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__romancereader__'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Drug use, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Car accident, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Not all content warnings are about the main characters some are and some are about the other characters you meet/hear about in the book❤️😇thecarolinaash's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Eating disorder, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, and Alcohol
Minor: Addiction, Bullying, Drug abuse, Drug use, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting
misspjane's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicide, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
jeanmeinu's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Graphic: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Stalking, and Car accident
Moderate: Suicide and Blood
Minor: Toxic friendship
kimmytanzone's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
the_joyful_book_club's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is a dark romance, and the author has a trigger warning at the beginning, and for good reason. Side note: I do notice the Kindle version (with the male cover model) didn't show a trigger warning in it. However, I read a paperback deluxe edition that did include a trigger warning for the following: non-con, dub-con, and suicidal thoughts.
This book is dark and starts that way from the beginning. There's no letting the story warm up; we jump into the scalding heat immediately. The reader is immediately pulled into the sorrow that Glyndon feels over her friend, Devlin, who's taken his life recently. She goes back to the cliff where he passed and there she first encounters Killian. Which is likely the craziest, and dirtiest, encounter she's ever had.
This story is told from both Glyndon's and Killian's perspectives. As we get to know them, and their friends and family, we learn that they attend competing universities, one American and one English. There is some mention of families not getting along, and elite clubs that are at odds with each other too. The conflict is there but doesn't seem fully developed, since these two groups of friends keep intermingling and not completely killing each other.
I think the reason that isn't more of an issue is that the real discourse for Killian and Glyndon is both of them fighting their own nature within the relationship. Killian is dealing with some more complex desires and Glyndon is walking the line between her desires and her own mind telling her to stay away.
There is a big twist at the end of this story that I did not expect or even remotely see coming. I think I had to do an actual slow blink because...what?!? It made total sense, but the author does a nice job of keeping the reader engaged with other aspects of the story.
If you like dark romance, dark academia mixed with the mafia, and an intense story, then you'll likely enjoy this.
Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
elemae98's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
For both the first book of hers I've read and the first book in the series, it wasn't too bad! Obviously there are flaws in the book that had me rethinking my choices, especially in the early chapters (iykyk) but overall I thought that the plot would be more dark - it's more centered around the trope of a dark romance than the whole book being a dark themed - so I was a little disappointed that the book didn't take it a little further.
Unfortunately I just couldn't get myself to like the FL Glyndon King, I think maybe I've read too many romances or the character was just generic, I can't make up my mind on which one it is - she's just too predictable with her character to literally nearly everything she says in every chapter, I mean even the love interest Killian calls her a broken record multiple times.
Not sure if I'll come back to this novel soon, but I'm hoping the second book in the series will be a little better!
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual content
Moderate: Mental illness and Sexual assault
Minor: Death and Car accident
cchow99's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Stalking, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment
lexi_hexi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Stalking
rychelereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Toxic relationship