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4.29 AVERAGE
4.29 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’m absolutely gutted 😭😭💔. Sobbing, brokenhearted, might never recover…. Highly recommend!
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Holy. MOLY. I am going to need a good, long while before I recover from "Under Your Scars" by Ariel N. Anderson. Heartbreaking, unhinged, spicy, messy, mad, depressing, dark dark daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaark as heck. I feel traumatized from reading this one. Dark romances are not my typical genre, but I think this one made me a fan??? Does that mean I need some form of therapy!? LOL. I loved every second of this book. It is a long one, but I found that I could not put it down, no matter how hard I tried. OOf, this book hurt my heart and my soul. This story is not for the faint of heart and DOES NOT have an HEA. Keep that in mind going into it. There are lots of twists and turns, most of which I saw coming, but that doesn't mean that I disliked the journey. I loved this book. Joe Arden and Lee Daniels absolutely NAILED the dual audiobook narration here. They make the characters of Christian and Elena their own and breathe (deranged) life into these people with expert tone, fabulous voices, and spectacular pacing. I cannot imagine anyone else narrating this one... they are spectacular here. I say give this one a shot, but obviously checked the trigger warnings before entering.
Thank you to NetGalley, Ariel N. Anderson, Dreamscape Select, and Blue Nose Publishing for the complimentary ALC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.
Thank you to NetGalley, Ariel N. Anderson, Dreamscape Select, and Blue Nose Publishing for the complimentary ALC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Stalking, Murder, Sexual harassment
Author note at the front said this was a dark tragedy, not a dark romance. Looked up some spoilers -
Both of the main characters die at the end. Not for me.
Both of the main characters die at the end. Not for me.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
Five stars for the sheer traumatization
challenging
dark
sad
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Suicide, Violence, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
This book was nothing like I expected. I went into this blind and enjoyed every bit of it. Christian Reeves I thought I love Zade but this one!!! There was so many layers to this man and you understood each one. Everything he did and didn’t say/do for Elena showed just how much he loved her. Speaking of the fmc she went through so much in this book. The way this book ended was so tragic. She never got the 🥞 😭
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was a devastating masterpiece. It’s honestly hard to sit here and put my thoughts together on it, and I think it’s going to stick with me for a while.
Where most dark romances feel thrilling in the risk factors and obsessive MMCs, this love story delivered on the excitement but also carried so much emotional trauma and heaviness. The trigger warning list is a mile long, and responsibly so. There are so many moving pieces, broken up into 3 main acts, and I don’t think I’ve ever read a denser plot.
Overall, it’s giving an unhinged and suicidal Batman, with a final gut punch to the heart. Fellow readers beware, you will require an entire box of tissues 😭
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug use, Terminal illness, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Cancer, Dementia