Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

How does it feel? by Jeneane O'Riley

17 reviews

geesjournals's review

adventurous dark tense slow-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

3.25

A literal rollercoaster ride. 

20%  I hated this exposition. 
31%  Completely traumatized.
38%  It's weird, but I don't hate it. 
59%  I'm only here for Mendax.
64%  It's all worth it. 
73%  Mendax. Mendax. Mendax.
84%  Unhinged.
93%   Callie is the most frustrating annoying maddening main character ever.
94%   I'ma stick beside him.
97%   Ummm... Since when?
100%  Eli who? Saracen what? I am confusion. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child death, Car accident, and Death of parent

kittykatruin's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

booksmoke_kitty's review

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Death and Sexual content

_marycappiello3's review

dark fast-paced

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

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

renreadsbooks's review

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-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

2.5

Super hard to rate. I enjoyed the first 20%, appreciated the slow burn, the characters and the writing and when there was a shift in setting and characters, I was intrigued by the plot but started to not like the book anymore. The writing got super repetitive and the plot became inconsistent. There were so many points where I was so confused by some line drops, that I assume were supposed to be foreshadowing for the grand reveal but I would forget them as they were one liners and when the grand reveal/ plot twist happened, I was SO confused. But I also liked the plot twist?? Idk i’m very confused and don’t know how to feel. 2.5-3.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Blood, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Death of parent and War

booksalacarte's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

3⭐️2.75🌶️

Contemporary Fantasy
Dark Romantasy
Magical realism
1st Person
Dual POV
Fae
Enemies to lovers
Stockholm syndrome
Trials
Twist

Tw: sexual assault, confinement, murder

This is a fun time, more than a good time.

For how short this fantasy book was, there was a lot going on… It was trying to be a lot of things in 320 pages. Cliche dialogue, typical plot… but the ending had a decent twist that only had the tiniest foreshadowing. So it was a decent surprise.

The POV overlap was really not great. I was annoyed at reading the same moments but from a different POV. It slowed the pacing down a lot. The fantasy aspect didn’t start until almost 1/2 way through the book…it felt like a lot of build up in a world where none of the action took place. 

The FMC was portrayed as biology Barbie. Not really someone I wanted to root for. I was very confused by her as the FMC in a fantasy. It didn’t track. She starts out not cursing… and replacing words in a ‘The Good Place’ way, then curses in the second half of the book. She‘s inconsistent and not not a trustworthy narrator. 

The MMC is a prince who is numb except when he kills. That’s it. That’s his personality. Got it. And unoriginal with his shadow powers. It is what it is at this point. 

I’m hoping that the next book gets better. It was indie published and picked up before the second book was done, so maybe things get better with a good editor? It’s the same length… So jury is out. I’m reading book 2 because I got it from the library with the first one and I’m a little curious with the ending. If book 2 is the same, I’ll be done.

The longer I think about it, the lower i want to rate the book… but I was fine while reading it…

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

kitti_kat's review

adventurous challenging dark fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Emotional abuse and Slavery

saranwrap18's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-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? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

neighbor_reads's review against another edition

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No

1.0

 Check the content warnings! The pacing is a major issue with this book. It takes 65 pages before the premise is even mentioned, with the first section of the book establishing characters and setting that have nothing to do with anything. Then from there the plot moves but has a cast of extremely unlikable characters. The protagonist is terrible and just finds people who feel a "need" to protect her for no reason. She is subjected to gratuitous, over the top violence and assault (there is a seen in a dungeon cell that is particularly gross and unnecessary). Other characters suffer graphic violence in such a casual way that it's nearly comical.

The "twist" at the end is completely unearned and reaffirms why these characters are unlikable. It's really just thrown in at the end so it can set up a sequel. Skip this.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Cursing, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

caitybell's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, and Injury/Injury detail