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taylorabass 's review for:
Lights Out
by Navessa Allen
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved this book. I’d never heard of a mask kink, and don’t have one, but the scenes described from the masked man’s Instagram made me want to follow him and “see” more. The book did a good job describing the combination of fear and excitement during the kink scenes.
The fact that the masked man already knew the main character, Aly, was a bit too good to be true, but at the same time made the whole dangerous roleplay “feel” safer.
I found the banter between the main characters to be witty and hilarious…exactly the kind of humor I want in a partner. I love the dad jokes, the fact Josh stepped into the role of co-parenting Aly’s cat, and the responsible balance between danger, and safety and aftercare. At first I thought the “no safe words” bit was irresponsible, until I realized that had Aly simply said "no" or "stop" at any point, Josh would have stopped, no questions asked. I also appreciate that Josh went to therapy to work out his concerns regarding his dark kink and wasn't a "Tumblr Dom" who just assumed domination means unwavering submission and control.
Initially I felt that his father’s identity was a bit too much, just for shock value. But it explains his need to be overprotective, and gives weight to him grappling so heavily with the underlying meaning and danger behind his kink. It also was woven well into the story through recognizing the smell in the basement and being unable to cook bacon properly.
Aly’s ER patient breaking into her home for real, after the masked man had just broken in to fulfill her kink seemed a bit too unbelievable too. And the fact he was a serial rapist made sense, but a serial killer...eh. And his parents had been covering up his crimes for years, but didn't know the extent of his crimes? Also Aly was wayyyy too calm in the aftermath of that whole thing. She just happened to have a mob family who could cover everything up?
I listened to the audiobook during my daily drives and I found myself giggling at the banter between the main characters quite often. The voice actors really brought the characters to life in a fun way that kept me engaged. Even though some of the plot elements seem over the top, the book was definitely entertaining and engaging.
The fact that the masked man already knew the main character, Aly, was a bit too good to be true, but at the same time made the whole dangerous roleplay “feel” safer.
I found the banter between the main characters to be witty and hilarious…exactly the kind of humor I want in a partner. I love the dad jokes, the fact Josh stepped into the role of co-parenting Aly’s cat, and the responsible balance between danger, and safety and aftercare. At first I thought the “no safe words” bit was irresponsible, until I realized that had Aly simply said "no" or "stop" at any point, Josh would have stopped, no questions asked. I also appreciate that Josh went to therapy to work out his concerns regarding his dark kink and wasn't a "Tumblr Dom" who just assumed domination means unwavering submission and control.
Initially I felt that his father’s identity was a bit too much, just for shock value. But it explains his need to be overprotective, and gives weight to him grappling so heavily with the underlying meaning and danger behind his kink. It also was woven well into the story through recognizing the smell in the basement and being unable to cook bacon properly.
Aly’s ER patient breaking into her home for real, after the masked man had just broken in to fulfill her kink seemed a bit too unbelievable too. And the fact he was a serial rapist made sense, but a serial killer...eh. And his parents had been covering up his crimes for years, but didn't know the extent of his crimes? Also Aly was wayyyy too calm in the aftermath of that whole thing. She just happened to have a mob family who could cover everything up?
I listened to the audiobook during my daily drives and I found myself giggling at the banter between the main characters quite often. The voice actors really brought the characters to life in a fun way that kept me engaged. Even though some of the plot elements seem over the top, the book was definitely entertaining and engaging.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Stalking, Murder
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Car accident