Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Sinister Legacy by Harleigh Beck

5 reviews

corpsegarden's review

Go to review page

dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

It wasn't the worst book I've ever read. But it was definitely something. 
I feel like I came into it expecting more horror themes, so it's really on me for going into it blind. 

There are a lot of smut scenes. Which is fine, I was just expecting more of a balance. 

But if you're looking for book where the smut is the primary focus with a little horror sprinkled in, it's a good book for you. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

pennymartinez80's review

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense

5.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

cosyqueer's review

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I feel weird saying I enjoyed this book, given it’s extremely dark themes and morally corrupt characters, but I really did.
It must have been so hard to get the tone of this story right, to weave in the crime/thriller aspects with the steamy, toxic romance all in this almost slasher horror context, but Harleigh Beck got everything spot on. The book was fast-paced, twisty and completely over-the-top in the best way, while also being incredibly nuanced and emotional. The way in which the heavy, frightening scenes were balanced with petty high school drama was expertly done and delightfully tongue-in-cheek.
I loved reading from the police officers’ perspectives and the scenes in the interrogation rooms. I’m a sucker for detective shows and these moments really scratched that itch!
The romance/friendship elements were really well done, I appreciated the variety of relationships explored and their impact on Keira’s motivations/state of mind in particular.
What I enjoyed most were the conversations around her father’s death sentence and the death penalty in general. Is her father’s death what the families of the victims deserve, is it better for the community for him to be gone, etc.. Keira is constantly questioning when and if killing can ever be justified, and whether eradicating evil from the world should be considered murder. I appreciated these moments throughout the book, bringing everything back to big questions and innermost thoughts felt very intimate and made the plot all the more interesting to follow.
I’m giving Sinister Legacy a four instead of a five because I thought at times Keira’s motivations were over-explained, and it didn’t quite give me goosebumps at the end. That said, I did really like the two epilogues and thought they were necessary to the story. The last scene was another really stellar addition to the death penalty conversation.
Overall, a really REALLY good book which I would recommend widely to adults who love a Hannibal/Silence of the Lambs moment, my dark romance friends and, of course, my true crime girlies.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

questionablereads's review

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious tense
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Welp, this is probably my favorite read of 2023. Sinister Legacy is an erotic horror/slasher full length novel written to perfection. It is such a depraved and malicious story. Be sure to heed trigger and content warnings as well as the author’s note, because Harleigh Beck isn’t embracing any form of kindness with this book. You follow Kiera, the daughter of a convicted serial 🩸🔪 currently on death row, and she’s just trying to get through school life, as well as her own personal demons. Then there is King, the broody boy who takes in his surroundings from a distance. Now, teenagers will be teenagers, but add a masked 🩸🔪💀 psycho to the mix and spice… and my jaw was on the floor. While none of these characters are like-able,  they had my utmost attention and my heart was racing from start to finish. Five stars isn’t enough. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

our_bookish_reads's review

Go to review page

dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Harleigh, this was insane and I'm not gonna lie, I fucking loved this insanity. I needed it. The way I consumed, or maybe I was the one consumed?, this book was absolutely sinful. I have so many thoughts and feelings on this book and can't find the proper words to express in a review. The characters were an unbalanced mix of crazy, grief, deranged, treachery, and carnal lust. This was written so much like a movie plays out, and I can't believe all the twists, let alone the last few chapters! Mind. Fucking. Blown.🤯

What's inside: 
🔪Primal Play
🩸CNC
🔪Knife Play
🩸Degradation
🔪Taboo
🩸Cheating 
🔪Pointy stabby sticks
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
More...