Reviews - Savages | The StoryGraph

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81 reviews for:

Well, holy shit. I've never read anything so depraved, so psychotic, so insane in my entire life. I'll admit I've read some questionable scenes in some "romances" and while the things I read in this book weren't as graphic, the dark, gritty vibe was heavy.

And I fcking LOVED it. WHY did I wait so long to start this series? Cuz, y'all, I'm kicking my own ass at this point.

This dystopian, cult, dark, intense - think of a word that describes something toxic and brutal and apply it here - story had me glued to the pages. So many triggers. So many cringe-worthy scenes. So much blood and WTF IS GOING ON moments. Calista with her traumatic past and broken soul. Romero with his secrets. HOLY SHIT. The things that man said and did.

bekanne's review against another edition

5.0

One h*** of a ride

Was sucked right into this book from the get go. LOVE Cali. This story is so deliciously dark. Can't wait til next book.

beckiebookworm1974's review against another edition

5.0

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️STARS
REVIEW COPY
Release Date-25/1/18

So, Savages (Badlands, #1), This book is all sorts of Craaaazy!!!
and also plenty dark it makes no apologies for itself.
sickness and depravity reign here.
And as all are aware I absolutely love me a dark tale, the blacker the better.
I'm also a major sucker for a messed up dystopian landscape.
This book was made for me melding my love of dark romances against the backdrop of the Badlands.

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A match made in heaven and hell.
A bit like the main characters Calista and Romero.
The devil and his darkly decedent handmaiden.
So Savages is set in a sort of dystopian post-apocalyptic nightmare of cults, Outliers, skinners and cannibals.

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And against this backdrop, The king meets his queen there crazy just matches like the cracked pieces of each other's souls.
This is bloody, evil and totally sick but is also so bloody addictive I couldn't put it down.
In a way reminding me slightly of that film doomsday when they wall Scotland in and out of the ashes rises a new civilization, one where morality is a forgotten concept and only the strong survives.
But amid that corruption, there is also a sense of brotherhood and a admiration for strength and resilience.
This also had some great side characters and I really never had a clue where this was heading.
It was an unpredictable whirlwind and I landed wherever it chose to take me.
So this was fabulously well written and was so different with its complete lack of moral compass.
I Cant recommend this highly enough.
Really looking forward to the next in this series as this ended on such a cliffhanger.
But before I go a warning this book contains a lot of triggers and isn't for the faint of heart.
Please avoid if this bothers you at all as Savages is definitely one hard-core read and doesn't pull its punches.
I was provided with a review copy of "Savages (Badlands, #1)" By the author of which I have reviewed voluntary.
All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm.
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com

gypsystar's review against another edition

5.0

Very dark but good. Ends on a cliffhanger which I wasn’t expecting but I’m actually reading the box set so it’s all good. Can’t wait to see where Cali and Rome end up.

booksheenanigans's review against another edition

4.0

elonn's review against another edition

2.75

dark sad tense 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: Yes

Content Warnings

emily_sky's review against another edition

3.0

Okay, I have mixed (and not even really concise) thoughts about this so get ready for a cluster fuck of word vomit

thesassybookworm's review against another edition

5.0

I pretty much love anything that Natalie Bennett writes. Anyone that follows my reviews is very aware of that fact. I fangirl just about every book she writes and that I get the pleasure of reading and reviewing. And I will again be fangirling over this one. In fact, this may be my favorite Natalie Bennett book TO DATE. It was the same dark and twisted mindf-ckery that Miz Bennett is known for and then some...

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~WRITING - PLOT - PACE~
It's always hard for me to review a book like this. I don't want to say too much and spoil anything but I also want to give readers a sample of what to expect. I will say that it was very well written. Like I mentioned, probably my favorite book to date from this author. The pace was fantastic. The plot was engaging and had me hooked from page one. It was dark. It was twisted. It was gritty. It was gross. It was f-cked up. It had twists and turns. Blood and gore. Pleasure and pain. and I LOVED every single minute of it. I really wish I had book two already now because I NEED to know WTF is going down.

~HERO~
Romero...he was the devil himself. A totally sexy as sin psychopath. He owned it. He didn't make any excuses for it. He reveled in it. He claimed Calista as his own right from the start. I loved him. I don't know what that says about me and I don't rightly care (lol). I can't wait until book two to see what he is hiding.

~HEROINE~
Calista...the perfect other half to Romero. Not sure out of these two which was the more f-cked up. Cali was her own brand of psycho. She didn't quite own it as much as Romero. But she was getting there. I loved her character and hope she gets the chance to exact much more revenge in the next book.

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~SIDE CHARACTERS~
This one had a good cast of secondary characters. There wasn't a lot of them but the three that feature heavily were all very intriguing. I wouldn't mind seeing each one get a book. Of course, I suppose that depends on what happens to them in book two. They may not even be still breathing by the end of that one.

~HEAT LEVEL~
This one was medium hottish. The sex scenes were hot, and the frequency felt appropriate for the story. This couple had crazy hot on page chemistry and their connection was very insta-lust.

~ANGST LEVEL~
Low. I didn't find this one angsty at all. It really wasn't the type of book that uses angst to move the story along. There also wasn't any OW or OM drama.

~IN THE END~
I loved this one. I have already said that a few times in this review but it was worth mentioning again. I have a thing for dark romances. The darker and twisted they are the more I seem to enjoy them and Natalie Bennett knows her way around twisted for sure. Everything about this one from the writing itself, to the plot, to the character development, was fantastic and shows me that this author just keeps learning and improving with every book that she releases. This one gets TWO huge thumbs up from yours truly.