Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Heartless Heathens by Santana Knox

13 reviews

kayla_kamldecker's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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

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anianika's review against another edition

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dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

0.25

No... Just no. Just because you can doesn't mean you should and this book definitely should not have been a thing.

The last hundred pages were literally just smut and graphic sex scenes. I get it sometimes you just want smit without plot but damn does the sorry excuse for a plot really have to be so...terrible?

Went in expecting a dark villain-y romance and was met with SA, graphic sexual violence and just terrible writing. 

Stars subtracted for every time LotR was mentioned or referenced but unfortunately there aren't even stars. Shame.... Just a shame.
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thefox_reads's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was a reread for me and it held up just as well as it did the first time!
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marieb_reads's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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vidalovesspice's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense slow-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

2.75

  • Spice Lvl - 5 - Ya'll need Jesus after this...and some eye bleach...and mouth wash...
  • Female Character - Romina
    • 1/5 - soft, bland tofu. But she develops into HORNY, soft tofu. Sis going to horny jail.
    • It made me REALLY uncomfortable how infantilized she was the ENTIRE book. I understand she was locked up for 18 years in a tower, but holy shit, it was creepy to read how childish she was.
  • Male Characters/Love Interests - Twins: Felix & Corvin Escura & Sonny Santorini
    • 3/5 - a point for each guy xD. I did like Corvin the best, but it was like good cop (Felix), bad cop (Corvin), and angry cop (Sonny). They're all going to horny jail.
    • Red Flag Rating - 4/5 - coercion, grooming, and conditioning Romina ain't it for me. Definitely not a turn on to take advantage of someone naïve like Romina.
  • Stupid Scale
    • So Stupid
  • Trigger warning - A LOT - death of parents, trauma, murder, death, suicidal thoughts, disembowelments, dismembering, drowning, dubious consent, physical assault (not between MCs), bomb threat, mutilation, child abuse, neglect, Satanic worship, incestuous situation 
  • Kinks - sexual asphyxiation, choking, unprotected sex, light degradation, blood play, knife play, eating period blood (ya'll need Purell), anal, double penetration, spit roast, MMF, MMMF

I'm going to preface this review by saying dark romance is PROBABLY not for me. I really tried to like this book because I liked what I saw on booktok. It's inspired by Hunchback of Notredame, so I was so in for this tory. I loved what people were saying about it and I was so here for all the spice. I also liked some of the SPICY SPICY quotes in this book. But man, oh man, I just cannot suffer a stupid, boring FMC. I can't do it. Romina was just so boring. The story also left me wanting.

The Good
  • MOST of the sex was good. I came for the smut. I stayed for the smut. So it delivered on that. I got what I came for. If you just want a book that is straight up smut, this book is for you.
  • The concept was good taking place in a dystopian world.
  • I do enjoy a reverse harem story.
  • Reesa was also the best character in this. I enjoyed all the scenes she was in. I wish she were the main character, to be honest.

The Bad
  • The Story - The story doesn't exist. It begins...it info dumps...and then eventually it ends. Majority of the book is Romina trying to get dick. I wish the beginning wasn't just an info dump of the characters and the dystopian world and it was developed more throughout the story. But I felt like I was just thrown all this info and then a resolution gets tacked on at the very end.
  • Romina - Romina reminded me of all those smutty josei manga I would read where the FMC had virtually no personality and she was just there to be a sleeve for the love interest. She would cry out "no no, oh no stop" the whoooole time. She got on my nerves. Not a fan of this kind of character.
    • Romina starts off incredibly naive and infantilized. She never really grows out of this. The way she speaks is infantilized. Her wants, needs, and motivation don't exist other than to get dick. Sometimes she gets 1 dick. Sometimes she gets 2 dicks. SOMETIMES she gets 3 dicks. Her entire self discovery and journey as a character is her getting dick.
    • I'm also not into romanticizing conditioning someone infantilized like Romina into sex. She's literally conditioned and groomed the same day the 3 Male MCs find her, and she has no idea what's happening. The guys tell her she can do what she wants, but how can she when she's been sheltered all her life, and the first experiences she has getting attention and affection is by being coerced into sex. It's not a kink for me. It was just very uncomfortable.
    • Romina is also just incredibly co-dependent, and doesn't show any agency for herself. Instead she bases all her decisions on if it will please the guys. This goes as far as how she dresses. There's one scene where she's given the option to wear red, but because the guys all wear black and they dressed her like she walked out of a Hot Topic, all she wants to wear is black and fishnet stockings. Give me a break. When she's asked a question or her opinion she looks to the guys for approval first. So annoying.
  • UNHYGENIC FUCKERY - I don't know what it is about dark romance stories and these germy ass kinks. I wanted to be turned on not get my germaphobia triggered. I'm not a fan of bloodplay, but I understand some people like the idea of contracting hepatitis. Fine, cool. I can get behind that. BUT WHERE I DRAW THE LINE AT IS PERIOD BLOOD. If a character wants to bang during her period, good for her. Power to her. Personally, I'd probably want to die during my period, but hey, different folks. But my issue is the whole period blood licking, consuming, etc. That needs its own trigger warning. I was NOT PREPARED for when
    Felix fingerbangs Romina and then sucks on her period blood and then smears it on a grave. Then he takes her hand and walks away.
    Sir?! I hope you purelled your hands after! And bleached out your damn mouth. I wanted to gag. This ain't it, ya'll. That shit is so dirty and foul. I don't find it sexy for a guy to go "Mmm, that's good uterine lining you're shedding there, pet." I DRAW THE LINE!
  • Felix, Corvin, and Sonny, honestly, egh. I liked Corvin the best, but to be honest, there's not too much development except them opening up to letting Romina into their Satanic Mean Girls Club.

Was it painful for me to read this? Not really. I actually didn't hate read this until probably 68% of the way. I just think a lot of dark romance is not for me, and while I did enjoy most of the smut minus the period blood nonsense, I just don't like having to deal with stupid, bland ass characters like Romina. Girl gave me nothing. But if you love dark romance, I think you'll enjoy this. Like I said previously, most of the sex scenes are hot. You just need to suspend all your brain cells and carry some bleach with you.

 
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mothermoth's review against another edition

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

3.25

The world building was very rambling and just felt like trudging through words after you get past the beginning it’s pretty good  also a bit too real if your looking for a book to take you into fantasy 
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smokingchagga's review against another edition

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

3.0

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book_worm_mama_bear's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • 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

I have so much to say about this book and I hope I remember to write everything I want to put in this review. If I forget something I will update my goodreads. Let's start with the basics. 5/5 on the spice scale and let me tell you this was a very hot book. Check triggers as always because this book is Dark! So the main female character Romina gives me eve in the garden vibes and the main males give me hot Lucifer temping her vibes. This book is so different and the future time that they are living in is much like the nightmare our current situation with in the U.S could land us. I like the fact that you almost get a fear like omg this is where we could be heading. So on top of a great story the plot and world building is on point. The twist and turns towards the end had me so wrapped up I couldn't put it down. I have to say the ending had me at peace but there was that little bit of room for a chance of another book maybe with same characters and continue story or same world different characters and story. I love when an author leaves room to a book that gives you a good ending just incase those characters have more story to tell. This was best book thus far of 2023. 
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cryosphinx's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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kassmin08's review against another edition

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No stranger to dark romance. That being said, I can't handle sexual activities with partners so innocent (regardless of age) this book had promise if it wasn't for the sexual abuse and constant bullying of the female main lead due to her ignorance and innocence 
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