Scan barcode
book_s1ut's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Car accident, and Alcohol
kat1105's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
talesandtitillations's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Going into this book I had wondered how the content could possibly be more difficult to stomach than some of the scenes in Haunting Adeline. Without context of what would be happening in the book, I hadn’t considered is how emotionally challenging it would be reading about such painful and real topics such as were the key plot points in this book.
As a woman, reading about all the abuse, rape, psychological torture and trauma, etc. was harrowing to say the least. I ended up having to regroup a few times in order to be able to continue reading such dark subject matter.
Admittedly, I usually read fantasy or romance as a form of escapism and this book does not provide any escapism as it shines a cold, harsh light on the plight of the women who find themselves in these circumstances. That being said, this book is incredibly well written, which is clear from the fact that it has such a profound impact on the reader.
It doesn’t shy away from the darkness or pretend that surviving such harrowing conditions are by any means easily doable. The author doesn’t sugarcoat anything or imply that recovery from the acute psychological trauma of the experiences Adeline has to fight to live through is simple or achievable in the sense of returning to who you once were and being able to overcome the darkness that sinks into your deepest crevices.
The book is, in my opinion, as realistic a portrayal of the consequences of survival and trauma from these types of experiences as we can hope to achieve through fiction. And to achieve that without losing momentum in character development, plot, pacing and reader’s interest is a feat in itself.
There were whole paragraphs, pages, chapters where I had to refrain from annotating or it would’ve just been me colouring the pages red for all the red flags and dark content. But there is not a moment where I felt that how messed up everything happening was was glossed over or romanticized.
Adeline’s relationship was just that, a relationship that, although incredibly questionable and oftentimes disturbing, was a choice they made and kept making to the end. There was no illusion that the characters themselves didn’t see how messed up and toxic such relationships are and that they aren’t a healthy thing to choose to engage in. However messed up things between them are and how vehemently we as readers would be against this type of relationship in real life, the book allows for understanding of a broader spectrum of relationship dynamics and why people choose relationships such as the one between Zade and Addie.
In terms of how realistic the plot is, it is fiction which, whilst it’s set in a world that is familiar to us and consisting of real places and things, it isn’t really feasible to imagine human beings equivalent to Zade really exist. His almost god-like abilities, while explained in the context of the story, can be considered unattainable or far-fetched from what is known to us in the world we exist in. Not impossible, but not very realistic or common if it does exist. However, he isn’t real so placing realistic limitations on him isn’t necessary in my opinion. And I think the author does a good job of portraying that he isn’t as god-like as others, and even he himself, like to fool themselves into believing when Addie is kidnapped.
I would caution people who read this from glossing over and romanticizing the circumstances, relationships, character development and traumas in the book, and to carefully read trigger warnings before reading. Every moment of this book should be observed and analyzed critically and the emotions brought up should be given the same treatment.
This book shook me to my foundations and had me questioning every thought and feeling and the causes behind why I experienced them, which was incredibly enlightening and therapeutic in a sense. And that’s what dark subject matter should do—show us those dark parts within ourselves that we can’t expose to the world for fear of rejection. If done as expertly as H.D. Carlton has done here, it allows one to start becoming aware and accepting ourselves with those dark parts and all.
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Car accident, Gaslighting, and Dysphoria
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, and Fire/Fire injury
kitsuneru's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Car accident, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
geminimarsss's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
x_erin_jenna_x's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
bookswith_vivi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
ubookworm28'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? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
abundance_of_fiction'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
2.0
I will say that the plot at least was better in book 2 than 1, with the focus staying mostly on Addie’s situation and an anticipated reunion between Her and Zade.
Butttt, even keeping in mind the trigger warnings, the depictions felt excessive. I said the same for the first book but it was increased with the sequel. Like the author wanted to write a “dark” and “gritty” novel, and just decided that s*xual as*ualt, unnecessary depictions of violence and m*tilations was the way to go? Hard no from me.
I did finish the set so it gets 2 stars, and there were some redeeming qualities in the actual writing style. However, the number of 5 star reviews and internet ravings is VERY misleading about the quality of the book. 8/10 don’t recommend. 2/10 recommend for sm*t only(even then it’s dark and gritty).
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
cdubbs's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
This book has explicit detailed descriptions of sex/human trafficking and rape. EXPLICIT. And frequent. It is very difficult to get through. The second half of the book makes up for it but please proceed carefully.