Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton

1103 reviews

victori_anne848's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

0.5

Romanticizes rape and harmful acts towards women, very distasteful and doesn't have a point

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, Stalking, Murder, and Sexual harassment

rzimmer08's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

3.5

This book is great if you like a multi perspective book. This book is the definition of I know it’s wrong but it feels so right. I have my gripes with it but overall good read. Cliffhanger ending 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Trafficking, Stalking, and Murder

taleofabibliophile's review against another edition

medium-paced

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Vomit

Minor: Cancer, Suicide, and Terminal illness

eminaxbasic's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, and Sexual harassment

crystaldimond_49's review against another edition

dark

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Mass/school shootings, Stalking, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

pipercurrywilladsen's review against another edition

challenging dark funny tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Stalking, Car accident, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

lyn_'s review against another edition

While I really enjoyed Carlton’s writing in a technical sense—she had a well developed and intriguing plot and side-plot to keep readers interested, something refreshing among other books in the genre—I couldn’t ignore the blatant portrayal of sexual assault as something excusable.

Zade, the main love interest who has a hatred for sex trafficking, completely contradicts his own character and justifies his own sexual violence toward Adeline, the female lead. He does this by claiming that her body wanted it and was physically reacting to him. I was waiting for (at the very least) a real moment of apology and forgiveness between the characters for what Zade did to Adeline on several occasions. However, this never occurs, and instead, readers get the author casually using a common myth in rape culture to justify Zade’s actions (that physical arousal means someone actually wants sex). Despite this, Adeline seems to forgive him without question.

While some readers may enjoy this book, I myself cannot enjoy nor support a book that tries to portray a relationship like this as anything close to “romance.” This isn’t dark romance; it’s abuse, and it’s better suited for a reader looking to study the dynamics of a very unhealthy relationship.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Trafficking, and Murder

rhiannon_loves_books's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Stalking, and Murder

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, and Kidnapping

michaela_nelly's review against another edition

dark slow-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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, Stalking, Murder, and Sexual harassment

raiiii's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Trafficking, Stalking, and Murder