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A review by lydiarama
Credence by Penelope Douglas
dark
tense
fast-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
1.0
Disgusting, frankly. Borderline incestuous romantic relationships. Unequal power dynamics. Romanticized assault. I absolutely could not let go and get into it. I felt dirty while reading it—and I’m a veteran romance reader. The main character is a seventeen year-old girl who just lost both of her parents, and there is romantic tension between her and her step-uncle and his feral, boundary-blind son.
I took 6 months to shake off the clinging feeling of needing a shower every time I got through a chapter and picked up where I left, about 40% in, and finished very quickly. Douglas is actually a very good writer, so it is disappointing that she chooses to write something romanticizing what is clearly abuse. I cannot see any way that the main character was not repeatedly sexually abused in this novel, with there being multiple instances in which she calls for the relations to stop, which go unheard. The man she ends up with (spoiler) HITS her more than once, spits in her hair, writes “SLUT” on her against her will, destroys her project, and engages in sexual violence multiple times. The adult guardian the main character was trusted with, who she sees as a protector, takes advantage of her. She was the victim of Stockholm syndrome, imo.
Please, please use caution when reading this. Take its popularity with a grain of salt and please review the trigger warnings.
If this is your thing, I’m happy for you. But there are some messages in this novel that are deeply harmful and worrisome, in my opinion.
I took 6 months to shake off the clinging feeling of needing a shower every time I got through a chapter and picked up where I left, about 40% in, and finished very quickly. Douglas is actually a very good writer, so it is disappointing that she chooses to write something romanticizing what is clearly abuse. I cannot see any way that the main character was not repeatedly sexually abused in this novel, with there being multiple instances in which she calls for the relations to stop, which go unheard. The man she ends up with (spoiler) HITS her more than once, spits in her hair, writes “SLUT” on her against her will, destroys her project, and engages in sexual violence multiple times. The adult guardian the main character was trusted with, who she sees as a protector, takes advantage of her. She was the victim of Stockholm syndrome, imo.
Please, please use caution when reading this. Take its popularity with a grain of salt and please review the trigger warnings.
If this is your thing, I’m happy for you. But there are some messages in this novel that are deeply harmful and worrisome, in my opinion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Sexual assault
Moderate: Suicide