A review by se_wigget
Beyond the Black Door by A.M. Strickland

adventurous dark emotional mysterious
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 
Wow, this dark fantasy novel was hard to put down! It's deeply satisfying. 
 
Nehyn's manipulation is potentially triggering. Ditto Kamai's "half-brother's" grabbiness and delusions of entitlement, and her father's misogyny and slut-shaming. I'm glad Kamai makes some real friends. 
 
"I somehow felt lighter than I had in months. Years. Maybe ever. For the first time in my life, the people closest to me knew the truth about who I was, and it was okay (p. 228)." 
This is wonderful. It's so different from coming out to "friends" who pretend to be tolerant and prove to be bullying bigots. 
 
"... sometimes I'm not sure why I bother giving you anything (p. 241)." That sounds exactly like something a malignant narcissist or narcissistic sociopath would say. Manipulative as fuck. I'm glad she notices he's a "Manipulative bastard" (p. 237, in italics--she's thinking it, not calling him out), but I hoped she'd purge him from her life by the end of the book. #nonarcissists #nosociopaths #nomindfuckersnoexceptions 
 
I'm so glad she moves out of her POS father's house. #chopupmisogynists 
 
"There was a trail of roses leading into the darkness. This time, they struck me as mocking rather than enticing. Perhaps they should have seemed that way to begin with (p. 283)." 
Never kick yourself for not seeing through a verbally/psychologically abusive narcissist or sociopath all along, especially if you've been treated that way most of your life. It's normal for you to take a while to see through their mindfuckery and realize they have no right to treat you like that. And if they try to gaslight you into believing you're self-righteous for belatedly taking your boundaries seriously (projecting their sanctimoniousnesss onto you), they're full of shit and absolutely have NO right to be in your life. 
So yeah: don't kick yourself for letting a narcissist or sociopath get away with their abusive behavior in the past. And it's not, never has been, and never will be your job to be their psychological punching bag/doormat. #fuckoffnarcissistsandsociopaths 
 
Page 287: It just goes to show: narcissists and sociopaths are shallow and petty even when they're immortals. And don't get me started on the "games" narcissistic sociopaths play. Don't give them a second of your time. 
 
Page 291: A "game." A game, a game, a game. Messing with your head is a game for narcissistic sociopaths.