Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Twisted Love by Ana Huang

26 reviews

sami_leigh's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-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

3.0

First person dual POV with some enemies-to-lovers, brother’s-best-friend, forced-proximity, and a healthy dose of “touch her and I’ll end you” thrown in.

I enjoyed the journey both MCs take on their personal growth, and the emphasis that these are their journeys to take alone as they need to be better for themselves before they can be anything for someone else.

Alex’s ending needed a bit more fleshing out, though; he doesn’t resolve any trauma and both MCs ignore his murderous and illicit tendencies.

Alex’s possessive traits are an acquired taste and I found them unsettling.

While I appreciate the effort to prove his love; stalking is stalking.

I’m looking forward to seeing the development of other relationships in the future books, namely Josh and Ava’s

as the saga with Michael continues

and Bridget. I do hope there is more substance to Ava’s other friends, though, as I found them inherently unlikeable.

Especially after their plot to try to make Alex ‘feel’; that was cruel and insensitive to say the least.

There are a lot of context warnings in this one. ⚠️ 
🌶🌶🌶🌶

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Gaslighting, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence

Moderate: Mental illness and Toxic relationship

Minor: Gun violence, Sexual violence, Suicide, Blood, Child death, Stalking, and Vomit

frankieclc's review against another edition

2.0

the first part of this book was so promising and then it just got insufferable in every way

I yet again hate tiktok for lying to me 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Sexual violence

culzean's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Violence, Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Torture

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

caitlinstanton's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

This is a depiction of an incredibly unhealthy and toxic relationship. I would even go as far as to label it abusive. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Stalking, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Violence

Moderate: Abandonment

Toxic and abusive relationship is normalised and romanticised throughout.

caecilliadheandraa's review against another edition

dark emotional fast-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

3.0

The overall story is okay, can’t seem to relate to the toxic morally gray main character though, some of the actions done to show how “tough” they are sometimes  comes off as a bit too cringy for me 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Murder, and Sexual violence