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Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Actually, I am disappointed in this book. Because I was expecting a lot and I enjoyed the initial plot BUT there was too less of a story for such strong themes. I feel like we only see the explicit parts and I'm disappointed because we only focus on it instead of continuing the story. The whole plot was interesting and their psychology was important to explore but I felt like what we explored was more of their sexual relationship than their traumas and bonds. So I hope it gets better with the storyline and their psychology in the second tome.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Stalking, Abandonment
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’m no quitter. I finished the book. and this… literally hits the “DARK ROMANCE” category because Malachi and Olivia are insane (more emphasis on the dark part of it LMAO). If you want crazy, obsessive and possessive male characters, you know… one that is borderline insane and deranged (or maybe literally insane and deranged), well, Malachi’s there for you.
I was in for the drama and their weird attachment to each other. Sure, adoptive sibling romance is taboo, but you know what you are reading… or atleast I know. LOL The book is hinting incest at the very beginning, but they aren’t blood related in any way so I consider them as two kids living in the same household instead lol I’m just not that shocked that they got THAT attached to each other. Malachi is insane, period.
I hate the parents more though, okay, maybe I like the father more than the mother; but that doesn’t remove the fact that the parents’ actions somehow elevated Malachi’s insanity. Their parents also insisted that they are siblings a lot of times so that’s how casual not casual it is for them to call each other brother and sister.
There are also moments in the book where I find Malachi and Olivia funny, like Olivia saying profanities to Malachi for buying a spider. Malachi being jealous to Kai as if Kai and Malachi aren’t the same person. Whenever Malachi thinks he wanna beat up Olivia or something, I cope for it as Malachi’s “cuteness aggression” 😭
I’m so wrong for enjoying this book LOL I am so used to yandere male leads that maybe… Malachi isn’t that bad when he left Olivia instead of trapping her somewhere. Japanese yanderes do worse, especially in stepcest contents too 💀 And the fact that… Aside from Olivia and Malachi’s dad… Malachi looked like the LESSER EVIL due to how bad each characters are in here. Also not me giggling over malachi writing “mine” on a piece of paper when they were still kids… I just knew Malachi is going to be bad to worst from that. Loved that he beat up the a-holes that tried to do something to Olivia and how their dad commended Malachi for it LMAO
Will I recommend this to anyone? hell no. This goes to my deepest secret vault for all I know. The book lived to my expectations and I expected worse from Malachi, maybe because I thought of Joe Goldberg from You on the last chapter 💀 If you are into yanderes, obsessed non-related sibling relationships, eerr noncon, somno, spiders, idk screwdrivers 😭, piercings (i hate them, i want to unimagine their existence in this book but I can’t, it’s not Malachi without it for some weird reason), maybe forbidden romances and whatnot, Little Stranger touched all of it.
It was… it was deranged. Insane. Unspeakable. Unfathomable. Incomprehensible. But it did emphasize the book being a dark romance because you wouldn’t want to touch it in real life.
Malachi belongs to my “locked in the basement” category for fictional men. He’s scary, but I also see him as a bit of a cutie patootie or handsome idk 😭 But of course, deranged.
Quotes (are there even ones?)
“Promise me you won’t beat anyone else up. ”No, he signs.”
“I flatten my lips and lie back. “Do you see me as your sister?” Without looking at me, he lifts his free hand and signs one last thing before falling asleep. You’re mine.”
“I got them, Dad, Malachi signs, and my eyes widen. He never talks to him. Ever. Never mind calling him Dad. It hits my father, and I can tell he wants to hug my brother, but he won’t. “Good one, son”
I want to take my time and be mesmerized on how they bond even for just one chapter. This is like my roman empire by now.
“Maybe I am a little insane.”
Malachi saying “little” as if he has sanity in the first place 💀
No-Context Scenes engraved in my mind:
🕷️ Itsy-bitsy Spider
🕷️ Don’t interrupt Malachi’s meal
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment
dark
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Cursing, Drug use, Gore, Incest, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Stalking
Dub con, non con, somonophilia
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Review: Little Stranger by Leigh Rivers 🖤
Leigh Rivers’ Little Stranger is a haunting plunge into the depths of obsession, revenge, and forbidden desire. This book was wild. Set against the eerie backdrop of Halloween night, this dark romance delivers a twisted tale that’s as magnetic as it is unsettling. Leigh Rivers doesn’t hold back, and Little Stranger is one of those dark romances that grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go.
From the first page, Rivers grips you with her bold storytelling. Malachi Vize, the mute and masked anti-hero, is a character you won’t forget - unhinged, dangerously possessive, and disturbingly captivating. His fixation on Olivia, his foster sister, is the beating heart of the novel, and their dynamic is electric, if deeply taboo.
The writing is sharp and immersive, with a pace that never lets up. Rivers doesn’t shy away from the uncomfortable, and that’s part of what makes this book so compelling. The psychological tension is palpable, and the emotional stakes are high. While Olivia takes time to warm to, her evolution adds depth to the story’s second half.
This isn’t your typical romance or for the faint of heart. It’s raw, dark, disturbing, and morally messy. But for readers who appreciate morally grey characters and intense, boundary-pushing narratives, Little Stranger delivers. Leigh Rivers proves she’s a master of dark romance, and I’ll definitely be picking up Little Liar, the sequel. 🫶🏻
⭐ Final Verdict: Dark, daring, and unforgettable.
- #DarkRomance
- #TabooRomance
- #PossessiveHero
- #MorallyGreyMen
- #Bookstagram
- #BookReview
- #BookAesthetic
- #SpicyReads
- #4StarRead
- #LeighRivers
- #LittleStranger
_________________________________
I really enjoyed this book as where I'm just getting back into reading, I felt it was the right pace and right amount of pages for me, as atm I still struggle to read really long books (don't have the attention span lol), only knocked half a star off just because some bits felt like it was either all the taboo stuff the author could think of put into 1 book, or comedical where it was silly things likehe couldn't say the name Olivia, but could sing itsy bits spider, and pronounce words like waterspout , that being said I did enjoy it, and I will go on to reading Little Liar
Review: Little Stranger by Leigh Rivers 🖤
Leigh Rivers’ Little Stranger is a haunting plunge into the depths of obsession, revenge, and forbidden desire. This book was wild. Set against the eerie backdrop of Halloween night, this dark romance delivers a twisted tale that’s as magnetic as it is unsettling. Leigh Rivers doesn’t hold back, and Little Stranger is one of those dark romances that grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go.
From the first page, Rivers grips you with her bold storytelling. Malachi Vize, the mute and masked anti-hero, is a character you won’t forget - unhinged, dangerously possessive, and disturbingly captivating. His fixation on Olivia, his foster sister, is the beating heart of the novel, and their dynamic is electric, if deeply taboo.
The writing is sharp and immersive, with a pace that never lets up. Rivers doesn’t shy away from the uncomfortable, and that’s part of what makes this book so compelling. The psychological tension is palpable, and the emotional stakes are high. While Olivia takes time to warm to, her evolution adds depth to the story’s second half.
This isn’t your typical romance or for the faint of heart. It’s raw, dark, disturbing, and morally messy. But for readers who appreciate morally grey characters and intense, boundary-pushing narratives, Little Stranger delivers. Leigh Rivers proves she’s a master of dark romance, and I’ll definitely be picking up Little Liar, the sequel. 🫶🏻
⭐ Final Verdict: Dark, daring, and unforgettable.
- #DarkRomance
- #TabooRomance
- #PossessiveHero
- #MorallyGreyMen
- #Bookstagram
- #BookReview
- #BookAesthetic
- #SpicyReads
- #4StarRead
- #LeighRivers
- #LittleStranger
_________________________________
I really enjoyed this book as where I'm just getting back into reading, I felt it was the right pace and right amount of pages for me, as atm I still struggle to read really long books (don't have the attention span lol), only knocked half a star off just because some bits felt like it was either all the taboo stuff the author could think of put into 1 book, or comedical where it was silly things like
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Stalking
Moderate: Blood, Murder
Minor: Animal death, Death of parent
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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:
Yes
Reminds me of old 1D wattpad fics tbh. Why is a judge selling her daughter’s virginity and how did she get away with that. Also both parents work in law….I doubt they need money that bad Jesus.
This is clearly a bunch of the author’s very taboo fantasies in one book. Blatant romanticising of rape and abuse. The writing has a lot of cringe wattpad style tropes but was overall…fine and this books saving grace. The storyline is just…not good. I’m all for taboo and edgy stuff but at least make it worth my time. A few scenes nearly made me DNF due to being just flat out rape scenes disguised as smut. Characters are not likeable at all - FMC is boring and MMC is possessive but to the extreme.
This is clearly a bunch of the author’s very taboo fantasies in one book. Blatant romanticising of rape and abuse. The writing has a lot of cringe wattpad style tropes but was overall…fine and this books saving grace. The storyline is just…not good. I’m all for taboo and edgy stuff but at least make it worth my time. A few scenes nearly made me DNF due to being just flat out rape scenes disguised as smut. Characters are not likeable at all - FMC is boring and MMC is possessive but to the extreme.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gore
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was pitch black, just mind-blowing. I loved it though, finished it in only two sittings and it would have been one if time allowed before.
Malachi Vize is absolutely one of my favorite psychopaths 🖤 his and Olivia’s story is intense - nothing short of devastating, and gut wrenching and certainly has moments that were rough. But wow!
Malachi Vize is absolutely one of my favorite psychopaths 🖤 his and Olivia’s story is intense - nothing short of devastating, and gut wrenching and certainly has moments that were rough. But wow!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Stalking
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Gore, Blood, Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Addiction, Animal death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Violence, Vomit, Alcohol
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gore, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This definitely made me uncomfortable. Not because of the spider but at the relationship itself and how it was written. But I'm not really surprised by that as I knew going in that it was taboo. But it was intruiging and I had to find out how it was going to end. I liked it but I wanted more of their story -what happened to them as kids. What was up with the dad? It heavily relying on what they built up as kids, liked the part of them as an adults was not as interesting as the first. And I didnt love either MC very much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Incest, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow. Just wow. Listened to the audiobook.
- Duet Narration - perfect
- Joe Arden - though problematic, perfect narration of a psychopath
Is this book dark? Yes. Is the whole foster siblings trope f'd up and kinda weirds you out a little? Probably yes. Unless that's your thing, who am I to judge?
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
- Duet Narration - perfect
- Joe Arden - though problematic, perfect narration of a psychopath
Is this book dark? Yes. Is the whole foster siblings trope f'd up and kinda weirds you out a little? Probably yes. Unless that's your thing, who am I to judge?
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual content, Stalking