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anastashamarie 's review for:
Haunting Adeline
by H.D. Carlton
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow, wow, wow. This book has me reeling in the best possible way. I've never experienced storytelling quite like this.
⚠️ Before I get into my review, though, I need to give a very serious warning first. This story is not for everyone. I would honestly venture to say that it isn't for most people. Some seriously messed up and scary topics are explored in this duology, and the author herself warns that the second one is even darker than the first (and this one ends on a cliffhanger so if you do read it, there is a high likelihood you'll probably want to pick up the second). These scary topics include: human trafficking, child abuse, stalking, explicit sexual content including gun play and non-con interactions, and graphic violence among others. The second book is even more violent and sexually graphic based on its warnings. Please do not try to read this if any of those topics sound like things that could affect your well-being, no matter how many positive reviews you see about it.⚠️
Now if you know me, you're probably saying "WTF, Ana. Why would you pick up a book like this?" To which I say...I'm great at compartmentalizing.
But really, that confusion makes sense. I'm a therapist whose entire job is to help people overcome the sort of trauma that's in this book. But I'm also a horror and haunted attraction aficionado who's fascinated by what makes fear and the taboo so appealing that people pay to subject themselves to these things. In the end, that's what this book is: the same voyeuristic sensation-seeking that draws us to Halloween events and slasher flicks. All the feeling and adrenaline without the risk of living it. So I was instantly hooked.
HD Carlton managed to craft such a thorough exploration of the overlap between fear and arousal, anxiety and excitement, that i know after reading just a few pages that I was going to be obsessed.
The way that Carlton integrates humor, fear, and spice--flipping effortlessly between them--leads to a fast-paced, un-punt-down-able assault on your sensibilities. It makes you question yourself just as much as it makes you question Addie's decisions. I was so often torn between empathy and giggles or between disgust and attraction that I would often ponder what I'd read for hours after I put my Kindle down.It's very meta in that way--Addie talks about the line between terror and intrigue, and the reader is snared by the story, balancing on that same precipice before we even realize it.
Then, underlying the psychological conflict that both the reader and the characters face, there is the gothic horror subplot that would have kept me interested in the book alone. At it's core, this reads like an old-school feminist ghost story, in the vein of "The Yellow Wallpaper" or a Shirley Jackson story but with a lot more smut. So not only does the reader have to suss out our own reactions, but we're also at times trying to figure out what of Addie's experience is paranormal, psychological, or physically-real-world dangerous.
I am just overall blown away, and I absolutely cannot wait to pick up the next one. I know this series is going to give me the worst book hangover, and I'm handing myself over to it willingly. Decidedly very worth it if you can stomach all of the dark topics herein.
⚠️ Before I get into my review, though, I need to give a very serious warning first. This story is not for everyone. I would honestly venture to say that it isn't for most people. Some seriously messed up and scary topics are explored in this duology, and the author herself warns that the second one is even darker than the first (and this one ends on a cliffhanger so if you do read it, there is a high likelihood you'll probably want to pick up the second). These scary topics include: human trafficking, child abuse, stalking, explicit sexual content including gun play and non-con interactions, and graphic violence among others. The second book is even more violent and sexually graphic based on its warnings. Please do not try to read this if any of those topics sound like things that could affect your well-being, no matter how many positive reviews you see about it.⚠️
Now if you know me, you're probably saying "WTF, Ana. Why would you pick up a book like this?" To which I say...I'm great at compartmentalizing.
But really, that confusion makes sense. I'm a therapist whose entire job is to help people overcome the sort of trauma that's in this book. But I'm also a horror and haunted attraction aficionado who's fascinated by what makes fear and the taboo so appealing that people pay to subject themselves to these things. In the end, that's what this book is: the same voyeuristic sensation-seeking that draws us to Halloween events and slasher flicks. All the feeling and adrenaline without the risk of living it. So I was instantly hooked.
HD Carlton managed to craft such a thorough exploration of the overlap between fear and arousal, anxiety and excitement, that i know after reading just a few pages that I was going to be obsessed.
The way that Carlton integrates humor, fear, and spice--flipping effortlessly between them--leads to a fast-paced, un-punt-down-able assault on your sensibilities. It makes you question yourself just as much as it makes you question Addie's decisions. I was so often torn between empathy and giggles or between disgust and attraction that I would often ponder what I'd read for hours after I put my Kindle down.It's very meta in that way--Addie talks about the line between terror and intrigue, and the reader is snared by the story, balancing on that same precipice before we even realize it.
Then, underlying the psychological conflict that both the reader and the characters face, there is the gothic horror subplot that would have kept me interested in the book alone. At it's core, this reads like an old-school feminist ghost story, in the vein of "The Yellow Wallpaper" or a Shirley Jackson story but with a lot more smut. So not only does the reader have to suss out our own reactions, but we're also at times trying to figure out what of Addie's experience is paranormal, psychological, or physically-real-world dangerous.
I am just overall blown away, and I absolutely cannot wait to pick up the next one. I know this series is going to give me the worst book hangover, and I'm handing myself over to it willingly. Decidedly very worth it if you can stomach all of the dark topics herein.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Car accident, Death of parent
Please read the trigger warnings at the start of this book. Please also note that this book ends on a cliffhanger and the next book is considerably darker than the first.