Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Savage Bonds by J. Bree

13 reviews

laurenjackman's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Confinement, Death, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Violence

Minor: Gore and Bullying

noellelovesbooks's review against another edition

4.5

 Content Warnings: sexual content, bullying, violence, ptsd, fire, and confinement.

OMG THAT ENDING! I only started book 1 last night, now I've devoured book 2 and IMMEDIATELY need to jump into book 3! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Bullying, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Confinement

Minor: Toxic relationship and Toxic friendship

liliana_b's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Cursing, Confinement, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Gore, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Death, Sexual violence, Stalking, Rape, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Murder, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, and Emotional abuse

iben_flor's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

1.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Sexual content, Death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Bullying, and Violence

bangiebangs's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional fast-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? Yes

3.75

I'm really enjoying the extended world-building and slow burn romance(s) in this book. It's pretty well-paced, something always keeps the story going and there weren't really any lengths for me here. 

What I didn't enjoy: 
- the dubious or nonexistent consent (again); they all seem ruled by their bonds occasionally, and one bonding occurs here where neither of the people involved have any agency over their actions, but the bond still completes. 
- Oleander is still pretty whiny and naive. Some specks of self-esteem are showing up but if she and everyone else just communicated... this would be much less annoying.
- What I LOATHE in this series is the body shaming... like, Oleander seems to be conventionally pretty/ have a normal, slim body; throughout the book(s) she starts tactical training (sounds like basically CrossFit plus martial arts), so she gets pretty physically fit. AND STILL there are so many scenes where she just thinks about her body, like why the guys would like her "lean, toned" legs (because how is that appealing, a mystery!), or her belly (that was slim to begin with, and is now even flatter). This is also a book with the "she eats more than the guys and still doesn't put on any weight!" trope (both the FMC and her sidekick best friend). 
Like, in the scene after the bonding, we're talking sex haze afterglow... just nope:

"I'm definitely not perfect but he says it with so much conviction that I desperately want to believe him. His hand begins to move to stroke over the soft skin of my belly and I'm happy that all my training has shrunk the little belly I have there. I still have one, probably because it's housing my uterus because, hi there, I'm a girl, but it's not something I'm self-conscious of anymore."

So, a completely flat belly but she needs to explain that organs need space? So over this, and it's the reason that none of these books will get 5* from me, I think. We don't know anyone's eye color iirc, but we have heard about her belly a dozen times. Hard nope. 

What I enjoyed: 
- some more hints at the mechanics of bonding... and possibility of manipulating it? I'm really curious to learn what is going on there. 
- more of the Resistance, though I still have no idea what their goal might be other than terrorizing the Gifted community? But am looking forward to see what all the foreshadowing was about. So far, a confusing but good villain.
- the bonding itself. With my favorite. Here for it! (Spice overall would say 2/5)

So yeah, some issues with this, lots of CNs to watch out for, but still enjoyable. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Body shaming, Classism, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Murder, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, and War

Moderate: Blood and Misogyny

Minor: Car accident and Pregnancy

briochebun's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

3 out of 5 ☆’s.

”If you need me to be the villain in your story to get through your day, then I'll accept that. You're not going to be the villain in mine though, no matter how hard you try.”

ੈ✩‧₊˚

I am so glad that we were able to see some of Oli’s bonds develop in this novel! It was so refreshing to see that some progress was made! :) 

While I was happy with most of the relationship aspects of ”Savage Bonds“, there were parts that I felt could’ve been done a bit better. 

There were some plot points that I believe were executed quite poorly & could’ve used some more foreshadowing / discussion…

For instance — the strange man that Oli starts thinking of that’s associated with the Resistance? Where was the buildup for that in the first novel? I would have loved to see that miniature plot point grow naturally as the story progressed, but instead his entrance into the plot felt so sudden and a bewildering?

TLDR: I hope that we receive more answers + world building + significant relationship development + better communication in the next one!

ੈ✩‧₊˚

Brutus + August are the best characters in this series. ♡

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Violence, Death, Murder, Kidnapping, and Fire/Fire injury

superstar_y2k's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Blood, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Death, and Cursing

Minor: Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Medical content

mx_virg's review against another edition

dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mass/school shootings, Death, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, and Violence

Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Kidnapping, and Murder

Minor: Torture, Death of parent, Vomit, and Car accident

ka_ke's review against another edition

funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Gryphon?! First?! I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Atlas is sus, I don’t trust a guy who does everything for a woman he’s only just met regardless of biological bonding or w/e. North is warming up, and Gabe is the ideal guy. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Murder, Toxic relationship, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Body horror, Classism, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Mental illness, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Death of parent, Gun violence, Grief, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Vomit, Panic attacks/disorders, and War

amre23's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

• 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Grief, Sexual content, Violence, Medical trauma, Forced institutionalization, Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, and Murder

Moderate: Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Blood, Alcohol, and Bullying

Minor: Torture, Vomit, and Toxic friendship