Vore: Dissection
Hidden Ingredients
This is a dissection of some of the themes and symbolism in my latest release - available as paperback and ebook here.
⚠️ Reference made to human trafficking, kidnapping, murder, poison, and religious expectations around healthcare / denied female healthcare.
I love adding little hidden gems in my work - whether that’s in the deliberate use of names and places, or whether that’s in cameos and in-jokes that work across the whole world I’ve crafted.
For those of you who missed the explainer: the deities I created for my Elemental Pentology are the deities who’ll be the foundation for my entire world of books, and the timeline I’ve created within that five-book series also works alongside the timeline of the other books. Though, of course, things get a little messy with Path To The Dark Moon being a novel where one of the deities makes an appearance, and is also a fictional book within the Pentology… because… time is a pretzel, and I love messing with every small quantum of creation.
I do take research very seriously, and that means most things are done with purpose. But there’s also a little whimsy - if we look at the character of Kerezen Appleton, one of the women who works in the apothecary and witch, her name means Cherry Orchard… and, I just couldn’t resist that.
But, I’ve set names into groups for Vore.
✨ Erinyes - all three women, and their families, have botanical names.
✨ The Bratva - have very strong, meaningful names (which definitely convey their character, so… if you know what they mean, you’ll definitely figure something out).
✨ Septer - all the characters in this group have food based names, including the woman (Candy) who’s captured in Mace’s club, and Aeron’s wife Melora.
I’m not going to explain everyone’s names, but I do want to explain why I opted to call the two main characters what I did.
✨ Anara Eden - Anara means ‘pomegranate flower’, and, of course, there’s a whole load of symbolism related to pomegranates, which I won’t go into here. Eden means, when viewed in the initial Akkadian / Sumerian sense of the word ‘paradise, pleasure’, but as the word evolved it came to mean ‘walled garden’. And Anara is definitely a woman who wants to protect herself, from love and from being hurt.
✨ Vadimir Lvovich Morozov (or if you prefer Вадимир Львович Морозов) - Vadimir means ‘powerful ruler’, Lvovich means ‘lion’, and Morozov means ‘frost’. All absolutely perfect to describe the leader of a cell in the Bratva, a man who’s ruthless, and who is able to act with cold detachment and control.
Until Anara comes along.
And their names also become an in-joke when considering the gift Anara selects at the carnival, and the flowers Vadim selects for the pool house. (I’m trying really hard not to spoil anything!)
Of course, it’s not just names that I select with purpose.
I also deliberately craft the environment the characters inhabit. And while I’ve not named the city the action takes place this time, it is the UK, and that means the season of Spring and Lent ground this story. And with Lent comes restraint and denial, devotion and sacrifice. All of which are themes within the story.
There is also a message conveyed in the names I allocated to different key settings and groups I created for Vore.
✨ Erinyes - the apothecary. I opted for an apothecary, as it was one of the first places a woman could practice medicine legally. Of course, women have historically always been skilled with herbs, etc. and that is fostered from the use of herbs in witchcraft and healing. Adjacent to that is the use of herbs to kill. And, within the apothecary in Vore, both are offered - referencing both the history of Aqua Tofana, the restrictions of health care for women by certain groups / expectations of faith, and also the Erinyes themselves.
After all, poison is purely the wrong dose of a cure.
The Erinyes are chtonic goddesses of vengeance in Ancient Greek mythology, with the Roman equivalent being the Furies. In Orphic literature, they are the daughters of Persephone and Hades, and are usually seen as a trio of women, sometimes with wings, and often with snakes in their hair, and hatred dripping from their eyes. They lived in Erebus, are associated with night, and wear black. They would listen to complaints and punish enemies by hounding the culprits relentlessly.
And, of course, pomegranates are associated with Persephone… so, it all forms a neat little ouroboros - which is another of the themes, along with snakes.
✨ Iðun - the club owned by Mace Kersey, Septer’s leader. I selected this name as it is the name of an Icelandic goddess associated with apples, youth, and eternal life. And while that’s what Mace believes he is offering, or can obtain… his story doesn’t quite develop in such a manner. His club is one of the places he uses to drug and abduct women as part of his human trafficking operation.
Iðun was lured into a wood by Loki with the promise of apples even fairer than her own, but was then abducted. During her absence from Asgard, the gods began to grow old. Loki then rescues her and returns her to Asgard, which rejuvenates the gods. She is a maiden seen as both giving youth, via her fruit, and also in rejuvenating the dead, because she understands the eternal life of the Æsir.
✨ Septer - the Norwegian word for ‘mace’. And Mace Kersey is narcissistic enough to believe his crime organisation should be named after him, while also linking with the Norse aesthetic he insists his members follow.
I also put thought into things such as their jewellery (black diamonds and garnets, both absolutely perfect for… spoilers!), which poisons / drugs I use within the story, and also the names of weapons I’ve selected too.
Best to NEVER review my search history.
Or accept a drink should you visit, I guess.
The Bratva.
A poisoner.
A rival crime organisation.
Three threads destined to collide.
The moment Vadim Morozov sees Anara Eden, his heart is claimed. And when the opportunity arrives to meet, he does not hesitate; deflecting potentially deadly attention from Septer soldier Kassian Garner. Publicly stating Anara is his wife surprises everyone.
But Anara has secrets. She is cautious about lowering her carefully constructed barriers which protect her life. Though her instincts suggest Vadim is safe, betrayals and manipulations from the rival crime group force her to question her perceptions.
Their connection fractures in the conflict between Vadim’s Bratva and Mace Kersey’s Septer. And with the rumours of a poisoner targeting men, both fraternities are alert to threats, unaware it is Anara who is conducting this underground act; removing problematic men to ensure women are protected.
The consequences of Vadim’s declaration, and the choices Anara makes to pursue justice and attempt to align her heart with her head, have the potential to ruin everything.
Vore is a feast of sinful delights. A series of challenges and ruthless decisions made to navigate a developing romance. Deceptions and morally dark acts threaten to devour the opportunities offered to forge a united future.
The Playlist:
Hurt Me Harder - Zolita
Aftertaste - LORYANN
Cinnamon Sun - Daisy Gray
HONEY - LUNA AURA
I WANNA BE YOUR SLAVE - Måneskin
EAT - Zoe Ko
Poison - BUNNY
i like the way you kiss me - Artemas
Red Velvet - Jutes, Ari Abdul
Caviar - Two Feet
if i didn’t know better - Mack Lorén
Thirst - Nyline
Sugar - Sleep Token
CAROUSEL - Echos
Beside Myself - Hesta Prynn
KANDY - Kami Kehoe
Medicine - Cameron Hayes
Sinner - DEZI
bite - Ellise
Taste - Ari Abdul
Crave - Tove Lo
Heartburn - Wafia
Wicked Little Monster - Veda
POISON - Arankai
Martyr - KiNG MALA
Cannibal - Xoe Wise
Desire - MEG MYERS
Vore - Sleep Token
Content Warnings:
Abortion
Alcohol
Cannibalism
Drug use / Drugging
Explicit content
Kidnapping
Knives / knife play
Manipulation
Murder
Physical abuse / assault
Rape
Sexual abuse / assault
Smoking
Torture
Trafficking
Violence
Vorarephilia
Weapons
If you would like any further detail about how much these themes are presented in the book, please ask!
Vore is available now, either direct from Amazon or via my Ko-fi store (where you also get the signed edition, which also comes with extras).
You can get a feel for the dark vibe of the book with a listen to the playlist.
