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lattelibrarian's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
The good: there were some parts of this book that I fully agreed with. YES, Adeline, what Zade is doing to you IS stalking and rape and abuse. And YES Zade, how ARE you going to reckon your actions against your morals of saving innocent boys and girls from pedophile rings?? The bad? So much cognitive dissonance.
The good: Parsons Manor. Oh my god YES we love a creepy old mansion. The bad? Unfortunately, not actually haunted. I genuinely thought that Zade was going to be a ghost; perhaps the same ghost (until I was otherwise proven wrong) that haunted Adeline's great-grandmother. I was like hell yeah, multi-generational ghost-fucking? Let's GO. Nope, just a really creepy dude. Also the bad? Why must this take place in Seattle :( (which also, there's a LOT of woods in the setting for a book that takes place in an extremely urban area...Seattle is green but it ain't THAT green haha)
The good: Daya. Great best friend energy, the conversations with her were SO FUNNY. And she was a great reality check for Adeline. The bad? Y'know, I don't think there is a bad. I REALLY liked Daya. Personally, I imagined her in my head as Vella Lovell.
Okay, now for some general 'bad's:
Zade--oh my goddd he is so cocky and in such a small dick energy kind of way. BUT I liked his coworkers, Jay and Ruby, whenever they were around.
Lots of telling and not showing. Also, some of the comparisons were so out of left field that I was truly wondering about the points of reference for these characters.
It was also so incredibly trope-y. As someone who loves a good trope, I can recognize that sometimes the plot exists just for the sex and the tropes. The chances of being in the same place as your stalker and someone from whom he's trying to protect you? Getting invited to a gala and NEEDING to wear a beautiful dress? Again, I love a good trope, but you do have to have some substance behind it to make it believable in a novel kind of way, and not a fanfiction kind of way.
Also, Sibby. While I enjoyed her plenty in the second book (review to come), this first book posits her and maniacal and deeply unsound. Which, to be fair, she is. But Zade (or the author) is very ableist when discussing her character. Sibby suffers from delusions--many of which I think are constructed to make her 'edgy'--and she kills everyone she thinks is a total creep. But Zade is willing to let her take the fall for him and consistently labels her as crazy.
So, all in all, this was an entertaining read. But was it a good one?
Graphic: Gun violence, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Murder, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Violence, Rape, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Minor: Alcohol
smilingsammie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Cursing, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, Violence, Physical abuse, and Rape
Moderate: Car accident, Trafficking, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, Alcohol, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, and Sexual violence
Minor: Cannibalism, Death of parent, Sexism, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Gore
loreluvss's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Mass/school shootings, Gore, Trafficking, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Stalking, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Rape, Kidnapping, Gun violence, and Death
Not for the light hearted.macks_bookshelf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Rape
michaelavanr's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I am confused. I hate all the characters. The murder mystery was a fun thing in the background. I don’t know. I gave myself a full nights sleep before writing this review and still don’t know how I feel.
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, and Murder
Moderate: Torture, Pedophilia, and Trafficking
its_nikita's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Murder, Eating disorder, Body shaming, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Gun violence, Blood, Sexual violence, Rape, Violence, Sexual harassment, Trafficking, Torture, Gore, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, and Body horror
ktmags's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Death, Gun violence, Blood, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Torture, Trafficking, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Rape, Toxic relationship, Violence, Sexual violence, Cursing, Stalking, and Child death
deeloro's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, Car accident, Child abuse, Murder, Violence, Cursing, Death, Gore, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Trafficking, Stalking, Torture, and Toxic relationship
If you have any triggers what-so-ever, you should check them before you read this book.gemgem44's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Stalking, Rape, Sexual harassment, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Slavery, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Trafficking, and Violence
wingleader_11's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Blood, Domestic abuse, Gore, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Murder, Toxic relationship, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Stalking, Torture, Trafficking, and Violence
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Infidelity, Adult/minor relationship, Addiction, and Child death