Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

That Sik Luv by Jescie Hall

31 reviews

rinaryel's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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

3.5

 A Rollercoaster of Dark Delight! 

So, I just finished this and let me tell you, it's one wild ride! This isn't just a story—it's pure madness. Dark, toxic, violent, and downright demented. But here's the kicker; it's not just chaos for the sake of it. We're delving into religious traumas, the messed-up side of faith, confronting inner demons and overcome some really heavy traumas. 

Now, let's talk about Aero. This guy isn't just morally gray; he's as black as coal, but fukc, he's as hot and dangerous as a burning ember. 

The smut? Damn, it's darker than I expected (not complaining). But it's definitely not for the faint of hearts, and I gotta say that the variety in places, positions, and kinks deserves some serious recognition. 

Is this book going to be my absolute favourite dark stalker romance? Probably not, but man, did I enjoy the crazy ride. Everyone in that book, and I mean everyone, needs a ton of therapy. Including, maybe, some of us readers who willingly signed up for this madness. 

Now, about that rating. Why isn't it a solid five stars than? I'm not entirely sure. Something towards the end just didn't hit the same way the rest did. Maybe it's the page count, or perhaps some chapters were a bit too long. Still, I enjoyed the whole journey; it just didn't keep that same vibe all through the book. 

In a nutshell, That Sik Luv took me on a wild, dark, and twisted adventure. It might not be my forever favorite, but I'm gonna be thinking about this crazy ride for a long time. 

 

As a side note, can we please stop comparing Zade and Aero? They're both unhinged stalkers, sure, but they shine in their own insane ways. If you're picking this up hoping for another Zade, think again. They're like comparing apples and oranges—both tasty, but totally different.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Stalking, Pedophilia, Murder, Violence, Toxic relationship, Torture, Sexual violence, Sexual content, and Religious bigotry

Masked man, Religious trauma, Degradation , Humiliation , Voyeurism, Exhibitionism, Somnophilia, Possessiveness , BDSM

rumaisaaa's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

3.5

“They want to crumble her sweet, innocent soul into the ground, whereas I want to break it, reviving her pieces in my darkness.”

fair warning: quite possibly one of the darkest books i have ever read. 

the plot had a LOT of potential, especially with the whole religious corruption aspect and the kind of character Aero was and how Briony offset him so starkly. the whole premise of the book offered SO MUCH yet, it fell short. 

Aero didn't do it for me as the MMC, whilst i get that the book was dark and i have read my fair share of morally grey men in dark romances, i didn't feel the connect with Aero. he was too brutal in his attempt to show Briony "the light" (as he so eloquently puts it). i unabashedly agree that he was the catalyst to and cause for Briony's growth. his methods worked, yes, but he was crude, unnecessarily harsh and relentless at times (read: SEVERAL). 

as the main (sik) love interest, i needed his vulnerability, his softness and his affection shown more. while i do understand the darkness of his downright traumatising past and how that moulded him into who he was throughout the course of this book, i feel like his character's growth only came in the last 20 pages or so. frankly, it was a little too late for me, especially considering his actions, his words and his thoughts throughout the rest of the book. Briony quite literally overlooked everything he did and only ever saw his greater motives (which, agreed, were good when seeing the larger picture) but the disrespect she faced from him, the lack of answers, the riddles, it was too much for me. 

that said, Briony's character was beautiful. her growth and empowerment were written really well. i loved how she embraced herself and let go of all her inhibitions when she realised that she didn't need to conform to the church elders. also, i LOVE LOVE LOVE the fact that she recognised that power abuse is real, even in apparently religious and 'holy' places, and decided to cut herself off from aspects of christianity that she did not believe in and yet, held onto her faith in a supreme power, despite Aero's non-believing. 

tldr; didn't enjoy it as much as i hoped i would but Briony (fmc) for the win. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Stalking, Death, Gore, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Torture, and Toxic relationship

kayebreebubble's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

I picked this up and did not put it down until I was finished. Read it in one day. I was absolutely ENTHRALLED by Jescie Hill's word play and the darkness she was telling. I am obsessed. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Death, and Sexual violence

naechan's review against another edition

0.5

This was so bad I was in physical pain while reading it, but I refuse to DNF a book so I forced myself to finish it and that’s the real sadomasochism right there. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Pedophilia, Self harm, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, Stalking, Gun violence, Incest, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Violence

faith99's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Mental illness, Murder, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Violence

Moderate: Sexism

Minor: Confinement

siffpedersen's review against another edition

challenging dark sad fast-paced

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

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Murder, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Stalking, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Violence

agraves16's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

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

4.0

Didn't know if this would be too much for me coming from a cultish religious background, but I loved it. There were actually some profound statements in this book I felt at my core. I found myself cheering them on in their revenge and it felt almost like my own healing of trauma at the hands of religious people/institutions. 

My only "ick" was the FMC's name...its just weird, the kind of weird that's distracting because every time I saw it I had to try to wrap my head around how to pronounce the damn thing and it always just felt odd to read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Murder, and Stalking

kittykels's review against another edition

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? Yes

4.0

I mostly enjoyed this book. As someone who grew up with Christianity and left it behind as I got older, I appreciated the exploration of how it feels to have your entire worldview flipped upside down. Obviously I cannot relate to having a stalker that leads me on a sexual awakening, but I enjoyed reading about it! 😉

I gave the book 4 stars instead of 3 because I think a lot of things I wish the book had done differently were personal preferences rather than actual criticisms. This book is dark and can be pretty triggering in so many different ways, but overall it was well written and a good read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Stalking, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content

Moderate: Drug use, Gore, Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Rape, Murder, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, and Gun violence

Minor: Child abuse and Alcohol

bettyswanreader's review

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶+

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Physical abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Toxic relationship, Blood, Self harm, Sexual content, Abortion, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Grief, Stalking, Torture, Death, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

bookmarkedbymags's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Stalking