Reviews tagging 'Death'

Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton

1029 reviews

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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challenging dark emotional slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I didnt like it. There wasn't much romance, just plenty of rape, torture, murder, talk of sacrificing and killing children and a mystery side-plot. The FMC couldn't decide if she likes sex with her stalker or not, they start building a relationship away from the stalking, she fancies him, then decides she doesn't but clearly only so the author could write in more rape scenes, as 80% in MMC rapes the FMC yet the chapter after, she's in love with him. There was no falling, no romance, just rape. Some dub-con, no cnc. 

MMC saves women and children from human trafficking, and has a big dick. FMC loves that about him. He does not respect her as a human being, abuses and controls her, we see nothing to indicitae them falling in love, yet we are told to believe this is so. And on top of all these issues, it was so long and often boring. The descriptive scenes of torture and murder were not necessary, the whole thing with MMCs 'job' was drawn out and unnecessary and initially I didn't care for the greatgrandmother mystery yet it ended up being the best part of the book. 

It felt like 3 seperate book ideas smushed into one, not very well. If this was just Zades story with his job and stalking Adeline, it could work. If it was just the mystery and Adeline being stalked, that could work. If it was just a pure romance with smut, but actually having them interact in non rape scenes throughout the story, that would work. But as a combination, I didnt care for any of it. I kept hoping it'd get better but by 75% I wanted to DNF. However after spending 15hrs listening to this I felt the need to get the satisfaction of adding it to my 'read' list. I will not be reading the next one, it will be darker, with a bigger focus on rape, which is not my cup of tea. 

*I would not recommend this book personally, however that is not to say others won't like it. If you like it really dark, really descriptive, with multiple side plots and no mushy, cringy, cute romance, and have no triggers, this may be perfect for you.*

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

First dark romance did not disappoint. 

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Truly stunned the word “creamy” is allowed to be used in a sexual context in The Year of Our Lord 2023. JAIL.

I went into this with incredibly low expectations, and maybe that’s why I sort of enjoyed it? I didn’t expect there to be a substantial plot, and I actually found myself struggling to put it down so I could find out what happens next. Thank god I have access to the sequel because ending in a cliffhanger like this also deserves jail. J A I L.

Plot aside, it should also be noted that this isn’t *just* a smutty romance novel. The list of trigger warnings I’d attach to this book are nearly as long as the book itself. Definitely not for everyone (or most, tbh). I’ll list a few here: 

TW: sexual assault, human trafficking, sex trafficking, r*pe, murder, general violence, and generally non-consensual /dub consensual encounters of a wide variety

*To the author’s credit, these trigger warnings are all outlined on the first page of the book. So the reader is properly warned. 

The mental gymnastics it requires to even remotely attempt to understand the thoughts and actions of the male main character is beyond my capabilities. And frankly, some of the shit is just corny. To be expected where smut is involved, I suppose. *sigh*  I’ve heard book two is a million times more graphic, so I’m really not even sure I want to read it. We’ll see how it goes. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark mysterious tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: N/A
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

This book is one of the worst I have ever read. It was like being beat over the head with a manuscript. It also is just really weird. The characters are like white bread. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Expand filter menu Content Warnings