Reviews tagging 'Trafficking'

The Sinner by Shantel Tessier

6 reviews

inkshadows's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Trafficking, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Alcohol

christikb's review

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

Alright, y'all, I have even more thoughts about The Sinner than I did about The Ritual and they aren't necessarily quite as positive. To catch everybody up to speed about the series: the L.O.R.D.S. are a hereditary fraternity society filled with rich edgelords that are initiated into a vast murder cult over three years of abstinence and homicide ; in their senior year, they receive a chosen, a (mostly-willing) participant in the Lord's dark romance fantasies. These are their stories (*insert Law & Order gavel sound here*). The Sinner is Sin (Easton Sinnet) and Elli's story and it is so much more dark than The Ritual. Our FMC is a sexual abuse survivor...and that's not even the darkest part of our story. Sin is one GIANT red flag, somehow even more so than Ryat, and he's intensely protective of Sin (aww, sweet) unless he's the one making her cry (less sweet). He would absolutely die for her and does his damnedest to prove that fact, which is simultaneously heartwarming and -breaking. Elli's story is...god, so freaking rough from the beginning. She was groomed from a young age and is trying to outgrow her grooming, however, she keeps getting surrounded by Lords who are nebulous (at best) on the subject of consent. To escape her devastating emotional, physical, and mental trauma, she uses drugs prolifically and engages in ever-increasingly physical BDSM play that not only toes the line of consent but sometimes bounds effortlessly across it. I'll be honest; it's a thorough, fairly chilling portrayal of a spiraling sexual assault victim and, although I'm not sure if that was necessarily the intent, it drives home the point time and again, making this an extremely difficult and emotional book to read. Elli overcame a bunch of her trauma and embraced her bad b*itch self, but it's about 90% of the book before we get there. It also reads a bit like a soap opera because the hits never stop coming. Bad thing 1 resolved? Nope, think again, Bad Thing 2 is here plus Bad Thing 1 has mutated. Silver lining here: Tyson Crawford continues to be my precious, problematic assassin dad.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

ggbookrecclub's review

dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

ten_telegrams's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Trafficking, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

_jenny_k_'s review

He literally rapes and assaults her. Like, I like DARK books - I love the "possessive tabboo kinky" type. But in the "feminist hot guy way, not in the he genuinely doesn't respect her and her autonomy over her own body" way. 
And the whole giving the girl a background of trauma and rape thing really is just another big no no in muddying the waters of the plot and consent. 
Plus, it wasn't a convincing chemistry between the two of them for me like they never have any actual conversations of substance that suggest they even actually like each other. 
I'm really not trying to yuck other people's yums but the way this book is being passed of as a dark romance is worrying - it's a story about abuse, trauma and rape and for that reason I had to DNF

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Stalking, and Sexual harassment

misswirum's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

*Changed my rating from 3,75 to 3/5⭐️*

The trauma is strong in this one.

I have so many questions after this book. I'm not sure what I feel about this Lord-universe because I find it to unrealistic. Aaanyways, give me Tyson's book right now.

It has never taken me this long to read a book before and it's all because I had to take a break every other page. This book is dark. Read the goddamn TW if you have any!

Elli could be stronger. I think if you want very strong FMC Shantel's books aint for you. Elli has lots of trauma tho, so some of her behaviour is explained. But she don't have any money of her own? Couldn't she really just run away? Is the Lord's power that strong?? So many questions. I'm also starting to think the author writes weird stuff only for shock value 🤔 And the misogyny and sexism in this book is through the roof. You are warned.

3/5⭐️
3/5📝
4,5/5🌶

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail