Reviews with content warning for Sexism - Haunting Adeline

No matter which corner of bookish social medias you frequent, if there’s a certain darkness to your reads there is no way you haven’t come across Haunting Adeline. I’ve read the name so many times, I saw so many different people read it and have as many varying perspectives and opinions to and of this that I had no clue if I really wanted to dip my feet in. Especially because the Stalker theme is one that particularly scares, disgusts, and terrifies me. Not wanting to let go of spooky season was the final push I needed to tackle this and I’m actually glad I did because this was such a good read.

Was it dark? Yes, sure. Did it contain very explicit scenes? Absolutely. Did it make me feel comfortable and cozy? Hell no.

But the vibes were amazing. The characters are intriguing and I’m not only speaking about our FMC and MMC but also those surrounding them. There was an overarching plotline and several subplots keeping it interesting and to all those complaining about the smut scenes in particular: you had been warned. Start taking warnings written by authors at the start of books seriously.

One other thing before we dive in: This is a work of fiction. Treat it as such. Just because “women*” swoon for a guy like Zade doesn’t me any of his doings would be appreciated in the real life. I also swooned for Bane in the Batman stories and still prefer my S/O not to be a terrorist unleashing several different threats to humanity on the world. To be less drastic: Most of the traits we find appealing in fictional men, such as a certain possessiveness, violence or villainy would also not be appealing in the real world. It is a retreat, not a wishlist for a significant other.

Starting off with the characters: I enjoyed them a lot. I prefer characters to have rougher edges and things to like and dislike about them. Adeline is a perfect example, she’s described as beautiful but there’s a ruggedness to her character I appreciated, sprinkle on a bit of social awkwardness and typical traits of an extroverted introvert (or … just a very well masking introvert who adapted to the rules of society and reads people like children’s stories) and we have ourselves a female MC that is not perfect, is not an innocent little bird caged in a golden aviary and takes glimpses into the darker parts of the world. She also doesn’t make the best decisions all the time, struggles with what she does want and is overall a character I found very easy to relate to.

Zade is a very intriguing character. He has a ton of layers to be peeled back and there is so much to discover around him and even though I’m not a fan of the first look and boom in love trope, it does make sense here. I enjoyed his pov a lot because there were more glimpses into him than Addie has at most times and it proves there is more to him than his addiction and obsession to Addie. Is he morally acceptable? Of course not, do we still want a villain to burn fictional worlds for us? Yes, absolutely we (I) do. And his humour? Top tier.

The supporting characters surrounding both MCs seem to be perfection. I enjoyed Jay a lot, because he seems to be the friend Zade needs at times (even though our boy might still need to find that out for himself) and Daya is the personification of a great friend: coming over with booze for daydrinking renovations is something every good friend should offer, in my opinion. They also don’t seem to hold grudges unnecessarily long and are what actual friends should be.

Going on to the plotlines: there seems to be an overarching plotline that is bigger than this book, which I appreciate, because that usually means the sequel isn’t just full of filler chapters and an author actually having a plan instead. The smaller mystery subplot did offer a connection to Addie, her family history, and her own destiny, yet wasn’t that heavily weighed, that I probably wouldn’t have missed it, if it weren’t there. It did provide with a bit of mystery, and it also didn’t disturb the feeling of the book, but rather supported it.

One thing I absolutely loved about this were the vibes: It has such a perpetual Halloween vibe to it, I just adored it. The Manor is pure and utter perfection, the descriptions are well done and transport the reader right into the midst of it and I appreciated the woven in horror parts a lot. If this were a movie, I’d be scared shitless, not gonna lie. I loved it.

Moving on to the one thing that probably divides the readership: the smut and spice scenes. I’d like to reiterate my claim from the beginning of this review: this is a work of fiction. It’s not supposed to coddle you, make you comfortable and tuck you in a fluffy cloud of morally perfect decisions while writing a check list for your potential lover. It’s maybe even supposed to make you question your own morals, your very own, very personal limits and the deep, dark well of “why the hell am I intrigued by this”.

Things we appreciate in fictional men are red flags in real men because fictional men are more capable than real ones. Don’t take offense to this, but it’s the way I see it. Fictional men are able to read the bodies of fictional women and as long as a majority of real men are not able to find pleasurable spots of their partner, I don’t trust them to tell the differences between saying “no” and meaning “no”. So, no, this is not something enjoyable in a real setting but it is not supposed to. It’s a fantasy sold, with fictional characters having fictional abilities and fictional intercourse, for fucks sake. Don’t shame people because they enjoy the fiction of men actually knowing what they’re doing.

Adding to this: We see Addie struggle with this a lot. We watch her conclude she is intrigued by what Zade does as much as she’s scared of it and thus struggle with her reaction to it. It is actually tackled IN THE BOOK that the main female character is torn between knowing that’s wrong and still wanting it. Furthermore, Zade not being pretentious about his actions, morals and wants is a big plus. He never pretends to be a good man; he doesn’t want to present that side to Addie and make her fall for a version of him, he not actually is. There are extremes in this book and yes, not everyone is going to like that. As well as not everyone sharing the same preferences Addie (maybe subconsciously) has and not being intrigued or being intrigued to a different level by the scenes. That is normal. And not everyone has to like what is portrayed.

To me, this spice was top tier. It was dark, dominant and had moments that did challenge my own morals and made me stop and think, why this was intriguing me or why I drew the line somewhere. Another thing I appreciated a lot was the way Carlton depicted Addie’s inner struggle in those moments and the powerful quotes that other authors aspire to pull of, but never managed to quite so beautifully as Carlton does.

I expected to be very uncomfortable during this read and at points I was, but never to the limit of me wanting to stop. In all honesty: I could not put it down. Being told multiple times it might drag on at some points, I didn’t feel like that at all. I enjoyed the overall pacing, the small, slow moments as well as the rushing of the plot at times. All in perfect balance to me. The only thing I’d criticise is the mystery subplot being not that deeply crafted and that is basically it. I enjoyed a book challenging me to rethink my own limits, convictions and morals while being scared, uncomfy, tucked in and in awe. My favourite moment of the whole book? The vulnerable night scene, we all know which I mean. I’ll hold that one in my heart forever.

And now, … I am utterly terrified to continue.

Content Warnings

mariareviews's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

we all make mistakes,
like reading this book.
tbh falling in love with the guy that raped you twice and stalked you for more than three months is disgusting. yeah yeah, dark romance and all that bs but there’s nothing romantic about this. 42 chapters of all bla bla bla, some fucking here and there, and that’s about it. I’ve wasted 2 days to finish whatever the fuck this is and honestly I would’ve wasted my time in something more productive that killing my poor little neurons by reading this book.

Content Warnings

bookswithian's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad medium-paced

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

1.0

Content Warnings

courtneyhope21's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense

4.5

Content Warnings

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