Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

Carnage by Shantel Tessier

4 reviews

ashpau's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Rape, Torture, Sexual violence, Confinement, and Murder

Minor: Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, and Drug use

kaadee's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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? It's complicated

3.0

I’m begging and pleading on my knees for one of these girls to run as far away as they can. I was ROOTING for Ash, but that dumb dumb had to get caught. I just want ONE FUCKIN GIRL TO LIVE HER LIFE SAFE AND HAPPY FAR AWAY FROM THESE LORDS.

Also, the plot is so all over the place, last 100 pages never make sense but I stay for the smut.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Abandonment, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Violence, Gaslighting, Grief, Sexual content, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Stalking, Torture, Toxic relationship, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Blood, Death, Medical content, Mental illness, Car accident, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

laylareadsthings's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

Oh boy was this a roller coaster, as many others have said! 

Overall this series is basically a perfect five stars for me. It’s top tier dark romance and my favorite to recommend when someone is ready to dive into DARK dark romance (please take TW and content warnings very seriously, they are lengthy and there for a reason). The smut is iconic, I don’t think anyone comes close to Shantel in this genre. So it pains me to say that this wasn’t my favorite of the series. And LOOK like I said I LOVE this series, so by ’least favorite’ I mean no insult, there were just some issues for me and each new addition is competing with perfection. Spoilers will be hidden, open at your own risk. 

One of the reasons I’ve enjoyed this world is the attention to detail with the plot. The long conning and planning, the way characters maneuver around an incredibly strict set of rules. In Carnage, some of the character motivations and decisions felt more juvenile to me than previous books. More chaos than control. This may be because you’re juggling more characters here so the story doesn’t feel as tightly woven. There is more reiteration in this book than previous ones of the FMCs consent and interests, which some may find repetitive but I think is extremely important with this story. Ashtyn and Saint will make you work for their love, and I’m going to be thinking about them for a long time. Saint is SO GOOD, might be right behind Ryat for me as #1. And Ashtyn is really unlike any FMC I’ve read before which I mean as the highest compliment, especially in this genre where FMCs can feel repetitive to me. 

There is lack of, or mis, communication in every Lords book but in Carnage there was more than once where I couldn’t buy the fallout from an event because of it. One of these events is Ashtyn leaving. She is helped by an additional MC who knows why she leaves. This is also THE pivotal plot point for this entire book’s events. And while I completely bought her emotional journey, as the author does an incredible job writing her trauma and reasoning through her decisions, I couldn’t buy her determinedness to stay silent once she’s returned. As the reader, I just felt like a single conversation would have solved the entire issue.  The commitment from Saint to her was crystal clear from page one. While this is explained with Ashtyn feeling hopeless (and again, the author does a wonderful job here!), there were many times her actions and inner monologue show the exact opposite. Her character started to confuse me, which left me frustrated during the 60-85% mark of this book until the resolution picks up.

There’s incredible interconnectivity from the other books in the series, people pop up for a reason and it doesn’t feel frivolous. This book is written as a standalone, however I recommend you read the prior books to get the full impact. If you go in blind, the ending may feel confusing to you - but I actually think it would be a wild ride to go back and piece everything together knowing how this book wraps up. 

I am  so freaking thrilled to continue in this world and I’m dying for the next two brothers’ books (and hopefully many more)!! Once I’ve read a few palette cleansers, I’m excited to go back and do a reread. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Sexual violence, Blood, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Body horror, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Torture, Kidnapping, Medical content, Miscarriage, Murder, Rape, Physical abuse, Sexism, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, and Abandonment

natashareadsbooks's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Carnage is a dark revenge romance- check TW before going in! And while it's not required to read the rest of the Lords series before hand- I definitely recommend it.

Ashtyn was set to become a Lord's chosen one- and not just any Lord, but Saint Carter- one of the Spade Brothers who is set to run Carnage. And as a Chosen, Ashtyn belongs to Saint- but when things get complicated - Ashtyn must make an impossible choice. She tries to run... Only to be dragged right back. But now instead of Saint's love, she is faced with his revenge. Will Ashtyn survive, or will Carnage be the death of her? 

So, ai absolutely love Shantel's books- she is the queen of dark romance & I devour everything she writes- and Carnage is no different. 

I loved Saint & Ashtyn's story. It was hot & spicy & dark & twisted and I loved every second of it. 

Saint was dark and wicked and down right delicious. If you love diving into the deep end, and love the depravity then I definitely recommend this book. 5⭐ out of 5⭐

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Blood, Alcohol, Grief, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Stalking, Torture, Violence, Drug use, Death of parent, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Car accident, Death, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Confinement, Cursing, Medical content, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship

Bdsm, bondage, somnophilia, claustrophobia, branding, orgasm denial, forced orgasm, humiliation, degradation, CNC, DubCon, anal,