Scan barcode
A review by marie_thereadingotter
Tryst Six Venom by Penelope Douglas
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
I honestly wasn't sure what to expect going into this book.
Olivia and Clay are both bullies towards each other in different ways. Neither is completely innocent. And I'm not gonna lie, I was a nervous about how the romance would play out in a way. All her books in the past have been almost strictly heterosexual, minus one make-out scene in her Devil's Night series, but that one was was to make men jealous and not about the girls being curious about their sexuality. So in hindsight, the scene in Devil's Night is a little like queer-baiting.
The reveal that Clay was horrible and degrading towards Olivia is because she likes her... didn't make sense. She's supposed to be 18 or nearly 18, but I would hope that people that old wouldn't behave like that. Clay often goes beyond bullying, and heads straight towards sexual harassment. Stealing her underwear... then wearing it... ???????what?! They had no chemistry, I don't know how these characters went to vitriol hate for each other to "I love you, and am going to marry you" by the end of the book.
Another thing that bothers me about this book, is that she made Olivia and her siblings Native and part of a specific tribe in Florida. They have no connection to the tribe, and not living near or on the reservation. I kind of feel that was a little pointless to have them be native. It had no bearing on anything really. It came across as checking a box, so she could say that her books are diverse because half the cast isn't white, but their culture means nothing to any of them... and I find that a little hard to believe when it's implied that they care a lot about their heritage.
I just hope that Douglas stops adding in ethnically diverse characters and then treats them like they are white. Example: in her Devil's Night books, there's a character who is part Asian, but she doesn't really do anything with his ethnicity. People still treat him the way they treat his white friends. Not that I want cartoon-ish racism, but everybody treats him exactly like his white friends. Even in her Fall Away series, there's a character who is part Native, and the reason that didn't bother me as much is because that character didn't grow up around that culture, and wasn't even sure if he was part native. Throwing in an ethnically diverse characters but not their culture isn't being diverse.
Olivia and Clay are both bullies towards each other in different ways. Neither is completely innocent. And I'm not gonna lie, I was a nervous about how the romance would play out in a way. All her books in the past have been almost strictly heterosexual, minus one make-out scene in her Devil's Night series, but that one was was to make men jealous and not about the girls being curious about their sexuality. So in hindsight, the scene in Devil's Night is a little like queer-baiting.
The reveal that Clay was horrible and degrading towards Olivia is because she likes her... didn't make sense. She's supposed to be 18 or nearly 18, but I would hope that people that old wouldn't behave like that. Clay often goes beyond bullying, and heads straight towards sexual harassment.
Another thing that bothers me about this book, is that she made Olivia and her siblings Native and part of a specific tribe in Florida. They have no connection to the tribe, and not living near or on the reservation. I kind of feel that was a little pointless to have them be native. It had no bearing on anything really. It came across as checking a box, so she could say that her books are diverse because half the cast isn't white, but their culture means nothing to any of them... and I find that a little hard to believe when it's implied that they care a lot about their heritage.
I just hope that Douglas stops adding in ethnically diverse characters and then treats them like they are white. Example: in her Devil's Night books, there's a character who is part Asian, but she doesn't really do anything with his ethnicity. People still treat him the way they treat his white friends. Not that I want cartoon-ish racism, but everybody treats him exactly like his white friends. Even in her Fall Away series, there's a character who is part Native, and the reason that didn't bother me as much is because that character didn't grow up around that culture, and wasn't even sure if he was part native. Throwing in an ethnically diverse characters but not their culture isn't being diverse.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Homophobia
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Homophobia, and Sexual assault
Minor: Suicide