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A review by svjak
Den of Vipers by K.A. Knight
dark
fast-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? Yes
2.75
I have... a lot of conflicted feelings.
First off - idk why the author decided to name all the characters some buff hotrod dudebro names but they sound like the names of generic biker gang characters. Ryder, Garret, Kenzo, Diesel, Roxy... c'mon lol. I'm not one to be super picky on names because it's so subjective but these were bad even by my very low standards. To the point it almost pulls you out of the story sometimes with their sexy one-liner phrases and these names.
Second - if I never hear another mc ever say 'they were afraid because they all knew what they were. they were vipers. and they were dangerous' ever again I am telling you it will be too soon. If you tossed out all of the repetitive mentions of how badass and dangerous these men were - how nobody messed with the vipers because they've got fangs, how they were so feared and notorious nobody touched what was theirs and they bite back harder - I swear you'd be cutting out half the book. It got SO REPETITIVE I just started skimming pieces because there would be several paragraph explanations of people's reaction to them followed by a monologue of why they're scared and/or why they should be. It got to be a bit too much.
Third - the author does have a tendency to show-not-tell and at times it gets very very old.
However... lets not pretend I picked this book up for it's masterful prose. The book was spicy. But in a surprisingly depraved and dark way. I picked up the book expecting a dark romance and a dark romance I got. It was almost like a buffet of every kind of 'not good for you' relationship there is mashed into one book. Each one of the 'brothers' (not actually brothers) filled one of those stereotypical roles had had a very different relationship dynamic with the mc.
I will probably never reread this book, but I can't say I didn't enjoy reading it.
First off - idk why the author decided to name all the characters some buff hotrod dudebro names but they sound like the names of generic biker gang characters. Ryder, Garret, Kenzo, Diesel, Roxy... c'mon lol. I'm not one to be super picky on names because it's so subjective but these were bad even by my very low standards. To the point it almost pulls you out of the story sometimes with their sexy one-liner phrases and these names.
Second - if I never hear another mc ever say 'they were afraid because they all knew what they were. they were vipers. and they were dangerous' ever again I am telling you it will be too soon. If you tossed out all of the repetitive mentions of how badass and dangerous these men were - how nobody messed with the vipers because they've got fangs, how they were so feared and notorious nobody touched what was theirs and they bite back harder - I swear you'd be cutting out half the book. It got SO REPETITIVE I just started skimming pieces because there would be several paragraph explanations of people's reaction to them followed by a monologue of why they're scared and/or why they should be. It got to be a bit too much.
Third - the author does have a tendency to show-not-tell and at times it gets very very old.
However... lets not pretend I picked this book up for it's masterful prose. The book was spicy. But in a surprisingly depraved and dark way. I picked up the book expecting a dark romance and a dark romance I got. It was almost like a buffet of every kind of 'not good for you' relationship there is mashed into one book. Each one of the 'brothers' (not actually brothers) filled one of those stereotypical roles had had a very different relationship dynamic with the mc.
I will probably never reread this book, but I can't say I didn't enjoy reading it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
I'm not even going to try to go into depth on each one of those but I need you to know that if you want to read this book that it is DARK. The MC is kidnapped and held against her will. She experiences what I would call stockholm syndrome and falls in love with her captors after they abuse/sexually assault her. There are graphic depictions of torture, toxic relationships, violence, and emotional abuse both in and outside of the proverbial bedroom. Take these TW's seriously. This is not your average 'dark romance.'