A review by djinnandtea
Credence by Penelope Douglas

dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Oh, Credence. This book was a trip. I didn’t like the endgame relationship, but damn if this book wasn’t hot as fucking hell. Easily the most well-written smut I’ve encountered so far, and brimming deliciously with UST. The characters were certainly compelling, and for a lot of the book, I found it very hard to put it down. I liked the concept of the story and the way the plot developed, and thought it was pretty well-written. 

My biggest complaint with this book is that
Tiernan, the main character, ends up with the member of the family who sexually assaults her multiple times, including outright rape. His behavior is never really judged, it’s essentially always excused, and he’s basically, in my opinion, a massive piece of shit who gets what he wants by being a child about it.
This left a terrible taste in my mouth, and almost turned me off of the whole book, which is otherwise not all that dark (if certainly quite taboo). Still, I would read this book again, and recommend it with some heavy caveats. 
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