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A review by steff_fox
Glow by Raven Kennedy
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
TW: Abuse; if you need the receipts, I’ve shared notes & highlights (on Goodreads). As someone who was once in an abusive relationship, this book was actually traumatizing to read at times and therefore so are the notes.
So, a tiny criticism I had from the last book—legitimately trauma-inducing, possessive af sex scene, anyone?—blew up into a huge problem in this one.
For a book series that is so heavily anti-abuse, Kennedy does an absolutely terrible job in her attempts to portray Slade as non problematic in how he treats Auren.
I’m sorry, but you can’t write three books about a woman finding her way out of an abusive relationship and expect the absolute lack of trauma response to her new partner having some very abusive tendencies and shades to stand. The book is missing realism at best and romanticizing abuse at worst.
Slade’s disturbing level of possessiveness and need to sneak and lie in order control her situation is not sexy. And it’s especially not sexy after everything Auren went through. I don’t care what his motivation is; Slade is actively being harmful and repeating an abusive behavior she’s already been through.
You’d think after all his rah rah-ing about how horrible Midas was he wouldn’t be too keen on following in the man’s footsteps…and YET!
I just…give the girl a goddamn break from these controlling freaks in her life. Let her <I>heal</I>. Auren has been through enough.
Honestly, I’m super disappointed. And I don’t think I’ll be reading the next one.
So, a tiny criticism I had from the last book—legitimately trauma-inducing, possessive af sex scene, anyone?—blew up into a huge problem in this one.
For a book series that is so heavily anti-abuse, Kennedy does an absolutely terrible job in her attempts to portray Slade as non problematic in how he treats Auren.
I’m sorry, but you can’t write three books about a woman finding her way out of an abusive relationship and expect the absolute lack of trauma response to her new partner having some very abusive tendencies and shades to stand. The book is missing realism at best and romanticizing abuse at worst.
Slade’s disturbing level of possessiveness and need to sneak and lie in order control her situation is not sexy. And it’s especially not sexy after everything Auren went through. I don’t care what his motivation is; Slade is actively being harmful and repeating an abusive behavior she’s already been through.
You’d think after all his rah rah-ing about how horrible Midas was he wouldn’t be too keen on following in the man’s footsteps…and YET!
I just…give the girl a goddamn break from these controlling freaks in her life. Let her <I>heal</I>. Auren has been through enough.
Honestly, I’m super disappointed. And I don’t think I’ll be reading the next one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse