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lenorasvaughn's review against another edition
Horrible depictions of mental illnesses
DID
OCD
Transphobia
A LOT OF GORE AND KILLING
Murder (chekiss family)
Him putting their body on display
ED (Eating disorder)
Child SA
Incest
Exlpicit torture on patients
There is so much more but this is some of what I talk about
Authors note
In the authors note Brandi claims that this book is a work of fiction and she wants this book to open the eyes of those who look at DID with the lack of respect and with fear but how does making the “most dangerous man in the book” with DID supposed to change that.
“The representation of DID in this novel is a morally grey, dangerous character. This is NOT an accurate representation of DID. It is a symbolic representation of how DID appears to modern society- feared, misunderstood, and a mystery of the mind to gawk at. Please know that the rest of the series will be the journey to this fictional society and the characters to understand and accurately represent”
The amount of backtracking and reaching this author's note had to do to prove that she is not painting DID a very serious disorder in a bad light. From claiming that she wants to make it so people will not fear DID but then also saying she will be using it to represent how people see DID which defeats the whole purpose of her goal.
“But allow me to set the record straight for this nonfictional world. This community of people is NOT the monsters. They are NOT the villains. They are kind, intelligent, wonderful human beings that were the victims of horrendous injustice and abuse”
This is like saying “Oh trans people are not predators like people unjustly say they are and to prove it i will make my one trans person a predator to show how the world sees them” oh wait…
The Transphobia (Niles/Cupid storyline)
“I was reawakened to a new purpose that night Charlotte requested to be serviced by me for three days. She paid handsomely for my favours and even offered to leave me with fine jewellery to take home to my mother. But during those long hours over the course of those three hour long days and nights, I was quickly made aware that Charlotte was born a man”.
This is the first mention of the one trans person added in this book through the character Niles who calls himself cupid and kidnaps people and traps them in his basement to try to get them together like how cupid would pair two people together. Also in the same chapter at the very end it is said “Charles Offborth is my father. He took the necklace with him when he left us. Charles Offborth became Charlotte”. This was found out when Charlotte had left jewellery and money on the table more than usual but one thing stood out. A cupid necklace with the names Harmony and Charles Offborth on the back. This is something from Skylennas pov that felt off.
“The phantom images of Niles spending three days with a woman with male parts knocked around inside of my brain.” The wording is so bad and off. “A woman with male parts”!!!!!!!!!!! There has always been a discourse around trans people and people being obsessed with the thought that genitals equal gender which is not true at all. The big reason for Niles actions being “Not wanting to live in a world where the only love he has seen was from Charlotte”. There were many chances along the way of the writing and the beta reading for someone to say that the portrayal of the trans character is bad and harmful and many trans creators on tiktok have spoken up about the harm this causes. One creator that speaks of the harm is @ermreading while they don’t go into detail of the transphobia they speak of the harm that it caused. Being that the media influences people especially around transgender people who are seen as predators in the eyes of most people and handing them a book where a trans person is a predator will not change their minds but only confirm their thoughts on trans people. A big advocate about transphobia in this book is a fellow trans creator rhys (@readwithrhys). There are many problematic things about the whole Charlotte situation. The fact she was always seen in heavy makeup which may not seem problematic to people who don’t understand but it is! Trans women having to wear heavy makeup to “look like a cis woman” is so extremely problematic and it is something trans women have to fight. The big thing also is the fact Skylenna is not upset that Niles opened up about how he had to sell himself and learned it was TO A PARENT but the fact it was a transgender woman which brings back to the quote about how picturing Niles with a woman with male parts never left her mind. To make up for the harm she caused to the trans people she decided to make Charlotte back to Charles which makes it now that gay people are predators which is already a shitty stereotype about gay people. BUT THAT'S NOT ALL not only after she changed the book she sold the first editions of the book meaning the copies of the books with the trans character in the book which shows she does not care about the people she hurt but only profit.
As a trans person I do not accept her apology for transphobia. If you are trans and you accept it that is okay but if you are not trans I don’t want to hear that you accept it.
The OCD rep (Sun Ravendi)
This character is briefly mentioned not as important as main character status as Chekiss (who I will go into) and Niles. This character is mentioned as a throw off at first with another patient being described after. Skylenna explains her as this
“The first room harbours a woman with fear of bacteria and germs. Her hands look like a slab of raw beef from being scrubbed with bleach, and she no longer has fingernails from ripping them off to get rid of any germs that linger. Her head is shaved to keep away any lice along with her eyebrows and eyelashes. She persistently peels off the skin from her lips to keep them clean as well. She is under constant watch so she won’t hurt herself anymore”.
Sun was found by her neighbour who had heard screams coming from Sun’s home to find that Sun’s three year old daughter's skin was covered in blisters from hot water and chemicals which she then soon passed away from. It had also been found out that Sun had sodomised her daughter with bleach soaked objects. The treatment Sun is put through was called chari binding. A rope is tied tightly around Sun. Sun is then made to sit there for eight hours to train her brain to associate her urges to clean herself with pain which will in the asylums opinion make her extreme OCD go away. This portrayal of OCD is very harmful to people with OCD. While some cases of OCD can be debilitating this portrayal handles this very real disorder with zero respect. To my knowledge Brandi did not add a tw for what happened to Sun’s daughter. This is not the only time Brandi does this but each time is more disgusting.
Eating disorder (Chekiss and more)
“Women as skinny as the elderly folks they’d bury. The physical appearance of a woman is the gospel. They go by the lady doll regimen. It’s a long nightly routine- hours of soaking in herbal water, a vigorous process to moisturise the skin and the hair while following the strictest dieting standards. Eat if you feel as though they might faint”.
There are most likely many books that cover eating disorders but this is something that needs to be discussed with a lot of care. This book did not do that. This book feels like it puts eating disorders for the shock value and nothing else. Skylenna was told that she needed to abstain from meals or even purge if the temptation to eat was too much. When she questioned she was told “Your bosom is full and your backside is round. The goal is to see the skin stretch over your bone”. Even being told that if she does not start the lady doll regimen when she gets to Aurick’s estate where she is staying she will be moved to the female ward as a patient. I get that the country was supposed to be seen as bad and toxic (ignoring its dumb as hell name “dementia” like come on) and we are supposed to see it and feel something. BUT this topic was not addressed well and felt like just a passing thing where there are literal fainting couches because women starve themselves so much that they faint so often. It was barely addressed which I hate due to the fact many people, even young women, suffer with eating disorders and it is not something to use for a shitty dark romance book. A big part of the book which mentioned before was the lady doll regimen which Brandi sold tea based off of which shows how little care she has for eating disorders. “But you’ll need to get used to weekly measurements, days without supper and, of course, vigorous cleaning and prepping every night”. She asks what will happen if she says no and she is told she will have to leave the city. It is never said why the city goes by this standard and I think that is the biggest downfall of this book. You cannot introduce a topic or belief and never explain it. If it is explained but I forgot then I apologise but if it isn’t I stand by what I said. Skylenna describes her appearance and it gives off “I am not like other girls I have curves, golden skin, golden locks and no makeup” it is very annoying to read. One reason I did find but I don’t think is a good enough reason was said by Masten “This is why daily discipline for young women is prudent. Their hormones and monthly cycles make them most similar to wide animals”. This is the most stupid thing I have ever read in my life.
“I’ve never compared myself to other women to know what is deemed as attractive. I have the narrow waist and long legs that most women dream of, but my skin is slightly golden instead of paper white, and my bum isn’t skin and bone. It’s round and cushioned when I sit. How would one know if they are attractive with these outrageous beauty standards?”
Am I supposed to feel bad for her? The whole beauty standard thing is stupid. The whole concept that all girls have to be skin and bone was not needed and the book had no reason to add it imo.
Chekiss’s case was that he killed both his wife and his child. According to Chekiss his daughter and mother had lost who they were to the beauty standard. This caused him to kill both of them then strip them down in town square. Not only did he kill his family but in order to show the city the horror of their lifestyle he decides to humiliate his family. This storyline was one of the worst imo. Killing his family for the reason he did felt like a last minute discussion for shock factor. Also why would he be put into an asylum for this? I get he went mute but prison would be a better place for him and there is nothing that can make me feel bad for this man as he killed both his wife and daughter then put them on display. I feel like with him and Niles we were supposed to look at them and their past and feel bad for them since they had been through so much, such as Niles' childhood trauma and Chekiss thinking he lost his family to the lady doll regimen.
The Torture
“But what if I can’t handle watching the patients be punished for simply existing”. Are we supposed to praise Skylenna for thinking this?? It is described that the people who do these things on the patients are cold and can easily torture the patients without feeling bad. But Scarlett, her sister, was different; she had this power called empathy gasp. She was told it takes a certain amount of detachment to work there. There is a history with mental asylums and abuse towards the patients and I think it is very distasteful to write about this. “The end goal isn’t to cure them”. This storyline feels like it is another way to demonise people with disorders and mental health issues. One main “treatment” was simulated drowning. Others were hydrotherapy, electroconvulsive therapy, chair binding, lobotomies, and chemically induced seizures. They are explained in detail when they happen and as far as I am aware there were no trigger warnings for this. (It does say torture but it does not warn you for how much detail will be there). This book going into detail about the torture these mentally ill patients experience feels so disgusting to read. The little care put into any part of this book makes it a harder book to read. Dealing with Skylennas monologue about how she hates to see them go through this and all she wants to do is to hold him. Is this supposed to make it okay? She put this in the book because the main character feels empathy for them? Not only does this book demonise mental health but it also tortures them!
Skylenna
Skylenna is probably one of the most annoying main characters I have read. She is supposed to be seen as a very empathetic character who we would want to root for and even feel bad for her. While her backstory is sad it feels like Brandi was just coming up with things on the spot for her backstory as the story went along. She got WAY too close to her patients even considering them as her friends and even taking the place for Niles “treatment”. We find out her sister Scarlett was locked in a closet most of her life and sold in the sex trade until she took her own life. Skylenna would then keep talking about how her sister felt about the asylum in brief mentions. It feels like it was just put there. It would not feel like that if that was the only time SA was mentioned as a traumatic backstory but THREE BACKSTORIES INCLUDING SCARLETS DO. It feels gross to read that a few of the victims are made to be dangerous. One kidnapping and one the most dangerous man (I will get into patient 13 soon). I feel like we are supposed to see Skylenna as the innocent and very empathetic character with her connection with her patients and even patient 13. But it is very hard to see her like that. I know she is going into the asylum due to her sister but that just feels like pulling out a reason just to have one. But it feels so stupid to put a 19 year old incharge of patients. She has absolutely ZERO training! She is allowed near the most dangerous patient because she believes she can help “force the host out” and they just let her. Also the time she and patient 13 are allowed to train in the garden and no one bats an eye towards this. He is the most dangerous guy and she is allowed to be left alone with him. Also the fact this man keeps so many secrets from her and she just accepts it- she feels like a character who was made to be complex but she is anything but that. The transphobia was explained away by Skylenna learning to be accepting of the LGBTQ+ community which just feels stupid. She saw patient 13 as more than just her patient but her friend. Which does not seem professional at all. Also her switch on him at the end after she saw him murder people then she instantly forgets about that??? The fact that she found out his greatest fear which will then get “his host to come out” feels so wrong and like it is nothing like what DID is. But his greatest fear of losing her feels so made up on the spot which I will get into this more when I talk about him. “I worked so hard to meet you, Kane. I deserve answers”. This feels so fucking stupid.
Patient 13
This is the last thing I will talk about when it comes to this book. I could talk about Brandis' response to the criticism of this book but we would be here all day.
There was one case in the asylum where he snaps the neck of a nurse who survives and then is put into the women's ward. It is then said at the end it was all planned and it was because Demechnef was after her and her family due to her involvement. This made my brain hurt. It felt like it was another one of those “let me put this in here for no reason I just need something more for the plot to move along”.
He is described as the most dangerous patient in the entire asylum and etc. this helps play into the stereotype the movie split tried to put across which is that people with DID are dangerous. He is described as the only patient to admit himself they shackle him to the wall but he is able to escape and leave but comes back. “Has a rare and deeply disturbing disorder” how is this supposed to help see people with DID in a good light when the author is saying that it's “disturbing”. Hell they even use words like murderous, manipulative and vicious to describe him. His mind is described as different to others and if he wasn’t dangerous they would investigate his brain huh????? Also lets not look past the fact that he somehow knows small details about people and it is never said how. The fact that his training started at age six feels weird and just put there. Just like his backstory. His DID just magically appeared out of nowhere and instantly he was this strong child. There is also the whole him being able to control who fronts and what is said. It has been said that Kane the “host” can see through the eyes while Dessin is fronting which does not seem right. People with DID say that only the alter who is fronting can see and remember what happens so the fact Kane can feels like it was just there to move along the plot like the majority of things are. Dessin is described as the avenging alter who just knows everyone so well and knows what they will do, for example Aurick. Speaking of Aurick, his character change did not make sense and it seems like the book needed a villain so they picked him. Dessin just knew Aurick would be like this because he knows how everyone will act. Also the fact that his eyes changed when he switched??? “The brown fills in once more, radiating with flecks of gold and green”. This just seems so out of place! The connection between patient 13 and Skylenna was so forced! So apparently he heard her scream and after experiencing the trauma with his family she was his second chance. He does not know her and saves her and suddenly he has a connection to her?? Again another thing for the plot that does not make sense! Their relationship is so bland and just so eh. The end hints that the next book will have more alters as it ends with another alter fronting. Which as I keep saying it feels forced. None of this book feels like it flows and that everything was made for shock value!! That being said I will read the rest of the books because I want to see if Brandi has gotten better at talking about these issues including DID or if it just keeps going downhill. Also I love to hate read.
annieberry's review against another edition
4.0
I read it in one day and sacrificed sleep to finish it. Worth it!
striestoescapes's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
lunavampyre's review against another edition
2.0
Story lacked structure, was just a lot of words and didn't make sense. Dreams had nothing to do with the actual storyline. The start was very boring and took forever to get in to. Was not worth the read nor am I buying the rest of the series. There was no spice at all.
ssaraham's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
minisoph's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
majeclaire's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
pitts1294's review against another edition
5.0
This book is amazing. The amount of research that went into mental disorders and asylum work is amazing. The writing is phenomenal. Brandi kept me on the edge the entire time. I was hooked from the very beginning. I finished this book in 24 hours and I’m ready to start the next one. Chekiss and Niles are great characters. The things they did to end up in the asylum may not be agreed upon by a lot of people but I understand why they did what they did. Dessin is very intelligent and at no point did I feel like he was manipulating Skylenna. He does however manipulate others. He suffers from DID and he is the current alter of the host who I will not name. Alley because I had to read through the whole book to find out so now you do too. These characters have captured my heart and will hold a special place in it. Brandi thank you so much for not giving up when things got dark. I know how hard it is to fight through that. Your writing is amazing and don’t ever let anyone take that from you. Keep your light shining babe.