Reviews with content warning for Abandonment - The Annihilator

Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

The Annihilator by RuNyx

8 reviews

manaledi's review

dark medium-paced

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

2.5

Ah this wasn't it. The first few books in this series had a better balance of plot and romance and a better balance of dark and hope and this was dark without needing to be. I get why this relationship had to close the plot loops and set everything up and also how little room there was to maneuver with how the shadow man only watches and doesn't help but eish.

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bergha1998's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

Don’t skip the TWs on this one, wow it’s sad and difficult. But I loved Lyla as a main character, so strong even through the worst life. The Shadow Man is a lot, but the way he feels about her is pretty cute and obviously OTT.

DARK Romance, Stalking, Emotional, 4 🔥

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nidhzinwonderland's review

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adventurous challenging dark inspiring 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

3.5

This book was probably the best book in the series in terms of character development, it did a wonderful job of portraying trauma and PTSD and the effects of trafficking.
Even though the theme of human trafficking and the dark underworld was a recurring theme throughout the series, the reason this book was so much harder to read was because it was from the perspective of someone who hadn't just seen or experienced the trauma for a temporary period of time but someone who had lived their entire life knowing that they wouldn't ever know a different one. The effects of what she had been through were so deep rooted within Lyla that even after she got out of that shit hole her mind couldn't fully adapt to the new state of suddenly being free. This book excellently portrays the struggles of a survivor after being liberated and the psychological issues caused by the system of enslavement on a person.
I also felt like this book and the entire series aced their depiction of the characters who are in theory the "saviors" or "good guys". I think most people forget that even though these men have decent morals they're still people who were brought up and are part of the underworld which automatically establishes the fact that they can never be the lay mans definition of "good".
Are they people against the human trade and all for the equal rights of all humans? Yeah sure. But are they people of never killed an innocent person or butchered those they didn't like? Absolutely not.
Unlike the previous book the pacing was on point with this one and the plot was developed systematically and I felt like it wasn't too rushed.
Not going to lie, I found Dain to be a little weird and cringe at times and I didn't really understand his motives even after the full explanation but he was a decent protagonist overall. Layla was a messed up, completely out of her mind, Someone please help the woman out character and I loved that about her.
Honestly I was very excited to read from the pov of the one character who was a constant mystery from book 1, Luna Caine and I'm sooo glad we finally got a glimpse into her life. This book was a great read overall and definitely an asset to the series.
nidhi <3

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