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A review by areadinggem
Corrupt by Penelope Douglas
4.0
“When you want to make an impression and you think you’ve gone far enough, go a little further. Always leave them wondering if you’re just a little bit crazy, and people will never fuck with you again.”
Dark. Sexy. Intoxicating. Corrupting.
I've been wanting to read a book by [a:Penelope Douglas|7139136|Penelope Douglas|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1480874868p2/7139136.jpg] ever since I saw the hype towards her last release, Credence. I was never sure which series of hers to start with but I'm beyond glad I settled on The Devil's Night.
Dark romance is still a new genre to me and I never thought I would enjoy it, but [b:Corrupt|21981841|Corrupt (Devil's Night, #1)|Penelope Douglas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1398947518l/21981841._SY75_.jpg|41292505] made me rethink my preferences. The book talks about a group of friends, Michael, Damon, Will and Kai, who seek vengeance for being sent to jail. They believe Erika, Michael's brother's girlfriend, is responsible for the years of pain they had to endure. Michael, the main character in this book, helps them come up with a plan to destroy Erika's life, for he was the only one still free when his friends were imprisoned. The story goes on, alternating between the past to what happened the night they were imprisoned and how the four men were currently turning Erika's life into a living hell.
Michael and his friends embark on the journey to see what Erika is made of, whether she could ever be one of them or not. Did she have the courage to face the darkness? Will she ever be able to reach that freedom she desires? Will she own who she is, all the good and the bad, before it owned her? Page by page, you'll see how they all were a force to be reckoned with, revealing more and more of who they truly were and what they truly wanted.
“Redefine normal. None of us know the full measure of our power until we start pushing our boundaries and pressing our luck, and the more we do, the less we care what others think. The freedom feels too good.”
The characters are all different but perfectly fit in together. I love all the darkness around them, all the pain and the need to be free. I enjoyed how Erika was still quite feisty, something I like to see in female characters. I also liked how Michael was still caring towards her even when he was having an internal battle with himself. I loved how we got to see bits and pieces of his friends in the book, preparing us for the rest of the novels in the series. The ending was my favorite. It made me so sad to say goodbye to the characters I became attached to instantly, but also happy to see they finally found their peace.
There are several steamy scenes that make you grip the book a tad bit harder and I enjoyed those for sure. The things I did not like, hence the four stars, were the scenes where Erika is almost raped. I don't get the constant need of putting her in that position so many times. It kind of made me angry and cringe a little, but the way she saves herself just shows how she was capable of taking care of herself.
All in all, the book definitely holds a special place in my heart and I'm more than looking forward to reading the rest of the books in the series and get to know Damon, Kai and Will even better.
Dark. Sexy. Intoxicating. Corrupting.
I've been wanting to read a book by [a:Penelope Douglas|7139136|Penelope Douglas|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1480874868p2/7139136.jpg] ever since I saw the hype towards her last release, Credence. I was never sure which series of hers to start with but I'm beyond glad I settled on The Devil's Night.
Dark romance is still a new genre to me and I never thought I would enjoy it, but [b:Corrupt|21981841|Corrupt (Devil's Night, #1)|Penelope Douglas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1398947518l/21981841._SY75_.jpg|41292505] made me rethink my preferences. The book talks about a group of friends, Michael, Damon, Will and Kai, who seek vengeance for being sent to jail. They believe Erika, Michael's brother's girlfriend, is responsible for the years of pain they had to endure. Michael, the main character in this book, helps them come up with a plan to destroy Erika's life, for he was the only one still free when his friends were imprisoned. The story goes on, alternating between the past to what happened the night they were imprisoned and how the four men were currently turning Erika's life into a living hell.
Michael and his friends embark on the journey to see what Erika is made of, whether she could ever be one of them or not. Did she have the courage to face the darkness? Will she ever be able to reach that freedom she desires? Will she own who she is, all the good and the bad, before it owned her? Page by page, you'll see how they all were a force to be reckoned with, revealing more and more of who they truly were and what they truly wanted.
“Redefine normal. None of us know the full measure of our power until we start pushing our boundaries and pressing our luck, and the more we do, the less we care what others think. The freedom feels too good.”
The characters are all different but perfectly fit in together. I love all the darkness around them, all the pain and the need to be free. I enjoyed how Erika was still quite feisty, something I like to see in female characters. I also liked how Michael was still caring towards her even when he was having an internal battle with himself. I loved how we got to see bits and pieces of his friends in the book, preparing us for the rest of the novels in the series. The ending was my favorite. It made me so sad to say goodbye to the characters I became attached to instantly, but also happy to see they finally found their peace.
There are several steamy scenes that make you grip the book a tad bit harder and I enjoyed those for sure. The things I did not like, hence the four stars, were the scenes where Erika is almost raped. I don't get the constant need of putting her in that position so many times. It kind of made me angry and cringe a little, but the way she saves herself just shows how she was capable of taking care of herself.
All in all, the book definitely holds a special place in my heart and I'm more than looking forward to reading the rest of the books in the series and get to know Damon, Kai and Will even better.