it. Domino didn’t want to sleep with the woman (the two woman volunteered to “help”) but had no other choice, and we got the explicit details of how it went on for so long that he had to be forcefully stopped and how the women were red and raw from it all, most of which Domino was barely aware of because he was just running on instinct to keep going. And as soon as he came back to his right mind, he pushed away the woman who tried to come back onto him and didn’t want to be near them. I love reading smut, but where both people are very much enjoying themselves and want to be doing it. Not this “consensual but not wanted” type of sex. 

Oh also, age in this book is never really considered an issue when it comes to sex. Domino is 16 when his “seasons” happen, and one of the women is over 30 and I’m not sure how old the other is. Now this 30+ year old was trying to get Domino to sleep with her when he was 13, so it added to the ick factor of the “seasons” scene. She is the same one who tried to continue having sex with Domino after his urges past, even though he said he wanted to stop. 

This all bothered me so much that it affected how I viewed the rest of this book. I just didn’t see the point of it. Like it happened and that was it, it didn’t have any other affect on the plot so I don’t see why add it in the first place. Unless one of women is gonna end up pregnant so that Domino can have a kid, but if that happens I’ll honestly be so pissed. 

What’s even worse is right after this scene we finally get a Domino and Gus moment but it’s not even satisfying because of what just happened. 

Then we have the end where Domino promises to marry a woman to unite their clans. They talk about the fact that they will have children, again even tho Domino doesn’t want to be a father, but that’s just what people do apparently 🙄 so what, Domino will marry this woman in the future and Gus will be like his future side piece cause we all know they’re in love, but we’ll still have to see Domino having children with this woman? This is just really not for me. 

Aside from those parts, I had really enjoyed it. The characters were amazing. I couldn’t predict a thing which is what I loved the most. The world building was unique. It was violent but not too gory. It’s just such a shame that parts of it really weren’t my thing and ended up ruining it for me.

Chiara Vitale Zelaia

Having been a longtime supporter of C.J. Merwild’s art, THE NICHAN SMILE was one of my most anticipated reads of 2021 and one that I’ve been wanting to read for years. Now that I’ve read an ARC of this debut, I can say the wait was worth it. Before getting into this review, I want to remind readers that this is an adult fantasy which faces some difficult topics. Please check the book’s synopsis for the trigger warnings before reading.

The Nichan Smile follows Domino and Gus, respectively a Nichan (a sort of shapeshifter species original to this world) and a Vestige (a human with magic and peculiar physical traits). Domino and his brothers have been separated from their mother and seek sanctuary in their uncle’s Nichan clan. During their journey, they meet Gus and save him from abusive men who have taken him in their custody. From that moment on, the story follows Gus and Domino’s journey from childhood to adolescence through the development of their friendship and…more. Maybe. Who knows *insert cheeky face*. 

The story in this first book was very character driven and its strength resides in its protagonists. Gus and Domino couldn’t be more different. Domino is the kind of character that I immediately warm up to and adore: he’s sassy, caring, protective, curious and—especially as he grows into a young man—reckless. Gus, on the other hand, is more reserved and distrusting, a consequence of the abuse he’s endured since childhood and the scorn he’s repeatedly subjected to with the Nichans because of his human nature. Despite their differences, however, Domino and Gus’s personalities were perfectly complimentary and their chemistry was off the charts. I know fantasy readers are all for the enemies to lovers dynamic, but I think there’s something fascinating and real about showing the development of a friendship and the way that bond can deepen over time. Gus and Domino are proof of that. Their banter was filled with moments of hilarity, sass and heartbreaking intensity, made all the more impactful by the years of friendship, devotion and absolute trust.

The Nichan Smile also counted on the support of an incredible cast of secondary characters. Every character introduced was complex, fascinating and morally grey (though there are a few who were absolutely dreadful and have no redeeming qualities whatsoever). It’s because of this complexity that these characters felt real, and those emotions shone through the page and tugged at my heartstrings on multiple occasions. As far as world-building goes, it was very original and though this first book only scratches the surface, you can perceive the vastness of the world and lore, and I’m sure we’ll see far more of both in the future installments.

Overall I really enjoyed the pacing of the story, although I felt it was a bit slower in the second half and I wasn’t as engaged as I was at the start. However, that’s also the part where we start getting deeper into the plot and putting the roots for the future installments, so it was still interesting to read. However, I adored the ending of the book, which felt like coming full circle in Gus and Domino’s journeys while, at the same time, leaving me desperate for the sequel. I can’t wait for everyone to be able to enjoy this read on June 1st!

Thank you to the author for sending me an ARC to review.

Blayke 

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒕𝒊𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒐𝒓 𝒊𝒏𝒇𝒍𝒖𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆, 𝒘𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒍𝒂𝒘𝒔.

𝐸𝑁/𝐹𝑅

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Violence against animals and humans, violence description, sexual violence (rape and underage sex) paedophilia and strong language. 

In the foreword of my review, I want to congratulate the author once again, as It’s her first book and in a language that isn’t her mother one. 
C.J. Merwild is an illustrator before anything else, who offers us with The Nichan Smiler, the first book of the Lost Faces series. 

Classified dark fantasy due to the numerous violent scenes and crude language, this book isn’t for everyone. 
It seems like It has been a lost information during the promoting of this book, and that some people got offended but you just have to read the trigger warnings to know It isn’t a romance where the characters whisper sweets to each other. 

We have a well-craft worldbuilding and an almost illustrated one, I applause the author’s capacity to bring to life these characters and world both through her art and her writing style. 
In this universe the Nichan, formidable ancient beasts with powerful musculature and a polyodont smile, find themselves prisoners of an evolved human form and in the impossibility of carrying out a complete transformation as before.

Domino, a Nichan sibling to three brothers, meets Gus, a vestige, when the latest is threatened by death.
Starting from there, they’ll never separate and will grow, evolve, together against the cruelty of Domino’s clan and the constant reject Gus will faced. 
But the threat isn’t only inside the tribe’s walls, she also comes from outside and while Domino explores who he is, Gus’s world is darkening. 

To say I loved the characters, mostly Domino, would be a euphemism.
I have a deep admiration for the author to have leave enough space for sadist characters without any kind of redemption and without any evolution, because trust me, they exist. 
For a first book the writing is nice, even if from time to time we can feel that the book was probably first write in French but I suspect that I saw it because I’m myself a French speaker so I can see where the translation process came through. 
The only criticism I may have is regarding the book’s rhythm on the storyline’s development aspect. 
If you divide the book in three parts, the first one was interesting because we get to know the characters, the universe and its particularities. 
The last one is the richer in terms of events, in development to drive us to the end and to let us have a glimpse of the second book. 
So my comment is more on the second third, in which I found that the events were slow, even getting lost a bit. But I think It’s more due to the fact that It’s her first book, and who am I to judge what should have been erased or not in the first book of a long series?



WARNING: If you’re reading this review on your smartphone, the next paragraph is the spoiler part.
<spoiler> 
Even if I have a lot to say in the spoiler part, I’m going to start with the most important.
YES FUCKING YES BEIKA IS DEAD.
Regardless of the universe, every rapist dead is always good to take. I hate him. Good job Coco. 
Domino is really the stereotype of the naïve but sexy boyfriend who doesn’t realize that even if he destroyed the whole world Gus would forgive him with a pat on the head. 
I wasn’t especially surprised by the discovery of his powers, a little more by the death of his big brother on the occasion of his first transformation et a lot more that he ends up engaged to Lynn. 

Besides, I don’t know where this arranged marriage is going to lead, but the fact that Eros doesn’t know about it when he was demanding full power over their hypothetical kids, it stinks. 
I really like the fact that Gus runs away at the end of the first volume and that he finally stops waiting for Domino to be free, even if it means that he’s  alone and that we don’t know how they will find each other, I still believe in the power of this ship and I refuse to let go of it.
</spoiler> 








TRIGGER WARNINGS : Violence contre les animaux et humains, description de violence, violences sexuelles (viol et pédophilie) et langage cru. 

En avant-propos de ma revue je tiens à féliciter une nouvelle fois l’autrice, dont il s’agit du premier livre dans une langue qui n’est pas la sienne, en plus. 
C.J. Merwild est avant tout une illustratrice, française, qui nous offre avec The Nichan Smile le premier tome de sa série The Lost Faces.

Classifié dark fantasy par la présence de nombreuses scènes violentes et de propos crus, ce livre n’est pas destiné à tout le monde. 
Il semble que ce soit une information qui s’est perdue dans sa promotion, et que certaines personnes s’en offusquent mais il vous suffit de consulter les trigger warnings pour vous rendre compte que ce n’est pas un romance où les protagonistes se content fleurette. 
Nous avons un worldbuilding travaillé et presque illustré, je salue par ailleurs la capacité de l’autrice à donner vie à des personnages et à un monde tant à travers son art que sa plume.
Dans cet univers les Nichans, anciennes bêtes redoutables à la musculature puissante et au sourire polyodonte, se retrouvent prisonniers d’une forme humaine évoluée et dans l’impossibilité d’effectuer une transformation complète comme auparavant. 
Domino, un Nichan issu d’une fratrie de trois frères, croise la route de Gus, un vestige, alors que ce dernier est menacé de mort. 
A partir de ce moment ils ne se quitteront plus et grandirons, évoluerons, ensemble contre la cruauté du clan de Domino et le rejet constant que subit Gus. 
Mais la menace n’est pas qu’entre les murs de la tribu, elle vient aussi de l’extérieur et alors que Domino découvre petit à petit qui il est, le monde de Gus s’assombrit. 
Dire que j’ai adoré les personnages, principalement Domino, est un euphémisme. 
Je voue une admiration profonde à l’autrice pour avoir laisser la place à des personnages sadiques sans rédemption et sans évolution particulière, car ils existent.
Je salue également l’attachement qu’elle crée chez le lecteur.rice pour les personnages principaux et le culot, dans le bon sens du terme, à décrire des scènes dures.
Pour une premier livre la plume est agréable, même si de temps en temps on sent que le livre fut probablement premièrement rédigé en français mais je soupçonne que je l’ai souligné car je suis moi-même francophone donc je vois où le processus de traduction est passé. 
La seule critique que j’ai à formuler se rapporte au rythme du livre mais plus dans l’optique du développement de la storyline.
Si on le divise en trois tiers, le premier tiers est très intéressant car on fait la connaissance des personnages, on a une bonne introduction à l’univers et ses particularités.
Le dernier tiers est le plus riche en évènements, en développement pour nous mener à la fin et nous laisser entrevoir le second tome.

Ma critique porte donc principalement sur le deuxième tiers, dans lequel j’ai trouvé que les éléments trainaient un peu, voire se perdaient un peu. 
Mais je pense que c’est davantage dû au fait qu’il s’agit du premier livre de l’autrice, et qui suis-je pour juger ce qui aurait dû être supprimé ou non dans le livre introductive d’une longue série ?


ATTENTION : Si vous lisez cette revue sur votre smartphone les spoilers commencent ici !
<spoiler>
Même si j’ai beaucoup à dire dans la partie spoiler, je vais commencer par le plus important. 
YES FUCKING YES BEIKA EST MORT.
Qu’importe l’univers, un violeur en moins est toujours bon à prendre. Que je le hais. Good job Coco. 
Domino est vraiment le stéréotype du petit-ami naïf mais sexy qui ne se rend pas compte que même s’il détruisait le monde Gus lui pardonnerait avec une caresse dans les cheveux. 
Je n’ai pas été spécialement surprise qu’il ait plus de pouvoirs que les autres, un peu plus qu’il tue son grand frère sur le coup de sa transformation et encore un peu plus qu’il se retrouve fiancé  à Lynn.
D’ailleurs je ne sais pas où ce mariage arrangé va mener mais le fait qu’Eros ne soit pas au courant alors qu’il réclamait le plein pouvoir sur leurs gosses hypothétiques, ça pue. 
J’aime beaucoup le fait que Gus fuit à la fin du premier tome et qu’il arrête enfin d’attendre Domino pour être libre, même si cela signifie qu’il se retrouve seul et qu’on ne sait pas comment ils vont se retrouver, je continue à croire en la puissance de ce ship et je refuse de lâcher mon os. 
</spoiler>



Meagan

This book made me feel like my heart was thrown into a tornado and then dropped me off on a roller coaster. I felt ALL OF THE THINGS. It has been a very long time since I felt so invested in a bond between two characters. Yes, I ship the two main characters together but this story is so much more than their romance. Merwild let's us grow up with Domino and Gus and you get so emotionally invested in their growth and bond that it is no longer about if the relationship is romantic or not. 

I am usually a skimmer when it comes to setting, I won't lie. I usually focus on more dialogue than where I am placed but I did not skip a single word of this book. The locations were so unique and the world-building was so intriguing that I didn't want to miss a single thing. 

Every single supporting character contributed to this story in an important way. I did not feel like any character was useless or just added for filler. They each made their own impact on the lead characters. This book sets up the perfect stage for the series where I cannot wait to learn more about this world and the characters within it. 

Please note this book is very adult. There are scenes that will drive you to tears and are meant to do so. Read the trigger warnings before moving forward so you are not taken unaware. I will say that I believe all of these scenes were well done where I did not feel like they were added unnecessarily. They each had very important contributions to the characters and the plot. I hope you all fall hopelessly in love with both Domino and Gus with me!

The Nichan Smile

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