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bangiebangs's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-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
2.5
2.5*
Spice: 4/5 (but somewhat infrequent)
Not sure whether I didn't like this much because it is a stalker romance or because the writing was just a bit meh for me.
I don't usually read stalker romance because it's just not my jive, something I can't quite find romantic or desirable in any way. At least not when it's so on the nose. The story also doesn't really work for me. Lilith has lost her family, Death is obsessed with her. Why, and what is it with that backstorylike, why doesn't she remember, what's the reason for that? Makes no sense to me. Why does she have to remember? No idea. Does she join him as a reaper in the end? How, why, what is the system of things here? idk.
In terms of writing, the story was fine. It's POV narration, and I think the way that grief has pulled Lilith under and put her into depression was done well. The MMC is just "this is mine, I want it so I take it".The idea here was obviously to make him a villain-who-helps-the-woman-he-loves-heal type, but while I get some of it, the way it is done feels too simple, and we don't get enough information about motivation imo . I find that a bit boring.
So overall, I'm on the fence on this one. Wouldn't recommend as I'm pretty sure there must be better stalker romances out there if that's your thing. There is also better smut out there, and more interesting shadow daddies (though this one has a nice twist to that). So... yeah. I read it, but I don't think you have to.
Spice: 4/5 (but somewhat infrequent)
Not sure whether I didn't like this much because it is a stalker romance or because the writing was just a bit meh for me.
I don't usually read stalker romance because it's just not my jive, something I can't quite find romantic or desirable in any way. At least not when it's so on the nose. The story also doesn't really work for me. Lilith has lost her family, Death is obsessed with her. Why, and what is it with that backstory
In terms of writing, the story was fine. It's POV narration, and I think the way that grief has pulled Lilith under and put her into depression was done well. The MMC is just "this is mine, I want it so I take it".
So overall, I'm on the fence on this one. Wouldn't recommend as I'm pretty sure there must be better stalker romances out there if that's your thing. There is also better smut out there, and more interesting shadow daddies (though this one has a nice twist to that). So... yeah. I read it, but I don't think you have to.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Sexual content, Death, and Stalking
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Infidelity, and Murder
britbrit29's review
dark
emotional
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Death
Moderate: Car accident, Alcohol, and Drug use
thatgirlgeorgia's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Sexual content, Death of parent, Cursing, Addiction, Car accident, Death, Drug abuse, and Gaslighting
mprovo_13's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Addiction, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Drug use, Car accident, Murder, and Toxic relationship
e_mckay's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
This book just made me depressed. I usually love books about death personified but this just didnt do it for me. Maybe it was because it was so short and didnt have much character building so i didnt feel a connection or attachment to any character. Liliths continuous grief and numbness and allowing her bf to basically use her for money and cheat on her really turned me off and she just let it happen. I felt icky
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Grief, Infidelity, Death of parent, Car accident, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
rieriereads's review
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
We were so caught up in trying to pick up our own broken pieces that we didn’t realize some of our shards were in the other person’s hands.
Death's Obsession by Avina St. Graves was an okay and fast-paced read. To be honest, I only read this because I saw a line on Tiktok that intrigued me. But I didn't regret it; although I didn't love the book, it was certainly a fun read. (Paranormal romance, or just anything romance-related, will always be my guilty pleasure.)
The book revolves around Lilith coping with the trauma she experienced a year and a half ago. She wishes she had died back then, but Death has other plans for her. As she goes about her day-to-day life, she gets random letters, marks, and symbols. No one else believes her; everyone, even her boyfriend, calls her mad.
I think Death's Obsession has one of the best dedications I've read, just because I find it funny and a little relatable. Aside from the dedication, I find the writing okay, and I liked the use of metaphors. I also liked how Lilith healed and developed at the end. For the sexual scenes, I find them okay, but not as hot and toe-curling as I was expecting. Honestly, I wish they did it in the end again, haha.
Overall, I don't think it's hypeworthy, but it is definitely a fun read. I'd definitely recommend it for those who love paranormal romance and are looking for a fun read. For those who aren't used to this genre but want to read this book, I recommend checking the trigger warnings first.
2.00 ⭐
1.00 🌶️
•••
My Rating System
5 🌟 - Life changing, a new favorite read
4 ⭐ - I loved it
3 ⭐ - I liked it
2 ⭐ - It was okay
1 ⭐ - I hated it but decided to not dnf
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking and Sexual content
Moderate: Car accident and Death
Minor: Death of parent and Drug use
skillyillian's review
dark
emotional
sad
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
3.75
Okay okay okay booktok got me interested and I read it in a day. I'm def familiar with dark stories and monsterfucker type beats so I figured, what the hell, why not?
A friendly reminder to check TWs, the author also has it in the front of the book.
I wish this had been more fleshed out, and Lilith didn't have a ton of personality, but I didn't mind either of those things too much. Letum was so kind, the small things he does for her made me smile, and giving her space to figure out what she needed was a step away from what most dark romances have. The nicknames could be a bit much sometimes but I won't really complain bc they were cute and it wasn't the exact same one over and over (looking at you, little mouse). Overall, more compassionate shadow daddies concerned for your mental health, please.
I'm not really into the tiddy slap variety of smut, buuuuut it was still probably spicier than almost anything else I've read before. I'm also still dipping my toes into true dark romance tho (they say, having read manacled in less than four days).
The ending was fine, idk why people are so pressed about it? I felt like it tracked pretty decently with context from the rest of the story.
Not the most groundbreaking of monsterfucking by any means, but nonetheless a good read for something quick, fun, spicy, and dark. I wouldn't be opposed to reading more from this author 🤷🏻♀️
A friendly reminder to check TWs, the author also has it in the front of the book.
I wish this had been more fleshed out, and Lilith didn't have a ton of personality, but I didn't mind either of those things too much. Letum was so kind, the small things he does for her made me smile, and giving her space to figure out what she needed was a step away from what most dark romances have. The nicknames could be a bit much sometimes but I won't really complain bc they were cute and it wasn't the exact same one over and over (looking at you, little mouse). Overall, more compassionate shadow daddies concerned for your mental health, please.
I'm not really into the tiddy slap variety of smut, buuuuut it was still probably spicier than almost anything else I've read before. I'm also still dipping my toes into true dark romance tho (they say, having read manacled in less than four days).
The ending was fine, idk why people are so pressed about it? I felt like it tracked pretty decently with context from the rest of the story.
Not the most groundbreaking of monsterfucking by any means, but nonetheless a good read for something quick, fun, spicy, and dark. I wouldn't be opposed to reading more from this author 🤷🏻♀️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, Cursing, Gaslighting, Grief, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Cancer, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicide attempt
theartistreader's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
4.0
Tropes:
-Death/Grim Reaper × human soulmate
-Sweet hero
-Broken heroine
-🌶️ Scenes with both Death + his shadow
This was such an amazing debut book, I don't think I've ever been so hooked. People complained about the trigger warnings and spice but I honestly can't see their issue. Is it wrong of me to be demanding another book by this author already?
-Death/Grim Reaper × human soulmate
-Sweet hero
-Broken heroine
-🌶️ Scenes with both Death + his shadow
This was such an amazing debut book, I don't think I've ever been so hooked. People complained about the trigger warnings and spice but I honestly can't see their issue. Is it wrong of me to be demanding another book by this author already?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
idiotic's review
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The book is extremely captivating. It’s mostly one character that truly made the story worthwhile to read. I continued reading page after page wanting to know what a specific character was saying. This book is definitely good for those who love dark or romance! It’s pretty fast paced and my only complaint would have to be the writing. There are some spots where the writing just seems to lack to put it simply. I’m very picky about my writing for my stories so perhaps that’s just a personal preference. The dialogue for the character Lectum was so good though! I loved the dialogue and the way he spoke.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Car accident and Death
Minor: Death of parent, Drug use, and Suicide
xoxo_bookishbabe's review
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Grief, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Death, and Stalking
Minor: Car accident, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Cancer, Death of parent, and Suicide attempt