Reviews tagging 'Stalking'

Broken Bonds by J. Bree

8 reviews

sweetteaandfiction's review

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

5.0

The Bonds that Tie series by J Bree is a now complete six book RH series that I am struggling to put down. I am nearly done with book four, and I started the series two days ago. It is that good. 

PROS: 
🖤The gifted system 
🤍The fact the gifted have a rift that reminds me of the X-Men VS The Brotherhood 
🖤Everyone has their own lives and trauma that predate the story being told and help shape it. 
🤍Sage 
🖤All the unique gifts 

CONS: 
🤍The Bonds not giving Oleander the benefit of the doubt about running away when they know the Resistance exists 
🖤The Resistance 
🤍The fact people treat any of the other gifted like they are lesser or scary or anything other than just equal. 

👢👢👢👢👢 out of five perfect pairs of thrifted boots 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment

Moderate: Misogyny, Violence, and Stalking

Minor: Death, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Death of parent

angelinanajel's review against another edition

dark funny tense 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

3.75

I was captivated by this book. The suspense surrounding Oli's decision to run away kept me engaged. I'm a sucker for badass female main characters, and Oli nails that role perfectly. The inclusion of my favorite tropes, like "touch her and die" and forced proximity really enhanced my enjoyment of the book. I also thoroughly enjoyed the slow build up of sexual tension between Oli and her bonds. 

My only qualm lies in the sparse world-building and my strong aversion to Nox Draven.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Sexual assault, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, and Death of parent

melissafelicia's review against another edition

dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This book reads like one of those reality tv series on mtv; too much cursing, all drama and very little plot, but so entertaining that you keep wanting more.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Stalking

Moderate: Kidnapping and Alcohol

Minor: Death of parent

pebbletown's review

medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.75

It’s! Bad :) I am like halfway through the series though lol 

Warnings wise idk how to tag “main character kidnapped and microchipped and forced to go to college where one of her soul bonds is an evil professor”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, and Stalking

iben_flor's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• 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

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Classism

melissa_rueff's review

emotional funny fast-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? It's complicated

4.0

This book is a good example of poly rep but filled with horrid misogyny. Every part of this book is just the main character shitting on women for being feminine or pretty or interested in men. The main character just is just screaming internalized misogyny all over the book. Honest to God I almost didn’t finish the book because it was so misogynistic. I finished it because I like the poly concept, but I really really think that the author  
 is a “not like other girls” girl and that’s really disappointing to me.  Like the concept that you can write about a poly relationship yet you can’t think that other women who are  feminine are not shitty for being so. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Stalking, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

The relationship depicted is severely abusive. I believe the author did that intentionally to create plot points, but the fact that the main character doesn’t recognize and then states the treatment as domestic abuse at the level it is really makes me question what this author thinks is okay. because everything that is happening here is domestic abuse and not even light abuse like horrid treatment is astounding to me. If you’ve experienced any form of like gaslighting, or like control, this might not be the novel for you, I say all of that is a warning because I don’t feel like I was warned getting into this book. I did enjoy this novel it has a lot of fun plot points is an interesting concept. There are redeeming characters, but the fact of the matter is, there’s not enough of a warning how severe the domestic abuse is, and it’s never really touched on even later on in the other novels and nobody really apologizes for the severe severe abuse outside of like “I’m sorry that happened but it had to happen because of the plot points that wr as the character expierenced so it’s excuse” which is a shit excuse and also abuse in itself. Understand me I like this novel but I am warring you it’s a bad time.

bangiebangs's review

adventurous 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? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Oh this was a tricky one.

Things I liked:
- the writing (notwithstanding occasional typos)
- the mysterious setup... this feels like a pretty new take (maybe I just havent read the book series similar to this one?)
- Gryphon. Also Atlas. They seem like rounded people who think before they act. (The rest of the bonds are just insufferably childish, self-centered dudes)

Things I disliked
- he world-building. There is some info about what these bonds are and how they work, but why, when do you usually learn about your bonds, how do you find them (like, some people are "waiting to find" them? Also, seems like you can reject a bond, what happens then? How is power heightened or acquired when a bond is completed? So many questions, but not in a good "mystery we will uncover" way, but more a "causes confusion when reading" way. Also, what is the Resistance resisting against and why? No idea. But they seem to be the baddies for some reason?
- the FMC's naivité. Annoying as hell. I'm personally not a fan of mysteriously self-sacrificing characters, especially when it is then used to explain some shitty behavior without much context?
- description of FMC through the book. She seems to have a normal (or even hot) body in the beginning, enjoying her food, and as soon as she is forced to do more physical exercise the fact her clothes don't fit and are too big gets mentioned a lot. I find that annoying. 
- How old are the bonds? Like, all around same age, or some way older? Some are councilmen and uni professors, others students?

But overall... I read this quickly, and I was hooked. Spice is not happening here (0.5/5 for some drooling over hot bodies), but that's likely because this is setting up the series. Wished that I wasn't so confused half of the time when it comes to in-world politics, but hoping that things will clear up. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Car accident, Death of parent, and War

Minor: Gun violence and Abortion

sexual assault neglect (FMC is left without food for days on end, not being taken care of later in the book) FMC is violently implanted with a tracker (against her will)

zc2's review

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

1.0

I was told it was going to be like Haunting Adeline, however it feels like a darker version of the Shatter Me Series. I will probably continue the series although with reading shatter me before hand, it does feel like a reread but with smaller twist. There wasn’t much background information so I kinda felt confused the whole time. The characters were kinda difficult to remember, like it was hard to match personalities with names. Not terrible but could be better.There weren’t really intense parts except for the end. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Genocide, Misogyny, Sexual content, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail