Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

Twisted Love by Ana Huang

30 reviews

ka_ke's review against another edition

dark funny fast-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

5.0

What can I say? I’m a sucker for tall dark and moody guys. The sense of humour adds some lightness that I feel is necessary for this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Child death, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content

Minor: Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, and Addiction

beeweekes's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Violence

Moderate: Child death and Death of parent

Minor: Addiction and Drug abuse

yabooklover's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

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

2.5

The beginning was so good. But then the pace of the book completely changed, and we suddenly skip a lot of things. The book had potential, but not as good as I thought it would be. I am hoping that the others are better 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Addiction, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, and Murder

imnotvelinda's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, and Sexual content

mariareviews's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious sad 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? Yes

3.0

I have a rule that I’ve been following for the last couple of months. If it’s a romance book and the main love interest exhibits a red flag, I’m taking half a star of for every single one that icks me. That said, I get that Alex Volkov is fucked up but I’m sticking to my rules.

Red flags of Alex Volkov that lowkey had me about to DNF this book (heavy spoilers here so read at your own risk:
1. Chapter 5: Alex. The whole boudoir scene literally had me about to DNF the book and just giving up. It was home disgusting and the fact that we didn’t get an explanation (such as the guys being dicks and selling her pics or smthing) was honestly disappointing.
2. Chapter 32: Ava. The whole Elliot thing also icked me. An unnecessarily violent response to a simple guy asking for her number.
3. Chapter 33: Alex. The whole start of their friendship/truce/relationship based on him trying to get closer to Michael… Do I need to elaborate?
4. Chapter 41: Ava. mf lies to her, betrays her, treats her like shit, stalks her all the way to abandoning his CEO position and flying to another continent to just spew that possessive bs? nah. girlie is lowkey traumatised and he’s thinking with his dick.

END OF SPOILERS

That said, it was entertaining. Read it in about 4-5hrs so that’s cool. Won’t read the next books but a solid ride.

3/5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Death of parent, Mental illness, Murder, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Self harm, Vomit, Addiction, Child death, Infidelity, Animal death, Alcohol, and Toxic relationship

wts_tiffany's review against another edition

emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Murder, and Sexual content

Moderate: Child abuse, Torture, and Violence

Minor: Addiction, Infidelity, Sexual harassment, Stalking, and Vomit

abby_shupe's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

I like how reading both POV’s, the reader gets the ability to piece some things together that with only Ava’s, they wouldn’t have. Like how Ava concedes that Alex doesn’t show emotion: jealousy, disgust, fear, happiness. But we see the emotions play out when Ava is oblivious, since she’s the subject of said emotions. Or when Alex tells her,  “If I wanted you, I would’ve taken you already”, Ava thinks he’s turning her down, but we know Alex already declared that Ava is his - from the moment she walked into the ballroom. 

I personally don’t like how the first plot twist was carried out, it seemed too unrealistic, like a soap opera. And the second, way too predictable, Which leads me to say, this whole book is a complicated soap opera. Interesting, unrealistic, dramatic, dark. Some parts were cringy, some predictable. 

And specific quotes did make me want to throw up, but you get through it. Specifically, “you’re about to find out what happens when you invite yourself into the lion’s den”. And “with her doe eyes and innocent features, she resembled a sacrificial virgin awaiting defilement. My cock throbbed harder”, … yeah. 

I also didn’t expect to agree with reviews I had read beforehand, but the Sunshine nickname got old quick. 

I mean, halfway though the book I was rolling my eyes when the first plot twist rolled in, and you’ll find out why. I was throwing my book down, looking to the ceiling, exasperated. Like what the fuck. 

I read reviews mentioning Alex groveling, and I suppose I pictured him at Ava’s feet pleading, because the reality was underwhelming. 

I expected in one of the many sex scenes, for the dynamic to change, Ava to take a little charge. Nope. The smut was still great though, Huang definitely has talent in that department. 

If you like Lauren Asher’s work, I would say the two authors wrote similar dynamics, but Huang writes heavier smut with darker and dramatic plot lines, though I prefer Asher’s writing style. 

Alex and Ava are like a couple you see in an amusement park line, full of PDA. I wasn’t necessarily rooting for the two, but they’re cute together. 

Still, it was a very interesting book, and I do recommend it since it was a great break from all the YA books I’ve been reading lately.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Sexual content, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Child death, Sexual violence, and Child abuse

Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, and Vomit

Minor: Addiction, Excrement, and Drug use

manoncrochan's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Death of parent

Minor: Child death, Suicide, Murder, Mental illness, and Addiction

bookedinsideout's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

1.5

1. I’m not usually a fan of the alphahole, but I keep hearing good things about Twisted Hate and of course I’d start at the beginning of the series. However, his possessiveness was just too much. The “grovelling” (aka stalking) was not cute. If it’s something consensual they do in their relationship that’s different, but they were not together and he was telling other men not to touch her and stalking her when she didn’t want anything to do with him. How is this different from what her ex-boyfriend stalker Liam was doing at the beginning of the book?

2. Speaking of consent, only-one-bed is one of my favourite tropes, but only if it’s consensual. When a woman falls asleep on your couch and you pick her up while she’s sleeping and take her to your bed, it is not.

3. I was on board in the beginning and after reading a pretty poorly written book, this stood out as being pretty good and something I could get lost in. But when the hokey espionage stuff came in, it felt like the author lost her way and it got pretty rocky — both in prose and plot. And even though we got the dual narration, I missed the part where Alex’s feelings towards Ava suddenly changed — he went from being indifferent to all-in. I’m still somewhat optimistic that I could like future books, but this one went downhill fast for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Blood, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Suicide, Vomit, Addiction, and Drug abuse

The heroine was intentionally pushed in a pool as a child (attempted murder) and had vivid nightmares about drowning throughout the book.

mariamlyxoxo's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Murder, Toxic relationship, Violence, Alcohol, Physical abuse, Addiction, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Blood, Cursing, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Kidnapping, and Grief