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alyciajstewart's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
All of that being said, I think the author did an exceptional job of creating a morally gray character. Zade is not someone you want to like, but in the end you do start rooting for him because his cause is so just. Addie is the perfect heroin for this type of romance novel. She enjoys being scared and I think is a little bit twisted. Honestly, the novel wouldn't work if she wasn't just a little bit insane. The banter between the two leads is top tier and the spice is definitely high.
I think that this book is a great way for people to explore a darker side of romance without actually putting themselves in danger. I think it's okay to enjoy reading about things that we wouldn't be okay with in real life. I am eagerly anticipating the second book in the duology.
Graphic: Death, Child death, Sexual harassment, Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Sexual violence, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Gore, Sexism, Body horror, Cannibalism, Confinement, Grief, Child abuse, Classism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Drug use, Blood, Car accident, Physical abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Trafficking, Violence, Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, and Rape
marswellings_'s review against another edition
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Violence, Pedophilia, Kidnapping, Trafficking, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Stalking, Rape, Toxic relationship, Gun violence, Child death, Sexual assault, Sexism, Torture, Gore, Blood, Child abuse, and Murder
Minor: Cursing, Mass/school shootings, Blood, Pedophilia, Sexism, Child death, Adult/minor relationship, Addiction, Drug use, Gore, and Child abuse
carolinemassaro's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Everyone talks about the house of mirrors scene but why was no one talking about the car or movie theater scene?
Also had side plot of mystery that was never mentioned on tik tok.
Throughly enjoyed
Graphic: Stalking and Murder
Moderate: Kidnapping, Sexism, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Child death, and Rape
eliya's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
This book is kink for people who don’t understand the consensual trust between sexual partners. A person who thinks that raunchy sex can only exist completely opposite to their understanding of sex. It made me really sad to read this book. I was really excited for creepy, scary kink and this book let me down.
The plot of the book is boring,
The book is too long, 600 pages of the main character “i don’t like it… i shouldn’t like it… but i do” over and over and over again made me want to slam my head through a wall get new material
The characters are poorly written, Adeline is so obviously the author, Zade is so self-righteous about his conflicting morals — stalking a women “i’d never hit a woman” ass bitch while hitting and choking addie???
Below are direct quotes from the book -
"If you were my little girl, I would worship every inch of your body for as long as our souls are tethered to this earth. My tongue would leave no part of you untouched." pg. 342
“‘Stop it’ she pants, but don't listen. She swats at me, but those tiny hands: no match against mine.“ pg. 344
“But I know that I would've woken up the next day and hated myself. Because I would've slept with a stalker, a murderer and a man who has forced himself on me on several occasions. I would've slept with a man who doesn't respect my boundaries, my personal space, or the word no.” pg. 409
“she shrieks, her voice pitched so high, it nearly makes me cringe. God. Fucking women and their screeching.” pg 442
“A wicked smile forms, though the heat in my eyes remains. "Sounds to me like you don't understand a woman's body well enough to know when it sings for you, even when her mouth tries to resist." pg. 531
fuck this book.
Graphic: Stalking, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Sexism, Cursing, Torture, Misogyny, Trafficking, and Murder
Minor: Car accident
bimsa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Stalking, Blood, Car accident, Mental illness, Murder, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Cannibalism, Misogyny, Rape, Kidnapping, Gun violence, Death, Sexual harassment, Trafficking, Violence, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Slavery, and Torture
azileotulp's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I really liked how long it took for the real smut to actually start. I'm honestly not a big fan of smut in general, so I liked that it didn't start until about one-third of the way in. It really ramped up after that point, but I didn't mind. Like I said, I'm not a fan of it in general, but I don't let that reflect my ratings because it's something I've come to expect.
I also loved the mystery throughout the novel with Adeline trying to find Gigi's killer. I did guess it, but it took quite a long time for me to realize. The use of Gigi's diary pages between chapters was also a really nice touch.
And how can I talk about why I love this book without talking about "the shadow?" (I'll call him Z for the rest of the review just in case anyone considers revealing his actual name a spoiler.) This man is a whole comedian. I lived for his POV. I loved seeing him come face-to-face with pedophiles and absolutely obliterating them in his mind. Just a very sassy, funny little guy. I feel like under most circumstances I would dislike how much of a hypocrite he was (a rapist who hates rapists?), but the fact that he acknowledged his own hypocrisy and just didn't care was such a power move and kind of hilarious to me.
Of course, I loved Adeline too. Her conflicting feelings of desire and hatred of Z were really interesting to me, and I liked the parallel between her own feelings for Z and Gigi's feelings for her stalker. Even without Z, I appreciate her as a character in her own right. She's funny, sassy, and strong. Even if I preferred the shadow chapters a bit, I definitely enjoyed her chapters too.
I honestly would love to give this book a slightly higher rating because I absolutely adored it. The only reason I didn't give it a 5 was that it could honestly be a bit cringeworthy at times, specifically when it came to some of Z's dialogue. I wish I could give examples, but I don't have the book with me (borrowed it from a friend). I just know that as I read some of his dialogue, I had to put the book down and take a breath. It didn't happen often enough that it destroyed his character for me, but it was often enough that it brought down the book overall just a bit. Other than that, I have literally no other complaints. I feel like a lot of the hate comes from people thinking that it "glamorizes" things like sexual assault and stalking, but I never really got that feeling? I don't believe you're expected to read the story and conclude that Z would be a good person in real life. The warning at the beginning of the book literally describes his actions towards Adeline as non-con/dub-con. The things that happen in this book are pretty common fantasies for women (fantasy as in things that we don't actually want to happen in real life) and we shouldn't be ashamed of that.
I can't recommend this book enough. I've started the second one and I am loving it so far, and I'm definitely hoping I'll be able to give it 5 stars.
Graphic: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Car accident, Child abuse, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Stalking, Torture, Blood, Body horror, Gore, Cannibalism, Child death, Cursing, Pedophilia, Sexism, Death, Misogyny, Rape, and Slavery
Moderate: Alcohol, Classism, and Infidelity
Minor: Grief, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Death of parent
autumn's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
But, I’m trying to push myself out of my comfort zone with my reading this year, in case I might find that I enjoy something I never bothered to try. It worked with another title (following two serial killers’ romantic tryst), so why not this?
Well. I’ll tell you why.
The male main character. Ugh. He’s a super-hacker who is also a super-spy and super-stealthy super-soldier who rescues “trafficking victims” by killing bad guys. He devotes his life to saving “girls and children” (as written in the book), but upon seeing a poster of the FMC outside a book shop decides he is going to stalk her and force her to love him. Huh??? Where’s that savior complex now, dude?
Of course, the first trafficker we encounter is described as a “Mexican” man. The next predator we are introduced to is part of a group of politicians who participate in Satanic rituals of drinking kid’s blood, and - wouldn’t ya know it - he’s got a stereotypically Jewish last name! Bigoted stereotypes, ahoy!
All the “trafficking victims” are portrayed as loved and cared for little English-speaking girls who were snatched up by evil immigrants and will be returned to loving families, furthering this ridiculous notion that these trafficking rings are snatching up middle-class white women and their tow-headed children Braydynn and Braxxlyeigh from the children’s section of Target, rather than portraying the reality that most trafficking victims are groomed by family or close friends, or are a part of marginalized communities that are easily exploited or taken advantage of.
The “hero” MMC murders a man and leaves his hands on the FMC’s doorstep, sexually assaults her multiple times (once with a handgun), and then she falls in love with him because he bangs her so good. He’s a disgusting hypocrite, and she is a dimwit.
We’ve also got a potential ghost (?), a drug dealing crime family, a 1940s mafia, a crazy “broken doll” who works in a haunted fair and murders people…the list goes on.
The FMC was maybe (?) haunted in this book, but the fact that people can find anything redeeming in either of the main characters of this book is what will haunt me.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Racism, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Violence, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Murder, Slavery, Gun violence, Xenophobia, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Death, Misogyny, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Stalking, Blood, Cannibalism, Pedophilia, Torture, Vomit, Antisemitism, Child death, Drug abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault
darcynewton's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
If you're reading this review i'm going to assume you have a basic understanding of the book because let's be honest here... what dark romance readers haven't heard of Haunting Adeline? Exactly
When I went into this book i'd tried not to research it on booktok as I wanted the book experience without a swayed opinion. This is something I highly recommend doing as it allowed me to enjoy the true content of the book without knowing any spoilers and I think it just made it that little bit better. Admittedly any spoilers put onto TikTok would probably be removed due to inappropriate content so there isn't really much you can research on this book, but anyway, don't.
Yes Zade may be a little effed up, however I still can't help falling in love with him... and I sort of wouldn't mind having my own sexy stalker to throw my life into the air... is that bad? Probably, but hey if you're reading this then you probably got something a little loose up there too so you can't really judge me.
The only true warning I can give is, even if you're into dark erotic scenes, some parts of this book do get deathly dark *literally*. Me and my sister very much read the same books however we have an ever so slightly different reaction to gruesome details and this is one I know she would not enjoy. So please understand the sheer depth of what you are about to read. It is graphic and it is very easy to visualise.
One piece of information I do need to give on Hunting Adeline is that it is substantially darker and sad reading the... situation?... thats going on. If you do plan on reading Hunting Adeline I strongly suggest you read the duet back to back with as little break in-between as possible, it makes the second book slightly less dark, not much, but slightly.
Overall this book was fabulous and I really did enjoy reading it, especially chapter 30 ;).
I've recommended it to numerous friends even though I think that's a slightly cruel thing to do but I really hope more people can love this book how I did.
If you've made it to the end of this review, do send me a friend request as I love connecting with people who are just as mentally messed as me.
Graphic: Stalking, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Gore, Drug abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Incest, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Slavery, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, and Violence
marlesse's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.25
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Torture, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Trafficking, Child abuse, Rape, Violence, Domestic abuse, Stalking, Sexism, Murder, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, and Gun violence
juliaskzy's review
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
Honestly I loved the way this was written. The tension was good, it felt like a thriller. I thought it would be a lot more disturbing than what it was but that might be due to my refusal to envision the fucked up parts.
Graphic: Kidnapping, Murder, Stalking, Torture, Child death, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Gore, Violence, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Vomit