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katiebella_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
2⭐️
As a child, she was kidnapped, raped, and left for dead. As an adult, she is out for vengeance against those who hurt her and those who failed to save her.
As a boy, he was kidnapped and forced to listen to the little girl in the room next to him being hurt. He thought she had died. As a man, he has sworn to destroy those who facilitated her death.
My Thoughts
The opening chapter of this book is DARK. I don't think I was mentally prepared for just how dark. Check your triggers. The chapter is the attempted rape and murder of a child. It doesn't go into detail, but you know it is happening. You also know this isn't the first time.
The book graphics are gorgeous. I couldn't get enough of them. Every chapters first page was black overlayed with a grey picture and white words. Whoever they used as a male photo model looked like a young Chris Pratt. By the end, I was seeing his face as Sev ( the MMC POV)
The romance was underwhelming and predictable. He walks into a bakery, steadying her from falling, and surprise, she is practically drooling at his hotness! The instant attraction diminishes the build-up and angst I've come to expect from a dark romance. It was sort of a turn-off.
It's smutty. I'll give the book that. The problem is the sex scenes feel like they are written by a man who doesn't quite understand how a woman's body works. This would be bearable if it HAD been written by a man. It's written by a woman FOR women. She should know better or have at least read more spice before trying to write it. It made me uncomfortable to read. The author has a weird obsession with nipples.
You can tell the author is self-published and unpolished. It's a dark mafia romance, wrapped up in a Sweeny Todd/Hamlet/Medusa rewrite. I had such high hopes for it, but it feels like a "booktok made me buy it" regret.
The "Sweeny Todd" rewrite part is basically he's a barber who murders with a razor, and she's a baker. The "Medusa" rewrite is basically a scorned woman's vengeance. The "Hamlet" is he's after his uncle for the murder of his father. This isn't so much a rewrite as a play on themes. Easy to spot in the first few chapters.
It's not well written and way too long. It feels more like fanfiction or wattpad. The characters are fleshed out and likable, but their speech...... no one talks like that. It's the way a teen in middle school would write a story. The whole thing is disjointed. I had to constantly reread sentences to make them make sense.
The Tale had just enough plot to keep me reading, but it felt more like I hate read it just to find out what happened.
The ending was lackluster and anticlimactic. I wish I had saved my time and money on this one.
As a child, she was kidnapped, raped, and left for dead. As an adult, she is out for vengeance against those who hurt her and those who failed to save her.
As a boy, he was kidnapped and forced to listen to the little girl in the room next to him being hurt. He thought she had died. As a man, he has sworn to destroy those who facilitated her death.
My Thoughts
The opening chapter of this book is DARK. I don't think I was mentally prepared for just how dark. Check your triggers. The chapter is the attempted rape and murder of a child. It doesn't go into detail, but you know it is happening. You also know this isn't the first time.
The book graphics are gorgeous. I couldn't get enough of them. Every chapters first page was black overlayed with a grey picture and white words. Whoever they used as a male photo model looked like a young Chris Pratt. By the end, I was seeing his face as Sev ( the MMC POV)
The romance was underwhelming and predictable. He walks into a bakery, steadying her from falling, and surprise, she is practically drooling at his hotness! The instant attraction diminishes the build-up and angst I've come to expect from a dark romance. It was sort of a turn-off.
It's smutty. I'll give the book that. The problem is the sex scenes feel like they are written by a man who doesn't quite understand how a woman's body works. This would be bearable if it HAD been written by a man. It's written by a woman FOR women. She should know better or have at least read more spice before trying to write it. It made me uncomfortable to read. The author has a weird obsession with nipples.
You can tell the author is self-published and unpolished. It's a dark mafia romance, wrapped up in a Sweeny Todd/Hamlet/Medusa rewrite. I had such high hopes for it, but it feels like a "booktok made me buy it" regret.
The "Sweeny Todd" rewrite part is basically he's a barber who murders with a razor, and she's a baker. The "Medusa" rewrite is basically a scorned woman's vengeance. The "Hamlet" is he's after his uncle for the murder of his father. This isn't so much a rewrite as a play on themes. Easy to spot in the first few chapters.
It's not well written and way too long. It feels more like fanfiction or wattpad. The characters are fleshed out and likable, but their speech...... no one talks like that. It's the way a teen in middle school would write a story. The whole thing is disjointed. I had to constantly reread sentences to make them make sense.
The Tale had just enough plot to keep me reading, but it felt more like I hate read it just to find out what happened.
The ending was lackluster and anticlimactic. I wish I had saved my time and money on this one.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
kaycie_andthe_sunshineband's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, and Murder
ek_reads's review against another edition
5.0
Oh my.
Talia and Sever met under traumatic circumstances as children, and make plans to escape together. Sever escapes but is injured too badly to help when Talia is caught and killed.
Sever swears he’ll avenge the girl who saved his life, and when we meet him again 15 years later, his plan to get justice is already in motion.
Except Talia didn’t die. She survived, and she’s got a list of the people who need to pay for what they did to her.
This was a really beautiful story. I loved that that Talia and Sever saved each other. And OBVIOUSLY it was hot af.
Talia and Sever met under traumatic circumstances as children, and make plans to escape together. Sever escapes but is injured too badly to help when Talia is caught and killed.
Sever swears he’ll avenge the girl who saved his life, and when we meet him again 15 years later, his plan to get justice is already in motion.
Except Talia didn’t die. She survived, and she’s got a list of the people who need to pay for what they did to her.
This was a really beautiful story. I loved that that Talia and Sever saved each other. And OBVIOUSLY it was hot af.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Murder
Moderate: Sexual assault and Torture
Minor: Pedophilia, Rape, and Stalking
paulinebellini's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I didn't want this series to end! Out of all three, this was definitely the darkest in terms of plot and kink!
Spoilering as usual however I do want to warn that there will be some discussion of the gore and smut, proceed with caution!
This is a Sweeney Todd retelling however it much more loosely follows the inspiring story, unlike Phantom and Rouge. And because of the content of the Sweeney Todd musical, I expected some gore, more than the other two as well.
The gore in this book bordered on too intense for me. It was not so bad to claim a star, but there was a scene, Percy's death, that had me wondering if I could stomach the rest of this book. That was definitely the worst of the murders though, thankfully.
Tallie and Sev seemed like some of the most fleshed out and original characters of this whole series. I think showing them as children helped build them as adults later on. It wasn't clear at first that Tallie knew that Sev was the boy, and once it's revealed all along, their first encounter doesn't really make sense because it feels like Tallie has never seen him before.
I loved their banter, I loved the tension between them. The scene where he had her tied up was incredibly hot, even if him putting the knife handle in her made me cringe. I do with they could just communicate with each other because like damn. Talking would have saved so much time and strife.
Sev fails every time he tries to like... plan things. He knows his uncle's game at the first dinner but he still falls into the trap, and then somehow the uncle figures everything out to ruin their plans at the second dinner too. But Tallie is also lucky she never got caught(I mean, Sev caught her, but still), so I guess neither one of them should be in charge of making plans.
Once the main spice happened, the plot moved really quickly. Like the smut happened, revelations happened, and then immediately, he gets the Judge and they kill him and finish up their revenge? It was so fast. Also, the uncle tried to kill Tallie and I thought it was weird how things weren't clear enough in the footage to see any details on the car the first time but when they looked again, they could see the man's rings.
Tony's death actually had me in tears, and again at the end when they let him go. I loved that everyone got closure, the story felt very complete.
Sev and Tallie had some of the best banter of the entire series. Tallie very much lives up to her Vipera nickname and Sev matches her really well. I loved their dynamic.
I love the distinct settings for these works, I love the way this story was connected to Rouge, much more than Rouge connected to Phantom, and I also love how the author weaves another language into the stories. Phantom had French(obviously), Rouge had Irish, and Dreadful has Italian. The MMCs give their ladies nicknames in their native tongues. I'm here for it!
Spoilering as usual however I do want to warn that there will be some discussion of the gore and smut, proceed with caution!
The gore in this book bordered on too intense for me. It was not so bad to claim a star, but there was a scene, Percy's death, that had me wondering if I could stomach the rest of this book. That was definitely the worst of the murders though, thankfully.
Tallie and Sev seemed like some of the most fleshed out and original characters of this whole series. I think showing them as children helped build them as adults later on. It wasn't clear at first that Tallie knew that Sev was the boy, and once it's revealed all along, their first encounter doesn't really make sense because it feels like Tallie has never seen him before.
I loved their banter, I loved the tension between them. The scene where he had her tied up was incredibly hot, even if him putting the knife handle in her made me cringe. I do with they could just communicate with each other because like damn. Talking would have saved so much time and strife.
Sev fails every time he tries to like... plan things. He knows his uncle's game at the first dinner but he still falls into the trap, and then somehow the uncle figures everything out to ruin their plans at the second dinner too. But Tallie is also lucky she never got caught(I mean, Sev caught her, but still), so I guess neither one of them should be in charge of making plans.
Once the main spice happened, the plot moved really quickly. Like the smut happened, revelations happened, and then immediately, he gets the Judge and they kill him and finish up their revenge? It was so fast. Also, the uncle tried to kill Tallie and I thought it was weird how things weren't clear enough in the footage to see any details on the car the first time but when they looked again, they could see the man's rings.
Tony's death actually had me in tears, and again at the end when they let him go. I loved that everyone got closure, the story felt very complete.
Sev and Tallie had some of the best banter of the entire series. Tallie very much lives up to her Vipera nickname and Sev matches her really well. I loved their dynamic.
I love the distinct settings for these works, I love the way this story was connected to Rouge, much more than Rouge connected to Phantom, and I also love how the author weaves another language into the stories. Phantom had French(obviously), Rouge had Irish, and Dreadful has Italian. The MMCs give their ladies nicknames in their native tongues. I'm here for it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Gore, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
moukinnokage's review
dark
emotional
sad
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? It's complicated
4.25
The skull on the cover is ACTUALLY relevant to the story. Color me shocked 🤣 Overall, a solid, poignant story with a HEA. That meat locker scene was a bit…odd for a victim of SA, but it pans out all right in the end. Primary complaint was the constant, repetitive scattering of Italian that threw off the flow.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Murder
Moderate: Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexual assault
Minor: Car accident
hanreadssbooks's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Car accident, and Pregnancy
justine_jvn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Murder
Moderate: Sexual assault and Kidnapping
thespicysewist's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I’m a sucker for spicy, dark retellings.. and Dreadful absolutely delivered. This is another one that sat on my TBR for a while because I couldn’t get into it, but once I got into the actual story, it all came together.
Dreadful is a dark Hamlet/Sweeney Todd retelling, with Medusa elements woven throughout. It’s not for the faint of heart, but it’s also not obscenely dark. If you enjoyed Butcher & Blackbird, you’ll enjoy Dreadful.
I only wish it had a character map at the back of the book, because there are so many uncles/aunts/cousins (it’s a mafia romance, after all) that I was pretty confused.
Dreadful is a dark Hamlet/Sweeney Todd retelling, with Medusa elements woven throughout. It’s not for the faint of heart, but it’s also not obscenely dark. If you enjoyed Butcher & Blackbird, you’ll enjoy Dreadful.
I only wish it had a character map at the back of the book, because there are so many uncles/aunts/cousins (it’s a mafia romance, after all) that I was pretty confused.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Torture, and Death of parent
Minor: Pedophilia
kearstenkeepsreading's review
challenging
dark
emotional
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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Another great book in the Tattered Curtain series! I was immediately drawn into this world of of revenge and was instantly rooting for both MC’s.
You have Talia who is set in taking her revenge on those who murdered her parents and almost killed her. And then there is Severino, who is also out for revenge for his own family and the little girl that saved him when he was a boy.
The world building was amazing from the barber shop to the bakery to the theater and everything in between it was as if I was there! As per the other books in the series the side characters were fleshed out and played integral parts throughout the story. Also the chemistry between Talia and Sev was off the charts from the moment they met(again). That just continued to build especially with the mistaken/hidden identity aspect of the story.
Truly a great read but be sure to check trigger warnings as it is a dark romance!
You have Talia who is set in taking her revenge on those who murdered her parents and almost killed her. And then there is Severino, who is also out for revenge for his own family and the little girl that saved him when he was a boy.
The world building was amazing from the barber shop to the bakery to the theater and everything in between it was as if I was there! As per the other books in the series the side characters were fleshed out and played integral parts throughout the story. Also the chemistry between Talia and Sev was off the charts from the moment they met(again). That just continued to build especially with the mistaken/hidden identity aspect of the story.
Truly a great read but be sure to check trigger warnings as it is a dark romance!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual content, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Sexual assault, and Death of parent
erinmd156's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Car accident