Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

Torn by Carian Cole

4 reviews

vanessaedwards1882's review

Go to review page

emotional hopeful medium-paced
  • 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? No

4.75

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

lololovesthings's review against another edition

Go to review page

fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

2.0

I am honestly struggling to give "Torn" by Carian Cole a traditional star rating because of how I felt about the story's premise from the get-go. Look... this one's on me. I should have read the description before I pushed "ACCEPT" on this book. I totally understand that some readers *love* taboo books. Some people think "the more taboo, the better." Age gaps in romance are fine... unless one of the characters is hardly over the age of consent. To me, there's a stark difference between taboo and straight-up gr00ming. The main male character, Tor, is 32, and the main female character, Kenzi, is 17 when the book begins, and she is the same age when they share their first romantic kiss. Tor has essentially been an "uncle" type of figure to Kenzi and was there the literal first day she was born. Tor is Kenzi's dad's best friend, and Tor was in love with Kenzi's mother before her father swooped and scooped her away from him. Only a short time later, when they were all 15/16-ish, Kenzi was born. Tor changed her diapers. He read her stories to help her go to sleep. He kept the Valentine's Day cards Kenzi gave him. He said she was the love of his life, that they were destined to be together, that she was born to be his. How do I know all of these details from when Kenzi was growing up? Carian Cole alternates the present-day storyline with flashbacks of their childhoods (!!!) to tell the tale of their "epic forbidden love story." ICK ICK ICK ICK ICK. No, no, no! I read the whole book, but I sort of wish I hadn't. The only way for this story to work at all without the FBI getting involved is for Cole to mention that the age of consent is 16 in the state they are in (which is mentioned a handful of times, just for good measure). That's literally how they skirt around it being "icky." Well, guess what... IT'S STILL ICKY! Tor calling Kenzi "a mature 17-year-old" is also giving P3RVERT! In my mind, if you *don't* call her mature and set that precedent early on, you're running the risk of getting yourself put on a government watchlist.

So, what's good about this book? Well, besides its content, it is competently written. I like that Tor saves dogs. That's about it, so I guess I'll give it 2 stars, one for each thing I liked. Again, this might be the book for you, but it certainly was not for me.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

justpieisfine's review

Go to review page

emotional tense slow-paced
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

Re-read because I’m in a rut and can’t choose between all the options on my TBR. Age gaps are one of my go-to tropes.

1st read- kindle unlimited
2nd read- audiobook on scribd


Stars: 4.5⭐️
POV: dual 1st person
HEA?: yes
OW/OM Drama: yes
Cheating: no
Cliffhanger?: no
Tropes: dad’s best friend, age gap
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

bookswithvicky's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional lighthearted slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

I am totally obsessed with Carian Cole writing 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
More...