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A review by ellenmrozek
Black Iris by Elliot Wake, Elliot Wake
4.0
The only reason I haven't reviewed BLACK IRIS yet is because I'm still trying to find a more coherent way to describe the story than HOLY. SHIT.
I knew going in that this was going to be dark, and I knew going in that it was going to be hot, and I also knew that it would be ten or twenty different kinds of messed up. What I didn't expect at all was how well all of these pieces would fit together, or how extreme Laney's revenge spiral was actually going to be.
There are a lot of really horrible things described in detail in BLACK IRIS. There's quite a bit of violence. Large portions of the story read like a can't-look-away kind of train wreck, because you can't help wondering just how far Laney will go to get even, even after you suspect that she's already gone too far.
I was gleeful over some of the stunts she and her friends pulled, and disgusted by others. There were times when I was laughing maniacally right along with her, and other times where I had to close the book and walk away for a few hours, or a night, before I was able to go back and keep reading.
The whole story messes with your head in the same way that many of the other characters mess with Laney's, and I wouldn't have it any other way. It would be much harder to sympathize with a character who is so hell-bent on damage if you weren't getting a firsthand look at all the damage that has been done to her.
To me, the truly impressive thing about BLACK IRIS is that it doesn't promise redemption or a HEA to get you stick around for the ending. Instead, it takes a shunned, misunderstood outcast and provides you with an opportunity to understand her completely.
Which is so freaking perfect, I don't even know where to start.
I knew going in that this was going to be dark, and I knew going in that it was going to be hot, and I also knew that it would be ten or twenty different kinds of messed up. What I didn't expect at all was how well all of these pieces would fit together, or how extreme Laney's revenge spiral was actually going to be.
There are a lot of really horrible things described in detail in BLACK IRIS. There's quite a bit of violence. Large portions of the story read like a can't-look-away kind of train wreck, because you can't help wondering just how far Laney will go to get even, even after you suspect that she's already gone too far.
I was gleeful over some of the stunts she and her friends pulled, and disgusted by others. There were times when I was laughing maniacally right along with her, and other times where I had to close the book and walk away for a few hours, or a night, before I was able to go back and keep reading.
The whole story messes with your head in the same way that many of the other characters mess with Laney's, and I wouldn't have it any other way. It would be much harder to sympathize with a character who is so hell-bent on damage if you weren't getting a firsthand look at all the damage that has been done to her.
To me, the truly impressive thing about BLACK IRIS is that it doesn't promise redemption or a HEA to get you stick around for the ending. Instead, it takes a shunned, misunderstood outcast and provides you with an opportunity to understand her completely.
Which is so freaking perfect, I don't even know where to start.