natcrx 's review for:

Skin of a Sinner by Avina St. Graves

2.5

challenging dark medium-paced

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Unfortunately, this one just didn’t work for me. I wouldn’t even call it a dark romance — it’s just dark. 

Isabella seemed sweet in the flashbacks, but in the present-day timeline (which makes up most of the book), she feels passive and, honestly, useless. There’s no character growth. I kept waiting for her to step up, especially after being separated from Roman — to show strength, to fight back, to evolve. But instead, she’s just dragged through the plot without contributing anything. And when Mickey finally returns to her after everything he’s been through, there’s zero emotion or excitement from her? 

We also don’t get enough of their teen years to understand their connection. Most flashbacks revolve around her being bullied and him getting violent in response. There's no real build-up to their bond — and despite everything, she barely seems to know him. 

As for Roman (or “Mickey”), he starts off protective, but that quickly morphs into something far more disturbing. His violence becomes excessive and unhinged, especially in the scenes with Isabella. I can handle a toxic cat-and-mouse dynamic, but there was a lack of clear consent that made those moments feel more abusive than romantic. He claims he’s protecting her, yet constantly drags her around, ignores her questions, and handles her roughly. It didn’t feel like obsession in a romantic sense — it felt controlling and unsafe. 

In the end, it read more like a story of abuse wrapped in the aesthetics of romance, without enough emotional depth or character development to justify it.