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amateur_bookworm 's review for:
Haunting Adeline
by H.D. Carlton
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Haunting Adeline by H. D. Carlton is the first book of the Cat and Mouse duet. It is very heavy on the dark and light on the romance (unless a stalker’s obsession is your idea of wooing) with a lot of suspense. I’ve seen such mixed reviews for it and I completely understand why.
It has creepy vibes for sure. And I don’t think I’ve ever been so terrified by a single red rose in my life. This book is just so deranged and I kept asking myself why I was still reading this, pretty much throughout the entire thing. Despite being mostly appalled, I was still flipping pages like it’s *my* life that depends on it. And I’m not gonna lie, exposing the entire government as corrupt pedos sounds like a theme that I can get behind here for sure.
But, seriously, I just read 600+ pages and I’m honestly not sure how I feel here. Disturbed? Intrigued? Disgusted? Paranoid? It’s definitely twisted. Pretty deranged actually. But somehow the vigilantism is comforting. Even though the stalking obsession is hard to swallow.
Every time I read a f-cked up book, I think to myself, “wow, this is the most f-cked up book I’ve ever read.” And then, with the next one, I’m like, “No, *this* is the most f-cked up book I’ve ever read.” But, ya’ll, without a doubt, THIS is the most f-cked up book I’ve ever read. And I’ve heard the next one is darker. Eek.
The tension I felt while nearing the end was astronomical. There’s a very ominous feeling, but maybe it’s because I know that it’s going to end on a cliffhanger because this is a duet. I’m definitely reading the next one to see how this ends. And mostly to see why it’s her chapters are labeled as The Manipulator.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Stalking, Car accident, Murder, Alcohol