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evethingiread's review
3.0
Very hard to get through, I had to skim over the violent scenes. For the first book of a series, it’s not bad and I’m definitely invested and want to find out how it goes.
Actual review in the next book- I still feel like book 1 and 2 should’ve been merged
Actual review in the next book- I still feel like book 1 and 2 should’ve been merged
emmalthompson85's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
About 25%, dnf.
I may be jumping ship too early but I like some comfort with my hurt and this doesn't look like it's going to deliver. Like, I knew what I'm getting into. I can understand the appeal of a dark fantasy in the safety of fiction. I'm all for dub con where a has to hurt b because the other options would be worse but after I want a and b to hold and comfort each other, to break each other and heal each other. The setup here where there are cameras so they can't comfort each other at all, nah, not for me. Maybe they find a way around it later in the novel but once the novel effectively told me I wasn't going to get comfort, I mentally started picking at everything. My breaking point was where they were going to have to, for contrived plot reasons, have a dinner with the other people who'd been trafficed and people who'd bought them. During the course of this dinner they were going to have to watch torture and a was going to have to torture b. They were negotiating this mutual non/dub-con scene and a mentioned he'd brought viagra. B immediately got upset because he presumed a was straight and didn't want to fuck him? Instead of presuming that maybe a wasn't going to get off on being in a room where torture is happening around him and he's effectively being forced to torture someone. It's something I'd wrinkle my nose at but carry on after in a book that was giving me more of what I want but in this book, it made me turn the audiobook off and listen to music for the rest of my commute so I'm done.
I may be jumping ship too early but I like some comfort with my hurt and this doesn't look like it's going to deliver. Like, I knew what I'm getting into. I can understand the appeal of a dark fantasy in the safety of fiction. I'm all for dub con where a has to hurt b because the other options would be worse but after I want a and b to hold and comfort each other, to break each other and heal each other. The setup here where there are cameras so they can't comfort each other at all, nah, not for me. Maybe they find a way around it later in the novel but once the novel effectively told me I wasn't going to get comfort, I mentally started picking at everything. My breaking point was where they were going to have to, for contrived plot reasons, have a dinner with the other people who'd been trafficed and people who'd bought them. During the course of this dinner they were going to have to watch torture and a was going to have to torture b. They were negotiating this mutual non/dub-con scene and a mentioned he'd brought viagra. B immediately got upset because he presumed a was straight and didn't want to fuck him? Instead of presuming that maybe a wasn't going to get off on being in a room where torture is happening around him and he's effectively being forced to torture someone. It's something I'd wrinkle my nose at but carry on after in a book that was giving me more of what I want but in this book, it made me turn the audiobook off and listen to music for the rest of my commute so I'm done.
imme_van_gorp's review
DNF @51%
I’m sorry, but I’m so incredibly bored. For a book about human trafficking, this is surprisingly uneventful.
Obviously there’s a lot of sadistic stuff going on within the organization, but we don’t get to see any of it. All we’re doing is just sitting in a room with Gray and Darius, talking about how they’re going to escape.
The horrific stuff seems to happen to the side characters, while our mains are just looking on from the sidelines.
They’re both very emotionless, especially Darius. They don’t feel like real people at all.
There’s also absolutely no romance between them whatsoever, not even a hint of affection or anything like that.
Honestly, I just can’t be bothered. It’s boring.
I’m sorry, but I’m so incredibly bored. For a book about human trafficking, this is surprisingly uneventful.
Obviously there’s a lot of sadistic stuff going on within the organization, but we don’t get to see any of it. All we’re doing is just sitting in a room with Gray and Darius, talking about how they’re going to escape.
The horrific stuff seems to happen to the side characters, while our mains are just looking on from the sidelines.
They’re both very emotionless, especially Darius. They don’t feel like real people at all.
There’s also absolutely no romance between them whatsoever, not even a hint of affection or anything like that.
Honestly, I just can’t be bothered. It’s boring.
mosssboy's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.0
v30n098's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
latoinombra's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
readingandconfused's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- 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? It's complicated
2.0
lesliewright34's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-paced
3.0
aiden_e_messer's review
4.0
There was less smut and more psychological violence than I expected, and I'm not complaining. This book was gripping, dark and captivating. We never know for sure who we can trust, which makes the whole story even more disturbing