A review by lovelymisanthrope
Credence by Penelope Douglas

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

This was a complicated romance, that kind of, almost, sometimes, crosses some lines. "Credence" follows Tiernan after her parents pass away. With no family left, and a few months before she turns 18, she is sent to live with her father's step brother and his two sons. They live in a remote home deep in the mountains in Colorado, so winters are brutal, and they are snowed in for months. 
Going into this book, I knew she was going to pursue a sexual relationship with her "uncle", but I did not know she would ultimately have relations with all three of them. The story just got too weird for me because she would refer to the boys as her uncle and cousins during the sexual scenes. There is no blood relation, so I was not that bothered by the relationship, but I did not appreciate the titles of uncle and cousin being continually brought up. I was also LIVID that she ultimately pursued Kaleb because he had deep unresolved issues that he acted very poorly on. He mentally, and physically abused Tiernan, and it was never questioned or pushed because he had a big traumatic incident that happened when he was younger and "that is just how he is". I was also bothered with how neatly everything ended. I needed the trauma that Kaleb and Tiernan experienced to be discussed more and for them to work through it for me to be truly satisfied with the end. 
 
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